Every so often we will make a basic instruction video to help people understand how to properly use their watch. These videos are also useful for repair customers as well us ones who are not familiar with using mechanical watches.
Below are a few I have made so far, feel free to share them.
Best Regards,
Roland
This is the second custom watch we have made using this historic and very rare caliber, the famous Peseux 260. Here is a link to the first one we made "Click Here"
This one has a real glass "Grand Feu" enamel dial. The movement has been re-staffed, serviced, and a new mainspring fitted. We also hand polished "Black Polish" all the steel screws and other parts on a tin block. The final result is a very special no excuse watch that you could be proud to show any watch enthusiast or expert!
We also made a dummy movement to hold the original dial and hands in the chronometer testing case. The movement could be put back in the original case at anytime if desired.
The dial:
Grand Feu (French for “Great Fire”) technique was uses to make the enamel dial. Creating an enamel watch dial is a high-risk art. Enameling is a technique in which colored powdered glass is applied to a metal plate. The surface is then heated to a temperature high enough to cause the powdered glass to melt and form a new surface. The Grand Feu technique ups the stakes. The repeated baking of successive layers of enamel at extremely high temperatures ensures a uniquely crisp aesthetic while permanently setting the enamel. Using such high heat to create these beautiful dials also poses a risk: each time it is re-fired, the danger of cracking, melting or burning increases. With great risk comes great reward - the appearance of a real glass enamel dial is unmistakable!
http://www.fashionbeans.com/2016/best-american-watch-brands/
Some things are iconically, unmistakably American. Menswear staples like jeans, the MA-1 bomber jacket and the Woolrich flannel shirt all have their roots in the land of the free. But watches? The Swiss clinched that one, right?
Well, yes and no. While most watch enthusiasts will point you towards the Matterhorn when asked for their recommendations on the most haute in horology (and they’re not wrong), the US can still fight its corner.
Prior to World War II, America was actually considered a world leader in watchmaking, producing timepieces just as finely finished and functional as their British and Swiss counterparts, but at a much higher yield and for a fraction of the cost. And today, although it’s been some time since the home of the brave had anything homegrown worth flying its flag for, stateside watchmakers are putting it right back on the map.
These are the names to know:
Founded in 1992 by US watchmaker Roland G. Murphy, Lancaster, PA-based RGM Watch Company produced the first in-house American-made movement for four decades – the RGM Caliber 801 – in 2008.
Riding on the success of that breakthrough, the company has continued to roll out new models – each new timepiece featuring the extraordinarily deft Guilloché (engine-turning) work that not only ranks RGM top of the class at home in the states, but also sees it hold its own among Swiss competitors, too.
Also known as the first serially produced tourbillon made in North America, this watch lets you fully appreciate RGM’s in-house signature movement and the guilloché that’s made its name in watchmaking.
$95,000 in stainless steel, rgmwatches.com
Most of the 801 models we make are in stainless steel, but we also make them in solid gold. Pictured here is a PS-801-E with an 18k rose gold case. The dial of course is solid silver and Engine-Turned by hand. The blued steel hands are a very nice compliment to the gold and silver.
Just as a side note the first 4 years or so of RGM we only made solid gold or platinum watches, we did not make a stainless steel RGM until the mid 90's. We offered our first Titanium case in the late 2000's, our model 151.
RGM has announced a new model in its automatic pilots’ watch lineup – RGM Model 151-PR “Professional Pilot.”
This new model has a very technical but traditional pilot style dial with large Super-Luminova numbers for low light visibility. Two versions are available: one with a date window at 3 o’clock and a more period look without a date. The dial displays hours 1 thru 12 and the minutes 5 thru 60. The dial and second hand have red accents which blend nicely with the classic rhodium finished sword style hands.
A prominent element of all 151 models is the American-made case, in stainless steel or titanium. Each case part is cut from a solid block of 316L surgical stainless steel or aircraft quality titanium. The 151-PR is a functional, technical and aesthetically pleasing pilot watch which fits very comfortably on the wrist. It is a welcome addition to the RGM 151 lineup of technical Pilot watches.
In the early 1990's when we first started we only made solid gold watches for the first few years. The first box we put these watches in were made in Italy by Scatola del Tempo. I loved the feel and smell of those beautiful hand made leather boxes. We stopped using them after 5 years or so because they changed their distribution in the USA and it was not working out for us. I looked into using them again from time to time but did not find the right box, that is until a few months back when they showed me this wonderful piece of leather art. I am happy to be working with them again after all these years!
The new box is as beautiful as the first ones we used years ago. Even though it is very different from our first ones it's just what I was looking for. I don't like most of the huge boxes you see that come with many high end watches today. Once you open it up what do you do with it?
In the 1940's high grade watch boxes were not big. They were small but well made, and practical too, as you could travel with them or keep a watch in a dresser drawer. I wanted that type of useful quality box for our watches.
The new RGM Scatola del Tempo leather box will be used for our American made models, some custom watches, and a few others. It can also be purchased separately.
Regards,
Roland
The model 107 was the first RGM watch made with a stainless case, before the 107 all RGM watches were solid gold, or platinum. It is also the watch that has been in our lineup longest, since the mid to late 90's.
Now you can choose from the long standing black dial, or the new deep blue dial.
It's a great watch for those with a smaller wrist, or for women who like a watch that is easy to read.
Below are some of the specs.
Movement Caliber: RGM-ETA 2892-A2 - Automatic, 21 jewels, 28,800 vph. Rhodium finish - Cote de Geneve lines and perlage
Functions: Hour / Minute / Second / Date on some models
Case: 316L Stainless Steel, 35.0 mm x 7.5 mm. Sapphire crystal front and back, 18 mm lug width and water-resistant to 5-ATM.
Weight: 0.0 oz. (with Stainless Steel Bracelet : 0.0 oz.)
Since we started offering the Motor Barrel system from the caliber 20 on the caliber 801 we have had several people order it. It works very well, and looks so classic! Compare the pictures below of the caliber 801 with motor barrel, to the Illinois Sangamo Special with motor barrel.
The Motor Barrel is an old American system used in the highest grade Railroad watches like the Illinois Bunn Special and the Hamilton 950. The Motor Barrel allows the mainspring barrel to ride between jewels when the watch is running. In America's great watchmaking past there were two Motor Barrel types: one protected the movement if the mainspring broke; a later system reduced wear and friction, and made a more stable barrel in the movement. We use the later system. Prior to the Caliber 20, the last watch with a Motor Barrel was made more than 50 years ago.
We have a few dials with an off white color that were made years ago for a custom version. We do not have the black hour and minute hand. You can have the Rhodium hands, or we can paint the hour and minute and replace the lume. So now there are three dial options, the Black or off white GMT, and the silver Engine-Turned dial.
This 18K solid gold watch was made for a customer who wanted the second timezone that could be set easily by turning the crown. It has a hand cut Engine-Turned dial that has a galvanic treatment to make it black. The movement is automatic with a GMT dial at 6 and a big date. It makes a great travel watch for those who frequent different time-zones.
Recently MyWatchLifestyle.com visted RGM and made the video below. They did a very nice job to help show what goes on at RGM, I want to personally thank them. Best Regads, Roland
We make many custom watches here at RGM, but we also personalize many of our models, there are many options depending on the watch and what you want to put on it.
Etching Crystal: We use a local glass company to etch the inside of the case-back crystal. We cannot do very fine detail but many things can be done, it's a very subtle way to personalize your watch.
Full Engraved Case-Back: For some models we have some full case-backs that can be engraved with very detailed engraving. We can create almost any type of artwork. It can be hand engraved or deep laser engraved.
Engraved Dial: We can also create a work of art on the dial, you come up with the idea and we can make it happen. Hand engraving is mostly used in this application.
Engraved Case-Side or Back: We can personalize your watch with engraving on the side of the case, or around the edge of the case-back depending on the model.
Custom Dial Printing: If you do not want o make a new dial we can print on existing dials, you can personalize your watch where you can see it all day. Not all models have room for this but many do.
For a fraction of the cost to make a full custom watch you can personalize many RGM models. If you nee more information contact us here at RGM.
We did not get the 10 orders we needed, but we have made the decision to go ahead so we can take care of the clients who have placed orders for these watches. We will keep the opportunity open since we will have some movements.
We have found parts to build a small quantity of the RGM Model 110-A and the 110-A GMT, we have dials, cases, and hands. The one part we need is the movement. I have a found a source for some remaining movements so we have decided to offer them to our RGM Family of followers and clients.
If we can sell 10 watches we can make this happen, that's the minimum quantity of movements we can buy.
The 110-A Alarm watches have a very vintage feel to them, with the serpentine alarm hand to the buzz of the mechanical alarm. The 110A-GMT Alarm version has a classic pilot look with the addition of the useful GMT function in a window, and the easy readability of a black dial.
My friend and RGM client Awadagin Pratt is one of the most talented people I know. He's such an artist with the piano, I love to watch him play and see how he brings to life each piece of music. He's truly a master at his craft! During a recent trip to Pennsylvania he sat down and talked a little about how he found out about RGM, and how we met years ago.
Awadaigin is a very accomplished musician and artist, in fact he has played for the President, and even been on Sesame Street!
The watch Awadagin is wearing is an RGM PS-801-EE.
All the Best, Roland
Below is the video and a little of his biography from his website www.awadagin.com
Among his generation of concert artists, pianist Awadagin Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances in recital and with symphony orchestras.
Born in Pittsburgh, Awadagin Pratt began studying piano at the age of six. Three years later, having moved to Normal, Illinois with his family, he also began studying violin. At the age of 16 he entered the University of Illinois where he studied piano, violin, and conducting. He subsequently enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he became the first student in the school's history to receive diplomas in three performance areas - piano, violin and conducting. In recognition of this achievement and for his work in the field of classical music, Mr. Pratt recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johns Hopkins.
We made 10 of the RGM Model 105-S back in the late 90's in to the early 2000's. It had a new old stock skeletonized vintage Valjoux 23 chronograph movement. This is one of the most desirable chronograph movements even to this day, it has a column wheel to actuate the chronograph mechanism. The case was solid 18K rose gold, the dial is solid silver with Engine-Turned borders, and the hands are blued steel Breguet style. One of the very special pieces we have made over the years!
Years ago I had a Doctor from Utah call and said he wanted a one handed watch, he had bid on one at an auction but was out bid. He told me he always regretted not buying that watch. After reading about RGM he contacted us to make him the watch he wanted, and this one would be exactly what he wanted.
After several emails and phone calls I had an idea of what he wanted, after supplying him with a few drawings and suggestions the watch was complete on paper. Now all we had to do is make it!
The watch has a Lapis dial, moonphase, hour hand only and a gold sun at the center of the dial. We also made a gold winding rotor that was inset with meteorite. The theme was complete, and the result was very special. The client said it had exceeded his expectations. I love when I hear that!
Roland
A few years back we made a custom RGM model 300 dive watch for our friend Scott. He wanted Blackbeard's flag emblem on the dial. At the time I did not even know what that looked like, but Scott knew exactly what he wanted.
We also did a special engraving on the end of the crown and we made it a lefty with the crown on the opposite side of the case. I love projects like this, it's one of the most satisfying parts of my job. Working one on one with someone to create a watch just for them is a wonderful and exciting aspect of what I do.
The dial on the watch is black "Tahitian" Mother Of Pearl.
RGM
I had the idea back in the early 2000's to make the model 222 using restored Hamilton 10 size movements. It was a great size to make a wrist watch out of and the movements were well built and attractive. At first we used all of the 10 size caliber versions the 917, 921, 923, and 945. After a few years I decided the 917 and the 945 versions really were not nice enough for a RGM model so we stopped using those. The 921 and 923 movements have a much nicer finish and are superior. Even though these 10 size movements do not have shock jewels on the balance they have a friction staff which does not break easy and is also easy to change if needed. These movements even have the Motor Barrel System that we were inspired to use in our Caliber 20 watch.
I raised the value on these movements as many others started to copy the idea of using these movements in wrist watches. Even though many use the same movement those watches are very different then the RGM version. We use a high quality case, dial, and hands most others don't. Also, we hand finish the steel parts and gold cap setting by flat polishing them on a tin block. We put in a new modern alloy mainspring, only use parts that are in top condition, and we dynamic poise each movement during the timing stage. The end result is a beautifully restore movement that looks and performs as a high grade movement should.
To this day we still make several of these watches each year with these great old American movement!
One of my Favorite places to visit is the NAWCC "National Association Of Watch And Clock Collectors" museum. I made this video a few years back so I could share some of my favorite watches and clocks in the museum.
If your ever near Columbia PA I highly recommend a visit.
I hope you enjoy the video, Roland