Watch Snob: Is Hand-Crafted Always Better?

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The Watch Snob is in.This week I will address two questions on a similar theme: the merits of in-house movements vs. expert decoration. Class is in session.Would you prefer a watch with a basic ETAmovement that has had master-level hand finishing and engraving OR a watch with anin-house movement that has only the basic decorations? How much of the value of the watchis added by human craftsmanship and hand finishing? I wanted to get your opinion on D. Dornblüth & Sohn and other newer boutiquebrands following the "old master craftsman" philosophy. Simple, modified Unitasmovements, but there is just a certain something about handcrafted details that makes mewant to wait six months or more for one. Let me beclear, there is nothing inherently wrong with ETA movements. Most are well-designed andconstructed, and all of them can be finished to a high level. The goal of a movement isto keep accurate time reliably and efficiently. Beyond that, a watchmaker can make amovement thinner, increase power reserve, add complications, decorate components and soon to demonstrate skill. But by the most basic criteria, the Audemars Piguet calibre3120 is no better than the ETA 2892. The differencelies in the fact that AP conceived the 3120 on its own, on a blank sheet of paper,introducing unique mechanical solutions to make the movement robust and elegant at thesame time. It is also lovely to behold with its engraved 22 karat gold winding rotor andexpert finishing. And you won’t one day find it lurking inside a SwissArmy watch on some overstock website. This isthe key to the inherent advantage in-house movements have over those that can be slappedinto any case that rolls off of a Chinese assembly line. We, as humans, seem to preferexclusivity, always opting for a hand-built Bentley over a Mercedes, no matter how oftenyour Continental will be in the shop instead of on the road. The combination of expert design and decoration combined with exclusivity, are what earn the AP 3120 the deservedmoniker of the “greatest automatic movement.” I recognize that not every small watchmaker has the resources to develop its ownmovements, in which case, ETA is often the solution (for the time being, at least). Thelaziest of them will do nothing to the movement and are content to drop it from thebubble wrap directly into the watch case and crow about their Swiss movement. Other,regrettably fewer, brands recognize that decoration goes beyond having a rotor engravedwith their logo, and put in the effort to make the movement their own. Most ofDornblüth’s calibres are worthy of unique designations since the companyalters virtually all components in the movement. Still, while decoration is an admirableart on its own, a fine in-house movement, no matter how unadorned it is, will alwaystrump a finely decorated mass-produced one. Combine the two, and you have the epitome ofwatchmaking.Question from a Watch Knob

Dear Watch Snob,RE: Your opinion of Bell &RossWhat the [CENSORED] is your problem? I hope to meet youone day and give you the good slap that you deserve. Good luck getting advertisers foryour [CENSORED] website.Regards,[NAMEREDACTED]Los Angeles, California Robert, your politeness is surpassed only by your intelligence and vocabulary. Thank you for your well-enunciated defense of the brand that you clearly feel is beingwrongly judged. As for my “problem,” you’re right once again. I am nottaking my day job as advertising salesman seriously, and the slaps of my superiors hereare just not good enough to shake sense into me. I shall remedy the situation posthasteand start singing the praises of $5,000 46-millimeter square watches with skull dialsand mass-produced movements. I regret to say,however, that I do not share your desire to one day meet. Continue Reading

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