Back Soon, Gin Clear: The Gin Clear MkII Story
The progress of pilgrims is never smooth nor linear. They’re required by lore to traverse uneven territory, face great tests of character and stare down various archetypal beasts before claiming the reward which was invariably present the whole time. Many come close to giving up entirely, and it is through the arrival at such low points that the most inspiring stories of redemption emerge. The story of the Gin Clear and its creator, while hardly the stuff of legends, is certainly littered with innumerable tests, failures, path changes and grappling matches with untold monsters emerging from the treacherous and shadowy Manufacturing Realm. And, like those mythical journeys, the Gin Clear story has finally reached a meaningful destination that now warrants sharing. Pull up a comfortable chair and a glass of your favourite tipple.
It was four years ago, deep in the mists of time it feels, that the original Gin Clear designs were in the hands of several prospective manufacturing partners, each vying to win our business through confident promises of ‘top quality and low price’. Just like the pilgrim we were tempted by countless hot offers being whispered to us from the dimly lit alleys of Asia’s various red-light manufacturing districts, many of which seemed (and were) too good to be true. The reality was, as is so often the case for the naïve as they take their first steps on the big journey, a rude awakening. Endless problems with quality, design theft, confusing delays, impenetrable processes and decision making that would make Kafka stir in his grave…we saw it all.
Nonetheless, we settled on a team who performed well enough, and the Gin Clear MkI prototypes were made to a sufficient level quality, allowing us to circulate them broadly for reviews and run a launch with solid results. Two production runs later, despite continuing high demand, we had to part ways with the manufacturing partners involved in the MkI due to ongoing disputes over quality and acceptance of responsibility / resolution of the problems we were finding during our final assembly and in house QC activities.
This was a major setback, both financially and for our growing customer base who continued to buy out every Gin Clear we made. The cost of moving manufacturing teams is high. You need to test prospective partners’ quality through making test parts or full prototypes, which can take many months of negotiation, designing, prototyping and testing. Yes, it costs a pretty penny, and at the end there is no guarantee they will perform well enough that placing a mass production order is a low-risk strategy, nor that their final quality will align with your needs / expectations. Nor is there a guarantee that the teams involved will take responsibility for issues when they arise and work proactively to fix them without the usual finger pointing that is so pervasive in outsourced manufacturing.
By the point we found a new team and began making new prototypes we’d learned a lot: about case engineering, fit and finish, what a good handset looks like, how to assess dial quality etc. Our target quality level had increased as a result, and we were certain the Gin Clear MkII couldn’t simply be incrementally better but needed to compete with the absolute best in the price range and beyond, defying expectations of what is possible for under $1000 USD. It had to carry and extend the design cues that were hallmarks of the MkI, and offer more interest, world class components and a movement that was both highly regarded, but free from the sorts of problems we’d experienced with our models that ran the Sellita SW200.
We’re happy to report the new manufacturer met us all the way and has been performing admirably on all our primary criteria. At Second Hour HQ we are deep into the production of the Gin Clear MkII, and another key stage of the pilgrim’s journey is finally resolving into both the physical reward of an incredible, Swiss automatic dive watch with 300 metres of water resistance, and the less tangible but equally meaningful wisdom and character building that accompanies such endeavours.
We’re extremely proud of what we’ve achieved, including the switch to using the ETA 2824. After spending months in the analysis of cost, performance and reliability we settled on the most respected Swiss workhorse movement available. Not easy to get, it took us time to lock down a reliable supplier. And although it's the movement on which the Sellita SW200 is based it is built more carefully, tests better and offers superior long-term dependability as part fragility is not a factor. It costs more but is most definitely worth it.
We’ve created a marvellous follow up to our flagship dive watch, with a significant elevation in quality across every component. From the new movement to higher grade case finishing, a top grade bracelet that conforms to the wrist and the outstanding push button micro-adjustment clasp. As always, the Gin Clear MkII features our surface hardening treatment that will keep your prize looking fresher, longer.
Colours
Released in four colours: three old favourites and one new kid on the block.
• Sunburst Black
• Arctic White
• Pastel Blue
• Ocean Sunset
Launch
Our approach for launch will be to open the GC MkII for pre-orders first to those in our member’s only Facebook group: Second Hour HQ. If you’re not a member we strongly encourage you to join as it’s not only a great way to share your passion for Second Hour models, but we tease designs there first, and give early access to new models for our members. You may even pick up a 1 of 1 prototype from time to time.
Pre-orders are currently scheduled to open in August.
The amount of requests for the Gin Clear we receive from HQ members, via social media and our website continues to be high, and as the initial batch will be quite small (due to the high cost of production), we encourage you to stay locked in for updates and be ready to lock yours in when pre-orders open.
Shipping
The completed watches will be available to ship around late October, with the final date to firm up as production progresses. We anticipate production to wrap in September, at which time I will be visiting various factories to perform inspections on the parts and oversee the commencement of assembly. This ensures it's done right and saves us all headaches downstream.
So, here are the final Gin Clear MkII Specifications:
• Construction Material: 316L Stainless Steel | 1200 HV Surface Hardening
• Case Diameter: 40mm case diameter, 41mm bezel diameter
• Case Thickness: 12.25mm including sapphire crystal
• Lug to Lug: 47mm
• Movement: regulated Swiss ETA 2824 automatic
• Lume 1: Swiss BGW9 SuperLuminova across the bezel, hands and indices
• Lume 2: SuperLuminova C3 X1 on 12, 4 and 8 o’clock indices
• Bezel: 120 click uni-directional rotating bezel with ceramic inlay
• Crystal: Flat sapphire crystal with 6 layers of internal AR coating
• Case Back: oil pressed embossed Hawksbill Turtle image
• Bracelet: Solid screw & end links, quick release spring bars
• Clasp: Fully milled push-button, on the fly micro-adjustment clasp
• Hands: Diamond cut with custom made counterweight seconds hand
• Dials: Gloss and sunray finish, highest grade dials
• Crown: easy grip, signed, coloured inlay, screw down
• Water Resistance: 300 metres (30ATM) - twice pressure tested
Pricing
We are still completing price analysis, which is as considered a process as the watch design itself. However, we can inform you to expect a watch priced in the realm of $800 USD (+/-). The question of additional straps is often asked, and we are currently working on options, but have yet to lock down anything. Please stay tuned for updates on that.
In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions.
Cheers
Peter & Akira
Second Hour
