We are moving!

We are moving from the United Kingdom to the Canary Islands, Spain, more specifically to Tenerife. So, in a short period, we will start to operate from where we believe, is the best place of the world.

This change is something that we knew from the beginning, it is a matter of resources, of branding and also personal. We thought it would happen later, after the launch of the first model. However, studying our business model and the strategy we have for the future, it is best to make that change as soon as possible and even before the commercialisation of the RzR Tecorón. This way we make sure that after the Kickstarter campaign, the customers get the watch on time, that we can operate with better fluidity, with fewer impediments and as a result, we can provide higher value to our customers and followers.

Additionally, another justification why this change is so positive is that we have plans —for the not too distant future— to create a watch model that will be completely customizable by our customers and even later, the in-house manufacturing of the watches. So, being in a place where for personal reasons we have more opportunities to work efficiently, is an intelligent strategy.

Another relevant argument is to be able to explain our own philosophy much better.

“Work or enjoy, do not waste your time.”

We have been working for a long time on this project, and we haven’t even started to communicate our message. We have been only working 24/7, but we have plans once we get there to —at least once a week— leave the work aside and focus just on life. We want to show you where the name of our first model comes from, unique places and unique people with incredible craftsmanship skills. Just like our approach in the watch industry, we want to show you a different point of view of the planet earth. The one we know the best and the one we love.

So please, bear with us. We are currently processing this move, working on the new office, the workshop and getting everything ready to continue our operation from Tenerife, a new challenge with a lot of opportunities. I hope you are as excited as we are about this news.

If you want to be notified when we launch the product, feel free to

The post RzR is changing the location of operation. appeared first on RzRWatches.

Many of you know that we have been prototyping and testing our watches for a long time and this is because all the parts except for the movement have been manufactured exclusively for our company. Even some of them, such as the carbon fiber bracelet, the dials, the hands and also the tiny hardware that we use, have needed the creation of custom tools to be manufactured.

On the other hand, for the assembly of the watch, universal tools could be used, but after trying some of them, we haven’t obtained a result as satisfactory as if we made custom tools for our watch. Therefore, we have decided to use 3D printing technology to solve the issue. It is an extra effort since it takes time to design and manufacture these tools, but we don’t want to skimp on the last details so that all watches are consistent and have the quality we desire.

“Either it is done well, or it is not done.”

This technology allows us in a fast and efficient way to manufacture jigs for the assembly of many of the pieces and even for the manufacture of watch parts that we make in-house.

—It is a short article without much details, but with it, we want to convey, at least a little, the complexity it can be to create a product from scratch, with a different approach to the standard of this industry and utilising materials that very few companies have had the courage to use.—

If you want to be notified when we launch the product, feel free to

The post Tools for the manufacture and assembly of the RzR watches appeared first on RzRWatches.

Since I started this project, the idea has always been to create an innovative product with an exceptional quality-price. A watch with an added value that anyone can buy. In this first model —RzR Tecorón— the innovation is based on the use of carbon fiber for as many pieces as possible. The case of the watch, the case back, the bracelet and even the lock mechanism are made of this material, to name a few parts.

One of the most complex tasks has been the choice of these component manufacturers. In our case, the ideal to obtain our objective has been to find specific companies on each piece or material that we need and work with each of them individually to obtain the best of each one. To give an example, if we need a specific screw or nut, we speak directly with the best screw manufacturers, we always put the quality ahead and then we choose the one that suits the best our needs.

Another interesting point is the carbon fiber pieces. Each and every one of the parts have been designed by us not only aesthetically but mechanically. By this, I mean that we have had long meetings and many tests so that each piece is manufactured the way we want and meets our standards. As I have mentioned on previous occasions, the placement of carbon fibers is critical for the material to work in the best conditions and this is one of the reasons why we are still in the process of prototyping. We had some problems before, but we have already resolved it, and we are almost sure that the product that we already have in our hands by February 2019 is practically the final product.

We have chosen the best company for the manufacture of sapphire crystals, the highest quality for the manufacture of the screws of the case back, the most specialised in the manufacture of carbon fiber parts for watches and the one that offers best quality-price for dials and hands, for example. The list of partners is long, but this way we ensure exhaustive quality control, for us and as a secondary result we also obtain the best prices from each one, since we work directly with the factories.

In conclusion, we have parts of the watch like the movements that come from Japan, other parts from Hong Kong, China, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It is a very international watch, and we like to be transparent with you about this.

The watches are extremely complicated products, and very few companies in the world are capable of manufacturing them. They require extremely accurate tolerances, incredible surface qualities and meticulous quality controls, so only companies that are dedicated to this industry can do it. In the case of carbon fiber parts for watches, we only know four companies around the world that make pats for others companies like us, so we have chosen the ones that have the best quality-price, and that also are able to work together with us to develop new manufacturing techniques.

Note:
What I am going to comment next deserves its own article, but I would like to leave a record here since it is related. Did you know that “Swiss Made” watches by law only require that 60% of the production cost must be made in Switzerland —among other things? Unlike what many people think, “Swiss Made” watches, especially those with a lower price range, delegate a large part of the production to Eastern countries such as China or Hong Kong. For this reason, when comparing two watches, you should compare what you see and not what it is in the “tag”. It can be of exceptional quality and have parts manufactured in Hong Kong or be an average watch and have been manufactured in Switzerland. In the end, the important thing is the quality of the machinery used for manufacturing, the specialisation of the operator and the quality control.

If you want to be notified when we launch the product, feel free to

The post The manufacturing origin of the RzR watches appeared first on RzRWatches.

As I said in the first article —you can read it here—, what we often call carbon fiber is the composite material formed by a matrix (carbon fiber —the material that gives strength) and a binder (epoxy —the glue of those fibers). Please, keep this in mind because it is essential to understand what I want to explain in this article.

In Material Science, an anisotropic material is the one that implies different properties in different directions. As an example, the wood is easier to split along its grain than across it, and this is the point that I want to highlight.

How many times you have screwed a screw at the tip of a wooden stick or plank, and the wood has split? I don’t know about you, but me, many times.
So, what happens if you NEED the screw on the tip of the plank? You have to find a solution, right? The first answer that comes to my mind is to make a hole a little bit smaller than the diameter of the screw. In that way, you reduce the radial pressure and it doesn’t break. But, is it the best solution? The answer is, not always. You have only decreased the chance of that to happen, but it is possible to do it better.
So, why not to take a piece of the same wood, turn it 90 degrees and glue it at the tip of the plank. Now you have fibers in two directions helping each other to avoid the edge to split. The next picture probably explains it much better than my words.

Two strips of carbon fiber, wooden stick broken because of the pressure and two sticks glued together with the fibers turned 90 degrees.

Carbon fiber works like wood in a sense. Therefore, when designing a watch and its components, we must keep these properties in mind. We have studied all the possibilities and following the laws of physics and the theory of anisotropic material; we have created something new to solve most of the problems. As engineers and designers, we have to pay attention to how to install the components on the watch and where the forces are to create a durable product. For instance, if there is an element that has to be assembled in a way that could cause the carbon to break, we change the way it is attached to the carbon fiber to minimise the pressure that it applies, and therefore we eliminate the risk of failure. However, if there is a part that could be under extreme force, we don’t think twice, we embrace the problem, and we change the directions of the fibers, and problem solved.

The left carbon fiber piece didn’t support the pressure because the fibers are not placed right. However, the right part even under the same pressure it doesn’t break because the fibers are doing its job.

Nonetheless, it must be repeatable; we must be able to make a series of watches, it has to be as much cost-effective as possible, etc. Consequently, we took a technology that works for a different industry, we modify it, we downscaled it and here is where we are, making a watch with a passion that only the people that have seen the whole process can understand.

We believe that we are a step forward, where usually only the top watch companies go, and we are very proud of it.

I hope you have learned something new today or at least the article has improved your knowledge about what you already knew.

The post Carbon fiber has to be treated like wood — Watch Industry appeared first on RzRWatches.

Starting with the basics, we often call carbon fiber to the composite material that we see in watches and car parts, but we have to understand that the carbon fiber itself is only the raw material. The element consisting of very thin filaments of carbon atoms that gives strength to the composite that we all know. Bellow, you can see a picture of raw carbon fiber.

—However, probably most of the time and with the aim to simplify the articles and to make it more understandable, I’m going to use the term “Carbon Fiber” as the final composite material (carbon fiber + resin)—

Raw carbon fiber. Twill 2×2 pattern.

As it is, you can only utilise it to take pictures because all the fibers are loose, it is just a very delicate weave. However, here is where the epoxy comes in place. To keep the fibers from moving in all directions and to make a solid part we need a binder, a material that glues all the fibers together, and in the case of carbon, the most used binder is epoxy. This resin has incredible mechanical properties and sticks strongly to the carbon.
There are a lot of different types of weave patterns that achieve different goals, like unidirectional, twill, plain, etc. and also diverse “areal weights” of fabrics but that is an extensive article that I would like to explain in its own the next time.

Buttons made of carbon fiber and epoxy.

So, why do we want carbon fiber watches? Maybe because when the carbon fiber (matrix) and the epoxy (binder) is mixed together, it produces a composite material with a density of 1.6 g/cm^3 that comparing it with stainless steel 8g/cm^3 or platinum 22.5 g/cm^3, carbon fiber is an extremely light material that leads to a comfortable and unnoticeable watch to wear. Another reason could be because of the appearance; the shines that it reflects is unique and hypnotic for a person like me who is passionate about new technologies and new ways of making things.

So, what is your reason for liking carbon fiber watches?

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