An interview with Luxury Watchmaker, James Lamb on his latest Solstice and Equinox Collection
James, congratulations on the completion of your new collection! Tell us about how this collection came to be and the ideas behind it.
After working with Fimark on my ‘Azur’ project at the end of 2022 an opportunity arose for us to work together again on a collection for my 2nd US retailer, ‘Lenox Jewelers’ based in Connecticut. We began to explore some exciting new ideas and create a new and exclusive set of watches.
Fantastic. Would you talk us through some of those initial ideas?
I already had a vision in mind which was to create a set of four watches based on the Equinoxes and Solstices. As a continuation of my Origin Series each watch would feature vitreous enamelled dials expertly achieved by Andy Roberts in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. As is usual with my process I didn’t have a crystal clear image of how to proceed with the theme but rather I started with rough sketches and ideas.
So what was the first step in turning your ideas into reality?
Having worked with Fimark before I was confident that they could help me achieve the quality I needed for this range so I immediately got in touch with their team. Once designs were finalised they were approved by Lenox and first trials were quickly underway. Fimark then took my initial ideas and expertly created the textures and engravings that I envisioned on the dial (Britannia silver) and the casebook (Argentium silver).
Why did you decide to work with Fimark again?
I have always been impressed with all aspects of Fimark’s process so for me it was a given that I would work with them on my next project. I believe once you have worked with a company before you start to finesse the process and working together becomes easy. For example, I design and manufacture all my own jigs, tools and fixtures in my workshop. I needed to make a variety of jigs that would allow Fimark to laser the designs in a way that was repeatable and that mitigated any angular errors or misalignments. Precision is everything when it comes to wristwatches! Some trial and error and incremental design suggestions from Charles at Fimark helped me better understand what was needed to achieve this.
These processes do take time so building mutual understanding and maintaining communication is really important. I like to say that life provides us with more than enough challenges already- the watchmaking industry especially so! Let’s not allow more ‘challenges’ to arise if we can help it. Every stage of the process with Fimark is always smooth, enjoyable and productive.
What did Fimark bring to the process this time around? Was there any special feature that they helped you achieve?
I think what Fimark brought to the table this time was peace of mind. There are a great many stages in creating wrist watches. Being able to provide artwork and clear indications of texture, shape, resolution, engraving depth constraints etc and know that they would be in safe hands afforded me the luxury to focus on other things I need to complete for the project. As for anything special, there is one dial called ‘Winter Solstice’ that required a very finely textured and quite particular surface finish and I have to say Fimark exceeded expectations when my expectations were already high!
Overall, how did you find your experience working with Fimark on this collection?
I am always extremely satisfied working alongside Fimark as a trusted business partner. First class quality must be the main focus for the final product and to work with a company like Fimark who are very much aligned to this same mindset is a real pleasure. I know the business has invested heavily in the latest equipment, technologies and software to achieve the service that they provide to their clients. I’m genuinely excited for the next time I call Charles, as I often do, with a very odd and random question to see if something that sounds a bit mad is possible to create!
James’ Equinox and Solstice collection are now available at Lenox Jewelers.
You can visit his website www.jameslambwatches.com
