Garrick is a small British watch brand making elaborate, old fashioned mechanical watches, largely by hand using a mix of traditional and modern watchmaking techniques. Their website boasts of a bespoke watchmaking service, and their designs can be most aptly categorized as ornate in nature, with engine turned dial finishing, meticulous hand polishing, and even the use of enamel. Their latest watch, the S4, is their new entry level product, and features a dial that is among the most detailed I can recall seeing on a watch at this price point. Garrick?s watches are proudly low production, and they seem to have taken the approach of doing the exact opposite of what large brands that manufacture watches at mass scales do. That is to say, they?re happy to take the long view, and do things slowly and on their terms.
One look at the S4?s dial reveals its complexity, but understanding how it?s made forces an appreciation for the way Garrick goes about executing their design vision. For Garrick, the idea behind this watch is to do as much by hand as possible, and it starts with the use of a lathe to create the brass disc that will eventually become the base of the S4?s dial. Even on very expensive watches, dial blanks are often stamped, as it?s a process that lends itself to scaling for mass production. Garrick?s dial blank is then sanded down to remove imperfections and subsequently bead blasted. The chapter ring and small seconds ring are cut and drilled for fastening, ...