Hi All,
Recently a member of the Dutch Forum "Horlogeforum" asked if there was going to be another "Horlogeforum Limited Edition" or HFLE Watch this year, like there were in recent years..
The idea then develloped of creating our own limited Edition watch.. not just a "run of the mill" watch from a known brand, with an inscription on the back, and a Horlogeforum logo on the dial, like the other limited edition HFLE watches.. but truly a limited Edition.. a watch made by and for forum members...
I then jumped in, and offered to make that watch.. so a Team was formed, to tackle this task..
we decided to make a "Flieger".. not a replica of an existing watch, but a new design.
Forummember Teun AKA Deskdiver made a design, and i fired up my CAD program to engineer his design:
We decided on the following Specifications:
43 x 12 mm Case
lug-to-lug 52mm, pin to pin 48 mm, so it will also fit nicely on 165 mm wrists
22 mm lugwidth
ETA/Unitas 6498-1 Elaboré movement, Côtes de Genève finishing on the bridges Perlage on the main plate
Handmade Leather strap, made by forummember Remie AKA 7T2Straps, wit Titanium Grade 5 Buckle
Sandwich Dial with Swiss SuperLuminova
Sword hands with Swiss SuperLuminova
Case, Bezel and Caseback all made of Titanium Grade 5
Sapphire Crystal with two-sided scratch resistant coating
Laserengraved Caseback
the watch is supplied with an extra Nato Strap..
Packaged in a Leather Toolroll made by forummember Rob
The Team:
Hans (purchasing and PR)
Teun (Design and quality control)
Remie (Straps)
Rob (Toolrol)
Jan (engineering, manufacturing and assembly) <-- That's me!
We regularly meet to discuss all the aspects of creating this watch..
One of our Meetings, with from left to right, Remie, Jan (me) and Teun)
the project kicked of with me making a prototype Case.. for dimension checks, fitting the strap and fitting it with a strap in the toolroll
this case was thus given to Remie, to fit the strap:
the wides keeper is stamped with the owners initials, this is Hans' strap, also the prototype Buckle is fitted.
Since Both Teun and me have narrow wrists ( 165 mm ), Teun was eager to check the watch on his wrist.
And as you can see, it fits nicely.. since i have small wrists too, i know some tricks to make a big watch fit small wrists.. making the lugs bend down really helps here..
My own Prototype Dumet Instrument 1 is slightly smaller at ø42 x 47..
fitted with a Strap made by Remie
This is the prototype Case with a prototype Dial... not yet really finished, because the seconds subdial wasn't yet turned, it is slightly recessed in the definitive version.
Thusfar we have this:
the dials have been turned now.. and this is how it's done...
More to come in the following weeks..
if you want to read all about it. check P1lot One | LE & inspired by Fliegeruhren (in Dutch)
Recently a member of the Dutch Forum "Horlogeforum" asked if there was going to be another "Horlogeforum Limited Edition" or HFLE Watch this year, like there were in recent years..
The idea then develloped of creating our own limited Edition watch.. not just a "run of the mill" watch from a known brand, with an inscription on the back, and a Horlogeforum logo on the dial, like the other limited edition HFLE watches.. but truly a limited Edition.. a watch made by and for forum members...
I then jumped in, and offered to make that watch.. so a Team was formed, to tackle this task..
we decided to make a "Flieger".. not a replica of an existing watch, but a new design.
Forummember Teun AKA Deskdiver made a design, and i fired up my CAD program to engineer his design:
We decided on the following Specifications:
43 x 12 mm Case
lug-to-lug 52mm, pin to pin 48 mm, so it will also fit nicely on 165 mm wrists
22 mm lugwidth
ETA/Unitas 6498-1 Elaboré movement, Côtes de Genève finishing on the bridges Perlage on the main plate
Handmade Leather strap, made by forummember Remie AKA 7T2Straps, wit Titanium Grade 5 Buckle
Sandwich Dial with Swiss SuperLuminova
Sword hands with Swiss SuperLuminova
Case, Bezel and Caseback all made of Titanium Grade 5
Sapphire Crystal with two-sided scratch resistant coating
Laserengraved Caseback
the watch is supplied with an extra Nato Strap..
Packaged in a Leather Toolroll made by forummember Rob
The Team:
Hans (purchasing and PR)
Teun (Design and quality control)
Remie (Straps)
Rob (Toolrol)
Jan (engineering, manufacturing and assembly) <-- That's me!
We regularly meet to discuss all the aspects of creating this watch..
One of our Meetings, with from left to right, Remie, Jan (me) and Teun)
the project kicked of with me making a prototype Case.. for dimension checks, fitting the strap and fitting it with a strap in the toolroll
this case was thus given to Remie, to fit the strap:
the wides keeper is stamped with the owners initials, this is Hans' strap, also the prototype Buckle is fitted.
Since Both Teun and me have narrow wrists ( 165 mm ), Teun was eager to check the watch on his wrist.
And as you can see, it fits nicely.. since i have small wrists too, i know some tricks to make a big watch fit small wrists.. making the lugs bend down really helps here..
My own Prototype Dumet Instrument 1 is slightly smaller at ø42 x 47..
fitted with a Strap made by Remie
This is the prototype Case with a prototype Dial... not yet really finished, because the seconds subdial wasn't yet turned, it is slightly recessed in the definitive version.
Thusfar we have this:
the dials have been turned now.. and this is how it's done...
More to come in the following weeks..
if you want to read all about it. check P1lot One | LE & inspired by Fliegeruhren (in Dutch)