Ginault - questions answered

Come on in and introduce yourself!
General watch talk.
Post Reply
User avatar
hoppyjr
HJ
Posts: 39667
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:05 am
Name: Hoppy

Ginault - questions answered

Post by hoppyjr » Wed May 23, 2018 4:57 pm

I sent an email with some questions and got a nice reply. See below:

——————

Thank you for your email and interest in the Ocean Rover.

We understand some customers would love to see less text on the Ocean Rover dial. We have also drafted up a few concepts in the past but if you want to maintain that golden ratio with the maxi indices at full dial real estate a four-line text is the only way it looks right. The reason why it looks fine on the 185066 (print dial) is that we "shrank" the dial's real estate visually with the gilt outline. If you study the dials of all the other Sub homages none can do the exact same ratio on the dial as Rolex without the 4 line text.

Our Cal 7275 is a clone of the ETA 2824 but not a Chinese clone. We manufactured most parts domestically. Some parts due to the lack of machinery we had to purchase from Switerzeland and China. Since you asked I will provide you with a breakdown.

The Watch: the parts that compose the watch are all manufactured domestically with our partnered machine shops. These parts include the mid-case, cashback, bezel assemblies, crown, and bezel insert. The dial is made by our master dial maker whom was trained in Switzerland and made dials for the Swiss watch giants in the past. The bracelet is sourced from a bracelet supplier in the Far East.

The Movement: the parts for the movement were mainly made here; however, there are still some parts which the shops here lack the proper tools/machines. Hence at the moment, we do not possess the ability to engineer these parts domestically even though the blueprints on these parts are readily available. These parts are the hairspring, the mainspring, the red synthetic sapphire crystals also known as jewels, and the shock absorber.

I hope this helps.

User avatar
toxicavenger
President Tranny
Posts: 48084
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:25 am
Name: HeadDIK
Location: Colorado Springs

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by toxicavenger » Wed May 23, 2018 5:08 pm

Sounds like they are saying they manufacture almost all the same amount of movement parts Weiss does. I find that hard to believe.

drwindsurf
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:17 pm

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by drwindsurf » Wed May 23, 2018 10:11 pm

hoppyjr wrote:I sent an email with some questions and got a nice reply. .
Thank you for sharing :)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

User avatar
dnslater
Posts: 6804
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:52 pm
Name: Nick
Location: Indiana, USA

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by dnslater » Thu May 24, 2018 3:42 am

Ginault would be a good candidate to go after MKII's market. They use the same flowery marketing bullshit and genuinely seem to put a lot of care into their watches. The info above at least shows they have "some" transparency.

I would love to see a watchmaker tear down a Ginault movement and do a comparision with an ETA. Interestingly my company won't let me access the Ginault's website because it cannot "provide a secure connection". Maybe the website sources parts from China also.

User avatar
Ryeguy
Posts: 5519
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:03 pm
Name: Chris
Location: Rye

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by Ryeguy » Thu May 24, 2018 4:44 am

Odd on the website thing. I can get to it through my company's VPN and their security settings are pretty aggressive.

As most of you guys know, I bought a Ginault early on and I like it for what it is. The watch was well made and the details were done well. I've purchased much more expensive watches which turned up with little quality issues (ask SafetyStop Dave about my SLA017) and can find none on my Ginault.

I like how Ginault didn't burst onto the market asking $2K for their watch like some recent micros we've seen. They offered deep discounts (paid $518 shipped for mine) and seem to be attempting to earn their way up to their MSRP through reviews and reputation.

I like how Ginault sent me a loaner watch when I broke mine after a year of ownership. No questions asked and completely on their dime. It was their idea - I never asked for the loaner.

I suspect they are playing the WUS crowd and maybe intentionally stirring up controversy in order to keep their thread at the top of the list. If so, while it might be an unsavory technique, but it is effective marketing.

I view the Ocean Rover as a better quality sword hand Mil Sub homage than what I've seen currently available on the market. The Ginault's bezel action and finish exceeds the Helson SM300 homage I just purchased (for more money).

I wish the Ocean Rover had drilled lugs. I wish it had a fully indexed bezel. I wish it had less text below the handset. I wish the clasp wasn't a copy of the Rolex Glidelock (although it works very well). Other than those preferences, it is a good option for those inclined to the MilSub style.

User avatar
Jeep99dad
Grand-père
Posts: 32293
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:07 am
Name: Brice
Location: FlipVille, SC

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by Jeep99dad » Thu May 24, 2018 2:58 pm

I love mine
Merde Alors! Et Vive Les Francais! :)

Iceman767
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2017 12:53 am
Name: Mark

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by Iceman767 » Sat May 26, 2018 10:51 am

I love mine too. Awesome watch for what you get

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk



User avatar
Torrid
Posts: 6666
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:43 am
Name: Heath
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by Torrid » Sat May 26, 2018 1:21 pm

I wish I could get beyond the weird text. If they are really as American made as they let on to be, it’s right up my alley.

User avatar
hoppyjr
HJ
Posts: 39667
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:05 am
Name: Hoppy

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by hoppyjr » Sat May 26, 2018 1:27 pm

I asked if they were planning the original “maxi dial” model with less text, as is on the new “vintage” inspired dial. The answer was no, they believe the maxi dial needs the text to make it balanced. I disagree.
They did say that they are considering different things for the future.

It’s too bad because the regular lume maxi dial with sword hands would be perfect without all the silly wording.


User avatar
tattoo chef
<Will Skull for Food>
Posts: 5663
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:03 pm
Name: Don

Re: Ginault - questions answered

Post by tattoo chef » Sat May 26, 2018 4:59 pm

hoppyjr wrote:I asked if they were planning the original “maxi dial” model with less text, as is on the new “vintage” inspired dial. The answer was no, they believe the maxi dial needs the text to make it balanced. I disagree.
They did say that they are considering different things for the future.

It’s too bad because the regular lume maxi dial with sword hands would be perfect without all the silly wording.
I agree. If they keep the 4 lines, they could at least change the text.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: abuemily, JDC222, Marjak, R_Ongjoco and 266 guests