Collector Commissions: Two Watches from Independent Torsti Laine for San Francisco’s 49 Crowns

Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/07/23/collector-commissions-two-watches-from-independent-torsti-laine-for-san-franciscos-49-crowns-reprise/

The history of commissioned timepieces is a long and colorful one; at some point I may do a comprehensive study. But as I sit here typing I can immediately conjure up pieces from the Breguet Marie Antoinette to Henry Graves’ series of Patek Philippes to various, more recent royal commissions ranging from unique Vacheron Constantin calendar minute repeaters to Rolexes with imperial seals printed on the dials.

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Group commissions are perhaps a more recent phenomenon but go at least as far back as the set of six unique Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph IIs ordered by our NorCal Gang in 2010 and the special edition club watches produced for the PuristS 10^th Anniversary convention in 2011. These days, both big brands and independents are issuing a steady stream of small editions for groups, with the ability of independent makers to order very small lot sizes of items such as dials, hands, and cases as a major enabler.

Special Edition: Laine GG3 for 49 Crowns

I recently met with Adam Eisendrath, founder and chair of San Francisco-based collector club 49 Crowns, to learn more about the group and to check out two customized watches they commissioned from Swiss-based Finnish independent Torsti Laine: a 38 mm Laine V38 and larger 40.5 mm Laine GG3.

If you don’t follow Torsti Laine yet, you should: he’s a talented young watchmaker currently focusing on three highly customizable references at attainable price points. Among other distinctions, his resume includes a degree from the Finnish School of Watchmaking, winning the 2014 A. Lange & Söhne Watchmaking Excellence Award, and experience working with both A. Lange & Söhne and Kari Voutilainen.

Smaller version: 38 mm diameter Laine V38 customized for 49 Crowns

When I asked Eisendrath about the choice of Laine and the design particulars for the club’s inaugural watch, he responded: “Why Torsti? We have a lot of fans of Laine and his quality of work and price point. A few of the members are particular fans of boutique brands and bespoke watches and turned some of the other members onto the Laine brand.

When the idea for a club watch was floated, many of the members liked the idea of a totally bespoke piece, doing something that you might not normally see for a club watch. Working with our 49 Crowns designer Pao Chiu, we created the ‘Fog Dial,’ a grey fumé dial with Breguet hands and a subtle nod to the Golden Gate Bridge that cuts through the 15- and 45-seconds markers in the seconds subdial. The watch also includes custom and handprinted hands in the same International Orange color as the paint used on the Golden Gate Bridge.”

True San Francisco: fog-inspired dial, International Orange hands, and Golden Gate engraving on the Laine GG3 for 49 Crowns

And the club itself? Eisendrath continued: “49 Crowns is the largest non-affiliated watch club in the United States. Our membership includes over 400 collectors and enthusiasts. Our demographics are diverse, and we have as many executives and CxOs of Facebook, Google, Apple, and other major local companies as members as we do diesel mechanics, pilots, and professionals in the medical, financial, and legal fields.

“The community began in May 2020 as the pandemic started shutting down in-person get-togethers and venues. I wanted to create a place where the community could thrive virtually during the pandemic, and a WhatsApp group was the perfect solution. It helped keep the community together and even grow it so that when in-person get-togethers became possible again we had a tight knit and familiar group already coming in and feeling comfortable.”

Dial detail, Laine GG3 for 49 Crowns with Golden Gate and International Orange hand

“The name 49 Crowns is a reference to where the group was founded, San Francisco, whose dimensions are 7×7 miles, or 49 miles squared. While we are based in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have active members all over the world including New York, Boston, Paris, and Tokyo. The club has over 400 members on the mailing list with over 200 active in the WhatsApp chat and sub-chats and a growing number of women collectors.

“The goal was to create a community with the concept of ‘We’re all pilgrims on the same ship, some people just have nicer watches.’ And of course, the most important first rule: no a**holes allowed!”