Angular Momentum Dragon Dial Custom Watch

After a six-year quest, G99 proudly unveils his custom Angular Momentum watch featuring a Chinese dragon dial, a deeply personal piece celebrating his birth year and that of his son and ex-wife. Inspired by Don Corson's review of Angular Momentum, G99 collaborated with Martin Pauli to customize a dial and case, blending traditional symbolism with modern craftsmanship. This article details the journey and unique features of this bespoke timepiece.

for about 6 or 7 years i have wanted to have a watch with a chinese dragon on its dial for a number of reasons. firstly i was born in 1964, a year of the dragon, my son was born in 1988, another dragon year and my wife was born in 1976 a dragon year that fits right in the middle. (she is now my ex wife so we'll gloss over that bit   ).

i've always liked the symbolism of the chinese dragon as a strong character and often compared my personality with these traits. sometimes favourably and quite often not so favourably.

i have always liked chinese blue and white porcelain which has a great bearing on the finished watch.

every so often i have looked at brands that make watches with dragons on the dial but never quite found exactly what i wanted. as this year is another dragon year i expected there to be a multitude of limited editions to choose from but so far none that have appealed.

i have to thank Don Corson for me making the final choice as he recently went behind the scenes of Angular Momentum to show us how Martin Pauli did his work. i have long been a fan of the brand and already owned 2 of his pieces, but as often happens you forget to look at the website so miss out on the new things being offered.

staight after i had read Don's review i went to the AM website and whilst looking at his new dials i saw a dial that was absolutely perfect..........nearly.

Angular Momentum are famous for their rotating disc system, but this is not something i wanted for what was going to be a very special piece i intended to keep and hand down. i wanted a normal dial with hands, in a normal case.

the dial i had seen, which was so nearly perfect, had a slot cut out for the RDS to be fitted behind it and was in a case with boulle lugs which is not something i wanted so i did what many of us would have done and sent Martin an email. effectively i said, i love the dial, but i dont want the slot cut out and i dont want the girly Boulle lugs, i want the normal case with normal lugs to which Martin replied, do you mean like this ? and sent a picture of a mock up. this mock up was totally and utterly perfect so after a bit of negotiation the deal was done and he made one for me. i cannot call it totally custom made as the pieces were already made ready for a trip to the far east, but i can call it customised as in my opinion i got the best bits all fitted together.

will i be married to this watch ? well, there is something old (the movement), something new (the case), something borrowed (the dial design) and something blue (the dial decoration). i certainly hope i will be.

now for some details.

the case is 42mm, made by Martin himself out of a type of stainless steel with, i believe, more chrome to give it a brighter shine. it is approx 11mm thick and has 22.5mm lugs in keeping with the size of the case. it is brushed to the sides and polished on the top. the hands are made out of the same steel and have a brushed finish. the crown is in the style of Cartier with a cabochon stone at the end. this is a remnant of the original boulle lugged case, but suits me very well.

the movement is a fully refurbished new old stock A.Schild 1701 41 jewel skymaster. whether all 41 jewels are required is a mute point, but it has a reputation for being a very reliable movement.

the caseback has a display porthole in the centre to view the movement. i would have been happy with a solid back, but the gold plating of the movement is a nice contrast to the steel case.

now for the main decision making bit of the watch, the dial. it looks like Famille rose blue and white porcelain or as some have said, Delft china, but it is nothing of the sort. the dial is 0.4mm of sapphire crystal and the decorating technique is Eglomise, reverse painting, in this case on the sapphire. this is a technique developed in the 19th century and very difficult to do. i'm not sure exactly how Martin does this, but the effect is superb.

this was not a cheap watch. for me it was a major investment, but one that i have been very pleased to make. i know that Angular Momentum are not one of the 'brands', but i salute Martin for the effort he has made to give me the watch i wanted and not the watch he thought people would want. you only get that from an independent.

for me this is a very special piece that i have every intention of keeping and hope my son appreciates it as much as i do.

i hope you like it.

Graham