AFTERPAD

Montblanc Minerva makes its link own balance link springs for its 18,000 vph movements. These are individually brought to time by matching the oscillations of a spring fitted to a balance, with a reference balance, using a special tool. link The effective length of the balance spring is manually adjusted until it matches the vibrations of the reference balance.

I can say from experience in the vintage link market that very few link Turn-O-Graphs were sold then and even with that rarity today, it is a difficult link watch to sell to even the most discerning vintage Rolex collector. The Submariner took off and the Turn-O-Graph was left, largely forgotten, somewhere near the starting line.

While the factory bracelet turned out to be perfectly adequate and acceptable, the prospect link of pairing it with link a shark-mesh band in order to unlock its link potential as a groovy retro statement piece proved quite appealing.

The mostly silicon mechanism is about 30% more link efficient than a Swiss link lever escapement. link This allows Rolex to up the beat rate from 4Hz to 5Hz without sacrificing any of the 66 hours of power reserve. That makes the Dynapulse escapement more precise and more efficient. Not bad, eh?

The [James Bond] Omega Seamaster that I made was actually done in plastic, which I try to avoid because collectors, especially doll collectors, really want metal. If the components of a watch are metal, then I try to replicate those in metal. And if they're leather, then I can usually link get away link with some form of plastic. Like the Casio watch that I did, those were link all completely plastic.

This is not link just a matter of quality in construction and design; it is also the result of care in assembly and adjustment. It is here that you can see, and feel, how link the intersection of good manufacturing practices, good engineering and design, and real craft in adjustment and assembly, can make for the sort of deeply satisfying sensuous experience that watchmaking promises, but on which it can seldom deliver in an undiluted fashion, link thanks to the costs associated with achieving it.

It's the straddling of two design worlds that lets the model go in either direction. Pony up a little more cash than the $1,530 base price and you can lean into the sporty and colorful range of recently link released 556 limited editions link in bright colors. Or if you're of the belief that Sinn's watches are best link used by hard men in hard places, the 556i RS, with its satinized steel case and red seconds hand, fits the bill.