2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

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Kip
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2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by Kip »

Now that the 2013 C10 Forum Limited Editions are arriving, we felt it was now time for the 2013 Forum Limited Edition Commission (FLEC) to close up shop. One of our members has put a lot of effort into putting together a story of how the final model came to be. It was written for the FLEC, but we felt it should be presented to the open forum as it seemed a fitting way to conclude our operation. I am pleased to present it to you and I hope you enjoy the read.

Thank you John. :thumbup:
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The following summary has been put together by jmarchitect of the 2013 FLEC.

Now that the shiny, ticking 2013 FLEs have arrived or are soon to arrive with their new owners, I thought it might be an interesting read for the wider forum to view how the design evolved from outline sketch, through developed sketches and 2D illustrations to 3D visuals and finally to the finished article.

Through necessity, this post focuses on the winning design. What may never be known is the high level of commitment and design capability shown by the FLEC to develop many designs for internal review and the prolonged effort to bring three of those designs to a vote by the wider forum. The process was incredibly rewarding and enjoyable and I feel the final piece reflects perfectly the efforts of the FLEC.

Our brief was to produce a 'sports' watch, a fairly broad genre and discussions abounded about what constituted a sports watch, taking in everything from a G-Shock to a Rolex Explorer with myriad pieces in between. What was clear was that there was a preference for something elegant and understated. What was also clear was the need to steer clear of another dive watch. It all started with this sketch.

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Which coincided with research of these eminent pieces.

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Which in turn inspired a consideration of how the classic cross hair and simple design could be brought up to date and given a sporty twist, sporty, in this instance, perhaps taking a little more imagination. Picture tearing around a race track in a natty racing green Westerham or Lotus Elise or taking in eighteen holes before meeting a friend for a game of squash. Cue rough sketches prepared in short succession, showing early ideas of the dial and hand types, strap colours and date positions.

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We moved on from rough sketches to more detailed illustrations to pinpoint the key features of the evolving design. It had all gotten very exciting by this stage.

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At this stage, we had decided on the key features and moved onto finessing them to create Design A, in preparation for the forum vote.

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It was hard to resist adopting more advanced methods of visualising Design A, and the following 3D images were presented to provide an idea of the final piece, including the appearance of the chosen lume.

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The flurry of activity at voting stage saw Design A placed first after which, CWL produced their own final design drawings.

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How simple it is to scroll from final design to final piece in this post. Of course that does not in any way provide a representation of the patience shown by those forum members who had elected to purchase the 2013FLE or the extreme determination shown by CWL to have the finished piece made and delivered, hitting and overcoming design and fabrication issues along the way.

Nonetheless, a fitting end to this post is one of the many excellent photographs that have been posted so far.

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Kip

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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by Cirrus »

It was worth the wait... thanks to the FLEC and CWL :)

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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by mabotham »

What a nice read for the owner's......That red second hand......... Hmmmmm.
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by Cirrus »

A thought occurs - having read the summary - is what was produced a "sport" watch?

It isn't the word that springs to mind when looking at mine... and I'll be buggered if I play anything more energetic than chess whilst wearing it ;)

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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by footycrazy »

A tough job for the FLEC of which produced something special, thank you John, Kip and the rest of the team for your precious time.
A special thanks to CWL and their team for putting up with our wants, demands and criticisms.

:rate10:

:clap:
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by MiniMpi »

Great article John, Well done.
It's lovely to actually see how it all comes together from the beginning to the final product.
A very well done again to the entire 2013 FLEC ;)
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by sproughton »

Not having been around during the evolution of the watch, it's interesting to see/read about it. I've tried reading through the numerous threads in the FLE sub forum but this is much more handy.

Congratulations to all involved
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by wimbouman »

Excellent synopsis!
I joined the forum just in time for the FLEC 13 and immediately liked the idea.
If I remember correctly, I did reserve 97.

I did all this without knowing the history, so I cannot thank you enough for this nice write up.



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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by scooter »

Interesting to follow the process through your post JM.

A job well done all round.

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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by Berkshire »

Fascinating journey in the evolution of a watch.
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by theaub »

Thanks very much. Fascinating account of the conception and production of what will prove to be a classic. Well done team.
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by alphajet »

Thanks to the team for sticking with this and producing a unique watch. It was good to see where the inspiration for this watch came from, well done. :clap:
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by Kansas City Milkman »

I enjoyed reading that! Good work :D
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by Viognier »

Throughly enjoyed reading the post and viewing the sketches and pictures.

Sincere thank you to the FLEC committee and congratulations on a great FLE offering to our forum!
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Re: 2013 FLE Progress Report #19 Summary and Evolution

Post by Aifo »

Great summary and enjoyed reading it a lot, thanks Kip!

Just that it would have been my 5th cw if the logos were at 3 and 9 in one of the sketches :silent:
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