Sand Blasting Plate Update

It has been a jam packed autumn leading into winter, but never fret things are moving in a very positive direction.  Since we last posted we have gone from the digitization of our watch to the physical realities of what this tourbillon will look and feel like.  In all honesty with each stage of development we are falling more and more in love with this watch.  Our entire team is calling out their favourite colours and combinations, but ultimately it is up to all of your feedback to get us the right track.

We have a little catch up to do and for those of you have been following our Instagram and Facebook pages you might have noticed that we shared an updated image of a sand blasted plate.  The photo was taken on our visit to the Swiss manufacture that we have been collaborating on for this project.  They are widely revered for their expertise in tourbillon production and our engineering team has collaborated with them previously to help bring them into the world of silicon escapements.

It is an impressive facility that has a mix of traditional and new technologies at work.  We absolutely loved looking at some of the machining relics that lined the production floor and thought you would enjoy seeing them too.

We weren’t there for a history lesson, but rather to finalize our production timeline, details of the finished project and of course have a look at the plates we have been staring at in digital format for the past few months.

Horage CEO Andi was over the moon and had to pose with the plates that were being sand blasted in preparation for chemical wet plating (Grey, gold, silver) and PVD for blue.

Eye of the storm, but our focus on realizing this project is more along the lines of Eye of the tiger (queue the Survivor track for those of you who know the classic song).  Some of you might also notice the amount of grey on Andi’s head… Let that be a visual caution for those considering undertaking a tourbillon project.

Side by Side with Array to give you an idea of sizing.  That tourbillon cage is going to look amazing flying through space and time!

Topside and inner side view of the plate.  There were some concerns in the forum of the tourbillon getting lost amongst the square pattern, but one can see that in physical reality it will really stand alone and be at the centre of attention.

A view inside the sandblasting hood.

Here is the process for sandblasting.  Hand work is always an exciting thing to see.

Freshly blasted and ready for their colour treatment.  What colours will you choose?

But before we go, we have had the majority of this posts focus on the top plate, but here is what the back plates will look like.  The jewel count has been updated to 21 jewels and we love the large Swiss Made engraving. From the backside one will also enjoy watching the wheels in motion, winding of main spring and of course seeing the tourbillon escapement wheel fly by.

Until next time our heads are down and we are preparing the next update on case options and index rings for you.

Keep in mind we still need your input on the name, case options, straps and of course we have some very beautiful colours to share with you.  It makes it much more easier having some real images to reference and we hope you all enjoy this as much as we do.

We truly want to present this project at an insane price for a Swiss Made Tourbillon.  To do so we need your help to spread the word.  Please share this post, invite your friends to join the forum and let us know if you are part of any watch clubs that would like to see the tourbillon in person on our up coming world tour.

Till next time...