WATCHES CRAFTED BY HAND
Many brands assemble watches, sourcing parts from third-party specialist companies. Procuring dials, cases and hands externally saves time, it’s cheaper and, finally, it delivers a level of consistency only possible using mass production techniques.
From the outset, Garrick has strived to make a high quotient of the parts it requires within the confines of its own atelier. This is a costlier approach and, owing to its reliance on hand craftsmanship, introduces a degree of variance. But, by producing small quantities of parts, using lathes and other traditional watchmaking techniques, the company is able to accede to individual requests and create small batches of new and exciting models. Indeed, it is this approach that differentiates Garrick from many other brands.
The company’s cases are painstakingly finished in a dedicated room. The hands are made in-house and the collets are turned on a watchmaker’s lathe. While many mass-produced watches with blue hands acquire this hue using a chemical process, Garrick employs the historical method of thermal bluing. This latter process involves subjecting the steel hands to a flame until they assume an attractive shade of cornflower blue. The watchmaker must carefully judge the timing of the bluing phase, however, it is inevitable that no two sets of hands will appear precisely the same. This is consistent with Garrick’s ethos of producing timepieces brimming with individuality and character.
Garrick machines its own dials, again using traditional lathes, and finishes surfaces in the firm’s own bead blasting workshop, remote from the dust-free assembly area. The firm’s predilection for independence also extends to suffusing dial surfaces with a myriad of shades. Moreover, Garrick has its own in-house plating facility, once again, in a dedicated area, mitigating the risk of surface contamination.
The democratization of high-end watchmaking has always been at the epicenter of Garrick’s business philosophy.
Horophiles are able to purchase exclusive timepieces, handcrafted to an exalted level, yet offered for an affordable price. While traditions are respected, the company continuously seeks to improve its techniques and, by default, its products. It takes a minimum of 3 weeks to produce a handcrafted watch. After assembly, each timepiece is regulated and carefully checked with the naked eye as well as under a loupe. Put simply, Garrick has expended much effort putting in place rigorous quality controls. However, it is inevitable that small variations between watches may occur, albeit this is part of the charm of Garrick ownership. Automated production methods ensure mass-produced watches always look the same, however, this is an alien to Garrick, a company that places much value on hand craftsmanship, individuality and value.
