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As a fan of Dornblüth watches, I'm probably fairly typical: never seen one in the metal,
but the the first photos I saw were just arresting: beautiful, almost stark dials of
great legibility, good proportions, and stunning movements. The more I learned of the
watches and the makers, the more interested I became in getting one.
However, I hadn't placed an order for several reasons: while great value, Dornblüth's are
by no means inexpensive; I couldn't pin down what model I liked the best, and I was unsure of the standard 99.x size of 42 mm x 11.5 mm.
I had identified the model I loved best, though: the 04.0. Proportioned like the 99's, but at a more manageable size of 38 mm, plus the reworked vintage GUB movement, and I was panting like a dog. I was somewhat late to the game, however, and this model has been sold out for a long time, with little chance of reintroduction given the lack of vintage GUB ebauches. So for a while, I contented myself with gazing at the photos other owners posted at various sites, inevitably with a great deal of passion about their new Dornblüth.
Then: a discovery. Dornblüth's AD in Europe actually had a new 04.0 in their possession! In talking to them, they told me they had ordered an extra 04.0, "on spec" as it were, when they were still available. This 04.0 has been sitting in their safe for the past 1-2 years.
Well, this was the catalyst I needed to act. Quickly made a decision, wired funds, and
received the new 04.0 this week, after a customs delay (more on that below). Borrowing
a phrase from Mark, here is the new "horological love of my life".
Very well packed FedEx box, which finally arrived after spending a week in detention in New Jersey, courtesy of US Customs. After sorting through the foam peanuts, two items came to light:
And taking a look at the side, is this possibly the last of the 04.0's?
Let's pop the top and see what's inside: the nice polishing cloth. My first one. Probably some of you here have enough of these to construct a quilt....
The famous burl wood box:
This one has the black dial, with white lumed numbers and hands. Plus no small amount of
dust from its intercontinental travels:
Let's get some of the dust off and get a good look here:
"Every Dornblüth is backed by a two-year warranty...", here, literally....
Ok, time to try it out. Now THAT is perfect proportioning. (Before anyone asks, my wrist
size is 7.5 in = 19.0 cm)
And from the side. Fairly tall for its diameter, but certainly not in the tuna-can
category...
The back is otherworldly. As one accustomed to seeing Dornblüth movements in macro
photography splashed across a 19" screen, the actual component scale is shockingly miniscule. My admiration for the watchmaking skill of the House of Dornblüth went up 10X.
And how about that? #71, the same year I was born. As most of you here placed orders
directly to Dirk and waited patiently for months to 1 year+, getting this watch inside of
3 weeks of discovering it seems like cheating. I note with pleasure this small personal
connection to this watch, almost as if it was built and then sat waiting patiently for me
to discover it.
One more note about Customs. As probably many of you know already, the US needs a
breakdown of the value of the watch into its component parts (movement, case, strap)
in order to calculate the duty owed. This value list was omitted from the package, and
the FedEx broker held the package up. It took two days for me to figure out what they
wanted, and then another to contact the AD. But with the various typical problems (time
differences, weekend closures, the employee with the list being out, etc), I still didn't
have this document 5 days later, and FedEx was threatening to send the package back to
Europe. In a bit of a desperate state, I emailed Dornblüth directly, explained my case,
and asked for his help. Inside of 24 hours, freshly returned from a holiday, Dirk
responded personally to me with all the info I needed and thanked me for bring this to his
attention. I was then able to get the package moving again. As many of you here can
testify, the Dornblüth dedication to service is second to none, and I could not
be a happier customer.
.
but the the first photos I saw were just arresting: beautiful, almost stark dials of
great legibility, good proportions, and stunning movements. The more I learned of the
watches and the makers, the more interested I became in getting one.
However, I hadn't placed an order for several reasons: while great value, Dornblüth's are
by no means inexpensive; I couldn't pin down what model I liked the best, and I was unsure of the standard 99.x size of 42 mm x 11.5 mm.
I had identified the model I loved best, though: the 04.0. Proportioned like the 99's, but at a more manageable size of 38 mm, plus the reworked vintage GUB movement, and I was panting like a dog. I was somewhat late to the game, however, and this model has been sold out for a long time, with little chance of reintroduction given the lack of vintage GUB ebauches. So for a while, I contented myself with gazing at the photos other owners posted at various sites, inevitably with a great deal of passion about their new Dornblüth.
Then: a discovery. Dornblüth's AD in Europe actually had a new 04.0 in their possession! In talking to them, they told me they had ordered an extra 04.0, "on spec" as it were, when they were still available. This 04.0 has been sitting in their safe for the past 1-2 years.
Well, this was the catalyst I needed to act. Quickly made a decision, wired funds, and
received the new 04.0 this week, after a customs delay (more on that below). Borrowing
a phrase from Mark, here is the new "horological love of my life".
Very well packed FedEx box, which finally arrived after spending a week in detention in New Jersey, courtesy of US Customs. After sorting through the foam peanuts, two items came to light:
And taking a look at the side, is this possibly the last of the 04.0's?
Let's pop the top and see what's inside: the nice polishing cloth. My first one. Probably some of you here have enough of these to construct a quilt....
The famous burl wood box:
This one has the black dial, with white lumed numbers and hands. Plus no small amount of
dust from its intercontinental travels:
Let's get some of the dust off and get a good look here:
"Every Dornblüth is backed by a two-year warranty...", here, literally....
Ok, time to try it out. Now THAT is perfect proportioning. (Before anyone asks, my wrist
size is 7.5 in = 19.0 cm)
And from the side. Fairly tall for its diameter, but certainly not in the tuna-can
category...
The back is otherworldly. As one accustomed to seeing Dornblüth movements in macro
photography splashed across a 19" screen, the actual component scale is shockingly miniscule. My admiration for the watchmaking skill of the House of Dornblüth went up 10X.
And how about that? #71, the same year I was born. As most of you here placed orders
directly to Dirk and waited patiently for months to 1 year+, getting this watch inside of
3 weeks of discovering it seems like cheating. I note with pleasure this small personal
connection to this watch, almost as if it was built and then sat waiting patiently for me
to discover it.
One more note about Customs. As probably many of you know already, the US needs a
breakdown of the value of the watch into its component parts (movement, case, strap)
in order to calculate the duty owed. This value list was omitted from the package, and
the FedEx broker held the package up. It took two days for me to figure out what they
wanted, and then another to contact the AD. But with the various typical problems (time
differences, weekend closures, the employee with the list being out, etc), I still didn't
have this document 5 days later, and FedEx was threatening to send the package back to
Europe. In a bit of a desperate state, I emailed Dornblüth directly, explained my case,
and asked for his help. Inside of 24 hours, freshly returned from a holiday, Dirk
responded personally to me with all the info I needed and thanked me for bring this to his
attention. I was then able to get the package moving again. As many of you here can
testify, the Dornblüth dedication to service is second to none, and I could not
be a happier customer.
.
