2020-10-31 – Slowly Getting Back to Biz
Posted: October 30th, 2020, 7:38 pm
Hi Guys
It is a strange world especially was we all face a common threat: the Corona Virus. Again, my apologies for the long time between Newsletters.
A lot and nothing has happened.
Pre-Corona, I ordered some parts and was told by my wife of 17 years on my birthday that she was leaving me. Almost 12 months have passed, I finally got the parts, my wife has moved out with the bloke she was cheating on me with since mid-2019. She took 1 of my 3 daughters so she does not appear, too devoid of morals and common decency.
Now the long journey to rebuild the watch company and my life.
I know it has happened to many men – rebuilding a company and rebuilding a life – but it can never take away the pain and suffering one endures.
Soon the legal battle will begin, as the initial “friendly” discussions about property and moving forward have become far more emotionally embedded.
It has been a road of discovery. As confirmed by my psychiatrist and a long-term friend – my wife most possibly has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. My dead father was a narcissist and there was no negotiations or common ground with him. I understand there is a saying: you marry your mother or your father. Shit! I think I married my father.
After some hard discussions with lawyers and my psychiatrist, we came to some interesting conclusions:
• Female lawyers have a predisposition to favour females;
• Male lawyers have a predisposition to favour males; and
• Gay-male lawyers also can have a predisposition to favour the female.
This did fit with my experience with a local female lawyer who gave vanilla advice and did not appear that she was giving it her all.
As you know I am not your average sport loving beer drinking normal male. I think you may agree I identify more with Mr Spock from Star Trek.
I am an autistic stay at home Dad, primary care giver to my 3 daughters, has facilitated a wife to grow her career, and the creator of OWC watches. I brought in significant assets into the marriage including providing a debt-free home from my Mum’s inheritance.
What is becoming obvious to me is: if I had tits and a vagina, and did the same thing, I would keep what was mine and get all that belonged to my spouse. But I have that 2 problems I have a dick and I married a female narcissist, so I get Donald Ducked.
On a positive note, I am now a free and will be a poorer man. I sold my Toyota Camry and bought a 31-year-old Mercedes Benz 190E 2.6 called Bruce. Bruce has spent too much time at the beach and has a few issues. He is great therapy and embodies the car I WANT, not the car “people” think I should have. The girls love Bruce and gave him the name Bruce Lee Benz – Bruce for short. Bruce and Shelia are great Aussie names.
The parts finally arrived, and we have made up 10 MS-9411-GD-Specials. Remember from pre-Corona, this is the watch with the new Chronometre grade movement. 2 have already gone and I will be offering the others at USD1,685 including shipping and goodies.
Also, will be making a few WT-1884’s again with the new movement.
I am reminded of the poem by Robert (Robbie) Burns the famous Scot
To a Mouse
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
Or perhaps you are more familiar with the struggles of migrant works during the Great Depression, as penned my John Steinbeck in his 1937 novella “Of Mice and Men”. In the vernacular of popular culture: life can suck.
As for movements offered now and, in the future, I will continue to offer the very excellent and misunderstood Seagull 2892-A2 (ST-1812) and the SW300-1 Elaborate Top Regulation.
As for the elephant in the room, the Soprod A-10. This has been an excellent movement and one that I have been very fond of. It offered an excellent Seiko design and a refreshing take on the monopoly of the Swiss.
As a small maker our supply lines can make or break us. Suppliers can and do dictate volumes and we must modify our expectations to get supply. OWC was an early adopter of the Soprod A-10 and had to by (for us) a shit load of movements. Yes, set for life…ha-ha.
Soprod sent the A-10-1 (but this will not be verified by Soprod) the good early movements that had escapements made by Seiko. Soprod then introduced the A-10-2 and after that the M100.
Our best guess is that somewhere in the early A-10-2 or even late A-10-1 Seiko stopped supplying escapements to Soprod and they made their own. This was not a good move and watch companies stopped using Soprod movements. Soprod were never transparent regarding this move.
Whatever watches I have in stock with Soprod A-10 movements we will sell, but no new watches will be made with any of our remaining A-10 movements. It has been a hard decision, but one made with quality and reliability as the criteria.
I have had a little stumble, a pandemic, and a cheating wife, but I am trying to accept this and move forward as best I can, albeit a little angry and sad.
Met vriendelijke groeten / With best regards
Daan/Dan
foxint@foxint.com.au
(OWC continues to revise and evolve its designs, parts, production methods and pricing to reflect current conditions. OWC reserves the right to change specifications and pricing without notice.)
It is a strange world especially was we all face a common threat: the Corona Virus. Again, my apologies for the long time between Newsletters.
A lot and nothing has happened.
Pre-Corona, I ordered some parts and was told by my wife of 17 years on my birthday that she was leaving me. Almost 12 months have passed, I finally got the parts, my wife has moved out with the bloke she was cheating on me with since mid-2019. She took 1 of my 3 daughters so she does not appear, too devoid of morals and common decency.
Now the long journey to rebuild the watch company and my life.
I know it has happened to many men – rebuilding a company and rebuilding a life – but it can never take away the pain and suffering one endures.
Soon the legal battle will begin, as the initial “friendly” discussions about property and moving forward have become far more emotionally embedded.
It has been a road of discovery. As confirmed by my psychiatrist and a long-term friend – my wife most possibly has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. My dead father was a narcissist and there was no negotiations or common ground with him. I understand there is a saying: you marry your mother or your father. Shit! I think I married my father.
After some hard discussions with lawyers and my psychiatrist, we came to some interesting conclusions:
• Female lawyers have a predisposition to favour females;
• Male lawyers have a predisposition to favour males; and
• Gay-male lawyers also can have a predisposition to favour the female.
This did fit with my experience with a local female lawyer who gave vanilla advice and did not appear that she was giving it her all.
As you know I am not your average sport loving beer drinking normal male. I think you may agree I identify more with Mr Spock from Star Trek.
I am an autistic stay at home Dad, primary care giver to my 3 daughters, has facilitated a wife to grow her career, and the creator of OWC watches. I brought in significant assets into the marriage including providing a debt-free home from my Mum’s inheritance.
What is becoming obvious to me is: if I had tits and a vagina, and did the same thing, I would keep what was mine and get all that belonged to my spouse. But I have that 2 problems I have a dick and I married a female narcissist, so I get Donald Ducked.
On a positive note, I am now a free and will be a poorer man. I sold my Toyota Camry and bought a 31-year-old Mercedes Benz 190E 2.6 called Bruce. Bruce has spent too much time at the beach and has a few issues. He is great therapy and embodies the car I WANT, not the car “people” think I should have. The girls love Bruce and gave him the name Bruce Lee Benz – Bruce for short. Bruce and Shelia are great Aussie names.
The parts finally arrived, and we have made up 10 MS-9411-GD-Specials. Remember from pre-Corona, this is the watch with the new Chronometre grade movement. 2 have already gone and I will be offering the others at USD1,685 including shipping and goodies.
Also, will be making a few WT-1884’s again with the new movement.
I am reminded of the poem by Robert (Robbie) Burns the famous Scot
To a Mouse
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
Or perhaps you are more familiar with the struggles of migrant works during the Great Depression, as penned my John Steinbeck in his 1937 novella “Of Mice and Men”. In the vernacular of popular culture: life can suck.
As for movements offered now and, in the future, I will continue to offer the very excellent and misunderstood Seagull 2892-A2 (ST-1812) and the SW300-1 Elaborate Top Regulation.
As for the elephant in the room, the Soprod A-10. This has been an excellent movement and one that I have been very fond of. It offered an excellent Seiko design and a refreshing take on the monopoly of the Swiss.
As a small maker our supply lines can make or break us. Suppliers can and do dictate volumes and we must modify our expectations to get supply. OWC was an early adopter of the Soprod A-10 and had to by (for us) a shit load of movements. Yes, set for life…ha-ha.
Soprod sent the A-10-1 (but this will not be verified by Soprod) the good early movements that had escapements made by Seiko. Soprod then introduced the A-10-2 and after that the M100.
Our best guess is that somewhere in the early A-10-2 or even late A-10-1 Seiko stopped supplying escapements to Soprod and they made their own. This was not a good move and watch companies stopped using Soprod movements. Soprod were never transparent regarding this move.
Whatever watches I have in stock with Soprod A-10 movements we will sell, but no new watches will be made with any of our remaining A-10 movements. It has been a hard decision, but one made with quality and reliability as the criteria.
I have had a little stumble, a pandemic, and a cheating wife, but I am trying to accept this and move forward as best I can, albeit a little angry and sad.
Met vriendelijke groeten / With best regards
Daan/Dan
foxint@foxint.com.au
(OWC continues to revise and evolve its designs, parts, production methods and pricing to reflect current conditions. OWC reserves the right to change specifications and pricing without notice.)