TimeTexas

Thank you Danny, just responded. Cheers

There are a lot of wonderful entries. I'm going to select my winners soon.

Hey Danny, welcome to the site! Amazing watches and beautiful craftsmanship. We just started the site up and haven't officially launched. Just slowly adding enthusiasts for independent watchmakers and brands. We have the main forums which you're welcome to participate in, but for watchmakers can also create a specific club just for Strom Watches, highlighting your watches and have an area where you can directly interact with potential clients. If you're interested, please email me at timetexaschris@gmail.com and I can provide additional details. I look forward to exploring your collection more - you craft some extremely unique and beautiful timepieces! Cheers Chris

Holthinrichs Watches Liminality Case Material: 3D proved Stainless Steel full Raw finishing Case Diameter: 38mm Case Thickness: 7.4mm Case Thickness (with crystal): 9.9mm Lug to Lug: 47mm Dial: Handmade deconstructed and flame treated metal with 14 diamonds 0.1 carat Hands: Handmade, flame treated stainless steel Movement: HW-LIM, base Peseux modified by hand and flame treated, blued screws, black polished crown wheel cuts, and shaking on the ratchet wheel Strap: Handmade, black ostrich leg Retail Price: €7800 exc VAT

For the next 8 days, these two custom Liminality designs from Michiel and Damiaen are available for purchase. This is a limited time only offer. Contact Holthinrichs for more information.

Holthinrichs Raw Ornament Review Case: 3D Printed Stainless Steel Case Diameter: 38mm Case Height: 9.8mm Lug Width: 20mm Dial: White Rhodium/Blue Pad Printing Movement: RW-01 (Modified and decorated Peseux 7001) My journey into independent watchmaking happened quickly. After buying my "grail" - a Glashütte Original Seventies, I realized I had no real interest in larger production luxury brand watches. Having something that was rare, knowing I wouldn't likely see it anywhere else was appealing. My own little secret. And maybe that of a few other watch nerds. And so began the descent into even more limited production watches and that's where I stumbled across a Swiss Watch Gang interview with Michiel Holthinrichs, talking about his inspiration and the new release, the Holthinrichs Raw Bronze. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen and I was taken and so I started doing more research about the brand and their watches. A few months later, I reached out to Holthinrichs, inquiring about the availability of the Raw Bronze. It wasn't currently available, but they did have a Raw Ornament White Rhodium dial available. And then things got interesting. I really did like the watch, but wasn't sure about the blue pad printing, so I asked if there might be another option. During the back and forth discussing potential options, Holthinrichs mentioned that a question I had about a rust colored printing on the dial had inspired them and they wanted to have a Zoom. Michiel and Damaien spent two (2) hours mostly just chatting with me on a Zoom, talking about the inspiration behind the company, the rust idea, and even took me on a virtual tour around the Atelier and showing me what they were working on (an uncompleted version of what would become the Liminality). And I was hooked. Here was an extremely talented watchmaker taking a couple hours out of his busy schedule, to just talk watches and ideas with me. And that's when I fully realized how much I had been missing. Sure I loved watches and the personal connection between me and the watch and the experiences I had while wearing it. But hearing the passion, understanding the inspiration and the vision of the watchmaker was a completely different level. It created an even more emotional connection with a timepiece I hadn't even seen in person yet. Holhinrichs describes the Raw Ornament as Horology Brut, inspired by architecture (Béton Brut or Raw Concrete). The concept is basically to showcase the raw materials, typically concrete, in their untreated or unfinished state. In making the Ornament 1, Holthinrichs would 3D print the cases using stainless steel or other materials, and then polish the case to a high finish. With the Raw Ornament series, only parts of the case and lugs are polished, leaving the rest unpolished, creating a "rough" look. The unpolished areas do appear rough, but in actuality are relatively smooth. Not polished, but not rough to the touch. As far as the watch, the Raw texture of the stainless steel is similar to that of concrete, somewhat matte, giving the watch an overall muted appearance. But in my opinion, it makes the polished, stepped edges of the lugs that much more dramatic. And the lugs are dramatic, long and flowing, with a small gap running between the inside and the outside before reconnecting where the springbar is inserted into the case. The lugs are truly a work of art and are truly unique. They are beautiful on the Ornament 1, where they are fully polished, but on the Raw Ornament, the contrast makes them even more of a standout. Despite the beauty of the rest of the watch, the lugs remain my favorite feature. The rehaut and the crown both contain polished elements which also provide additional contrast withe rehaut lighting up in the light to highlight the dial when the light hits at certain angles. The dial itself, made of white rhodium, is a prefect complement to the Raw Ornament. A somewhat understated silver/gray, the dial itself is extremely dynamic in the light. From afar, the dial appears as a nice consistent, gray, sometimes matte finish, but on closer inspection, the incredible variation in the white rhodium can be seen. It gives the appearance of texture, without being textured. Just millions of variations in light and dark that make the dial glitter in the sunlight. A visual feast for the eyes that keeps you checking the watch every time the light changes, just to see what it looks like. The dial has a dark blue pad-printed minute track, the Holthinrichs signature logo at the 12, and a small Made in Delft just below the subseconds at the 6. The hands are hand crafted and filled with a beautiful blue-aqua lume that glows bright but doesn't last particularly long. This isn't a sports watch, per se, so the lume is not a necessity and more than adequate for the timepiece. The subseconds, is recessed into the dial and contains a small railroad-style hour track. It blends into the dial easily and the polished bezel on the recess is another light-catching element. An acrylic crystal covers the dial, likely to provide an element of warmth to the aesthetic over a sapphire crystal. The crown is small, signed with a Holthinrichs signature H, and has a unique design likely only possible with 3D printing. My only complaint about the watch is that with my larger fingers, the crown can slightly difficult to wind. And the acrylic crystal could be more susceptible to scratches/marks than a typical sapphire crystal. That said, I think both the crown and the crystal are the correct choices and enhance the character of the watch. A sapphire crystal caseback provides a view of the beautifully decorated movement. The HW-R01 hand-wound movement is based on the Peseux 7001. The finishing is very good and the movement is wonderful to look at. At under 10mm thick, even with the slightly domed crystal, the watch wears close to the wrist. The crystal on the caseback is actually recessed so there is no hidden height added as with other protruding casebacks. With a relatively small bevel, the expansive dial, long-ish lugs, and flat profile, the watch presents closer to a 39-40mm watch on the wrist. Absolute a perfect size for my 18cm wrists. And while it certainly portends a dressier aesthetic, the funky lugs, and the contrasting raw/polished look really comes across as cool, casual. It isn't a go anywhere, do anything watch, but it a wonderful day-to-day watch in nearly all non-sports/water settings. Even moreso since its an absolute strap monster and I probably switch straps and the bracelet out 2-3 times per week. It looks great on the mesh bracelet, but the silver/gray dial with dark blue pad printing pairs well with nearly any strap from brown to blue to red to orange to green. I should note the clasp on the butterfly bracelet is also engraved with the Holthinrichs logo. Nearly every strap combo works and with 20mm lug width, there's no shortage of options out there. This brings me to one of the coolest features of the watch. The side case is hollowed out, including the sides of the lugs. This allows for a few cool surprises. The first is the watch comes with drilled lugs, but due to the hollowed-sides, the hole is hidden from sight. It can be a little bit of a learning curve to find the right angle to push the springbar out, but after a few times, it is much easier. It's actually ingenious. The other cool feature is that due to the 3D printing, they are able to print Holthinrichs and Oranament in the side of the case, hidden from view unless you are looking at the watch from the side or in between the lugs. It is clear Holthinrichs has really crafted a thoughtful timepiece and these small added thoughts add a refinement you can't get with traditional case making. The cool retro style and under the radar look makes this watch absolutely one of my favorites. That's only grown over the months I've had this watch and I get to experience it in different situations and come to appreciate just how versatile it is. The tight tolerances allowed by the 3D printing come together in a very thin and wearable timepiece that is extremely light (in part due to the hollowed sides) and comfortable. It disappears on the wrist and then grabs your attention with its eye-catching style and unique light-play. It feels at home under a cuff or out in the open with a effortless casualness when wearing jeans and a t-shirt. As I've had the opportunity to get to know Michiel and Damaien and now Isa with Holthinrichs over the last 6 months, my emotional attachment to the timepiece has only grown. Learning about the story behind the design, the trials to learn about creating the first 3D-printed case, and the passion of the people who created it takes the watch to levels my other off-the-shelf watches simply can't match. Its what makes independent watchmaking special and what makes the connection even stronger. It isn't inexpensive, but for an opportunity to wear something so unique and different, with extremely high quality hand finishing finishing and thoughtful attention to detail, it is absolutely worth the price of admission. With the release of the Raw Bronze, the Liminality, and the Pre-Liminality, Holthinrichs shows the creative well is deep and I expect the brand will continue to grow and meet success creating something innovative timepieces that are both daring and futuristic while maintaining their roots in historical architecture and style. Overall, this is a watch that I'm thrilled to own and appreciate more every time I wear it. The clear passion from Michiel Holthinrichs and his team only enhances the overall beauty of the watch. The Raw Ornament is a fantastic day to day timepiece, exuding charm and character. And if I ever do find someone who recognizes it, I know I'm probably in for a great conversation about watches with another watch person. There isn't really anything not to love about this timepiece.

@Ed the Grocer agreed, the Ming strategy is no longer working. It is frustrating too many people. They should be in a position where they don't need the money up front for their watches, not to mention the ordering process is a pain. I continually missed until the GMT and the latest 5th anniversary. But the waiting is difficult and there are other watches I may want more at this point. We'll see when they finally come in. I'm hopeful this forum eventually assists in brands identifying a select group of people truly interested in the brand and can provide a way for them to both ensure their existing customers have the opportunity to buy and also then make enough available to gain new clients as well. There is a balance they have to strike and it will only become more difficult as the independents continue to grow in popularity.

I love that watch - great use of color and balance in the design. It is a bit small for my wrist (18cm). I have some vintage watches that are about 35mm and those look pretty small on my wrist and don't get much wear because of it.

Agreed, I watch that channel some, but never really even considered actually getting a group together like that and creating a brand new watch. I love the watch - amazing they were able to get 50+ people to agree on something and not have it look like a disaster. Regardless, I missed those posts about the group until just a couple days ago. Fascinating. I'd love to do something like that at some point. @Ed the Grocer do you mean "large" as in size or cost? For me, the size seems very good for a dressier watch. I like a little larger for sports watches - about 41mm is perfect. As far as the cost, it isn't cheap for sure, but I do think its a good price for the watch you're getting with some of the movement upgrades, unique design, etc. I'm not in the market for a watch like that right now, but it would be near the top of the list (along with a D. Dornbluth) if I was looking.

Thanks for making a discussion @nakkdry! I added a complete list of finalists in the News forum but better to keep the discussion here. That ArtyA is new to me and completely crazy. Absolutely love it. I'm with Ed, I don't know that I'd actually get to see it ever change from 5M as most of my deepest diving is about 8 or 9' to the bottom of my pool. But that's an extremely cool concept. I'm guessing that it goes in revers on the way up (need to read more about it), so you can control your decompression as well.

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Edouard, great to have you here. No need to apologize for your English - what is your native language? You have been a collector for a much longer time than me so I look forward to learning more about collecting and more about your journey through watches and into independents. I think overall interest in independents really started with watch forums and then social media like Instagram. It really provided an opportunity to learn about new brands that didn't have marketing budgets, didn't have the ability to get their watches out to the public. That's no longer an issue. The biggest issue, and why I started this forum, is because large luxury brands have the resources to dominate these platforms, and they make so many watches that more people have them and talk about them. Its easy for small independent brands to get lost in the hype over these larger brands. My watch collecting only began about 7 years ago and I was always drawn to lesser known brands, microbrands, and then as I learned more, I really became interested in independent brands. In any event, we are still testing the site out, so if you have any issues or notice anything we could be doing better please let us know. We are adding small independent brands that can have their own club spaces and participate as well (as their time allows). In the meantime, welcome, and make yourself at home as we continue to grow the site! Chris

That could be. I think its just one of those things that irks me as my IG feed just gets swamped with it. As a watch its fine and inoffensive. Actually its quite nice - all of the Tudor watches generally look good. But there's NOTHING interesting about it to generate the amount of hype it gets. And good is the enemy of great. And from an independent watchmaking standpoint, there are certainly watches and brands that just don't appeal to me. But what I love about that is that they are creating their own vision, creating something new and unique and beautiful that doesn't appeal to the masses, but that appeals to the watchmaker. If others like it, great. And I can at least appreciate that versus the other approach which is to simply create something inoffensive and formulaic that appeals to the most people possible. I guess that's the fundamental difference in people who like independent watchmaking compared to regular watch people. And I can only look at the same watch so many hundreds of times before getting frustrated. So basically this was a post to vent.

I know that one thing I appreciate about independent watchmaking is being able to see the watchmakers vision and how they implement that vision. And I greatly appreciate when there are some bespoke options that can be customized to individualize the timepiece for you and create a unique piece. And certainly there are groups/clubs that support watchmakers (see Cronotempvs and others) and have some input into the design choices implemented into those specific timepieces. And I think that's obviously a good thing as it supports the watchmakers financially, maybe in developing a new movement or timepiece which might not otherwise be feasible without some initial funding. That said, I've seen a lot of discussion the past two days about how wonderful Tudor is for taking customer feedback into consideration in developing and designing their watches. And I guess that's where I take issue. In my mind, that means two things - 1) the watch is being made simply to appeal to the largest number of people (i.e., the lowest common denominator theory) and 2) Tudor's design decisions are simply a function of the accounting department telling them what to make to maximize revenue instead of following a true design ethos. Further, I think this approach turns watchmaking into "pop radio" for the wrist. If you listen to the radio, you're hearing pretty much the same formulaic songs over and over. Sure its catchy and easy-listening, but is there any really art or feeling behind it? By appealing to the masses, you lose creativity, you lose the individuality, and you lose the passion. Further, there is no challenge in trying to understand why certain decisions were made and by losing that challenge (very similar to music), you lose the opportunity to gain a true appreciation for what the watchmaker (or musician) is really trying to convey. What you get instead is a very nice looking, but imminently forgettable and uninteresting, timepiece. Just like a song on pop radio. And so while there are some similarities between implementing bespoke elements into a timepiece and implementing customer input in your design process, in my mind they are fundamentally opposed. And I think its diametrically opposed to the ethos of independent watchmaking and everything that makes independent watchmaking special.

The ST01 Calculus is now available for order. Contact Statera directly to find out more about this gorgeous timepiece and get Brazilian watchmaking history on your wrist today.

So I can across this watch a little while back and really liked it. I didn't realize this was a group effort with Bill from WatchArtSci on YouTube. I enjoy his channel but haven't tuned in to YT in a few weeks. Anyways, I thought this was interesting. I haven't had an outing to be part of a Watch Club like Cronotempvs but this seems a little different as they built it from the ground up. Pretty amazing. Even more amazing is they had 51 people involved and were able to design this and ultimately create it with a concensus. Really a beautiful timepiece, very impressed. Anyways, a couple videos from WatchArtSci on the components and the process.

Agreed on Tudor. Completely unimpressed, but hey 39mm! So creative. Sheeple. It's why this forum exists. The color on the MB&F reminds me is the Glacier Blue GO 60s from a couple years ago which I absolutely love.

Geneva Watch Days 2022 discussion. I'll leave the other thread for news only. Lots of great releases, but wow that Arnold & Son is truly something. Love the color on the MB&F. 40mm on the DB PC is amazing. The openwork movement on the Czapek is stunning and that green dial is spectacular. On the attainable releases, the Oris is really great. I always liked the Diver 65, but for me this would be the one. Thoughts, what are your favorites.

Oris Diver 65 12 Hour Bezel

Another Urwerk release, the UR-100V Ultraviolet

Arnold & Son Luna Magna Ultimate II

Someday. Maybe. I love their watches. Can't wait to see the unveiling. Looks like it will be pretty amazing. And their movements are some of the most beautiful out there.

45 is pretty big, but certainly not something I couldn't pull off. The pricetag, however, will be out if my price range. One thing I really appreciate about Moser (and part of the reason for my other post) is that the Pioneer is such an amazing everyday sports watch, but still relatively accessible at $15k. That's still a ton of money, but it's not unattainable. I'm going to make another post on that is a more general post rather than covering it here. There is clearly no shortage of demand for ultra high end timepieces in today's market.

Manufacture De Bethune DB25sQP

Some sort of sports watch.