THE WATCH STUDIO

We are located at an Auckland Heritage site at Victoria Park.

Visit us here

Everything we do is different, so we needed a custom built studio to cater to our made-to-order, bespoke & custom watch processes.

We usually take bookings but welcome walk-ins. For bookings we have time to prepare specific designs before you arrive, however with a walk-in you will still be able to try on our Sangfroid watch range, which is limited to what we have in stock at the time.

We offer refreshments from sparkling water, filter drip coffee to whiskey.

On average, 70% of the time required to make each watch takes place here.

The nature of watchmaking means the size of tools, space required to make a watch and the storage of the miniature components enables us to work out of the compact size studio workshop you will find on arrival.

Our design process begins with inspiration, then we create a range of hand-drawn sketches to visualise a new watch aesthetic. We then spend a lot of time refining the design so the aesthetic will stand the test of time.

To perfect the aesthetic more, we create 2D images of the watch, which further visualize how it will look in its final form once made.

Additionally, we will prototype a watch if required, however between the 2D visualising & prototyping, we are careful not to allow early judgement to influence the original vision of the design, so this is a balance of experience that can take a lot of time & consideration to ensure the finished object will hold it’s beauty over time.

At the same time, we engineer the watch as well.

To find out how we engineer watches, see the Engineering section under ‘WATCH MANUFACTURE PROCESS’.

WATCH MANUFACTURE PROCESS

All of our polishing is by hand.

There is no one else in New Zealand who could do this work, so we developed our own processes, inspired by the great Swiss watchmakers.

This is a niche specialty & our specific techniques involve directional textural surface brushing & graining to gain the desired reflective aesthetics of our handmade watchmaking process.

The outer case of the watch parts, the caseback, the lugs, these are all polished, textured, and finished by hand using artisanal techniques, which we took years to learn from the great Swiss watchmakers. We also polish internal surfaces of the watch which are never seen & do not need to be polished.

Some watch cases can take nearly a day to polish, using 4 grades of polishing compound, and up to 8 different micro polishing mops at our desk.

The dial is the face of the watch, shielding the inner workings.

Forming the dial
The dial is manufactured from a single solid piece of 316L Stainless Steel, an innovative way we make dials. Traditionally a dial is made of more than 4 components, where we have combined this into one. The component needs to be made to extreme precision, as it holds the inner workings of the mechanism within the watch.

Ceramic colour coating
The ceramic coating enables many colour options, including white & black, is hand applied by a specialist partner we work with in Wellington. Each coating requires a specific set of steps including abrasive surface media to attack the dial surface & high-temperature baking to harden the ceramic coating.

Hand-applied cliche & Gravure colour printing
Finally after the dial has been hand textured in house, or ceramic coated, the next step of black art occurs in Christchurch, where we work closely again with the individual requirements for the order alongside our dial printing partner, who handprints the graphic art, to the colour spec, within a close tolerance. Following the inspection, the dial is baked again to solidify the new hand-applied dial art.

The dial is now ready for assembly.

The hand assembly uses small tools, specific for the different watchmaking stages. We use very specialised techniques, involving a deep understanding of the assembly of fine components, this all happens one step at a time by hand and requires the utmost attention to detail.

This is a material for those who love transformation.

The patina is just the metals way of protecting itself.

The outside of a Phosphor Bronze case will patina to a lovely coffee gold.

Over the course of roughly 6 months the outside will gradually patina, and this evolves uniquely per watch.

The dial will take years to gradually patina because it is sealed.

Our engineering process begins with materials & manufacturing constraints. We look to understand these first so that we can push the boundaries.

To build a watch from scratch, using the new design we have created, we use a high precision, technologically advanced metal forming process where a very hard material is spun, similar to a drill piece, but moves in almost every direction. During the process of moving the spinning piece of metal into the ‘soon to be’ watch case, the harder drill piece slowly, but very accurately removes material, to sculpt away the singular watch case, or component of the watch. This is called milling, and our specialist partners work on this precision roughing process utilizing the cutting edge of technology with computer numeric controlled machinery, which assists their expert hands-on know-how of metal forming.

For specific parts we can’t form ourselves, we work with specialist ISO certified suppliers in and outside of New Zealand.

Alongside our Christchurch case machinists & engineers, we work with other Auckland machinists & engineers, as well as in Taipei & Shenzhen and select the best specialist for each job at hand.

Our experience with this process is vital, and we draw on decades of experience with some of New Zealand’s top manufacturing engineers.

Every 100th of a millimeter counts, and for the watch to assemble together correctly we work to a very fine margin of tolerance for the watch case forming process.

Our hand finishing process is very Artisanal, and this is where it is noticeable as a Paceracer watch, where our forms speak for themselves, and the handmade subtle imperfections add honest value to the sentimentality that each piece holds for the owner.

To find out how we design watches, see the Design section under ‘THE WATCH STUDIO’.

So far, not one Paceracer watch has ever had it’s Sapphire glass broken.

A long time ago before Paceracer was created, the founder, Brett, had a few experiences with watches he wore. The ordinary glass on his watches kept shattering. When he first created Paceracer he’d already decided long before to only use Sapphire glass because it is virtually unable to be scratched by any material other than diamond.

Our watches are waterproof rated to 30m of water resistance as a standard across all products.

ORDERING INFORMATION

Yes. All watches are sent on a track and traced express courier service nationwide or globally.

Shipping is included in our pricing for the Sangfroid watches.

Delivered in our signature Paceracer packaging with magnetic closures.

For insurance on watches above $5,000 NZD please contact us, this will not be included in the shipping.

Quartz watches: Sangfroid in Marine Steel can take 2 weeks, the remainder of the quartz watches can take 4-8 weeks depending on the watch.

Mechanical Watches: Typically these take 1.5-3 months

Provenance Custom Watches: Typically 6 months, however this can be longer depending on the collaborative design process with the client.

Yes, this is possible. If you would like a watch delivered by a certain date, please let us know what this date is and we will review the possibility to do this.

Our leadtimes are subject to change depending on the watch order you make.

We deliver the watch as soon as possible.

We offer a watch made one at a time, in the furthest place in the world from the heart of watchmaking. This poses challenges for many reasons, but our exclusivity is not what we price our watches from.

There are two major factors which we use, one is the cost of the raw materials, and the remainder is the cost of labor.

Since every single one of our watches are made-to-order, it means that when an order is made, the price of things may have changed, but we honor our pricing shown, and also for bespoke watches, we honor our quotes.

Since some bespoke and custom watches take months to create, we have to quote months before even making the watch.

This means sometimes it can cost us more to make a watch than expected, but it will not affect the price you have agreed to.

• ORDER ONLINE (Sangfroid Collection only)
  By secured Apple pay/PayPal/Stripe directly on a Sangfroid product page.

• ORDER BY ENQUIRY (Available for all watches)
  Contact us first. Payment in full or by deposits can be made via Apple pay/PayPal/Stripe or direct online banking, after discussing your order in more detail or compare products/services. For more split deposit details see option C below.

• SPLIT DEPOSITS (Available for all watches)
  To make the order easier for you, and to get started on making the watch. This also helps for a group of people to split the total payment up for gifts. For this option, split payments can be made via online banking, after approving the invoice via email online.

Made-to-order process

After a payment is placed, we confirm your order details and offer you the option to have a name, initials or a message of your choice engraved on us. Once the watch is completed we deliver it complimentary, through an express & signed courier service both locally & internationally.

Paceracer offers a 3 year warranty for mechanical watches & a 2 year warranty for quartz watches. This is a limited warranty for a period of 3 years for mechanical, or 2 years for quartz. There is an extended warranty available.

Your watch is guaranteed against manufacturing defects from the date of purchase, subject to the following conditions. Any part found to be defective as a result of a manufacturing defect will, at the sole discretion of Paceracer, be repaired or replaced free of charge.

This warranty does not cover defects resulting from accidents, mishandling or incorrect or abusive use (for example, knocks, dents, crushing, excessive temperatures, powerful magnetic fields), unauthorized alteration or repair or the consequences of normal wear and aging of the watch, or the strap or the glass.

Water proof/water resistance warranty

The watches are waterproofed to 60m under controlled waterproof testing, they are rated by Paceracer as waterproof to 30m in a controlled environment. The is guaranteed for two years from the date of purchase, provided that the glass, the bezel, the back, the middle part and the crown have not been damaged.

It is recommended to bring the watch back to us, but you can take the watch to a qualified New Zealand watchmaker & they will service it perfectly. If you are overseas for a long period of time, please let us know & we can help find a local watch repairer. The qualified watchmakers will also service it perfectly & know what to do.

The reason for recommending you to contact us directly for servicing as we are the manufacturer. We can service any part easily, just contact us and send the watch back in its durable packaging. We will clean the watch, and if desired re-polish & buff as a complimentary service, but the servicing isn’t free. We use movements that are serviceable by registered watchmakers.

DAILY USE & TIME ADJUSTMENT

For a pull-out crown, simply pop your finger under the crown & pull outward, then rotate the time to the correct date, once set, remember to push the crown all the way in and the time will begin ticking again.

For a screw-down watch crown on some mechanical watches, you can follow the steps below for an easy, pleasurable time adjusting experience for your Paceracer.

1. Unscrew the crown until it is not touching the thread, it will be very close to it, but that is enough.

2. Then use your finger to pull it out, all the way out. You'll feel a click, just put enough pressure on such as you would click a pen lid in place. But pulling outward.

3. Rotate the time to the correct hour/minute. Watches do not have a seconds hand time adjuster.

4. When the time is set to the right hour, you can push the crown in until and it will begin ticking again. I will explain holding the crown well for screwing back in after the date adjuster.

5. Adjusting the date, you need to push the crown in a very slight amount, it will either click all the way in, or you with find it clicks just in a bit. This can be like adjust your strap the first time, so it takes a little practice.

All you need to do is rotate the date until it reaches the correct day.

6. A trick to setting the date right can be better explained over the phone or in email.

7. Once completed the time set, push the crown in as much as it will go with the same amount of pressure of pulling it out.

8. Now using two fingers rotate the crown clockwise while putting pressure toward the thread, you may have to release the pressure a few times, to feel the thread engage so the crown will rotate towards the case, and once it stops and feels like your fingers can't grip the crown, it means it is in place and compressed.