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The kickstarter adventures of Sólás - solaswatches.com
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For comparison Tesla has never spent a cent on marketing, yet* they are now the most valuable car company in the world!
* or should I say "because", as they spent all their money on R&D instead :pac:
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-viya-china-livestream-shopping/
China changes people - Tesla must have paid this Chinese influencer a lot to do her live-stream review of the Tesla 3 (apparently she charges 30% commissions).
https://www.forbes.com/sites/larrylight/2020/06/01/the-natural-elon-musks-non-traditional-approach-to-tesla-advertising/#7ce2ab40512a
But I take the general point that for some items - Starbucks/Chipotle/Tesla advertising may take other forms.
You won't see people driving a Starlight down the road (which serves as an advertisement in and of itself) though - or drinking from a Sólás white cup. Jewellery/watches I think still needs a lot of advertising since it's not very visible otherwise.
Found out recently even Patek do oodles of marketing (not advertising - all about getting their audience in touch with their product) - which isn't a bad thing - if you take the view that they make a good product - they just need the right people to know about it.0 -
One interviewer asked for non-studio shots of the watch so I took some of the production version that's on my wrist currently. These are straight out of the camera and only editing was cropping (I'm no hand model). I still think photos don't really capture aventurine well but it gives a reflection of what people can expect to see from their cameras at least - I guarantee by eye it looks better.
What you usually see indoors in the office etc.
A little bit of indirect light.
A bit more of indirect (and diffused/cloudy) light.
I know it can look like speckled paint but it really isn't. 0 -
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https://www.wykop.pl/wpis/51265303/alliecaulfield-znowu-jakos-malo-sie-dzieje-pod-tag/ - wahey - here is some natural discussion on the Starlight (google translate was a great help - my Polish is rather rusty).
And my timegrapher has finally arrived - this will in all likelihood be the backup plan if I can't fly out to China to conduct QC in person during the assembly phase later this year (due to C19).
Tested the current production model Starlight on my wrist and have to say that the regulation performed by my factory partners was very well done (amplitude, beat error, seconds per day all performing phenomenally well - and that's what I had unconsciously experienced wearing it on the wrist too):
Dial up:
Dial down:
Crown right:
Would be ideal if all the movements end up this good. HZ states that they should be +/- 20 seconds per day (about the same as ETA 2824 Elabore grade and better than Seiko NH35 or ETA 2824 standard grade tolerances).0 -
Your timegrapher is a lovely piece of kit TF.
I'm only recently starting to use an app properly for tracking my time loss and will get into regulating my pieces at some stage.
Even with using a set of surgical loupe(as recommended by FG) I think it will be quite a while before I am ever proficient enough to try a service.
Is the lift angle an important factor on the HZ?
Are there any vagaries in the timegrapher for a micro-rotor that jump out as curious compared to a standard auto or hand winder?0 -
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The app (if you're measuring daily average rate) might not be super useful if you don't see where the time is being lost/gained - i.e. is the problem actually +17 crown up and -15 crown down (which may cancel each other out and give you 0 spd overall). I think for most people they shouldn't worry about the timing and micro-regulation unless you're losing/gaining massive time - it'll drive you mad potentially . On this particular HZ I had on the timegrapher I'd be crazy to open it up and move the regulator arm - much more likely to over shift and lose more in the +seconds.
Servicing (with proper oiling) is a whole different kettle of fish to regulating too.
The lift angle is only used to calculate the correct amplitude from my understanding and set here correctly at 53 degrees. It shows a perfectly healthy amplitude of 312/293 in the horizontal and 282 in the vertical. From my rudimentary watchmaking skills/understanding - this is an example of a "fantastic" movement in its current state.
As the escapement on the HZ is the same as your standard ETA or Seiko/Miyota there isn't really a difference - it still beats the same - just the rotor is smaller/it could be considered "prettier" - this timegrapher (and even the 1000 series) can also deal with co-axial escapements too (like in modern Omegas) which give different readings than the standard lever escape movement.
Again - not a watchmaker so take what I say with a pinch of salt - if anyone knows otherwise please free to contribute
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CDxKLg1HwXh/
So ABTW - unprompted - put up the Starlight on their Instagram post (this is outside of the sponsored post deal) - so I think the answer to "is a sponsored post worth it?" - is a resounding "yes - but only if you have a truly interesting watch to promote". The post directly led to the Starlight entering the consciousness of a number of high level publications (including the Worn & Wound article) - there are still ongoing negotiations for other (unpaid) articles in well-known publications too.
I was wondering why I suddenly gained 20 followers on Instagram this morning - and I guess the US will wake up this afternoon and some more interest will come in
Hopefully more interest in the Starlight from other publications will arise from the ABTW instagram post now (they have 384k followers there).0 -
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Remember there's the guarantee too I made to all SEB/EB backers of the postponed campaign - if you don't get at least the same price as you had on the first campaign - I'll refund you the difference afterwards (though please attempt to grab a (super) early bird spot at least :P )
Hopefully this thread has been an interesting look at what goes on behind the scenes in a microbrand at the very least
With the new pricing structure I am limited to around 410 watches at most and MOQ remains at 300 - should be plenty for everyone 0 -
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It's great having the front and back in the same image.https://www.instagram.com/p/CDxKLg1HwXh/
So ABTW - unprompted - put up the Starlight on their Instagram post (this is outside of the sponsored post deal) - so I think the answer to "is a sponsored post worth it?" - is a resounding "yes - but only if you have a truly interesting watch to promote". The post directly led to the Starlight entering the consciousness of a number of high level publications (including the Worn & Wound article) - there are still ongoing negotiations for other (unpaid) articles in well-known publications too.
I was wondering why I suddenly gained 20 followers on Instagram this morning - and I guess the US will wake up this afternoon and some more interest will come in
Hopefully more interest in the Starlight from other publications will arise from the ABTW instagram post now (they have 384k followers there).0 -
It's great having the front and back in the same image.
A requirement of the ABTW post actually - they only allow one photo of the watch and I can't just show the back of the watch (even though aventurine is awesome - on photos the micro-rotor definitely has a bigger visual impact).
Saw a Patek shot that showed off the front and back in the one photo and asked the pro to replicate that effect - he said I was "demanding but professional" - so demanding in a positive sense (I think! ) - i.e. I knew exactly what I wanted in the resulting photograph and what can be realistically produced and not asking for the impossible. It was nice to "talk shop" with a photographer too.
In the end I got - 1) aventurine front, 2) micro-rotor back and even 3) Sólás Starlight model name shown off. The photos were so good a couple of people just presumed they were "perfect" 3D renders rather than photos :pac: .
He got 1) paid and 2) now these features are all in his portfolio to show to prospective clients too - he's absolutely delighted. Win/win all round. 0 -
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CDxKLg1HwXh/
So ABTW - unprompted - put up the Starlight on their Instagram post (this is outside of the sponsored post deal) - so I think the answer to "is a sponsored post worth it?" - is a resounding "yes - but only if you have a truly interesting watch to promote". The post directly led to the Starlight entering the consciousness of a number of high level publications (including the Worn & Wound article) - there are still ongoing negotiations for other (unpaid) articles in well-known publications too.
I was wondering why I suddenly gained 20 followers on Instagram this morning - and I guess the US will wake up this afternoon and some more interest will come in
Hopefully more interest in the Starlight from other publications will arise from the ABTW instagram post now (they have 384k followers there).
God damnit. I want it now!!! :pac:
(That wasn’t a pressure thing - I just really love your watch!). Still haven’t decided if it’s a gift for my bf, or if I keep it for myself. Ahhhh. I’m going to end up with two, aren’t I!
Actually, there’s a question. I know you’ve covered before the topic of this being a watch for women as well as men, and I agree. For the strap, how tight can it go, if you know what I mean, as my wrist would be fairly small? Sorry if this is already in some specs, but it haven’t picked up on it (probably got distracted by the shininess!).0 -
It genuinely is the dilemma for KS backers - of course a lot of people would love to click and have next day delivery - but the whole point of crowdfunding is that the product generally doesn't exist yet (some people don't even make production units before launching/finishing their funding and rely only on renders) - if you read the interview you'll find out why I consider that a bad idea and physical prototyping is always preferred in my view (you never know how something is going to turn out until you actually make it and hold it in your hands to inspect).
So in return for having the patience to wait after committing funds it means you literally are ordering pretty much from the "wholesaler" and can get a much lower price than others. Some people for example want to explore having a no-date version - well they might need to wait for the commercial version to come out, at the commercial prices to see a no-date Starlight. So there are definite trade offs on being able to "get it now"
Sure if you want two and get a SEB/EB price on launch day you can always double the pledge to get a 2nd at the same price too. And that's a pretty lucky boyfriend if you do decide to give it to him!
On the sizing - I have tiny wrists (probably around 7.25"/18.4cm) and I often share watches with my petite wife too. On the strap it can still go 2 notches tighter so around 1cm - so I think even a 6.75" wrist will be okay. By way of context - for guy's watches I usually take off 5-6 links from bracelets because invariable they are sized for much bigger wrists than mine. Handy to have extra bracelet links though!0 -
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Sorry Banie - the first person contacted was very keen on getting the SoK so it's on the way off to him soon :
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1N29WHvX-/
The purple salmon leather straps in the end actually turned out well I think when paired up with the colour of the dial/indices - it's funny, you never know how something is going to look until you put it all together and check the effect - even when I had the straps in hand by themselves I was thinking "uh-oh this is going to look a little crazy" - when put together I think it looks pretty sharp (unorthodox yes, but still nice but just a little different).0 -
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Hey thanks for checking in - things are progressing pretty much as planned - I haven't written anything in a while as I promised not to spam people if nothing “big" was happening - right now the review units are being made and will be sent out soon - everything is moving slightly slower due to C19 - it's why I gave a provisional time for re-launch at late Sept/early Oct.
Hangzhou watch factory is currently working on 3 day weeks rather than 6 day weeks during normal operation - so getting the movements to put in the review units will be an issue (we've got plan B and C in the back pocket) - still intending to get the review units out to reviewers by mid September though.
On the follower front you can see we're over 470 followers - hopefully once the next round of reviews come out we get to around 600 before launch. Before that though I'll be starting some more Facebook group mentions too - don't want to spam people with news if I don't have any actual news.
You'll see some more activity after mid-September as the reviews/interviews etc. start coming in again 0 -
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Shamrock92 wrote: »I've just found the forum. Really looking forward to the launch and I'll certainly be near my computer to hop on board early. Keep the updates coming..
Hey there - finding this thread you can have a read from the beginning of it and see the full ups/downs and twists/turns that have occurred up till now - it's been one heck of a ride so far!
And actually with today we're approaching 500 followers on the Starlight page (aim is 600 remember - just to be safe) here is some news in relation to what's been happening over the last few weeks:
We are getting close to finalising a launch date for the Starlight now – some people have been in touch and asked if things have been happening over this last while - and indeed they are - mainly all behind the scenes as we get ready for our last round of reviews/promotions and publications before the launch - currently looking like early October.
My factory partner sent me on these photos today of the cases (still to undergo polishing hence storage in the rough boxes for now):
And my Irish leather strap supplier has sent me on his straps for use with the review production units:
So now the plan is to get the 12-14 review units out into the hands of the last set of reviewers and push to get as large as possible set of followers/email list before the re-launch. When I say I'm approaching this project differently than many other KS projects (which often are delayed beyond their original timetable) I mean that here people won't be backing a 3D render concept - the cases are already made in China and they are starting on the dials, I've paid for them (a deposit) with my own money in advance and we need the KS funding to get the project completed. Hopefully this should reassure people that:- this project certainly isn't vapourware - the cases and dials should be finished soon, so backers can be reassured that you are indeed backing an item that is already partially physically present even before you’ve committed any funds and;
- I really want to deliver the watches on time to everyone - I don't think that a 5-6 month (or even a year! in extreme cases) of delays is acceptable without extraordinary reasons but I see it happen so often with Kickstarter projects. For me, I think that if the cases, dials etc. are already manufactured then we're a good way towards delivery of watches on time – this is being said especially as due to C19 the movement factory is likely to encounter delays in production. I’m trying to get as much preparation work done in advance as possible.
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Hey Shamrock - it's actually tungsten alloy - tungsten has a similar density to gold (which is what fancy micro-rotor movements use in your Pateks etc.) - steel wouldn't be dense enough to provide the winding force needed to keep the movement wound.
I'm shaking the watch beside my head right now and you can definitely hear it when you're purposefully shaking it beside yourself. Moving my arm up and down at arm distance away I don't hear any winding noise so I'd like to say wearing "normally" you shouldn't hear anything - unlike say a 7750 chrono movement. But it's not whisper quiet either - if you want to hear it wind you can definitely make it make a sound.
Having a Polerouter is very cool btw - I daresay the Starlight might be a tiny bit prettier to look at (and don't need to remove the caseback to see ). Is the micro-rotor in the polerouter very loud? I presume they used tungsten too or was it brass? 0 -
Thanks TF. Looking forward to trying this one out more than any watch in recent memory, so can't wait to hear more.Hey Shamrock - it's actually tungsten alloy - tungsten has a similar density to gold (which is what fancy micro-rotor movements use in your Pateks etc.) - steel wouldn't be dense enough to provide the winding force needed to keep the movement wound.
I'm shaking the watch beside my head right now and you can definitely hear it when you're purposefully shaking it beside yourself. Moving my arm up and down at arm distance away I don't hear any winding noise so I'd like to say wearing "normally" you shouldn't hear anything - unlike say a 7750 chrono movement. But it's not whisper quiet either - if you want to hear it wind you can definitely make it make a sound.
Having a Polerouter is very cool btw - I daresay the Starlight might be a tiny bit prettier to look at (and don't need to remove the caseback to see ). Is the micro-rotor in the polerouter very loud? I presume they used tungsten too or was it brass?
The UG certainly has a 'rattle'. I had it serviced and the watchmaker wasn't worried about it, but I'm sure in its day it wasn't as loud. It's certainly a more delicate watch than the Starlight0 -
Having a two hour conversation with my factory partner yesterday in terms of finalising things on the Starlight, the R&D plans for the subsequent model and the very beginning of testing a new movement for the 3rd model - I think we're in a good position for "go to launch".
Speaking to the 12 reviewers/publications I've lined up to look at the watch prior to a re-launch they've confirmed to me that timing works for them too (the watches will be completed Sept 14th, and sent out on Sept 15th. - arriving in Japan, Canada, US, France etc. by the 20th I would hope.)
So without much further ado - the very provisional re-launch date of the Starlight will be October 15th at 3pm Irish time. Having tracked a few other KS projects from start to finish and keeping in mind timing pressures with Chinese New Year coming up in February 2021 I won't be doing a 30 day campaign (as vast majority of people who will be backing this will be doing so in the first 48 hours). Rather I plan to end on October 31st - it'll be trick or treat for Sólás and allows me to get the order in for the movement by the start of November (if funding is achieved). See the Mitch Mason campaign recently with their gutsy 7 day run: https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/mitchmasonchronicle/mitch-mason-chronicle-automatic-field-watch/#chart-daily
The cases have all been polished now, I've yet to see the dials in their finished form but I hear they are progressing well.
Now is a pretty good time to let anyone you think who might be interested in backing something like the Starlight know about it - at 329-349 on day one (150 units in total) and then 369/389/399 afterwards (yes even one more tier has appeared - 20 euro to some might not matter - to others it might - I want to give the Starlight the best possible chance to succeed) I think it's a good value proposition.
Just a reminder that I think these two articles/interviews would be a good resource to point people towards in terms of explaining what Sólás is all about:
https://www.beansandbezels.com/articles/solas-starlight-watch-release/
http://www.watchisthis.com/interview-diyu-wu-founder-of-solas-watches/
More info, photos and links to new reviews/interviews will follow over the next few weeks - and so we enter t-minus one month(ish) before the launch! 0 -
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Oh some people got a sneak peek at a few months ago actually (model 2).
And put it this way - Model X will be an affordable (relatively) microbrand minute repeater - end destination for Sólás (at least that's my goal).
Sólás will have a signature item in that our dials will be "special" always - so model 2 will have choices and variations (including something green for those who love that Irish connection) - but never green paint
Here are some random words which might describe model 2: tritium t100, tungsten carbide, anglage, heat treated screws, rhodium plating, ISO 6425, glidelock(esque) (tm)... not guaranteed it all ends up in the model however - we need to see what works within the design constraints and the cost of all of these things described (and how it affects final pricing for future backers). It won't be Starlight priced however (you'll see that reflected in my interviews saying I don't want Sólás to be competing in the 200-300 arena - anglage and so on will be in 500+ KS prices (and possibly higher). But these are the steps needed to take towards the minute repeater end goal.
^ Model 2 will be making another number of "world firsts" I believe. The name is Equinox and we have the design ready (changed since the pre-alpha version was shown to a select number of people) - now it's about getting the suppliers who can fulfil our ambitious plans and seeing what works in reality.
Model 3's movement need to undergo further testing - I've actually asked the factory to send me two movements in a very basic case just so I can get 2 years of testing with it since that model will probably end up even higher on the price chain and I need to see how it operates "in the field" before offering it to the public.
Put it this way - Sea-Gull (the Chinese watch company) makes a minute repeater (in gold case) - for $50,000 and that's affordable compared to the Swiss - even wanting to make it as affordable as possible you won't be paying a Starlight's price for such a movement - this will require both R&D and having someone trained to make and assemble such components.0 -
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Oh some people got a sneak peek at a few months ago actually (model 2).
And put it this way - Model X will be an affordable (relatively) microbrand minute repeater - end destination for Sólás (at least that's my goal).
Sólás will have a signature item in that our dials will be "special" always - so model 2 will have choices and variations (including something green for those who love that Irish connection) - but never green paint
Here are some random words which might describe model 2: tritium t100, tungsten carbide, anglage, heat treated screws, rhodium plating, ISO 6425, glidelock(esque) (tm)... not guaranteed it all ends up in the model however - we need to see what works within the design constraints and the cost of all of these things described (and how it affects final pricing for future backers). It won't be Starlight priced however (you'll see that reflected in my interviews saying I don't want Sólás to be competing in the 200-300 arena - anglage and so on will be in 500+ KS prices (and possibly higher). But these are the steps needed to take towards the minute repeater end goal.
^ Model 2 will be making another number of "world firsts" I believe. The name is Equinox and we have the design ready (changed since the pre-alpha version was shown to a select number of people) - now it's about getting the suppliers who can fulfil our ambitious plans and seeing what works in reality.
Model 3's movement need to undergo further testing - I've actually asked the factory to send me two movements in a very basic case just so I can get 2 years of testing with it since that model will probably end up even higher on the price chain and I need to see how it operates "in the field" before offering it to the public.
Put it this way - Sea-Gull (the Chinese watch company) makes a minute repeater (in gold case) - for $50,000 and that's affordable compared to the Swiss - even wanting to make it as affordable as possible you won't be paying a Starlight's price for such a movement - this will require both R&D and having someone trained to make and assemble such components.
Lucky few people.
I have to say, I'm blown away by your vision. I very much agree with your idea of special dials. It's the part that sells a watch to me. It's what I have to look at everyday, and something beyond a brass plate certainly speaks to me.
If you ever need help 'testing' a watch at 40,000ft, just shout
I'm very much on board. It's great to see such vision for an Irish watch brand.0
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