The kickstarter adventures of Sólás - solaswatches.com

banie01

bobbysands81 wrote: »

I hope it’s okay to post this here - https://www.thejournal.ie/chinese-identity-ireland-yu-ming-is-ainm-dom-diyu-wu-5440852-May2021/

Great profile and Jesus TF, is there any actual time for yourself in your schedule?
You really are an examplar of hard work, social and community engagement and the confidence that straddling 2 cultures can bring.

Continued health, happiness and success to you and the growing family.

*P.S spotted what I think must your octofinissimo on a parishioner's insta yesterday

Thirdfox

Ha - well watches are "fun" for me - so I get to "take a break" with Sólás - though the last few days have been more hectic than most(!)

Thanks for the well wishes and yes - I thought it might be an interesting piece to have reviewed since I don't imagine there are many Octos around in Ireland (the closest boutique would be in Manchester/London).

Calculator123

What a start to the week. Beautiful. Postman managed to jam it through the letterbox intact!

wanderer 22

Wohoo, I'm in the club! Delighted with it TF, thanks Playing around with a different strap in the below.

banie01

@TF, I fired over a review/love letter to you via the Sólás website.
Apologies if I gushed a bit too profusely :P

I am back on the strong stuff meds at the mo...
But! I will wobbly stand (or lean near ) by every word! :pac:

tobdom

Also in the club as of today!! Thanks TF, it's class!

The dial really is something else, I can see myself spending a lot of time rotating it ever so slowly to see all of the colours and flecks illuminating. Congratulations!

fat bloke

image upload


Man alive, that is one sweet-wearin' watch.

VW 1

It's a cruel form of torture having to see all the pics while waiting on the tracker number to be mailed... First world problems I guess!

Nonoperational

These look great. Not really my taste the dial but the story certainly is. I think I'll have to order.

gordongekko

Got my tracking number today. Tis like Christmas Eve. Can't wait to join the club.

Horoaddict

Thanks TF! Delighted with this! Not usually a fan of Dress watches but cannot stop looking at this dial! I’ve enjoyed watching the starlight come to life! Bring on the equinox!

banie01

banie01 wrote: »

@TF, I fired over a review/love letter to you via the Sólás website.
Apologies if I gushed a bit too profusely :P

I am back on the strong stuff meds at the mo...
But! I will wobbly stand (or lean near ) by every word! :pac:

Just realised I sent my review as a message to the site, rather than clicking add a review!
Forgive my dumbassedness ;

Fire it back to me in an email, and I'll add it as a proper review.

PS. I blame the meds!:eek:

dakar

Incidentally, you need to have a look at the security certs on the website, this isn’t a great first impression:

njburke

It's great to see the starlight landing in to all the new owners. Well done Diyu, I can't wait to see the Equinox.

hammerdub

Also received mine on Monday, beautiful, looking forward to getting the rose gold next. Its nearly too nice to wear. Sorry but don't know how to submit an image. Well done again Diyu. Your a genius.

Thirdfox

dakar wrote: »

Incidentally, you need to have a look at the security certs on the website, this isn’t a great first impression:

*image of HTTPS failure*

This is something that's been on and off - glad you spotted it and it's not just myself. I'll be speaking to GoDaddy about this - they provide all the backend to the website...

edit:
GoDaddy do have really good 24/7 phone line service where you can speak to a real human - hopefully that's been fixed now but if anyone encounters this issue again please do flag it up for me (there was probably two websites (my new ecommerce one and the old one pager one) that were trying to use the same domain and causing SSL issues).

fat bloke

Jeez I was just starting my shower and realised Faack! I'm still wearing the starlight!!!
Was a minimal dousing, thanks be to feck

Thirdfox

Ah don't you know you can even dive with the Starlight :P - just probably not on the leather strap (if you want to keep it non-smelly (wet leather = smells rotten soon enough)). Didn't stop the Panerai divers of the past though...



https://www.watchtime.com/reviews/splash-from-the-past-diving-with-the-panerai-luminor-marina-1950-3-days-acciaio/

redlead

In many years time when thirdfox is on his deathbed, someone will lean in expecting a rosebud moment but instead will hear some muttering about a 30m watch going to the Marianna Trench :-)

longshotvalue

I got my watch a few days ago. I have to say it a fantastic piece. In a watch world full of endless divers (for non divers) that all look the same , and other very similar watch's in other groups this has a totally original look.


You'll be seeing a few copies of this with the face etc, very shortly id imagine. I might get the salmon strap as well. Best value watch Ive bought, but also the best looking

Thirdfox

redlead wrote: »

In many years time when thirdfox is on his deathbed, someone will lean in expecting a rosebud moment but instead will hear some muttering about a 30m watch going to the Marianna Trench :-)

Sure...inside the submersible along with any humans who want to visit the bottom of the marianna trench too :P

Thirdfox

Another happy customer - I told him he does the Starlight a great honour to place it beside his other independent "micro?" brand - on the robot too

antodeco

I'm jealous of everyone receiving their Starlights! If the photos don't do it justice, it must be amazing in real life!

Fitz II

antodeco wrote: »

I'm jealous of everyone receiving their Starlights! If the photos don't do it justice, it must be amazing in real life!

Go on the website and buy one....more available if you missed the kickstarter

banie01

Fitz II wrote: »

Go on the website and buy one....more available if you missed the kickstarter

TBH that's what I'll be doing soon if my baby bro decides that he wants a watch for his 21st!

I may end up actually buying 2 more, as I don't want to share mine with my son :pac:

As a I said to TF, following the journey of concept to final product has been fúcking wonderful!
An education too tbh!

And you honestly couldn't deal with a nicer, more straight guy than TF!

hammerdub

Well said banie 01.

antodeco

Fitz II wrote: »

Go on the website and buy one....more available if you missed the kickstarter

I did. I'm waiting for it to be posted/delivered....!

Thirdfox

Btw just a heads up - for those who bought the Starlight - I suggest hanging on to it as we “might” not be producing more (not an issue with the movement itself - but of getting good access to the movements from Hangzhou). Could be that I will be refunding retail customers too as Hangzhou might not want/be able to supply 5000a movements to me.

Existing Starlights may be a pretty rare thing in the wild then… I do have spare movements for warranty purposes but going forward (and for Equinox too) there will be big decisions that need to be made on an alternative movement instead (potentially). 3-4 alternative movements are being considered…

banie01

Thirdfox wrote: »

Btw just a heads up - for those who bought the Starlight - I suggest hanging on to it as we “might” not be producing more (not an issue with the movement itself - but of getting good access to the movements from Hangzhou). Could be that I will be refunding retail customers too as Hangzhou might not want/be able to supply 5000a movements to me.

Existing Starlights may be a pretty rare thing in the wild then… I do have spare movements for warranty purposes but going forward (and for Equinox too) there will be big decisions that need to be made on an alternative movement instead (potentially). 3-4 alternative movements are being considered…

I'm genuinely saddened to hear that TF.
I'm going to presume that Huangzhou's production has been spoken for by larger players?
Rather than they are shelving the movement?

How will it impact on design choices for equinox?
A move to 3 centre hands or is an alternative likely to keep the seconds sub hand?

Thirdfox

banie01 wrote: »

I'm genuinely saddened to hear that TF.
I'm going to presume that Huangzhou's production has been spoken for by larger players?
Rather than they are shelving the movement?

How will it impact on design choices for equinox?
A move to 3 centre hands or is an alternative likely to keep the seconds sub hand?

It is a kick in the teeth after doing all the work to get the HZ5000a out into the public consciousness - but hey like I said at the beginning, I just wanted people to have an affordable/cool microrotor watch that doesn't cost the earth (and is decent enough that Fitz won't just give it away on his channel - at least at the 100 subscriber level) - and look if Lobinni has cornered the market on affordable micro-rotors (because they can afford to order 1000 at a time versus me trying to get 100-200 at a time) it's a business decision for HZ too so I'm pretty sanguine about it all.

My partner has been trying hard for the last week or so to get them to change their mind but I've no idea if they want to slum it with the micro-orders a microbrand puts in. Has to make business sense for them too.

Not shelving the movement from my understanding - you can still get Lobinnis after all - though my understanding is that they are too busy with other movement orders that they don't have time for small orders like the HZ5000a (other cheaper movements are in higher demand).

It means for the Equinox I've had to pause all development (since my upgraded 5000A movements - similar to the bradán feasa's one) cannot be supplied to me after all (14 had been ordered which HZ had said they could provide).

Instead I have 3 contenders for an alternative - Swiss, Japanese and Chinese - which won't have the micro-rotor sadly, but will be a little thinner actually - hacking and central seconds hands too.

A lot is up in the air now that HZ has had this change of mind - a danger of being a small fish in a big watch pond I guess...

But for those who got the Starlight it will be a very special watch if we actually can't produce any more of them in the future. Or at least we get to the size that we can order hundreds of movements at a time rather than a hundred (no s).

Oh and for anyone designing watches - even if the clean look of a screwless caseback design appeals - for the sake of your fingers go with the threaded option :P (now the Starlight literally has my blood, sweat and tears in them (no tears thankfully!)) - do not click if screamish about blood:
http://imgur.com/a/YajJiX5
All digits still attached but it's tricky getting press on casebacks off vs threaded ones for sure.