Newsletter #2 - The Factory Decision and More ( 30th June 2026)

The Factory Search — And Why I'm Being So Particular

I've been deep in the process of finding the right manufacturing partner for Victory Marine. I won't name factories but I will tell you what I'm asking for. Because that's the point.

Not every factory can produce what we're specifying. In fact, most can't.

Here's the spec I'm holding firm on:

316L Stainless Steel Case
The standard for serious watchmaking. Low carbon content, high corrosion resistance.

1200HV IP Hard Coating - Case/Bracelet/Clasp
Standard stainless steel has a Vickers hardness of around 200HV. I'm specifying Ion Plated coating to 1200HV — six times harder.

BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova
Lume matters on a dive watch. I've specified BGW9 by grade and by name, so there's no ambiguity about what goes on the dial and hands.

Laser Etched Ceramic Bezel
The bezel insert is ceramic. The minute track is laser etched, not printed. Printed bezels fade. Laser etched ceramic doesn't.

Tapering Bracelet
Engineered to taper from 20mm at the lug to 16mm at the clasp with on-the-fly micro-adjustment.

Miyota 9039 Automatic Movement and the challenge that comes with it

The 9039 is our specified movement. Reliable, accurate, and well-regarded across the industry. Multiple factories I've spoken with have flagged supply constraints on the 9039. That tells you something about why we chose it.

Physical component samples are arriving this week. Bracelets, clasps and cases from our leading candidate. The evaluation begins in earnest! Images direct from factory below.

FOUNDING 50 UPDATE

When I launched the F50, I wasn't sure what the response would be. Fifty people putting faith and money into a watch that didn't physically exist yet, from a brand nobody had heard of.

I am delighted to announce that all fifty member places from 01 to 51 are now filled! If you didn't get the founding 50 email, there is no number 13, hence the number 51 being the final place.

A huge thank you to all my founding members, and to all those who have shared, liked and commented on my posts with messages of support and constructive feedback.

What Comes Next — The Roadmap

I know some of you want a timeline. Here's where we are and where we're heading:

Now — June/July 2026
Component samples under evaluation. Feedback to factory. Refinements agreed.

Summer 2026
Technical drawings finalised. Prototype commissioned. The first physical Victory Marine in existence.

Autumn 2026
Prototype reviewed in hand. Final specification locked. Production terms agreed with manufacturing partner.

Early 2027
Kickstarter launch. The watch goes to the world.

These are targets, not guarantees. Watch development moves at its own pace and I won't rush something that needs to be right. But this is the shape of things and I wanted you to have it.

A Personal Note

I was asked recently why I'm taking so long to find a factory.

The honest answer is that I've seen what happens when a brand produces a substandard product. A watch that looks right in a product photo and feels cheap in the hand. A spec sheet full of impressive-sounding words that don't hold up to scrutiny. A brand story that turns out to be thinner than the caseback.

CROSS Watch Co. Ltd exists around a single idea, that our time is the most valuable thing we have, and most of us don't realise it until something forces us to. A watch that doesn't honour that idea in the way it's built would be a contradiction I couldn't stand next to.

So I'm being particular. About the coating hardness, the lume grade, the bracelet engineering, the factory relationship. Every detail is a decision. Every decision reflects something.

Thank you for being here while we get it right.

Dan

Founder, CROSS Watch Co. Ltd