Orange Watch Company & the Snowflake Diver

[ezcheese]

Hey fellas. I was doing some reading recently about the snowflake sub homage that OWC has been working on for what seems like an eternity now. Is anybody here thinking about getting one of these when they are finally done? The prototypes I have seen look pretty damn cool.

[Tragic]

And you expect us to find our own link right?

[ezcheese]

http://www.orangewatchcompany.com/

http://watchandclockforum.com/viewforum.php?f=147

[ezcheese]

Pics by twigfarm

[moishlashen]

Nice. Probably my favorite handset of all time. Homey has a jacked up wrist

[t20569cald]

Thing i like about this watch, is its not trying to be a Sub.
Has its own flare

[jimyritz]

One of the nicer homages I have seen but I would probably look for a vintage Tudor sub...

All and All pretty good, though...

Thanks
Mike

[polaco23]

looks good, but im not buying another watch similar to a sub, so i had Jay (MCWW) install his new hands on my existing Invicta sub (which i already modded with a green bezel).

Jay just made a set of snowflake hands for the miyota 21J movement.

[HalifaxNS]

Im not a fan of the orange 'O' as a logo but the watch looks bad ass, wicked cool bezel .

[Jamie]

Well I found Dan to be great to deal with, he is a guenuenly nice guy and I really only have good things to say about him as a person. I was thinking about the original sub homage back in the day (last year). However during the time it took for it to come out he sent me a few things that made me question my decision. He told me he had received the mesh and nato's for the original and was "so" impressed with the quality and detail that he would send them to me before the watch. When I got them they were less than I would have expected and way less than anything I would have been impressed by regardless of the price I paid for them. Cheap and nasty would have been a better description.

I like the handset on this watch I really do. But I think I have learnt my lessons in this department.

[t20569cald]

Well I found Dan to be great to deal with, he is a guenuenly nice guy and I really only have good things to say about him as a person. I was thinking about the original sub homage back in the day (last year). However during the time it took for it to come out he sent me a few things that made me question my decision. He told me he had received the mesh and nato's for the original and was "so" impressed with the quality and detail that he would send them to me before the watch. When I got them they were less than I would have expected and way less than anything I would have been impressed by regardless of the price I paid for them. Cheap and nasty would have been a better description.

I like the handset on this watch I really do. But I think I have learnt my lessons in this department.

What about the watch itself?

Not being funny, but a mate of mine has a Rolex Sub, and Sea Dweller, and the bracelets feel very flimsy to me, like i could just snap them in my hands.
Another colleague bought the new Deep Sea, and thats completely different, but the other two feel cheap, on a watch costing that much.

Maybe its just me, but thats how i saw them

[justsellbrgs]

D-

I'm in on that project --- 9401 > Blue dia lwith Blue bezel, seagull mvmt.

things are going slow. Dan might be having the same problems Bill Yao encounters --- delays from suppliers.

[Diaboliq]

This is what Dan wrote on HomageForum

Gentlemen

• Phones at Defcon 3
• Internet still off
• Orange Chamber of Industry and Commerce – New Treasurer (Me)
• Iceland Volcano affect even in Orange
• Dial people back on track after a mistake
• Trying to debunk the myths


We have moved and been in our new house for about 3 weeks. My back is getting back to normal and the boxes are disappearing. The Phones got fixed on Thursday and the ADSL was switched-on on Friday – that’s right 3 days ago max. So I am very happy and still very pissed off. Defcon 3 has been cancelled.

I will be getting back to everyone – as soon as I can.

I have spent almost 30-45 minutes each day talking to idiots at the Phone Company. I have 3 complaint tickets and I hope they send me a case of wine or a key ring or something to say we fu%&ed up. But it will not happen.

Aside from the total cock-up of the move, everything else that I wanted to happen has not happened. The suppliers are all putting an extra few weeks on the build and/or delivery. Perhaps it is a ripple effect from the Icelandic Volcano. I have also heard there is some holiday in China 1st – 3rd May... just for my guys or the whole nation??

There is a nice little workshop, attached to one of the garages, at our new house, where I can put the watches... but we need to get the keys to the door. I am not prepared to put anything in there until I can lock it up. So the watch boxes remain unpacked sitting on the floor. Bummer.

Last Month I was elected the treasurer of the Orange Chamber of Industry and Commerce, (Orange Business Chamber). Well that should boost my public profile in the community. My first communication to the executive was very harsh. I told them the accounts were not worthy of the efforts of a 12 year old, they were totally useless, un-auditable, naive and nowhere near best practice. I also suggested that they invest in new accounting software, suggesting the 6 year old illegal and pirated copy was not setting a good example to the local business community. Well I will either be a hero or voted out. I do plan to shake the group of basket weavers and old Molls. So again I may not be in the position for too long.

The dial people – who make excellent dials – made a mistake with the MS-5517 dial. They finally told me during last week and they will fix it and send the MS-5517 & 9411 dials out together – I tried to get them to send them separately – but no, that was not part of their plan. So more delays.

I also asked them for a sterile submariner dial. It was sterile alright – nothing on the dial at all. Yes not a thing... I have sent them a mock-up and hopefully this project is back on track. I have chosen the 16610 Anniversary dial design. Yes there are a lot to choose from, but I have to start somewhere. I need to buy a lot at a time so I had to make a decision. So apologies for those who were hoping for something else – I cannot please everyone all the time.

The dial delay adds to the Sword hand production, as the hand man needs the dials to match the lume. So it is the Butterfly/Ripple Effect. It would have been the same if I had used “one-stop-shops/private label maker”, and the prices would have been way higher and the delivery would be no sooner. These one-stop-shops are really just project managers and rarely do they make things in-house.

Iceland’s volcanic eruptions have also affected my Swiss suppliers. So nothing has come out of Europe for what seems to be an eternity.

I feel like I have failed. Again more delays.... All I can do is ask for your forgiveness and understanding.

I am looking for alternative shipping/postage quotes. I asked FedEx, DHL and UPS. So far FedEx can’t be bothered to ring back, regardless of how many times I ring “Customer Service” asking if I could set up an account. Well UPS and DHL were very enthusiastic, prices were expensive, but that included packaging and a door to door service. Then for some reason, Orange, suddenly over the space of a week was now classed as a remote location. They both are adding between $30-36 each package. DHL rang me on Thursday and apologised saying that they were unaware that I was exporting watches and they could not do it. Well what the fu*& did I tell them from the outset, fruit...

So back to Plan A: Australia Post. Well I have found a new Post Office (Orange East) and now I can avoid the rude Postal Nazi called Rachel (at Orange). She refused to process my mail re-direction from my Post Office Box to the new address. So I just had to send the form via the post to HQ.

Still I am learning every day. So what is in the pipeline...

• BT-XXXX – Tool Dress watch – sample in 2 weeks (yes this shocked me as well)
• OS-2800 – 44mm sub. Still on track. I need to get this going again, but it was always after the MilSubs
• Dutch Forum Sub – well they went with the Azimuth, instead of my design. But they have still asked me for a design for a limited run. So let’s go for that. This will be the Dutch Diver or NS-XXXX – comments please
• New dials – Sterile Sub – just for a start, then Explorer and more. They will not be cheap, (and not like the Chinese guys sell), but they will NOT be super expensive. But better quality than you will get from the homage or spare parts guys.

My products, while not top of the range are the best I can find for the price. I am trying to debunk the misconceptions that a Swiss or German case is inherently better. In reality 99% of all case blanks do come from China. So there is no reason that a good case cannot proudly bear the made in China label.

I have found German companies legally, but not morally buying components from Asia and labelling them Made in Germany. I have been offered the “economy” case that comes from Fullswing in China and they did not even bother to re-photograph it instead they used the Fullswing jpg – idiots, thy now do not call me. 90% of the 1,000m water resistant cases are from the same factory in China (as pointed out by Lex in the one of the watch blogs.) Valanron movements are Sea-Gull parts assembled in Switzerland and they are “legally” Swiss movement – this is total Bull

The cornerstone of MY business is quality and truth. The best product I can get at the price. Being new and at the wrong end of the world, I get confronted with many challenges. Being banned from some watch forums because I point out the difficulties of obtaining the “holy grail” of movements – the 2824-2 – and that it is likely that a lot of smaller makers are caught in the grey market of mostly fake 2824-2. Getting squeezed out of deals because I cannot reach the MOQ (minimum order quantity), being at the end of the queue for deliveries. But I am getting there.

I learn every day and my products evolve.

Thank you for your support and patience. It will happen. Like Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. So the end result is that I hopefully will be shipping out later May..

Dan

[Pasquale]

i like it

[River Rat]

It's one of the better remake's I have seen of the tudor snowflake.There sure is a great differnce in price by what movement you pick if the price is the same as the one with sword hands.I think it would be a better seller with the snowflake dial and hands.

[HelloNasty1]

Nice. Probably my favorite handset of all time. Homey has a jacked up wrist

LMFAO...twice.

[River Rat]

Here is a old vintage diver I was going to bid on mite be small to you forum members but I liked it due to the snowfake hands I bought something else and there is another watch I want a lot more here it is if any of you want to bid on it a cool little diver with snowflake hands I just like the way it looks.
http://cgi.ebay.com/EXOTIC-VTG-MONDAINE ... 255a7a80e2

[doubledee]

Liking it but not the logo. If it was toned down a bit I might consider it but it is too destracting for me. Any pics of the blue dial?

[BSears]

Liking it but not the logo. If it was toned down a bit I might consider it but it is too destracting for me. Any pics of the blue dial?

Hey DD, welcome to the DWC

[ezcheese]

Liking it but not the logo. If it was toned down a bit I might consider it but it is too destracting for me. Any pics of the blue dial?

I think they are changing the logo because it was too similar to the London underground logo.

[Cowbiker]

I'm in on one, not overly concerned about the wait.