As we started to think about celebrating our fifth anniversary this year, it was obvious to me that such a landmark in the Club's history could involve our First Club Watch. I knew that creating watches takes a long time and that I'd want to get our Club Members involved as much as possible. Starting in January and with a lot of work to perfect the design, we're delighted to say that we've created a fantastic watch in time for our celebration, as it launched this week; exactly five years after our first official event on the 21st October 2021.

How we got started

We wanted a watch that was solely for Club Members, was accessible in terms of price, and could be completed by the Anniversary in October. We felt that we should target a total price under £1000 and that we'd prefer to work with a brand that gave us many creative options. We've always been an admirer of Chris Alexander, better known as The Dial Artist and asked him early on if he could advise us or even contribute to the project, and were very pleased he agreed to help.

We wanted our Club Members involved from the very start, and took the view that we should be as open minded as possible about the type of watch we were going to create. In early January this year we held our first online brainstorming session. Ably led by Co-Founder Ed Howkins, who's got plenty experience doing this in his day job, we used a communal whiteboard tool on a Zoom call to discuss our favourite watch features and what we might like to see in our project. Ed took the notes from that call to prepare a second call where we looked directly at five watches from different brands, rating them and commenting on the various design features and specifications.

Following this we narrowed it down to two options and Hamish approached both companies to ask if they would be interested in working with us. Fortunately both were and we surveyed the Club Members to see if there was a strong preference between them and asked about preferences for size, case materials, etc. Using those results we were delighted to select the Beaucroft Element Obsidian as the watch we would use as the base of our project.

The Dial Artist's Creative spark

At this point Hamish held a call with Chris to understand the options and ask Chris to suggest some creative ideas. Using the fact that the celebratory material for a fifth wedding anniversary is wood, Chris proposed a wood grain engraving on the dial, which would have created a very subtle effect. Matt and Karim from Beaucroft told us that their suppliers could supply the hands and indices for the watch in other finishes, including getting them gold plated. Another idea Chris had was to try his trademark dots pattern but using 24-carat gold paint. We now had a range of ideas to take back to the community.

A call in August allowed us to present these ideas and Club Members could give their feedback. It was a lot of fun to see people's enthusiasm and ideas, including quite a few we'd not thought of. It became clear that the the gold elements of the hand, index and dots would add a rather special sparkle to make a great watch even better, and incorporate real gold while still being a wearable steel sports watch at a very good price.

We confirmed the final designs in September and Chris was able to get two prototype dials down to Beaucroft for assembly. He suggested a simple but exclusive caseback for the watch, using the logos of all three companies and leaving space for each owner's initials. With this final element the watch would be highly differentiated from the standard range, represent the Club well, and be a great addition to anyone's collection.

Getting hands on

It wasn't until last Sunday I could finally get hands on, and this week we presented it to Club Members for the first time. The watch was lying beside me on my desk while I was working and the light hit the gold five index just enough to make it pop and I thought what an awesome detail! I took it outside for some shots in the autumn sun and the gleam from the gold dots was subtle but unmistakable. I'm excited to order mine and delighted to present it to Club Members over the next couple of months.

Club Members Only

As a reward to our supporters and friends in the Club, this watch is for our Club Members and only for them. Making a watch like this in such a Limited Edition is exciting for our community and every owner will know that very few people have anything like it. Every dial is hand painted by The Dial Artist and as such is unique, and the initials on the back create a permanent memento for every Member who chooses to add one to their collection. We've enjoyed working with Chris and the team from Beaucroft, and know they're just as pleased with how it turned out.

If you want to see it we'll have the prototypes at The Manchester Watch Show this November, and it you come to any of our Events in future keep an eye out for Club Member with one on the wrist!