Kortela Valta, a New Independent Watchmaking Discovery From Finland

Finland has birthed a few of the most fascinating watchmakers exterior of Switzerland and has lengthy left its mark on the watchmaking trade. Consider names like Kari Voutilainen and Stepan Sarpaneva, to call simply two. Maybe lesser identified, however to not be neglected, is Reima Koivukoski, whom we launched to you a few 12 months in the past. Now, although, we’ve got the subsequent discovery from the “Land of the Thousand Lakes” lined up for you: Kortela Valta. This duo of watchmakers, Roope Kortela and Rene Valta, discovered a mutual ardour for watchmaking when learning on the Finnish Faculty of Watchmaking and have joined forces to create one thing very cool known as the Eka. Greater than sufficient motive to take a seat down and discuss to the pair!

Robin, MONOCHROME Watches – Roope, Rene, you’re a younger two-man model from Finland. Are you able to introduce yourselves briefly?

The model is likely to be younger, however the founders aren’t a lot.

Properly, my title is Roope, I simply turned 40 and have a background in a Finnish premium-branded client items firm known as Fiskars. I labored in several roles starting from enterprise management to account supervisor in b2b gross sales. Nevertheless, it was solely after attending the Finnish Faculty of Watchmaking that I felt that I used to be lastly in the best place. In Kortela Valta, I’m answerable for the creative course, design lead, and 3D modelling, and a lot of the machining that’s finished in-house plus working with the fibre laser. Hand-finishing of the motion and particular person watch elements is one thing that each Rene and I work on.

Rene is a 27-year-old multi-talent able to submitting very good internal angled bevels in addition to restoring a wrecked W124 Mercedes-Benz. Principally, something mechanical goes. Rene appears to be resistant to the concern of failure which is why he naturally takes the lead after we do prototyping at Kortela Valta. He’s additionally the one at present restoring the previous Omega actions in addition to doing the ultimate meeting of all our watches.

How have you learnt one another and what made you determine to launch a watchmaking model collectively?

We met on the Finnish Faculty of Watchmaking and attended the identical class. In the course of the first 12 months, we didn’t spend that a lot time collectively, however through the second 12 months, one thing simply clicked and we began working collectively on tasks such because the pair of brass precision miniature vices. Typically I might have an concept about one thing I want to make however felt unable to do it on my own. And that’s the place Rene would slot in completely as he was simply in a position to overcome the sensation of not figuring out the place to begin and simply begin attempting issues out.

After we obtained to know one another higher, we seen that we had related concepts of what we needed to do after we graduated – watchmaking as an alternative of simply doing service and repairs which is what the varsity prepares you one of the best for. This closely influenced our decisions of the place to use for coaching. I used to be very fortunate to be accepted for 3 weeks within the workshop of Christian Lass in Denmark and Rene did 4 weeks at Torsti Laine in Switzerland.

For a really very long time, we thought we must transfer to Switzerland after we graduated and collect three to 5 years of watchmaking expertise earlier than we might even dream of creating our personal watches, however we had been in a position to pursue our dream straight out of faculty with the help of our fantastic mentor. We met him when he was filling in for a trainer for six months at college throughout our third 12 months. It’s a blessing to be mentored by somebody who has labored for ten years at Kari Voutilainen and is at present working for Petermann Bedat!

The place does your ardour for watchmaking come from?

Roope: I utilized to the Finnish Faculty of Watchmaking most of all as a result of I understood in 2019 that I needed to work with my palms. Naturally, the truth that I’ve been fascinated with watches for so long as I can bear in mind helped with the selection. My watch enthusiasm went into overdrive in 2016-2019 and the fever ended solely after I bought my (on the time) grail watch, a white gold Lange 1, in 2019. That watch served its objective underneath a microscope at college and have become our Schaublin 102N lathe after we wanted to finance the beginning of our enterprise. The years main to purchasing the Lange had been crammed with numerous hours of studying and attempting to grasp totally different motion ending strategies. It’s protected to say that my ardour for watchmaking lies throughout the pursuit of perfection and hand ending of the best order.

Sprucing jewel sinks

The ending of the minute hand in progress.

Rene: For so long as I can bear in mind metalworking and mechanical tinkering have been a pricey passion and an escape for me. From making tiny trebuchets as a child to engine work and knifemaking in a while, and all the way in which into watchmaking at present. Handmade and visually pleasing mechanical work has all the time been a manner for me to wind down and neglect all the things else for a second. My curiosity in watchmaking actually began on the Finnish Faculty of Watchmaking, as I had no data about watchmaking as a occupation beforehand. However the second we started working submitting away within the first 12 months of faculty, I knew that this was what I needed to dedicate myself to, and from that second onwards, my purpose has been to study as a lot as I can and to share that data going ahead.

You name yourselves “ The Livestreaming Watchmakers”; what’s that each one about?

Merely put, we livestream (at present on Twitch) the creation of our watches. It suits completely with one of many core values of the Kortela Valta model, which is transparency, and it’s a pleasant solution to up the stakes from the content material advertising and marketing that everybody does and that we’ve got to do as nicely. The stay stream remains to be very small by way of stay viewers, however we’ve got already deliberate adjustments on what we stream stay and what’s finest for YouTube movies. Understandably, wanting on the similar piece of metallic being polished with a picket stick for 3 hours straight (with out having the ability to quick ahead) is a troublesome capsule to swallow for even probably the most fanatic watch fanatics. Reside streaming our prototyping as an alternative lets us be extra relaxed on digital camera and work together with the viewers whereas the content material proven on digital camera provides rather more selection in comparison with exhibiting hand ending week after week.

Your debut watch, the Eka made fairly an impression on social media. Are you able to clarify a bit extra about this watch?

From the start, our purpose was to create the best hand-finished timepiece (a minimum of at present) made in Finland. Some nice Finnish watchmakers are working in Finland, however we really feel that nobody has the identical sort of focus and ambition in hand ending as we do. We knew that we needed to make a smaller than 40mm case which excluded utilizing ETA/Unitas 6497/6498 as the bottom caliber. For the watch dial, we drew heavy inspiration from an image present in one of many lecture rooms on the Finnish Faculty of Watchmaking. The motion shapes had been drawn utilizing geometric strains discovered within the mainplate, and we knew that we needed to suit a couple of, however not too many, sharp internal and outer angles within the motion to showcase our skills. The design of Eka won’t carry something revolutionary into the world of impartial watchmaking, nevertheless it has introduced us this far, and for that, we’re grateful.

What’s the concept of utilizing classic Omega actions versus fashionable alternate options?

High quality and availability, mainly. To cite one in every of our academics: “Omega cal. 266 is the best mass-produced mechanical watch motion ever made.” It’s the best measurement in order that it suits and fills watch instances between 35 and 39 millimetres. The supplies used when making the motion within the 1950’s are of nice high quality and there may be sufficient materials to shine the pivots to a new-like shine and to make bevels within the spokes of the wheels if we so select. The stability has a Breguet spiral and stability screws and the motion is initially chronometer graded. Want we are saying extra in regards to the high quality?

As for the supply, we felt that there have been not many (if any) good choices out there to be bought in small portions if we had chosen a contemporary motion for the bottom of our watch. When utilizing Omega cal. 266 as the bottom we are able to leverage our personal time and expertise to revive the motion to its authentic glory. We make sure that to buy leftover actions in working order so no Rancheros or Railmasters are being destroyed to make our watches.

The motion seems moderately spectacular, what’s been finished to it?

Properly, thanks. The bridges are designed by us and machined for us in Finland by our good pal, Kupias Watches. Afterwards, all the things is completed at our workshop. We use German silver for the bridges because it’s a pleasant materials to work on with hand instruments and produces an incredible polish with the best abrasives. The bevels are hand-filed and polished, whereas the edges get a pleasant straight-grain end. The ultimate polish for the bevels, in addition to the countersinks, is completed by hand with onerous pegwood or boxwood and abrasive. We’re particularly happy with our Geneva stripes, that are floor with wooden and abrasive, leaving a really good end, whereas the right angles are a results of many late evenings attempting out the smallest of adjustments time and time once more.

As a part of the restoration of the unique motion, the pivots and stability staffs are fastidiously examined underneath a microscope and mainly all the time given correct polish utilizing the Jacot instrument. The unique screws that we nonetheless use and different metal components are black polished to their former glory. For the ratchet and crown wheels, we at present do a easy snailing at our workshop.

The one mechanical enchancment finished in Eka for the motion is the movable stability spring stud holder. That is a part of the stability bridge within the authentic calibre, however to make the tremendous adjustment of the timekeeping a much less tedious activity, we needed to modernize that by making it movable. The half is made utterly in-house together with drilling a 0.29mm gap and making a 0.35mm thread. It’s hardened and tempered and is lower than 0.20mm thick at its narrowest level. But it contains tiny handmade and polished bevels and a black polished high floor.

Bridge screws in varied phases of ending.

Pivot sharpening.

What else do you do in-house for the Eka?

Rather a lot, in truth. The dial, watch palms, stud holder, bridge screws, motion holding screws and the crown are constructed from begin to end at our workshop. As for our watch case, the form of the center case is being electrical discharge machined for us by a neighborhood machine store, however the remainder of the machining is completed utterly at our workshop. Naturally, the case can be polished and hand-finished in-house.

You informed me you’re engaged on a follow-up watch. Are you able to elaborate on that a little bit bit?

The follow-up watch will provide the identical high quality of hand ending discovered within the Eka, however with a couple of design decisions that make it attainable for us to drive the beginning worth decrease than what we’ve been asking for Eka. The watch shall be named Oma, which in Finnish means (your) personal, which factors in direction of the massive distinction between Eka and Oma – customizability. The dial is likely to be the spotlight this time round as we’re providing two to 3 various kinds of enamel dial decisions made utterly in-house. The beginning worth contains black polished screws and mirror-polished palms, however no ornamental warmth therapies. We are able to do all of the totally different shades starting from plum to blue metal, however that comes with a worth. The identical goes for the Geneva stripes – they’re nonetheless out there, however for the beginning worth, the motion will get a matte frosted end. We can even be bringing a brand new case measurement out there subsequent to the 38.5mm case present in Eka. The brand new case is sized 37mm with a forty five.5mm lug to lug and it’s 8mm thick.

The primary sequence of the Eka is nearly bought out, when can we anticipate the second sequence to be finalized and able to order?

We’re very near having a prototype of Oma prepared, however as it’s greater than only a single design, we need to have totally different types of dials, palms and motion finishes to indicate earlier than we launch the Oma. We’re assured that we’ll have all the things finalized within the subsequent two to 4 weeks, and Oma shall be able to order proper after its launch.

Lead time for brand spanking new orders proper now could be comparatively fast, 2-3 months. At the moment (and so long as we’re not overbooked), we are going to gladly tackle customized tasks for something between 5-10 timepieces, the place we are able to go even additional with the motion ending and even make a brand new design based mostly on buyer needs in the case of the components we make in-house. i.e. dial, palms, watch case and the crown.

The place do you see your model evolving sooner or later? What can we anticipate in, say, the approaching three or 4 years?

We’re steadily working in direction of our purpose of constructing a wonderfully hand-finished timepiece with a complication or two, designed from scratch and utterly made in Finland. The steps alongside the way in which embrace perfecting the remaining motion ending strategies not but in our arsenal, comparable to polished bevels within the ratchet and crown wheel enamel. Within the shorter time period, plans additionally embrace designing a brand new mainplate for use together with the Omega cal. 266 gear prepare. This would come with a free-sprung stability with a Breguet spiral that shall be bent in-house.

Usually talking, within the coming three to 4 years, you possibly can anticipate watches with issues and extra distinctive designs, each dial and movement-wise, in comparison with what we at present do, supported by elevated in-house machining and ending capabilities.

How can folks get in contact or keep updated together with your work on future tasks?

At present, Instagram can be one of the best ways to remain updated on what we do. We extremely suggest tuning in for the stay stream and hitting us with questions as each little bit of interplay through the stream may be very welcome. We’re additionally on YouTube underneath the title @KortelaValta. A small revamp of our web site can be within the plans with an choice to subscribe to a e-newsletter.

For extra info, please go to KortelaValta.com.