Quote:
Originally Posted by Ichiran
It's not so much the inward angle on anglage per se, but for some collectors, hand finishing is a desired aspect of luxury products, and at this point in time, inward angles on anglage cannot be machined and they are all done by skilled watchmakers or technicians by hand with wood/steel/diamond. Inward angle, hence, is a sure sign of hand-finishing.
To address another point, complications and hand-finishing are not mutually exclusive and you can get the very best of both worlds in Dufour Grande Sonnerie, Voutilainen Tantalor Decimal Repeater, Akrivia AK05 Tourbillon, Patek 6301, Lange Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395, VC Malte Tourbillon 30130 just to name a few. Also, not all hand-finished movements are expensive - watchmakers like Felipe Pikullik does amazing hand-finishing for a mere few grands euros.
The only issue with hand-finished watches is they are produced very slowly and in very limited quantities, quite understandably, though rarity is another aspect of luxury products in my humble opinion.
Just want to emphasize I have nothing against machined watches, because my current collection is entirely made up of machined pieces and I love them. All said, I yearn to add a proper handmade watch to my collection. The Vingt-8 will be completed in 2026 and I can't wait to visit Kari and his team at his top-of-the-world workshop to collect it.
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I totally agree, there are so many possibilities as long as the watchmaker has the (rare) skill and the time available.
What I wished to emphasize is that these movements usually "don't have them all" (finishing techniques and details), often compromises are made.
As for the Vingt-8, I received mine in 2015 and can confirm the movement is outstanding. Excellent choice! Did you get his book, it's fantastic reading.