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This is a story of an idea.
The idea was, to have a watch that suits all of my needs and concepts. To let it be perfect, in any part and step of its life – from a drawing to the product. To be worth mentioning, as it shows something special and unusual. The only way to own this kind of timepiece – is to make it.
I have found friends that share the same views. Now we can help each other, encouraging ourselves to make something worth doing. We have established a foundation, that can, and will, help the others to make their dreams come true. To develop precision mechanics, design school. To clear the paths for many others enthusiasts that will follow. To encourage them, to help them. Keeping them solving the challenges, and to challenge the reality that „it can not be done”. It can be done, it is done, and it will be done even better in a future.
This is how it starts.
But before about the G. Gerlach watches I would like to remind of the project we realised for the Polish forum Chinawatches. The project PZL which many of you know very well, project which is tribute for Polish planes and Polish pilots fighting in World War II:
You can read this story here on WUS, as we have shared it with all :
PZL P.11 c - pilot watch
And now the G. Gerlach watches
We considered it crucial for the watch to be a well motivated project – a watch that takes all it needs from history and looks into the future as far as it can.
The choice was a diver watch, that will show the glory of The Polish Navy. The bravery of the sailors, the spirit of the corps, to go and fight for the fatherland, even when it was conquered, and troubled by the enemies. To fight, hand in hand, with allies – far, far away, not saying 'it is not a war of ours'. The same spirit is known now. And we are very proud of it.
Going back to the history, the first diving watches in the Polish Navy – the Vostok Amphibians, appeared in the late '60s.
This superb watch was powered by the magnificent 2209 movement inside a stainless steel case, with a screw-down caseback and crown, and due to a thick, rubber seal was rated to withstand a pressure of up to 20 atmospheres (or even 30 in its special models). I own more than a dozen of these watches, and each one of them makes a happy smile appear on my face any time I look at one
Anyway, cutting the sentimental… Our perfect diving watch was inspired by those early Vostoks and their robustness, minimalism, ergonomics. This is why we decided on a solid case with attached strap adapters. It makes a better fitting for wrists of different sizes.
The case is made of 316L grade stainless steel (often called “surgical grade”). The best you can get – with outstanding rust and acid resistance, suitable for salty waters. If you made a watch for yourself, you would spend some bucks extra to get the best possible components. So did we
The crystal had to be updated to todays standards – this is why we've picked a sapphire crystal. To make it pressure resistant, we increased the normal thickness to 2,7 mm. Combined with the way its mounted into the case, it makes for a true and trusted water resistance, as the pressure inflicted on the glass presses it against the case, sealing it even more firmly.
The screwed caseback and crown are a standard in WR200 watches, here the crown comes with 2 orings to ensure a reliable seal. Both the case and the crown are engraved, to pay a tribute to the story told by the watches; the story of the two Polish submarines – the P52 and the N97.
As we go back in history, we can mention one disadvantage of the first Polish Navy diving watches - it was a combination of a screw-down crown and a mechanically wound movement. This is a point that we've had to address. An automatic movement is a perfect option. We have decided to pick one from the Sea Gull -Worlds biggest automatic movement producer. However, we did not want the heart of our watch to be based on outdated technical solutions. So we went with a genuine Sea Gull ST25 – a well respected and widely known automatic movement with astonishing parameters. We've put it through a thorough examination and checked for its efficiency and solidity. The ST25 comes with genuine synthetic ruby bearings, as in the old, good times. All the parts are made of good materials and it actually looks more like a movement made in the golden era of the '60s and '70s. Its automatic winding system is one of the most efficient ever made – full winding takes less than two hours of rather static usage, and after that the power reserve can last for more than 45 hours :!: The shock absorbing systems worked perfectly in our tests as well – so what more could we expect ? Nothing more is needed !
As a details makes a difference, we put a lot of effort to it .First of all, we pick a challenge thaw was never archived before in Poland. We put the demand higher then ever, to get not what is easy, but to go where no polish watch ever has been. Not only to produce the first ever polish diver, but to produce it just from the sketches. Not a single part is taken out of the shelf. All are designed according to our strict and detailed specification and demands. Specification and demands made by the people, who own a dozens of timepieces, for the people who will appreciate it. It's lack of compromises, the highest available standard of the finish, the soul of the designers, creators, and assemblers – from the first line, to the last screw put into it. This is how it is, and it is how it will ever be for all the G.Gerlach timepieces.
To show our confidence both in the design proces and the watch itself, we decided to put a warranty issues above the standard as well. Each G. Gerlach product comes with a 24 months full warranty, that can be even further extended. In case of servicing the watch after a warranty period in our manufacture. You will get a professional servicing, that includes cleaning, oiling, timing, and gasket replacing in cases when needed, for a very competitive price – and after that we will be glad to serve you with another 12 months of full manufacturers warranty. We do hope that this will even more assure you about the quality of our customer care&service.
Let us meet soon, in other project. Feel free to ask about the product and the creative process at any time. Follow our profile on Facebook and Twitter, feel free to comment and share your opinions with the designers, creators, producers and assemblers from our staff at any time!
Our web site : www.gerlach.org.pl
A direct link to the shop : sklep.gerlach.org.pl
Our Facebook profile : http://www.facebook.com/pages/G-Gerl...6747205?ref=ts
