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The British
tend to be more understated with their finishing which is also part of their character. The Swiss style of finishing definitely appears more attractive but I am led to believe that no less work goes into a British (or some may argue an English) finished movement. I would definitely prefer a watch with a diameter of 40.2mm and a height of 12.5mm than a watch with a diameter of 42.2mm with a height of 10.5mm. This is mainly because my wrist is small and I purposely visited Charles Frodsham wearing a 34.6mm Patek to see if the difference in size upsetted me. The truth is that the watch felt it was possible 5 or 6mm larger in size and not 7.6mm larger due to the small curved lugs. I am sure many with my wrist size would not complain wearing this Frodsham and would affirm that the watch suits their wrist perfectly. I feel a Voutilainen Vingt 8 has a simpler movement which is great for future maintenance. It is a more refined watch in my opinion that the Charles Frodsham which is of course more exclusive than the Vingt 8. If I had to rank the watches that I had mentioned (and this is purely my own personal preference) taking into account case, movement, dial, size, price, exclusitivity and future maintenance, my rankings would be as follows: 1. Chronometre Contemporain by Rexhep Rexhepi 2. Vingt 8 by Voutilainen 3. Eichi II by Credor 4. Remontoire by Gronefeld 5. Charles Frodsham 6. Insight Micro Rotor by Romain Gauthier.
What is wrong with this watch?!!
I had the opportunity to visit Charles Frodsham during my recent trip to London and had the pleasure of having a very long chat with Philip Whyte and Richard Stenning, the owners of the company. To those of you who have never heard of this brand, Charles ...
Other than the price for a steel watch I don't think there's anything wrong with it.
But I don't buy chronometers, looking like historical chronometers, as dress watches. I think of them as expensive (in some cases very expensive) (pun intended) tool watches. They can look handsome or attractive; and they can be worn in any situation or f...
Mike, my friend
you have a vivid imagination but I have to confess that I did see my name in Frodsham and wanted to like this watch more than I did due to the name!! But as you can see from the photo below of Charles Frodsham, I bear no resemblance to the gentleman! ...
So there is hope yet?!!!
If the test comes out positive and I find out Mr Frodsham was naughty during his expedition to Malaya, you will be the first to know as I will need a good lawyer!!
Nico, are you a criminal lawyer?!
Or is Mike one? I just need to stake my claim with the Frodshams and a criminal lawyer might be even more useful!!!
I think I may need both your services Nico!!
And for you, I would pay my fee with.... ...
You only need me.
I'll take both payments. Now let's discuss how we are going to manage the DNA test.
See, this is why I love this forum
when you need a friend or professional help, everyone is there for you. Would this be acceptable as your small fee Magnus?! ...
You are absolutely right!!
I am giving away more than half my tiny collection away as payment for legal and professional fees but hey, I will own a watch company which sounds like a fair trade! Now where did I put that Patek minute repeater catalogue?!!
Hey Nico, that is no way to treat a prospective client!! :-)
You need to give me more hope like your shrewd American counterpart!!
I can tell you have the right mindset Nico
and are very successful at what you do! I must tell my only son this as he is about to qualify as a Barrister in the UK. If he had the best of you and the best of Mike, that would be a winning formula!!
That's the idea!
With all the money I have invested in his education, he wants to be another 'Amal Clooney' and specialise in human rights!! Forget about human rights, I want to create a monster of epic proportions!!! It is my only way of getting a Patek minute repeater!!...
I do try to please!! :-)
The stickers on mine are still on so I think you will be happy with this watch.
Mike, now I understand
why you are such a successful lawyer. You take no prisoners! And you do know that I am paying your fee via a watch only because I could never possibly afford your exorbitant fees!!
Captain, you are priceless
willing to commit a crime on my behalf!! Thanks a million! Nico, you can collect your fee from the Captain!
Something tells me
with you on my side, there is no way we can lose! First thing I will do is to ensure a slightly smaller movement to fit a 38mm case!! I will not blame Charlie Frodsham if he haunted me tonight!!!
Gorgeous
But like you said at that price there are numbers of more extraordinary watch
I think so!
And I would have hoped that Charles Frodsham had done a bit more market research before pricing this watch. Considering it is their first attempt at producing a watch in many, many years, it would have been useful to price it more competitively in today's...
Really?
That is quite strange because as of 4 May when I met them, they could still deliver a watch to me in 2019. If I did go ahead with an order though, I would prefer to receive the watch in 2021 or 2022 as I have a RW Smith Series 2 arriving in 2020 so my res...
That would be worrying
because it could indicate cancelled orders between the time you spoke to them and I did. I know the watch was launched before Basel, before we saw Rexhep's masterpiece, before we noticed the Eichi II in rose gold, before Romain Gauthier showed us his Insi...
In my opinion
if the Charles Frodsham was priced at half its current price, it would attract a steady clientele and achieve the same four year waiting list as a RW Smith. Resale values would be strong and this would contribute to higher sales as many potential customer...
Thank you!! :-)
I love seeing independents succeed but sometimes I think they are so engrossed in their craft, creativity and movement finishing that they ignore the equally important aspect of marketing their watch effectively.
Thank you for this perspective
Not too many folks have had a chance to see this piece firsthand, and I appreciate your earnest feedback. One feature that recommends the watch is the fashion in which the caliber architecture has been chosen to give equal precedence to engineering and ar...
Thanks Tim!
Indeed the finishing has cut no corners and the owners affirmed this that they wanted to produce the best possible watch. Arguably the most attractive part of the watch! ...
Thanks Nico!
I too had no idea about the name until two months ago and I decided to make an appointment to view the watch. The owners has a casual conversation with me for almost an hour before bringing out the two versions of this masterpiece, probably gauging if I w...
I totally agree!!
I would not say no to one but the 38mm Chronometre Contemporain by Rexhep has been whispering sweet nothings into my ear since its launch at Basel
Very nice looking watch 👌🏻 beautiful movement and dail
But like you said , there are some great other watches for sale at that price point too . Thanks for the post and pictures my friend 👍🏻🤗
Glad you like them my friend
as a lover of independent watches, one has never been so spoilt with so many choices as what currently exists in today's market.
Even a skilled independant watchmaker would be daunted by trying to service this watch!
As I understand, if the watch even runs out of power, the movement can be damaged. This is why the pr is cut off at 35 hr. This seems like the idea of an English gentleman's watch, not the dress watch concept. It's supposed to be distinguished by being bi...
You are most welcome Spangles!
A Series 2 RW Smith is 13.5mm but this 42.2mm Frodsham is only 10.5mm high so it is not too thick but robust enough and the movement can still be appreciated as if it is in 3D. I actually wish the Series 2 was thinner as a height of 13.5mm should be avoid...
How to evaluate high-end British finishing versus Swiss is a question I have!
So far, I feel like British finishing seems less atttactive and of a lesser quality than the Swiss style, although that is a controversial take! I have a question or two: If this watch was 2mm smaller in diameter but 2mm thicker, would that be better? For...
The British
tend to be more understated with their finishing which is also part of their character. The Swiss style of finishing definitely appears more attractive but I am led to believe that no less work goes into a British (or some may argue an English) finished m...
Thanks for sharing the rankings!
Rexhep's work takes the prize for you, huh? I wonder if he would do a custom dial? I've heard mixed reviews on Kari. Some put him down for offering many options for personal customization, but I really like that! His finishing has also gotten some mixed r...
According to Rexhap
for the time being he will only be offering the current dial in either rose gold and platinum. No stainless steel at my request but he was willing to make me a rose gold watch with a white enamel dial. I really need to try the watch on because whereas the...
Good to know!
I think we'll see more from Rexhep. I would love to have a guilloche dial. Dufour's simplicity and Voutilainen's watches are often compared, I meant.
Ah, so sorry, now I get you
The Simplicity is obviously the epitome of fine finishing although I met an esteemed moderator while in London who told me that if any work was required on a Simplicity due to damage once Dufour was not around one day, the watch would be literally irrepai...
I think when evaluating finishes and their quality one should make a clear distinction ...
between the finishing style and the finishing quality. The Swiss way is entirely different from the English way, but I can assure you that the Frodsham is a wonderful example of a typical English watch and done to an extremely precise, consistent and refi...
Thanks for your beautifully written
and considered posting. I find the watch quite compelling but, as you, think that it is just too big. Just 1mm off the radius would bring it into line. I do not think that this would impinge on the movement. But what a special watch. Thanks for your posti...
Thank you Antony!
I am well especially after my short trip to London which was dominated by watches. Sad I know but watches like the Frodsham bring a smile to my face For me, 2mm smaller and I would be seriously selling my sister's three cats and my sister to finance the p...
Great to see this Frodsham finally coming to market...
We were treated to a presentation of this watch, soon to come out, at the BHI 150 year celebration in 2008. See here www.watchprosite.com / Unfortunately the pictures seem to be gone. No unneccesary haste, I'd say. I love the symmetrical layout th...
I believe
although it has taken a decade for the watches to reach fruitation, they have been very well thought of. Very little marketing and advertising will occur as the owners had not even thought of appearing at Salon QP which I mentioned to them would be an exc...
I am sorry, from a design point of view, the face is somehow wrong and looks odd. The lowered sub dial, should not contain the minutery of the upper dial.
This has the effect that the lower dial seems blured (optical illusion). A pity actually, because the rest of the watch is stunning!
I like it too actually
If you look at watches by George Daniels, many adopt a similar dial. This is one of my favourite dials of all time and the watch is almost priceless! I believe the Charles Frodsham watch is a part tribute to George Daniels, not only in its movement but al...
This is the perfect example
of beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder!! Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! But, that's really what it is!
You know that, but for velociphile and others, please look at it in context and you'll see there is a marker by this gear to show how far along the watch is in terms of power remaining.
These are...
...STUNNING watches, with the caveat being they are 4mm too large. Not sure where...but Rexhep is mentioned later in the thread. From what I've seen via photos, they are the real deal. Am thinking maybe I should finally give in and order one. I missed out...
I stalked Roger Smith for 6 years
before finally being able to gather the cash to place an order. The prices had gone up almost 45% during those years and by the time my watch arrives in 2020, it would probably increase by another 12% or more. Quite crazy if you ask me but the laws of sup...