Transforming million-dollar watches into several-hundred-dollar DIY timepieces
Check on Kickstarter
Transforming million-dollar timepieces into a several-hundred-dollar counterparts.
Famous watch models have inspired us.
Hello timepiece enthusiasts. We are just like you. We also admire the intricate mechanical marvels created by the renowned watchmakers around the world.
Admiring and owning a complex luxury timepiece can be seen as a reward for achieving a milestone in one’s career.
However, not all of us are fortunate enough to witness a timepiece with the most intricate mechanisms in real life, let alone own one.
So, we founded Tèfo Clockwork and spent the next 2 years researching and pursuing our lifelong passion: to enable everyone to own a timepiece with intricate mechanisms usually found in million-dollar watches for just a few hundred dollars.
We are a small group of timepiece enthusiasts with 6 years of experience in laser machine manufacturing in Vietnam.
We offer 4 complications:
The center tourbillon
The minute repeate
The fly-back chronograph
The perpetual calendar
“The fly-back chronograph and perpetual calendar are special gifts exclusively reserved for our beloved backers, available only for those who support us on Kickstarter and they will not be available to the general public in the future.”
“After [TC-01 Tourbillon + Minute repeater] achieves 575 orders in this Kickstarter campaign, we will offer the fly-back chronograph module and the perpetual calendar module for free to all our backers who have purchased the minute repeater module.”
If a wristwatch were to have all these features, you might have to spend several million dollars to own it.
The center tourbillon
- A tourbillon is a mechanism designed to counteract the negative effects of gravity on a watch’s escapement.
- Today, the tourbillon is used to showcase the craftsmanship of top watchmakers.
- What makes the center tourbillon rare is that it centralizes the watch, making it more aesthetically pleasing but requiring a more complex mechanism to replace the traditional hour and minute hands.
- The center tourbillon is extremely rare, and you can only find it in Omega and Haldimann watches with a price range of $40k-$200k.
- Size: 25cm*25cm*9cm – 9.84inch*9.84inch*3.54inch.
- 300+ parts, assembling within 15 hours.
- Powered by a 12V motor, can run 24/7.
- 2 beats per second, 7200 beats per hour.
The minute repeater
- It’s a mechanism that allows a timepiece to read the time and chime to tell time.
- It was originally designed to help aristocrats tell time in the dark before electric lighting.
- Today, it only appears on the most expensive watches, demonstrating the owner’s status and the brand’s craftsmanship.
- There is a theory about the minute repeater: it is a feature that distinguishes the super-rich from the rich.
- Making a minute repeater module took us ten times longer than creating a center tourbillon.
- Size: 25cm*25cm*9cm – 9.84inch*9.84inch*3.54inch.
- 400+ parts, assembling within 25 hours.
- Designed as a module that can connect to the center tourbillon clock by pins.
- The minute repeater is very rare, you can only find it in the most expensive watches from famous brands such as Patek Philippe, Audermars Piquet, Vacheron Constantin.
The fly-back chronograph: under development
NOT FOR SALE!!!
IT IS A LIMITED MODULE.
After [TC-01 Tourbillon + Minute repeater] achieves 575 orders in this Kickstarter campaign, we will offer the fly-back chronograph module and the perpetual calendar module for free to all our backers who have purchased the minute repeater module.
- Essentially, it’s a mini stopwatch for measuring short intervals, like running 100m.
- With a regular chronograph, you need to press three buttons to start a new measurement. With a fly-back chronograph, you only need to press the reset button.
- Fly-back chronograph is typically featured on the most expensive luxury sports watches, such as the Richard Mille RM 11-03 with a price range of $300k-$900k.
- Size: 25cm*25cm*9cm – 9.84inch*9.84inch*3.54inch.
- 150+ parts, assembling within 8 hours.
- Designed as a module that can connect to the center tourbillon clock by pins.
The perpetual calendar: under development
NOT FOR SALE!!!
IT IS A LIMITED MODULE.
After [TC-01 Tourbillon + Minute repeater] achieves 575 orders in this Kickstarter campaign, we will offer the fly-back chronograph module and the perpetual calendar module for free to all our backers who have purchased the minute repeater module.
- A perpetual calendar mechanism can differentiate days, dates, months with 28, 29, 30, or 31 days, leap years, and can be accurate for up to 400 years.
- It’s extremely complex and only found on high-end watches.
- A perpetual calendar module is the most fancy complication ever made in the watch industry. It’s very rare and difficult to manufacture. Patek Philippe 6300G with price tag of US$ 9m.
- Size: 25cm*25cm*9cm – 9.84inch*9.84inch*3.54inch.
- 150+ parts, assembling within 8 hours.
- Designed as a module that can connect to the center tourbillon clock by pins.
Final Imagined Product
We’ve divided the machine into 3 display panels so that you can easily observe the machine while it’s in operation.
The separation/division of this creates difficulties in designing the connections.
We will introduce a consolidated version that combines all modules into one, similar to a regular watch in the future.
Last-minute change before the launch
The final version sent to all you beloved backers will have some minor adjustments:
- The gears and moving components will be replaced with dark wood to enhance the color contrast.
- Some easily worn details or load-bearing components will be replaced with metal.
- The round rollers will be replaced with ball bearings to ensure the watch can operate for many years.
On a technical level, there will be no changes to our main design. These two adjustments are straightforward and will improve the product lifespan. We couldn’t prototype these components due to cost constraints.
Different from the DIY models available on the market
All designs are in-house movements.
Rewards
- TC-01 Center Tourbillon when you pledge $250 which includes:
The Center Tourbillon DIY Kit
- TC-01 Center Tourbillon+Minute Repeater when you pledge $750 which includes:
The Center Tourbillon DIY Kit
The Minute Repeater DIY Kit
- TC-01 Fly-back Chronograph+Perpetual Calendar
Free for everyone who has pledged $750 for [TC-01 Center Tourbillon+Minute Repeater]
If [TC-01 Center Tourbillon+Minute Repeater] reach 575 orders during Kickstarter campaign
Which includes:
The Fly-back Chronograph DIY kit [Not for sale, conditional on receiving as a gift, limited]
The Perpetual Calendar DIY kit [Not for sale, conditional on receiving as a gift, limited]
- Early bird TC-01 Grand Complications when you are one of the 54 earliest backers who has pledged $750, which includes:
The Center Tourbillon DIY Kit
The Minute Repeater DIY Kit
The Fly-back Chronograph DIY kit
The Perpetual Calendar DIY kit
Even if [TC-01 Center Tourbillon+Minute repeater] reaches 575 orders or not, you will still receive [TC-01 Fly-back Chronograph+Perpetual Calendar] for free.
If [TC-01 Center Tourbillon+Minute repeater] reaches 575 orders, you will receive an additional limited edition 54-piece worldwide desk perpetual calendar.
Timeline
Pakage and shipping
The product will be manufactured and shipped from our workshop in Vietnam.
Pakage:
- The dimensions of each DIY kit: 40cm*40cm*8cm or 15.75inch*15.75inch*3.15inch
- Weight of each DIY kit: 4kg or 8.82 pounds
Materials:
- High quality plywood.
- Metal parts (shaft, ball-bearing, load-bearing components).
- 12V customized motor.
- Assembly support tools.
- 3D instruction files and assembly video instruction.
Shipping fee:
- Vietnam: Free
- United State of America: $60/module or kit
- The rest of the world: $100/module or kit
In the future, we will strive to establish headquarters in the EU and the US, aiming to reduce shipping costs to under $20 per kit. We hope for your understanding.
Please note that you will be responsible for any customs fees, duties, VAT, import taxes, special delivery fees administered by your government, and handling fees.
All rewards are expected to ship in November 2024. While we do not expect any changes in delivery dates, that possibility does exist. We are prepared to ship internationally while there might be uncertainty in customs and logistics in certain countries. However, we are very committed to being transparent and will update our backers should there be shipment date changes.
How does Kickstater work?
1. Create an account at Kickstarter.com.
2. Back our campaign between October 4th – November 12th, 2023 by choosing a Reward.
3. On November 12th, 2023 the campaign will come to an end, and your credit card account will be charged.
4. On February 12, 2024 you will receive an email notification regarding the final product, information about the complimentary inclusion of the fly-back chronograph and/or perpetual calendar modules.
5. To be shipped directly from our Vietnam workshops on November, 2024.
Tèfo Clockwork Loyalty Program
With this purchase, you become a member of Tèfo’s loyalty program TÈFER.
You will enjoy:
- Exclusive offers for limited edition products.
- 24/7 customer service.
- 1 year international warranty.
Trust
Although this is our first Kickstarter project, we have 6 years of experience in laser cutting manufacturing.
As we have already been able to successfully complete the most challenging mechanism, which is the minute repeater, we are completely confident in our ability to excel at simpler functions, as they are significantly less complex than the Minute Repeater.
As our passion for intricate machinery grows, we hope to have the opportunity to conquer even higher peaks with all of you.
