Independents

Movement

One thing I love about the Dresdener is the unified decorative theme of the watch, which is evidenced by an examination of the movement.  

When viewing the watch's verso side one notices the ruthenium finish with lovely hand polished beveling, and horizontal Geneva stripes, in contrast to the rhodium-plated wheels and barrel.  We saw this same juxtaposition of silver and dark gray hues in the display of rhodium hands against the gray slate and ruthenium dial frame.  I find the movement to be deeply moving visually. 

The sweeping, curvaceous bridges and their shining anglage practically inspire me to quote sonnets!  The shape of the bridges create a yin yang quality of sorts, as there is a light, feminine quality to some, and a heavier, masculine feel to others. 

I particularly like the shapely balance cock and flowing train bridge.  The polish on the barrel and gears is slick and mirrored.

The movement is of Don's own design, and although most of the wheels are taken from an ETA caliber, he solely finishes and decorates them all by hand, before constructing them into a configuration of his imagining. 

The traditional, time-honored materials Don uses, coupled with his application of the best in modern watchmaking practices, ensures that the Dresdener will be serviceable for many generations to come.  I think this is an important point to note in today's world of watchmaking in which timepieces are now built with increasingly precious, proprietary, and esoteric materials.  I'm not saying that watches made with such materials will necessarily be service-challenged in the future, but I do think owners of this piece can take some comfort in the fact that their watches should be easily serviceable by any competent watch repair technician.

Case, Crown & Buckle

Please note that the case, crown, and buckle on this particular watch are prototypes made of rose gold plated brass.  Don chose to create this prototype case so that those wishing to "test drive" the watch on their wrists could do so without fear of dinging the case, or damaging the piece in any way.  However, once this watch finds an owner the final versions of these components will be produced in solid 18K 5N rose gold.  I found the watch's 39mm case, with its combination of brushed and polished surfaces, to be attractive and ultimately quite comfortable on the wrist.  I'm sure the heft of the final version in solid gold will be even more convincing.  Don's case design feels very handcrafted, and I mean that in the best artistic sense of the word.  This is not a hobby watch.  It's a case that's been nicely finished and bears the stamp of individuality.

The bezel is slightly stepped and flows upward from the rest of the case.  The groove encircling the elevated bezel is polished to a high sheen.  The rear of the case is similarly treated, with the inset sapphire crystal slightly raised above the body of the case.  Again, it's these small details that I find attractive.  The case body is finely brushed, as are the lugs.  The lugs have an intriguing, and unusual shape.  They are relatively slender and long, with a gentle curvature and rounded profile.  The overall presentation of the lugs is one of elegance.

I feel the crown is an aspect of the watch that could be bettered, and Don has already expressed similar thoughts to me.  He thinks the crown could be more "grippy" (i.e. easier to grasp, and wind) to use the word that he and I have been batting about.  As it exists currently, the crown is not unpleasant to manipulate, but there is definitely room for improvement.  Aesthetically, I do enjoy the look and finish of the crown.  The theme of combined brushed and polished surfaces continues on the crown, and care is taken in the execution of both.  The gentle rounded shapes in evidence on the lugs are echoed again on the crown, the design of which feels very elemental.  While I think the crown can be improved, there is already so much to like about it that it's hard to see it as negatively impacting the watch in a significant way.

The watch is delivered with a custom buckle designed by Don to be shipped on a 21/18mm crocodile strap.  The buckle marries rounded and angular shapes, with the unifying themes of brushed and polished surfaces. This last piece of handcrafting winningly ties together all of Don's design motifs perfectly.

Summary

The Donald W. Corson Dresdener Regulator is a timepiece that offers a very satisfying experience upon the wrist.  The watch is comfortable to wear, and it is charming and artisanal in a way that many watches, even those produced by other independent makers, are not.  This is what sets the watch apart and makes it desirable to the enthusiast, in my opinion.  In my experience, there simply is not another modern watch on the market currently that truly looks and feels aesthetically similar to this one.  I found the trefoil dial design refreshing and unique, if not always easily legible.  The movement is very much in the style to which I'm attracted, so I admit to being seduced by that aspect of the watch immediately upon examining it.  The care Don takes with his finishing is apparent.  As Don is a one-man show, he can entertain certain customizations from the buyers of his watches, which is one of the wonderful things about going with an independent watchmaker.  I've little doubt that future Corson timepieces will be as beautifully unique as their owners.

As Don is one of us -- a Purist, we are all in the uncommon position of being able to offer comments, feedback, and questions to a watchmaker with assurance that the words tendered will be read.  It is not often that one gets to ask the watchmaker why they made certain choices and what their motivations were in designing the dial, case, movement, etc. in a specific fashion, so here's your opportunity to do so!  Thanks for reading, and please take a moment to provide your thoughts to Don and the community.

To learn a bit more about Don and his watchmaking please reference this interview of Don by our esteemed Chopard moderator, VL Kong by clicking here . 

Also, herein please find a link to another wonderful series of four posts by Kong detailing the crafting of a Dresdener Regulator watch: click here .

*In the spirit of full disclosure, please note that Don is currently offering a custom Dresdener for sale in the Collectors Market.

Cheers,

Daos

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ThomasM shares his experience with the Dresdener Regulator below.

I had the opportunity to experience the Dresdener Regulator on the wrist for several weeks.  Because I travel to Geneva and the heart of watchmakingland regularly, and meeting with industry executives and various watchmakers of high and low profile, this watch probably was seen and commented by more industry people than most.

I found the watch to be extremely appealing. Not in a typical "wow, that is a fine watch!" hit me over the head with a sledgehammer sort of way, but in a much more low key, "hmmm, I'm liking this more and more the longer I wear it" subtle way.

I started out finding the display hard to read as well, but as I grew accustomed to the display aesthetics, the "analog" nature of the hands - one looks at the relative position of the hands with analog displays, while one reads the characters of a digital display - it actually becomes quite easy to tell the time at a glance.  This is a similar effect with car dashboards - the mind has to process the digital speedometer - what does "35" mean?; versus seeing the analog speedometer needle down low; in the middle; or up high, at a quick glance. Visual acuity is not so critical, it is the "field pattern" that gives you the information you are looking for.

Uncharacteristically for me, I will say that I LOVE, without qualification, the finish of the Geneva stripes on the front, the movement finishing in the back.

This is not "fine finishing" in the Philipe Dufour / Kari Voutilainen school. Interestingly, this was also the point almost universally made by industry people who asked to see the watch - "look at the flaws in the finishing."  What, slightly uneven stripes? Not quite perfectly consistent anglage radius and polishing?

But for me, I love it.

Why? Because it is genuine. It is true to its origins. Knowing Don and his history with making watches, I would have been suspicious if it was finished to Dufour/Voutilainen standards.

And yet, it is far from brutish. There is a refinement that shows potential, yet there are flaws that are not off-putting and make it that much more genuine. Still, it does have that "glow" that I see with Dufour's and Voutilainen's work, not at all common and in fact, very rare...At this stage of Don's work, I would not want it any other way.

And yes, that crown needs more "purchase" or grip. To borrow a term from the knife world, maybe some "jimping?"

If I were in the market to consider a piece from an independent, I would be all over this.

TM