Homemade Watch Company Gran Lavoratrice

The modern world is a hectic place; every day we are overwhelmed with stimuli such as constant cell phone notifications, traffic jams, and the struggle of balancing short and long term goals. It is my humble opinion that our monkey brains have not fully evolved to keep pace with the day to day grind of modern life. We are highly adaptable to be sure, but all too often we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, and unable to be present in the moment. It can be helpful to have something to ground yourself, a reminder to take a deep breath and have a quiet moment away from whatever problems we are currently attempting to negotiate. I promise this will be relevant later - this is a watch blog after all.

Edmund Dalo is the founder, and well… everything of Homemade Watch Company. It is a one man operation based out of his home studio in Barrington, Rhode Island. The passion and DIY ethos the company was founded on was apparent in my first conversation with Edmund. His approach and attitude were very reminiscent of the punk bands I would see in my youth; just as they would use money earned from their shows to buy gas to get to the next venue, each watch Edmund sells goes straight into the next one. The bands of my youth learned to screen print their own shirts for sale, Edmund is learning to craft dials in his studio. We initially connected over a shared history of working in healthcare, but quickly moved on to discussing more serious topics, such as moving through life with intention - and of course, watches. 

Starting backwards and working from there, Edmund is a second generation member of the watch industry. An aunt who worked in manufacturing for Bulova gave Edmund a family connection to the horological world, and is part of what motivated him to create Homemade Watch Company. Edmund is reluctant to use the term “watchmaker” when describing what he does - he is taking certification courses to earn the title, but presently prefers the term “watch builder”. He views himself as a conductor, with various players performing their parts while he brings it all together and is responsible for the end result.

Edmund believes that a watch can be more than just a material object, but also an object of expression - he takes great care in the design of his dials. The parts that Edmund cannot manufacture in-house, he sources from trusted suppliers made to his specifications. He then hand finishes and assembles each watch in his studio to create the final product. This is no different than the way many microbrands operate, albeit on a nano scale. 

Edmund uses both Japanese and Swiss movements in his watches, and regulates every watch himself before it goes to the customer. He also believes in collaboration in the design of his watches with the customer: he offers the service to customize any of his watches to the buyer's specifications and takes pride in the creation of truly unique 1 of 1 pieces. This is the Homemade Watch Company experience that Edmund is curating with his vision. 

One motif that ties together all of the watches made by Homemade Watch Company is the use of 222 on the dial in some combination. According to their website, 222 is an “angel’s number,” and represents trusting the process, harmony, and collaboration. When I asked Edmund to elaborate on this concept and how it applied to his dial design, he said “It catches you off guard just enough to break the pattern of mindless living." While I must admit I am completely unfamiliar with the concept of angel’s numbers, I can appreciate a design detail designed to promote mindfulness and bring the wearer back to the present moment. 

This is the Gran Lavoratrice, which is Homemade Watch Company’s take on a classic field watch design. It is available in multiple configurations and starts at $285 for the base model with the steel case, black dial, and Seiko NH-35 movement. Because I am a fancy lad, I purchased a 1 of 1 build with an aluminium laser etched blue dial, titanium case, and Selita SW-200 movement. In the interest of full disclosure, Edmund sold me this watch at cost as part of a sale he was running, and I paid $375.

The case has a 39mm diameter, a lug to lug of 48.5mm, and it is topped with a lovely sapphire crystal with a beveled edge bringing it to a height of 12.5mm. The case is a no frills affair, a very wearable and well proportioned field watch with a narrow bezel, downwards curving lugs, and a natural titanium finish. The crown is unsigned and screws down. The case is what I would describe as being “elevated basic” - that is, a simple and classic design executed very well and cleanly. The case would benefit from some engraving somewhere, either the caseback or crown, even something as simple as a maker's mark - the level of dedication Edmund puts into each of his watches deserves some sort of recognition. I fully understand the constraints that Edmund is working with as a fledgling company, and the important thing is that the case does its job and keeps the attention squarely where it should be: the dial.

I have to start by saying this - I do not like blue dial watches. I love green, black, yellow, orange, you name it, I will get a watch in any other color than blue. But I love this dial. This is one of the best dials in my collection - only the Ardio Caribe I reviewed previously is in the same tier as this dial. The laser etched aluminum is absolutely iridescent - the way it shifted colors in the light immediately brought to mind a butterfly wing when I first saw it. Depending on the lighting, the dial shifts between shades of royal, robin's egg, and peacock blue. It is absolutely a sight to behold - my photos in no way do this watch justice and it needs to be seen in person to fully appreciate.

The white minute track and numerals stand out against the dial just enough to maintain legibility, and the wide silver hour and minute hands and red tipped second hand. The dial says “Home Made” where you would usually find the country of manufacture, and “Senza Fine” is etched in the lower half of the dial. This is another founding principle of Homemade Watch Company; roughly translated it means endless or without end, and is meant to signify the relationship between the watch and its wearer.

The “222” motif appears on this watch, with a tiny 2 on the minute track in between the 12 and 2 hour markers. I can appreciate the subtlety of this design; I don’t notice it every time I glance at the watch, but when I do, I am reminded of the intention behind the design and can appreciate the importance of quieting the mind for a moment.

To continue the punk rock metaphor, the watch has passion but is unrefined. As I stated earlier, the case lacks any sort of branding or engraving; something on the crown, caseback, or rotor would elevate the watch significantly. I think the handset could be a millimeter or two longer, but credit where credit is due, they are the perfect thickness and the lume extends to the points of the hands and isn't squared off. The lume on the hands could be stronger, and the rest of the dial lacks any sort of illumination - but here's the thing: if you want those things, those watches are out there waiting for you. You don’t go to a punk show expecting Beethoven's 5th sympathy, you go there for the passion and the energy, and that is what Edmund is delivering with his watches. It might not be your style - but that's ok, punk rock isn't for everyone. 

What I am getting at is when it comes to a watch collection, we all prioritize different things. For me, something has to be said for supporting local artisans and craftsmanship. While Edmund may not have earned the title of “watchmaker” yet, he is certainly a craftsman - innovating new techniques in his studio as he builds and refines his business one state over from mine. As much as I love the bang for your buck spec sheet value that brands like San Martin and Seestern offer - once I was given the opportunity to support local horology I jumped at the chance to do so. Edmund’s passion for horology and creation is infectious; as someone just dipping their toes into the world of watch journalism, I felt that his desire to share his passion for watches with the world mirrored my own - his story resonated with mine. To me, that is what watch collecting is all about, the stories and the people around these objects we carry with us through our lives.