RESCO Watch. An introduction.

[RESCO Instruments]

Hello WUS Dive Watch forum. I guess I should have introduced myself PRIOR to having my banners posted up. I did not mean to have such a lag time between my banners and introduction. Here are a few things about myself and my company:

I was raised in Western Washington State and got into clocks and watches after my father gave me a Chelsea 24hr submarine clock, I was 10. It was broken and my father and I fixed it as a father son project. I was hooked ever since. I joined the US Navy at 18 and went to BUD/s thereafter. Spent years as a door kicker and then filled an instructor role. I will be going back to a Team soon after my first run of watches comes out and will have to deal with the logistical nightmare of shipping my watches while on assignment....Don't worry, I have a plan!

I had been interested in starting my own watch company for many years but had little time in my busy "non-watch related" schedule to do so. Enter Mike Kobold. I have known Mike for a long time. Every time we would hang out and or train for his Everest Expedition he would push me to get off my lazy butt and get going on my company, I finally folded. I had a small window of time and with a measure of Mike's mentorship, I was able to get this far somewhat on my own. I sold a portion of my sizable watch collection against my will and put some money into production. No outside investors.

The design is 100% RESCO. No off the shelf or stock cases. I worked closely with Chris Wiegand of Lum Tec watches in the design and manufacture of my cases. I toured his facility and was quite impressed with the quality of work his company was able to provide in regard to cases and dial lume. And Chris is a heck of a nice guy to boot.

I read some questions and concerns about the movement that I would like to address. YES, the movement is a Slava S-2427. Since, as some of you super sleuth smart guys have noticed, the dial is lacking the date feature that would normally be present on the 2427. I have chosen to have that part removed to simplify things. These movements are vintage NOS movements were chosen over an ETA-28XX after EXTENSIVE field testing in some pretty bumpy environments. I found that the only way I was able to stop the beat was to actually TRY and break the watch. In a nutshell, A RESCO Patriot prototype has been through every Phase of Navy SEAL training, to include Hellweek and came out ticking away. As we speak that same prototype is being vetted in the advanced training blocks at the Advanced Team level. It is scratched to hell but I'm not losing any sleep over the durability.....It'll be fine; the Patriot can take care of its self. I don't know of ANY OTHER company that can say this about their watches. But then again, I don't know of any other SEALs that design, build and test their products in an actual operational environment.

So, when you add up the cost to import, clean, assemble, modify and adjust an otherwise perfectly tough movement....I may as well opted for the ETA 28XX for a few dollars more (and I almost did!). But then I stepped back and looked at my objective. The S-2427 fit the bill. Not that I am saying my movement is far superior when it comes to beat, looks or sustained accuracy it has more of the attributes that I was requiring and held as a priority. Such as durability, dependability and longevity in regards to service intervals. As one of you pointed out, this little movement has tenacity and will function like an AK-47. I was not trying to be deceptive by calling it a RW-2427 when it was based S-2427......watch companies do it all the time when they modify ETAs. I will be changing my verbiage and adding more on why this movement was selected. The take away from this paragraph is that a great deal of thought and testing went into the movement selection. Hopefully that thought and testing will be reflected in the wearer’s movement servicing bills down the road.

Yes... to some my watch will look like a Kobold Arctic Diver. And to others it will look A LOT like the AD. I have always been a huge fan of Mike's work and would be full of BS if I said I was not influenced by the designs of his watches. Just like Mike was influenced by Helmut Sinn and Helmut Sinn was influenced by the cockpit clocks in his aircraft. That aircraft clock designer was influenced by......bla.....bla....bla.....SUNDIAL....bla...bl a...CAVEMAN STARING AT THE SUN.
Mike is fully aware of the status of my company (he was instrumental in helping me get started...). And I have even aided in the design of some of HIS upcoming models. I don't think he minds if my watch has subtle differences to his great design like: The bezel notches, the angled lugs the enlarged indices and triangle 12 0'clock marker. Let's not forget about the enlarged crown, crown lugs and substantial size difference. Oh wait....those are different. But I still managed to capture the essence of what I liked about Mike's design and made it fit my unique company's needs.

I hope I have answered some of your questions without pissing too many people off in the process. If I have offended anyone, please feel free to let me know. I have a tendency to get right to the root of an issue with the grace of a 800 lb water buffalo and I ALWAYS put my foot in my mouth and say the wrong thing to the wrong people at the wrong time...it's uncanny. On the flipside, I have VERY thick skin.

Take aways:

1.Bio.....................................Check!

2.Movement...........................Check!

3.Similar to the AD...................Check!

4.Testing and Vetting...............Check!

5.Thick Skin............................Check! X2

6.Enjoy talking about my watch and hearing your thoughts on my company..............................Check!


Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

R.E. Smith
RESCO Instruments

[Rhino-Ranch]

Dear R.E. Resco

Thank you for introducing yourself and your PATRIOT watch ! I love the design. I was the one who suggested the comparison to AK. I wish you the best success, and hope to see more pics.

Jim

[GGD]

Welcome aboard Rob

I love the look of your PATRIOT, .... but then again, my daily wearer is an Arctic Diver Tac so no surprises there

I also really like the name, and the trident seconds hand. Unfortunately for me though, I can't deal with a "no date" (I've tried before and I just can't get past it) but I'm really looking forward to some of the other designs you come up with down the track.

Good luck mate, love your work!

[RESCO Instruments]

I do like the comparison, Jim. It really fits the bill. I had to go with a movement that was with out a doubt durable. I have 60 of my first run pre-ordered by guys in and around my unit. If this watch wasn't built to take some lumps.....I just might be at the recieving end of some "lumps" myself!!

R.E.

[Nalu]

Welcome to WUS/DWF Smitty, glad to have you here. Really looking forward to strapping one of these on

[Rhino-Ranch]

Sir, I am not one to argue you with either ! Seriously, I do love the design, and hope to see more pics. As I recall from your web site, your regulate the watch in 3-positions? Correct? You may want to emphasize that. All in all, the mvt, while perhaps the best for utility and reliability, is kind of ironic, don't you think ?
Jim

Originally Posted by RESCO Instruments

I do like the comparison, Jim. It really fits the bill. I had to go with a movement that was with out a doubt durable. I have 60 of my first run pre-ordered by guys in and around my unit. If this watch wasn't built to take some lumps.....I just might be at the recieving end of some "lumps" myself!!

R.E.

[RESCO Instruments]

Originally Posted by GGD

Welcome aboard Rob

I love the look of your PATRIOT, .... but then again, my daily wearer is an Arctic Diver Tac so no surprises there

I also really like the name, and the trident seconds hand. Unfortunately for me though, I can't deal with a "no date" (I've tried before and I just can't get past it) but I'm really looking forward to some of the other designs you come up with down the track.

Good luck mate, love your work!

No worries. I removed the date feature from the picture so it wouldn't hinder the functionality of the movement with the extra button at the top right. I also took a hard look at what was required on an operational deployment:

1. A guy is stuck in a less than permissive environment for MANY months. Seeing the date every day reminding a guy that he has barely made a dent in his deployment is kind of a bummer when you have a year of boots on the ground. Most operations I have been on were dictated by factors other than dates and on a day by day basis anyway.

2. The bezel: Most military units with combat divers employ an oxygen rebreather, making decompression time a non issue. The only thing on the bezel that is required is the lume pip at 12 o'clock for timing legs of the dive for navigational purposes which is done by using the PIP, the minute hand and the hour markers. (diving at night would also make it impossible to see a bezel minute track anyway).

3. One of the most important things a operator will use on the watch is the 12hr bezel. This is because he wants to know what time it is back home. A typical soldier will need to track *3* timezones. 1: in theater for operations and muster times, 2: back home where their wife or girlfriend lives which will be near their base of origin. And 3: their hometown where the soldiers parents are located. Gotta know when to place that moral call!!

These are just a few things I took under consideration when designing this watch. Most of these ideas came from my pals that provided a great deal of input for the project.

Thank you for your interest.

R.E.

[RESCO Instruments]

Originally Posted by Rhino-Ranch

Sir, I am not one to argue you with either ! Seriously, I do love the design, and hope to see more pics. As I recall from your web site, your regulate the watch in 3-positions? Correct? You may want to emphasize that. All in all, the mvt, while perhaps the best for utility and reliability, is kind of ironic, don't you think ?
Jim

Two shea, Jim!
I am well aware of the irony and I promise you that if the Berlin wall is re-established I'll recall all Patriots and retrofit the movements with an ETA.!!

Guys at work rib me about the irony all the time. I tell them to think of it as kind of a Cold War "war trophy".....that usually shuts them up.


The movements are first adjusted outside of the watch and then upon securing in the case as this may cause a very slight change. Once secured, they are adjusted face up (typing), crown down (walking) and 12 down (at rest beside the leg if sitting).

Thanks for the questions. I really enjoy these exchanges.

R.E

[RESCO Instruments]

Thanks Colin! We still need to meet up for that beer that has eluded us so many times. Hit me up next time the rugby team is in San Dog.

R.E.

[Eric L.]

If you want to track three timezones, you will need a GMT movement in addition to the rotating 12 hour bezel. Otherwise, it will be two timezones only (and the rest commited to memory for conversion).

[Simon]

I really like it - clean and tool-like - the chocolate brown is superb!

I understand why you discount for serving US mil and law enforcement - pity there are no discounts for UK priests in the front line of spiritual warfare

I wish you all the best in this project and your profession

si

[RESCO Instruments]

You are very correct, Eric.

I realize that my watch will not track three timezones and didn't intend to mislead anyone. I was just stating the different times that would be important for a guy deployed. I have plans for my next model to be a true GMT and do just that. (12 hr bezel, internal 24 hr dial ring working with a jump hand ,and the main dial for local time.

For my first run, the guys will have to make due with two timezones.....

R.E.

[jstroh]

Thanks for the intro, R.E. I wish you great success in your endeavor.

As the one who posted the pictures of the AD and your watch, I did not mean to imply that you were stealing a Kobold design. I acknowledge the differences and look forward to more pictures of your watch as the one I "stole" from your website doesn't, I am sure, do full justice to your design.

As a non-SEAL-type, a date function is important to me, as it appears to be to others. I believe the lack of this option will be a stumbling block for many casual watch wearers.

But what do I know? I am not a professional watch designer and I'm certain that anything I would come up with would be laughed off this forum. My point is don't take anything I have to say--or anyone has to say, for that matter--too seriously.

You're on your mission, so to speak, so stick with it and good luck.

Joe

[monyman]

love the look and simplicity....being an ex armed forces man,,,i do appreciate your efficiency in design ...would love to see side view pictures ,,and welcome to the forum.!!

[Noodlefish]

Great looking watch; wish I'd got in on the pre-order! Really like the simple design, and the movement choice is really interesting - a truly "shock-proof" one, by the sounds of things. looking forward to seeing the results of your testing - scratches and all!

One small question - Would it be possible to clear up the 200M WR vs 100ATM pressure-proof claim please? Did you test it in air and water then?

Mat

[ogri2009]

Hi R.E. Smith! Wonderful to see that you are making your dreams come true!

I can't enter your website for some reason but from the looks of the flash advertisement on WUS, the Patriot is looking FANTASTIC!

Good luck with the company and have a great year ahead!

[domino]

I haven't even looked at the watches yet, but I like your post/attitude/ etc! Also I like hearing the ideas behind the design. Going to take a look now!

[jamoss75]

Dear Sir,

I spotted your banner yesterday and immediately noticed the resemblance to Kobold. After investigating further I was impressed by the uniqueness of your design and story behind the watch.
Thank you for the post detailing the process and best of luck to you as your company gets up and running.

[stevenkim]

Sir,
I myself am an Infantry Captain in the Army, and you hit the points exactly right on what is needed in a watch for certain types of occupations. I have had the fortunate opportunity to interact and train with some SEALs at Ranger School and was impressed by their physical conditioning. I am also a huge watch fan and have owned a few myself.

I am in the market for a tough use watch that I would never take off, whether I am in the field, deployed, in garrison, church, or going out. I think your watch fits the bill!

[toddswatch]

Hi Smitty! Great to see the progression of your watch company and the watch itself. I like the design so much I've already bought one!!! Count me in for a GMT version too. Been wanting a GMT for a while but haven't found the right design for me. If it's similar to the Patriot then I'll have to have one.

Cheers and keep up the great work!

Todd