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 Techne Watch Company

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andrema
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andrema


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PostSubject: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 10:09 am

I ran across this brand at another forum and thought that they were pretty interesting looking! The owner is a watch enthusiast that comes from a watchmaking background with a swiss watch brand. In 2007, he sought to register a trademark under which he would release alternative mechanical timepieces and adornments designed for collectors like himself -- The result is Techne

Link to website - http://www.technewatches.com/

The first model is called the Sparrow Hawk . Here are some photos from the company website:

Techne Watch Company Techne14Techne Watch Company Techne13
Techne Watch Company Techne11Techne Watch Company Techne12

Specs from company website:

Luminosity NewLite by Tritec
Case width (inluding stem) 43.3 mm
Case water resistance 5 BAR
Case thickness 12.2 mm
Case length (from lug tip) 47.0 mm
Case diameter 40 mm
Case material 316L stainless steel
Case crystal sapphire-coated silica
Calibre Seagull ST-1901, a hand-wound mechanical chronograph using the column-wheel, a command gear design sought by vintage watch collectors.
Calibre running frequency 21,600 A/h
Calibre power reserve 50 h
Calibre jewel count 22
Band width 20 mm

Price: $400 - $520

Description of watch from company website:
A watch designed for adventure
The founder came up with the idea for the Sparrow Hawk on an expedition to Mount Blanc, 4,810 m (15,781 ft). While suffering from physical strain and altitude sickness, he was trying to keep track of his teammates and his own heart pace. He noticed that a simple chronograph with central second hand might have come in handy.

He was able to source a supplier of the Seagull ST1901, a hand-wound mechanical chronograph using the column-wheel, a command gear design sought by vintage watch collectors. Even though mechanical watches are only accurate within ± 5 seconds per day, they are better fit for cold temperatures than quartz watches, which offer an accuracy of ± 0.5 seconds per day but have an unpredictable life span and can stop running below -10 °C (14 °F).

The ST-1901 is built by the Tianjin Sea-Gull Corporation in Tianjin, China, but both the design and the tooling originate from Switzerland, where it was known as the Venus 175. Designed by André Frey and produced between 1940 and 1964 at the Fabrique d'Ébauches Vénus S.A. in Moutier, Switzerland, the Venus 175 is found in many Swiss chronographs of the post-WWII decade.

The Chinese engineers decided to raise the frequency from 18,000 alternances per hour (2.5 Hz) to 21,600 A/h (3Hz) to improve stability and accuracy.

Roped parties often depart before dawn, so an extremely readable timepiece is a must in early half-light. The Sparrow Hawk is the first Techné watch featuring the Altitude dial, a design based on the principles of ergonomics and avionics to allow reading under all cirumstances. Indexes and hands are coated with NewLite, a non-radioactive and non-toxic strontium aluminate-based photo-luminescent compound from industry leader Tritec.

Mountain gear must be sturdy enough to undergo ascensions and sufficiently waterproof to withstand fog, snow and frost, so it was decided to house the ST-1901 caliber in a stainless steel case waterproof to 5 BAR. All gear must allow manipulation with or without gloves, and any form of attachment must allow for quick adjustment; this is why half of the Sparrow Hawk catalogue features extendable wristbands inspired by military straps, such as the riveted Overcoat or the G10 NATO.

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M A R K
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Anomaly
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 10:59 am

Very good looking watch for a chrono...

A "flavor" of B&R w/o being a COPY IMO...

Very cool...

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Techne Watch Company ANOMALYSIG2A-1
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andrema
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 12:01 pm

andrema wrote:

Techne Watch Company Techne11

The caseback on this one is crazy nice! Check out the website, they have a few more detailed pictures in a slideshow towards the top...

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M A R K
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jaw
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 1:53 pm

Nice watches.
Really like the central chrono seconds - wish all of mine had this.
I'm a sucker for any military look/application.
Rather small for my tastes - wish they were at least 46mm.
Thanks.
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 2:08 pm

got a lum-tec look to them , very cool!
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ericf4
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 2:25 pm

this is gonna sound snobby, But i dont get into all the chinese movements etc....Just not for me...
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 3:23 pm

This one looks real nice.

I don't have much experience with the Seagull movement though. I wouldn't be apposed to owning one as long as they are dependable.
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andrema
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andrema


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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 5:35 pm

SopheNic wrote:
This one looks real nice.

I don't have much experience with the Seagull movement though. I wouldn't be apposed to owning one as long as they are dependable.
Once AlbertaTime chimes in, I'm sure he will give us the low down on this movement!

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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 7:23 pm

Good looking pieces; I like the deep dish and thin bezel. Small dia but probably seems bigger without a bezel ring.
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AtomicTom
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeMon Feb 22, 2010 10:20 pm

Techne looks like they make a well made watch ! The cases, along
with the dials seem well thought out. A vintage feel, but with todays
contemporary elements like cool markers, hands, and phenomenal
looking movements. Some NICE mesh bracelets and straps to choose
from as well !..EXTRA cool Mark ! Thanks ! Techne Watch Company Icon_cheers

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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeSat Feb 27, 2010 6:18 am

The ST19 is based on the Venus 175 which was the column-wheel movement (blueprints, machining and technical support) that the Chinese government legally purchased from Venus in the early 1960s for use in chronographs worn by PRC air force pilots. More recent versions of the ST19 (there are 7 currently in production) are now found in numerous low and mid-priced mechanical chronographs.

Tianjin/Sea-Gull is now the single largest mechanical and automatic watch movement manufacturer in the world, being the single company that makes just over 1/4 of the entire world's production of such movements. The company's ebauches are used even by the Swiss in legally "Swiss" watches, and complete Tianjin/Sea-Gull movements are used by a number of manufacturers (large and boutique) worldwide.

One quite knowledgeable writer made the very astute--and true--point that while the Chinese may lack the finest of the haute horological tradition of the Swiss, they also certainly lack the cheapest-possible method of manufacture tradition also perfected by the Swiss in the 1950s and 1960s, instead concentrating over the past 50 years on the very large-scale production of a number of robust, efficient, dependable and accurate mid-grade movements that have quite demonstrably stood the test of time.
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeSat Feb 27, 2010 9:10 am

I like it, but what's the lume like? With Tritec it probably.....err....isn't very good. Techne Watch Company Suspect
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeSat Feb 27, 2010 1:34 pm

I have to admit that they are some nice looking watches. What I'm having a little harder time with is the price for a Chinese mechanical. Do they really run that much? I've never seen a watch with a Chinese mechanical engine for that kind of money. Now, I also haven't done the research on them either because I've never thought of getting one into my collection.
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PostSubject: Re: Techne Watch Company   Techne Watch Company Icon_minitimeSat Feb 27, 2010 8:16 pm

sheraortho wrote:
I have to admit that they are some nice looking watches. What I'm having a little harder time with is the price for a Chinese mechanical. Do they really run that much? I've never seen a watch with a Chinese mechanical engine for that kind of money. Now, I also haven't done the research on them either because I've never thought of getting one into my collection.

Most ST19 based chronos run in the $250 to $600 range depending on a range of factors. Also, it should be understood that Tianjin/Sea-Gull grades its movements, generally keeping the top grade for it's own products and for other producers willing to pay a premium price.

However, regardless of grade, most problems with ST19 based watches are because of poor quality control at the assembly stage, in other words with watches assembled in unsanitary and often very small....well, "factories" is exactly the wrong word. Think "parts assembled in a market stall" and you'll be closer to the actual conditions. Those poor assembly conditions would cause problems with any movement. This would be true for all Tianjin/Sea-Gull movements, but also for movements by Dixmont-Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Beijing Watch Factory for other examples.

As always, "buy the seller, not the watch" so my thinking is that watches using Sea-Gull movements built by folks like Techne or Perpetual (for only two examples)--in other words, built by smaller producers who care--are going to be very decent, very serviceable and durable pieces.

Here's a very detailed look at an ST19 movement.

And here's a technical comparison between an ETA 2892-2 and a Sea-Gull ST18 to compare parts and build quality.

So, you might think of getting one Techne Watch Company Icon_biggrin
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