Lensman 1 Production & Lensman 2 Update

What a time of year to be talking about watches. Currently, Watches & Wonders is taking place in Geneva and the watch world is a buzz with new releases from brands across the horological spectrum. A personal observation is that few are tempted to offer more value to the watch community, rather it seems like a race backward to see who can deliver less for more. The smaller lesser known brands seem to understand the fascination associated with watchmaking but are overshadowed by bigger brands that simply add a new dial colour or precious metal and raise prices to adjust for inflation.

The event is not open to all brands as some might think. Gatekeeping is an unfortunate reality in the watch and luxury industry. The upside to this is that our budget and other brands alike can invest in making better watches for you. All in all, when I look at the Horage community I'm thankful we have such a well-informed group of like-minded innovators who expect more and naturally push us to do more.

Lensman 1 is a testament to this and I have yet to find a titanium flying tourbillon watch that can compete in spec and price. Yes, there are some less expensive tourbillons out there, but simply putting a cheap bone-bridged brass tourbillon in a watch with questionable materials and finish quality does not mean it's comparable. Lensman 1 is a haute horological timepiece that if offered from the bigger brands would be offered at prices in the tens of thousands.

No corner has been cut and everything learned from Tourbillon 1 production has been put in place to carry Lensman 1 production forward. Currently, all parts are nearing completion with barrels remaining to be the last piece of the puzzle prior to T-Zero (T0) commencing. This week Silvan and I discussed the production planning for Lensman 1 and it looks like things are on track for the first watches to be completed in late April. As originally communicated Lensman 1 had a delivery timeline of April/May and this means although some will be completed at the tail-end of April the majority will be in May. The production crystal ball so to speak is not 100% accurate so just keep in mind we could run into some time delays, however, at this moment it all looks quite positive.

Batch Work

Lensman 1 utilizes the K-TOU calibre found in Tourbillon 1 albeit with a redesigned and decorated main plate. This means that the parts and processes for Lensman 1 are known and that means we greatly reduce unexpected surprises with production processes which can occur with new movement development. To ensure each movement and watch assembly are controlled Silvan and the team are still working in batches. Working in batches means that the entire production run is completed over multiple series ranging in various production sizes. Batches ensure that if something does arise in production, issues can be isolated to a batch and solved prior to moving on to the next batch of watches. The first batch is planned for twenty watches followed by another batch of twenty. If Silvan is happy with the results he will increase the number of watches in each batch until production is finished.

Terminage Zero, One, Two & Three

On April 3rd T0 will start and this is the assembly of Lensman 1's sub-assemblies. These sub-assemblies must be complete before the movement can be built up. T0 for the first batch will take around a week to complete and when finished the team will move on to T1 assembly. T1 assembly is putting all the finished parts in place until the K-TOU movement is finished. Once complete the team will regulate and quality control the movements for the full run time of the power reserve.

Engineering, onto balance wheel matching, hand setting mechanism and main plate jewel setting. Everything is close at hand.

Following the completion of T1 the team will start T2 which is the casing and testing of the watch. Completed movements that have been regulated will then be placed in watch cases. During this phase the watch comes to life with case, crystal and straps being applied. Quality control is a multiple-person process as each watch is visually and mechanically controlled by at least two watchmakers. They visually inspect the details of the watch as well as test the winding and setting mechanism.

Maria with a final eye on Supersede.

Once a watch is complete it's then onto T3 which is the final packaging step. Watches are placed in their packaging along with any additional items to ship. Each Lensman 1 customer will receive a very special Horage book with their watch. The watch book is also nearing completion with it going to print.

Given the way batch production works, we can't produce all watches at one time and this means around twenty Lensman 1 pieces will be ready to ship at the end of April. Assembly of movements, watches and shipping will continue throughout May. The delivery of your watch will be dependent on the date of purchase and case number.

Lensman 2

Last week we started the communication on the new Lensman watch. Initially, we wanted to present the first two watches of this series together, Lensman 1 tourbillon and Lensman 2. This would've meant both would be made available at the same time. The reality of watchmaking can be much different than planned and we made the decision to stagger the release of each watch as they both needed time in prototyping and production. Both are worlds apart when it comes to design and function but there is a fine red line that connects them both in aesthetics and theme.

In the last post, I missed out on one question.

Would you like a bundle or box set option when ordering Lensman 2?

This would be both Lensman 1 and Lensman 2 for those that already ordered Lensman 1. For those who missed out on the 200-piece limited edition Lensman 1, we would make a Lensman 1.1 available for you. Lensman 1.1 would have a change of dial and a production run of 300 pieces. The box set would come with a slight price incentive for picking up the two watches. Those that already ordered Lensman 1 will be emailed a voucher and those looking to pick up both will have an option at checkout. I understand that two watches are not for everyone's budget, but for some, it's a possibility.

I will share more on Lensman 1.1 in a future post and of course much more on Lensman 2.

In the last forum post, I asked for your input on Lensman 2 through multiple polls. It was interesting to see the results. If you missed the post you can look check it out here. https://www.shop.horage.com/forum/lensman-english/a-new-watch-lensman-2

The results so far are pretty close to reality and based on your input it looks like many of you are on the right track with the Lensman 2 design.

• New function - Exposure Meter

• Additional function - GMT

• Movement - K2 micro-rotor

The case material was a tricky one and more will be revealed soon. Also, Lensman 2 is specifically designed for a strap and of course, you will see images of that soon.

Photographer Partnership

With regards to the photograph I shared in that post, it is indeed from the classic film "Return of The Jedi" and the actress is none other than Princess Leia. Return of The Jedi was the very first Star Wars film and at that time George Lucas built a set for our photography partner to photograph the cast of the film. I did leave out the name of the photographer so let's go further down the rabbit hole and see how close you all get.

As a hint, the Royal Photographic Societies Centenary Medal is an award that only 28 photographers, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Photographic_Society#Centenary_Medal .

A short list of those photographers is listed below and one of them is the photographer that photographed Princess Leia. Helping you out further the photographer has received such accolades as "Best Photography Book in The World", and "Photographer of The Decade" and was inducted into the "Album Cover Hall of Fame" amongst so much more.

Be sure to mark April 18th on your calendars as our photography partner will be joining us here in Biel to discuss Lensman 2 live on YouTube. As well Andi and I will be back next week with another live stream and will be sharing more on the details of the Lensman 1 production and Lensman 2 project.

Till next time...

Landon Stirling