Pre-built configuration for Sea Fighter Type II day/date
The survey will only take a minute or two and will help decide the final configuration for one version of the pre-built Sea Fighters. There will be another survey featuring the OCN dial later on.
If you wish to leave an e-mail address you will be entered in a drawing for a free Mk II watch (any one that we have in stock at the time of the drawing)…. 
One entry per person 
Custom Stingray ordering resumes
Custom Stingray ordering is available again! We are able to resume taking orders for the custom Stingray after locating additional ETA 2824 movements. These movements will be featured on the watches ordered from this date onwards. The movements are of the same Elabore quality level as our standard movement but with standard decoration. The movements are nickel plated and have unsigned rotors whereas our standard movement is Rhodium plated with our trademark engraved on the rotor. The accuracy of the movements is the same since these movements are also Elabore grade movements with Incabloc shock protection.
One other change is that the acrylic insert option has been discontinued. We will finish the orders that we have on hand for the acrylic insert but are not taking additional orders. We have been finishing the inserts ourselves and have found the process to be very time consuming and the scrap rates hard to control. If we can find a method that will produce more consistent results or a company to manufacture the parts for us we will reinstate the option. However at this time there is no estimated date as to when this can take place if at all.
Pre-built watches en-route
Albeit late the pre-built Blackwaters and Stingray watches are finally on their way out of Switzerland. They should be here, baring custom’s clearance delays, by Friday.
In other Mk II news:
- An acrylic insert option has been added to the custom Sea Fighter page although the preview function will not be updated for a few more days. Essentially the insert is a single luminous triangle that is split down the middle. The Split-T as its called was modified from a single triangle for two reasons 1) to distinguish these watches from the original and 2) to provide added support to the luminous section. In the vintage versions you will often see the luminous triangle cracked practically right down the middle. I believe that this is due to a lack of support for such a large luminous area. In order to get around that I have split the triangle down the middle (engraving two smaller triangles rather just one large one) to add support to where the triangle is weakest.
- Updates for Vantage deliveries will be e-mailed out later today. Unfortunately there is a delay. The Vantage is to be assembled after the Blackwater and Stingray watches and since completion of those two watches was delayed at the assembler the Vantage is just being started. Originally they were to be completed by now. With the holiday rush to deliver watches to retailers I am doubtful that the Swiss company will be able to complete the watches before the end of this month which will likely push delivery to me to sometime in December. December will have its own problems considering the Christmas rush and end of year holidays. As a result deliveries for the Vantage will be pushed back to the end of January 2008. Given that the watches are not likely to be shipping in time for Christmas delivery there seems to be little value in scheduling shipments before year end.
Pre-built Stingray ordering open
The Swiss Made Stingrays are due in stock at the end of the month and I finally finished the ordering page for them. The price will be $460 until the end of the month. Starting November 1st the Pre-built and Custom Stingray watches prices will be going up to $565 and $599 respectively.
On the Pre-built watch page there is a link to a new page detaling the differences between the 50, 60, and 70. The information icon to the right of the navigation between the three versions will open a pop-up. The same information will be posted on the custom watch pages once they are revised for the new prices.
MMT Blackwater Pre-built: New ordering page
I have consolidated the MMT MOD1A, MOD1B, MOD1C, and MOD1RC into one ordering page. I did this because after the Stingray and Sea Fighter are added to the pre-built ordering pages it was going to get a little cluttered. The Sea Fighter is going to have one page for the date-only version (2824) and one page for the day/date version (2836) and then the Stingray will have its own page. In addition the MMT will be offered in the Type II date version in September/October in a separate ordering page. This consolidation should make the navigation easier once all of the pages are up and running.
The pre-built MMT is undergoing slight tweaking. The MOD1 (Type I date dial) will be changing from the black background date wheel to one with a white background, black text date wheel. After a good deal of feedback from customers I had to agree that this was a more balanced and appropriate look for this model. If you have already ordered a MOD1 I will be contacting you regarding the change.
The new MOD 2 (Type II date dial) will come with a black background date wheel that I feel best suits the design of the dial. One feature that is woefully neglected on my site is the detail that the Type II date dial’s larger Arabic numerals are all luminous. I hope that this will be a welcome addition to the MMT Blackwater collection.
Sea Fighter
The custom ordering page is up and running! Delivery begins in February of 2008. The 2824s that we need for this model are in stock and the 2836 movements, including the current delay from ETA, are due in at the end of October. Given the current backlog, the introduction of the Vantage and the holiday season it seemd prudent to start shipping custom Sea Fighters in February rather than try to pack the schedule with another watch before the end of the year. The Swiss Made versions however will begin shipping before the end of the year. The date version based on the Bundesmarine diver should be ready by the end of the year. The day/date watches will largely depend upon how close to November that the movements actually arrive. The Swiss Made Sea Fighters will be available in three versions, not counting the different insert styles. The pre-ordering page for these watches will go live as soon as I can produce some mock-ups of what the watches will look like.
The pricing, as you will notice, is different from the past. The day/date version of the Sea Fighter is $50 more expensive than the date only version. This is because the 2836 is the first hightly decorated movement that we will be using. The rotor features cote de Geneve and the bridges on the movement are all decorated. The 2824 will be upgraded in 2009 to feature the same decoration but for the next year or so the 2824 has a standard decoration. Ignoring the cosmetic differences both movements are Elabore grade, plated in Rhodium, and feature upgraded Incabloc shock protection as usual. To try to keep things “simple” the surcharge for the 2836 is actually grouped together with the day/date dials. Since the crown is at 4 o’clock on the Sea Fighter the date and day/date wheels had to be custom printed at some expense. For the time being there is only one option for the date and day/date watches.
Pre-order customers will get a $95 discount on their orders. The pre-order discount is higher than in the past because the Sea Fighter, like the Vantage, is being lauched at the new price levels. The pre-order discount offer will end either November 1st (when the new pricing goes into effect) or after we receive 45 pre-orders, whichever comes first.
This project has been in the making for the better part of a year now. I hope that you enjoy my take on this vintage design.
Mk II Vantage
The pre-order pages are now up and running! The pre-order is going to work a little differently this time because of the current backlog. The Swiss Made Vantage will be shipping first, approximately in the October/November 2007 timeframe. In the past the custom versions have shipped first but that isn’t possible given the number of product launches planned for this year. The custom Vantage will begin shipping roughly in January of 2008, which is where our current lead times place new custom watch orders at the moment. As a result the pre-order discount for the custom Vantage is higher than for the Swiss Made version. The custom versions will be scheduled together with other custom watches so the lead times might change quickly (especially when the Sea Fighter ordering opens later this month.)
The length of the pre-order period will depend upon overall demand and the beginning of a new phase for Mk II. Demand is a factor because of the industry wide shortage of mechanical movements for the foreseeable future.
Starting this winter we will begin a new phase in the continuing development of the Mk II brand; print advertising and an increased focus on marketing. Look for our first ad in WatchTime’s Nov/Dec issue!
Status
I fallen a little behind at the moment on e-mails and shipments of watches. The movements didn’t arrive early enough for me to finish any watches last week since I had to review them to make sure there weren’t any hidden problems. Watch shipments will resume by the middle of this week.
The Vantage pages will go up sometime tomorrow. I also spent quite a bit of time over the last week finalizing details for the ordering pages, taking photos, and reviewing the bracelet samples. The pictures of the Vantage that will be posted tomorrow are what the mass production will look like with one important exception. The preview of the new hands that were commissioned for this project won’t be ready until the 3 week of this month so I substituted some Stick and Ball hands and the sweep seconds hand off the Sea Fighter. Its close enough for now but I didn’t want anyone to think I have lost my attention to detail
The one spot of bad news is that the SKX007 sapphires are going to be out of stock for at least another two months. The Monster sapphires are still in stock.
The Sea Fighter pages I hope to have up in the next week or so…
Movements are here!
Big sigh of relief! ETA delivered my 2824-2 movements earlier this week. I will finally be able to send components again to Switzerland for assembly of Blackwaters and begin offering pre-built Stingrays in about two month’s time. Much of the industry is currently “on vacation” for another two weeks or so. There are a few companies, like ETA, that don’t formally observe the summer break but the vast majority of firms are practically shut down for 2-4 weeks each summer.
The pre-order of the Sea Fighter and the Vantage will open in a few days to a week from now. I am working on the ordering pages at the moment and now that the movements are here a huge varible in the production schedule for the next couple of months has finally been removed. The Vantage should begin shipping around the end of October. The photos that will be posted in a few days of the 1016 homage will actually be temporarily using the older Stick and Ball handset and not the new hands as they aren’t ready at this time. The Sea Fighter, initially shipping as a pre-built homage to the Blancpain BUND diver using a 2824, should begin delivery before the end of the year. A 2836-2 version of the Sea Fighter should be available around January of 2008.
Vantage - First pics of the Mk II 1016 homage
I am pleased to post the first pics of a project that has been in the works for almost a year. I started sketching out the case design, which is based on the vintage Rolex 1016, last summer while I was visiting my sister-in-law out in San Francisco. Here is a short list of the specifications for this watch that should debut in the early Fall this year:
Diameter: 39 mm
Water resistance: 200 meters
Movement: ETA 2824-2, Elabore grade
Crystal: Domed sapphire
Strap: Blackwater natural rubber strap or Mk II solid-end link bracelet
The case, Mk II reference “39″16 aka the “Vantage”, is compatible with all of the QUAD10 dials and hands. Shown below is the GS date dial with Type 53 hands and a stock date wheel. The railroad tracks on the GS dial make the watch feel smaller than it should with the new 1016 style dial. A new 369 date dial and “Mercedes-style” handset are currently in the works specifically for this watch but won’t be ready for a preview until probably the end of July.
The following is a better shot of the bracelet:
The bracelet features the following:
- Solid links with screw pins
- Solid-end links
- Mk II signed adjustable safety clasp
- Heavy guage milled deployant arm
Regarding Pre-orders:
Its a bit premature to be talking about this but I am going to address it because I know I am going to get quite a few e-mails asking about the option. Given the anticipated demand for the version with the new 369 date dial and Mercedes-style hands we will be taking pre-orders only for a Swiss Assembled/Made version of the Vantage. The other reason we are only going to take pre-orders for the Swiss Made version is because I don’t want to see my backlog get ridiculously long, which it is already approaching. Custom versions will be available but customers will have to go through the normal ordering process. As soon as we are able to post pics of the watch with the dial and handset that are currently in the works we will begin taking deposits. I hope to be able to post pics of the watch with the 369 date dial and hands by the end of July.
With the introduction of the Mk II Vantage the QUAD10 will be pulled from the line-up in July to undergo a re-design.