S.O.E. Roadster Watch - A moment in time worth celebrating.

August 23 update
over 2 years ago – Thu, Aug 26, 2021 at 07:27:15 PM

And we are in the air! The watches have passed their final quality control checks and have left the factory!

We are expecting them here at Trafford HQ next Monday or Tuesday. Once they arrive, we will immediately begin the process of putting watches in boxes and getting them out. We will do this as quickly as humanly possible, but will also be spending the time to hand check each watch before it goes out.

We will send them out in batches as we complete them, but are expecting the entire process to take no more than a few days.

Once your package goes out, you will receive a tracking email from BackerKit. Note that not all countries offer tracking.

We will keep you updated as we get through this process.

We are almost there!!! Thank you so much for your patience!

Best, Nathan

August 14 update
over 2 years ago – Mon, Aug 16, 2021 at 04:40:54 AM

From the last update:

"We have been very fortunate to not have any major setbacks at all during this process so far" 

Of course I jinxed myself by saying that. 

The watches were supposed to be headed my way at some point this last week. During final assembly, however, the team noticed an anomaly on the green dials. The hour markers were just slightly off center. It was barely noticeable, but "barely noticeable" isn't good enough. So we lost a week. But I would gladly trade a week extra wait instead of having a large chunk of the watches not perfect. The dials in question were tossed, and the dial team knocked out the new ones within the week. We now have all of the pieces and can wrap up final assembly on Monday. The watches then go through the final quality control review, which includes letting them all run for 72 hours to check that they are keeping good time. All of these steps were supposed to happen last week, which is a shame, but that's what the checks are there for and unfortunately something was found. 

So we are looking at them getting on a plane for Trafford HQ by the end of this coming week. I've been told to expect about a week (including customs) to make it here, but as noted in the last update that can be unpredictable sometimes with customs. 

We will do our absolute best to be transparent with this whole process. The delay is a bummer, but if all goes well, we should still be shipping them out to you all before the end of this month. We've all waited long enough to get these things!! At the end of the day, I'm just another watch enthusiast like you guys and I'm stoked to get the watches out to you all! 

I've got all of the boxes pre-packed, so all I have to do when they arrive is check the watches, get them in the right boxes, put them in the shipping boxes and get them out. That should be pretty quick. 

Again, I apologize for the delay. I'm going to try really hard not to jinx myself again. 

As always, please reach out to me with any and all questions. I hope our next update is much better news!! 

Best,

Nathan Trafford

August 4 update
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Aug 05, 2021 at 03:17:50 AM

We're getting so close!! 

Ok, first let's talk about what's been finished since our last update:

The big one is that the watch boxes, along with all of the shipping boxes have arrived at Trafford HQ! This is great news because the only thing that we have left to receive are the actual watches themselves (along with all of the straps). This means that we can get a head start on packing everything up into the boxes. It was important to us to do this in house so that we can check the quality of every item going into the boxes. So while we are waiting for the watches to arrive here, we can get every box ready to go so that all we have to do is check the watches, put them in the boxes and send them out. This should save us a lot of time in the long run.

It's worth noting here that we are trying to be as Earth-friendly as possible. The watch box is paper based and recyclable. All of the shipping boxes, packing peanuts, tape, etc are all biodegradable. 

All of your addresses have been locked and shipping rates calculated and paid for (by us. Don't worry we're not going to send you a bill!). All we have left to do on that front is to simply print the shipping stickers and slap them on the boxes! If you have a sudden life change and your address is no longer correct, please send me an email at [email protected] and we will figure it out. I'm happy to hold on to any boxes for longer if needed, too.

Ok, so like I said, all that is left is the watches themselves. And good news, they should be done and on an airplane by the end of the week (or early next week at the latest). All of the cases have been finished and quality checked. The numbers and casebacks have all been etched. And finally, assembly has begun! 

Here are a handful of (admittedly not great) videos of production.

^ This is during the quality control check of the cases. Note the red marks on the lug. There was a little pothole blemish on that particular one. This happens with any watch build, whether you're Rolex or a new microbrand like us, and finding those errors is a part of the quality control process! If it is something that can be fixed like a small blemish, it goes back in to finishing to clear it. If it can't be fixed it goes into the recycling bin. Every case is inspected by hand. But look at how good the thicker/shorter lugs look, and also the numbering on the side of the case! Woohoo!! 

^ Adding the custom red date wheel to the movement

^ Attaching the dial to the movement

^ Attaching the small hands 

Once all of the hands are on the movement, it all goes to the final assembly, which involves dust removal from the dial and inside of the glass, then adding the movement into the case, attaching the crown, and putting them in boxes to send here! All of the straps are done already, and we will personally be the ones that attach them to each watch before they get sent to you all. Here's a really quick look at the mesh bracelets that some of you ordered in BackerKit:

Like I said, the final assembly and manufacturer quality checks should be done this week and will immediately be shipped by air to us. We have been very fortunate to not have any major setbacks at all during this process so far, and I want to be transparent that there is an opportunity for a timing setback at this point. Why? Customs. It's a complete guessing game as to how fast or slow things get through customs here. It could be a day, a week, or longer. We really only mention this because we just waited over two months for the watch boxes to arrive (one month for shipping by sea, and then over a month sitting stateside, waiting to be cleared by customs). We're hoping that it took that long simply because it was coming by sea and was a very large order, in terms of the size of boxes. But we really have no way of putting a definitive timeline on how long that process will take. Let's just all cross our collective fingers and hope that it is super speedy. 

Rest assured though, that as soon as they make it here, we have done everything we can to make it a very fast turnaround time to get them in boxes and out of the door to you folks.  

As always, thank you for coming along on this journey with us. It's been a great ride, and we're so excited to be in the home stretch! We will let you know more as we do! 

Here is a quick excerpt from Jean-Pierre Wimille's win at the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans:

Bugatti did not enter Le Mans in 1938 due to technical difficulties with their car. However in 1939, with the 16th edition of the Type 57, everything is working, and Bugatti are quietly optimistic that they can take first place. Among the journalists of the time, the true favorite to win is two-time Le Mans winner Raymond Sommer with a new Alfa Romeo. He leads the race from the start and widens the gap with the other drivers, including Jean-Pierre Wimille.

But Jean-Pierre drives exceptionally, taking clean lines in the curves while preserving his tires and brakes. Until late at night, the cars are driving with more and more speed. Sommer and Wimille fiercely fight for first place and are soon joined by Louis Gérard and Georges Monneret, drivers for Delage. But their race car, along with Sommer's Alfa Romeo, could not withstand the strain, and on Sunday morning, an engine problem forces both of them to stop in the pit lane. Meanwhile, Wimille continues on, pushing his Type 57 C Tank lap after lap. The company’s patriarch later claims that during the race, the mechanics never had to open the bonnet, since the 8-cylinder engine was so reliable. 

Wimille and Veyron covered 248 laps, averaging a speed of 139 km/h. The runner-up car of the race was three laps behind and the third car nine laps. Wimille’s star could not have been shining brighter.

Have a wonderful day, and we will be in touch soon! 

- Team Trafford

LOCKING ADDRESSES
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Jul 26, 2021 at 08:45:49 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

July 7 update
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Jul 07, 2021 at 03:26:27 PM

Hi friends,

To my American friends, I hope you had a great 4th of July weekend. It was great to see people out and enjoying community together. It's been too long! 

I'll keep this one short so that we can get back to what's most important (stressing about England's game with Denmark today). 

Things are moving along very nicely with the Roadster! Hopefully you've been able to see some of the previous updates which show a lot of the peripheral elements coming together. Here's a list of all the items that are done:

• Watch box (these are currently in transit to Trafford HQ. Expected here within a week or so)
• Books
• All display boxes for folks who purchased at least 3 watches
• Warranty cards
• Microfiber cloths
• Stickers
• Notecards

We're now getting closer with the actual watch build, too, so I'm excited to share progress shots with you! Here's a list of what's complete for the watches:

• Nato straps
• Leather straps
• Hands
• Dials
• Bezel

And here's what's in progress:

• The dials, movements and hands will all be assembled, waiting to be placed into the cases.
• The cases have all been milled and cut. The holes have been drilled for the pushers. They are having their finishes applied this week. There's a cool video I'll show after this that shows the cutting process of the lugs. Once the case body is complete, there are a few other things that can happen.
• The caseback design can then be etched.
• The numbers can be etched into the body.
• Final assembly of the watches can then take place, which is then followed by a final quality control check.

Once all of these steps are done, the watches can then be packed up and shipped here to Trafford HQ, where I will hand check each watch, assemble the correct straps and extras, package everything up, and then start the shipping progress. Everything is on schedule for an August delivery! 

Here are some photos and videos:

The video above shows the cutting process for the lugs. You saw in the last update that the lugs are built as a full wire as part of the mold. They then go to this wild machine that cuts 4 at a time.

Please don't mind the two missing hour marks in the red version above! This was just a test piece. 

So, things are definitely coming along! I'll have another update for you soon. 

As always, I'll leave you with an excerpt from one of the stories, this time from Robert Mazaud.

Dangerous packages

During the years leading up to D-Day, there were hundreds of air drops, all over France. This meant a lot of driving to remote locations, and Resistance fighters were constantly in need of both transport vans and fuel for their vehicles, two things that were in short supply in Nazi occupied France. Robert Mazaud was the head of the factory at Delahaye during this time, and was approached by his old rival Robert Benoist about helping to supply both gasoline and vehicles when needed. Mazaud did not need to be asked twice.

Every night before closing the factory, Mazaud would empty the leftover gasoline tanks from the factory into a large drum cylinder. Then once a week he would load the full barrel onto a van and drive it out to the Benoist family estates, southwest of Paris.

On numerous other occasions, under the guise of needing to transport spare parts for the factory, Mazaud would lend the large vans to Benoist’s men to transport the stockpiles of arms from one location to another. He was known to personally help with this transport on occasions, at extreme risk to himself. One unlucky stop at a German checkpoint would be certain death.

During one particular arms drop that Mazaud was assisting as the driver, the location was ambushed by Germans. The men in the field fled to Robert’s van, jumping in as a hail of German bullets peppered the side of the van. They were able to escape, and Robert spent the rest of the night fixing the wounded van. He had a small stockpile of spare body parts for the vans for situations such as this. As expected, the Germans visited all of the major factories the next day to inspect the vans, but Robert’s work was untraceable.

Have a great week everybody, and as always ...   GO ENGLAND! 

IT'S COMING HOME!!!