What Happens When You Order a Made-to-Order Watch?
Buying a watch online can make the whole process look very simple. You find the watch. You click the button. A box arrives. That's not quite how it works at Pinchbeck. When you order a watch from our Made to Order Collection, the watch you have chosen doesn't simply come off a shelf. Your order starts a process in our Lincoln workshop. We think it's worth explaining what happens next.
Your watch begins with your order
Most Pinchbeck watches are made to order. That means we don't keep large quantities of finished watches sitting in storage waiting for someone to buy them. Your watch enters our workshop schedule after you place your order, and the components are gathered and prepared for its build. There is something quite straightforward about the idea. You choose the watch. Then we make it.
How long does a made-to-order watch take?
Most made-to-order Pinchbeck watches take approximately eight weeks from order to completion. That isn't eight weeks of somebody continuously working on the same watch.
There are stages to the process. Components need to be prepared, the watch needs to be assembled, tested and inspected, and there are final checks to make before it leaves the workshop. We think it is useful to know this before you order, particularly if you're buying a watch for a particular date. If you're considering a Pinchbeck as a Christmas gift, ordering early is sensible.
What happens in the workshop?
Your order enters the workshop schedule and the components are allocated to the build. The watch is then assembled in our Lincoln workshop by Rob, our watchmaker. Every Pinchbeck watch passes through his hands before it reaches its owner. Once the watch has been assembled, it is tested and inspected. It is cleaned and prepared for delivery before leaving Lincoln. It sounds simple when you write it down. But this is the part of the Pinchbeck story that matters to us. The workshop is not somewhere we keep stock. It is where the watches are assembled.
What does made to order actually mean?
Made to order means that your watch begins its journey because you chose it. We don't make a large quantity of every model and wait for customers to come along. We build watches in smaller numbers throughout the year as orders are placed. That keeps the business small and means we can stay close to the watches we're making and the people buying them. It also means there is a little waiting involved. We think that's worth being honest about. Almost everything can be delivered tomorrow. A mechanical watch made to order in a small workshop can't.
What if I have a question while I'm waiting?
One of the advantages of buying directly from a small independent watchmaker is that you can speak to the people involved. We're happy to answer questions and provide updates during the build. You can also visit the workshop by appointment, and many customers choose to collect their watch from us in Lincoln. So the relationship doesn't start when the watch arrives. It starts when you place the order.
And then it leaves Lincoln
Eventually, the watch is finished. It has been assembled, tested, inspected and prepared. It is put into its box and begins the journey to its new owner. At that point, something changes.
Until then, it has been part of our workshop. Now it is yours. That's the simple idea behind made-to-order at Pinchbeck.
You choose the watch. We make it.
And it takes a little time.
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