I had the great pleasure of working with Lorne Gifford, the owner and founder of Marine Chronometer watch company based in the UK, for only a couple of years. And while we never met in person, his kindness, and passion for his business and providing his customers the very best watches had a profound impact on both Andrea and me. I think during this time, I had made perhaps 20 straps for his watches and we were always working to improve the strap design as he was a perfectionist, which is a trait that we had in common. Andrea and I were shocked and saddened to learn of Lorne’s passing early last month.
I’m sharing here some photos of the results from our collaboration as a tribute to Lorne and the beautiful watches which he designed. Lorne was truly a gentleman and he will be missed.
So sad to hear.
Is it possible to order a strap in the exact specification that came with the latest watches.
Stephen,
Of course, I am happy to continue to build straps for Lorne’s watches and I will continue to honor my commitment to Lorne to expedite strap builds for his watches in 3-4 weeks instead of my current wait time of 8-10 weeks.
A great watch, and a complementary strap..
Yes, these are wonderful watches. Thoughtfully designed Lorn’s passion really came through with his attention to detail.
John,
Great sentiments about Lorne. My relationship with him was similar to yours in that we’d spoken several times but never met, however his geniality and constant striving for perfection left a profound impact on me. I feel as though I’ve lost a friend and kindred spirit.
Your straps bear the same attention to detail that Lorne put into his pieces. And I’m glad the two of you collaborated.
Just seen the link to the OP and am shocked and saddened to hear of Lorne’s passing. I love my OP which I have owned for over 3.5 years now without a hitch. Lorne’s customer service and personal involvement really made the purchase special, we had a few conversations about the watch and work as I am also an engineer. I am proud to wear the OP. It is good to see D9 making a product fit to accompany the watch.
Stuart,
very sorry for the delayed reply, I sometimes get overwhelmed by the amount of spam I get running this website. Yes, we’ve all been shocked and saddened by Lorne’s passing. All the best.