McGonigle Watches - The Watches and Workshop

McGonigle Main Page

The first McGonigle wristwatch was conceived in 2004. John and Stephen decided that their first watch should be a Tourbillon. A Tourbillon is a simple idea that is very difficult to make. It’s a good place to start for a first watch as it is a perfect base to establish a pure and coherent design for subsequent creations.

The watches are made in Ireland. The components and materials are sourced mainly from Switzerland and are chosen with rigorous care and attention. All components are chosen without comprising the highest levels of quality. The brothers employ a mixture of traditional techniques, garnered from working and living in the Vallee de Joux, Geneva and LeLocle regions of Switzerland, and advanced innovative practices, such as CAD design, computer controlled production machines and high tech materials.

Production is limited to the number of watches that can physically be made. No outside assembly takes place so each watch is guaranteed exclusivity as well as fastidious exacting standards. The McGonigles do not use the convention of numbering as the watches will never be made in quantities to necessitate such a system. Each watch is personalized to such a degree that it could be justifiably numbered ‘one’. Rather each watch is dated and signed by the watchmaker, either John or Stephen.

Concept & Design

John and Stephen wanted to distil the elements that they loved and respected in the masterpieces that had passed through their hands while working in restoration. As watchmakers they strive for elegance, simplicity, precision and reliability. In an efforts to achieve these goals they have taken the view that less is often more. This is a principle that is adopted with the design of the McGonigle Tourbillon.

The Movement

The basic design of the movement and most of the components has been sourced from Christophe Claret. The movement is a hand winding mechanical tourbillon with a 110 hour power reserve. Either red, blue or clear jewels can be used depending on the colour of the material used for the case.

Tourbillon Cage

The principles adopted with the Tourbillon cage is a very definite ‘less is more’. The McGonigles decided to dispense with the regulator to adjust the timekeeping of the watch. This eliminates one of the eight elements that disturb the regular timekeeping of a watch. Put simply to regulate a freesprung watch it is necessary to balance the weight of the balance with the length of the balance spring. It’s not a simple task. Rather than add weight to the Tourbillon cage, to poise it, they have removed weight from the other side. The net result is a lighter cage. A cage stops, recoils and accelerates six times every second. A lighter cage makes this effort more efficient. Less is more. It also looks cleaner and more beautiful.

The Mainplate and Engraving

The mainplate and bridges are made from an alloy referred to as German silver. This has traditionally been used on only the highest grade watches because of its rigidity. The recessed areas of the mainplate and the underside of the bridges have been finished with fine spotting or ‘pearlage’. The back of the mainplate is hand engraved with a Celtic inspired design by Frances McGonigle. The edges of these components are hand bevelled. The remaining surfaces are circle grain finished. The mainplate and bridges have been left without an electroplated finish. It would be a pity to hide the beautiful lustre of this metal.

Steelwork and Screws

Heat treatment of key components is conducted by the McGonigles themselves using special jigs to reduce the risk of distortion. This is necessary because of the shape and fineness of certain components. The steel components are hand beveled, and flat polished on tin blocks with diamond paste. This produces what is referred to as a ‘black’ polish. All screws are hand slotted and bevelled. The top surfaces are flat polished by hand on tin. The side of all steel, components and screws are straight grained.

Wolftooth Gearing

The train wheels and barrel have the unusual feature of wolftooth gearing. This style of gearing was often used in late nineteenth and early twentieth century high grade Swiss pocket watches. This calibre, to John and Stephen's knowledge, is unique in using this type of gearing for the gear train.

The Dial

The dial is on two levels. The lower hour track is machined in to the case ring. This, like the movement is made from German silver. The upper dial is machined out of a slice of sapphire crystal. There an opening at six to expose the tourbillon cage. There is an additional opening in the dial at 12 o'clock. This allows the viewer to see part of the barrel and the wolf tooth gearing. The hour indexes are drilled into the sapphire to correspond with the hour indexes on the lower dial.

The Case

The case is a mixture of subtle shapes with strong lugs crafted out of gold or platinum. The case has very slight oval shape. The opening for the glass is round but the bezel is slightly flared at 3 and 9 o'clock, almost imperceptibly so but enough to hold your eye and draw you in. Similarly the lugs also flare outwards as they extend from the case. They sweep downwards to give a 'crouching animal' tension to the case. The Crown has also a slight taper. It's quite large and has grips in the style of the Ogham alphabet (the ancient Celtic alphabet used in the logo). With this design it is quite tactile and easy to use, an important detail often overlooked on manual watches. The back has a sapphire glass back through which the engraved mainplate can be viewed. The case back is secured by screws. The bezel is secured by screws inside the case. The case is water resistant to 3 atmospheres, although swimming with this watch is not encouraged. 

Presentation Case

The presentation case is a handmade combination of leather and Irish Bog Oak. The Oak is 5000 year old wood preserved in Irish Bog before being reclaimed and prepared by specialist craftsmen. The case also incorporates the McGonigle name in the Ogham alphabet. This ancient Celtic alphabet was used in traditional carvings and inscriptions. 

Maintenance

All mechanical watches require service at regular intervals and McGonigle watches are no exception. However because of the high value and the specialized nature of our watches it is especially important that only the most qualified watchmakers work on them. John and Stephen would always prefer to service their watches themselves, but in the event that this is not convenient or possible they will insure that someone that they trust can. The McGonigle brothers are in the process of establishing alliances with a number of independent watchmakers to insure that the expertise to maintain the watches will always be there long after they are gone.

McGonigle Main Page