Garrick Makes the Jump with the S2 Deadbeat Seconds

Traditional watchmaking is at the heart of British watchmaking institute Garrick. Ever since the brand’s foundation in 2015, the goal has been to rekindle the British style of mechanical watchmaking. Watchmaking in Great Britain has huge historical significance thanks to visionary people like Thomas Mudge, John Harrison, and many others. For Garrick, things have long moved away from run-of-the-mill movements to more complex, in-house calibres and mostly hand-built and -finished watches. We’re talking hand-turned guilloché dials, hand-engraved decorations, ink-filled numerals finished by hand and much more –  proper traditional watchmaking indeed. The latest to emerge from the Norfolk-based atelier is the S2 Deadbeat Seconds, an evolution over the S2 Central Second we know from 2019.

From S1 to S6, Garrick has showcased a keen sense of style and craftsmanship that befits its strive to reinstate British watchmaking traditions. This new S2 follows suit with a deadbeat seconds complication, a first for the brand, based on the S2 Central Seconds that came before it. From the outside, we still have a 42mm wide and 10mm thick 904L stainless steel case with a brushed and polished finish. On top, there’s a domed sapphire crystal and around the back, a flat one reveals the movement. The onion-style crown is typical of Garrick’s watches, a signature element if you will. It’s comforting to know that this watch can take more than an occasional shower of rain, as it comes with a 100m water-resistance rating.

Where the last couple of Garrick watches shine, though, apart from the movement side, which we’ll get to in a bit, are the dials. Two options are available. Designated as MK1 and MK2, they are both entirely crafted in-house. The MK1 dial is lavishly decorated with engine-turned guilloché patterns, a heat-blued skeletonized chapter ring, hand-crafted hands and so on. The second option, the MK2 dial, is slightly more subdued in style, thanks to a simpler dotted chapter ring (also made by hand and applied to the dial). This, too, can be decorated with a guilloché design and finished in several colours. Garrick also offers the option of Anchor-style hands or faceted Lancine hands for each watch, making for an almost fully bespoke watch every single time. At the bottom, you can see the exposed free-sprung Trinity balance wheel, suspended by a horizontal bridge that’s, again, made in-house and finished by hand.

Flipping the watch over reveals the mechanical splendour that’s known as the calibre DB-G06. This has a typically British construction, with a frosted decoration on the plates and bridges, which can be finished in silver or gold plating. Based on the same construction as the aforementioned S2 Central Seconds, this one still has a central seconds hand, but now it jumps instead of sweeps! Looking at it from the back, the wheel in the centre, suspended by the finger bridge, drives the second hand. Next to that is the reversing wheel, with a deadbeat spring mechanism connecting the two and allowing for the jumping motion. The movement runs at a frequency of 18,000vph and has a power reserve of 45 hours.

The Garrick S2 Deadbeat Seconds comes on a handmade leather strap with a steel pin buckle. The price is set at GBP 19,000 (excl. VAT), and each one will be made to order. Do take into account that Garrick makes only 10 of these per year, so it may take until 2025 for your watch to arrive! But, despite not having seen the watch in person, it looks well worth the wait.

For more information on the new Garrick S2 Deadbeat Seconds, please visit Garrick.co.uk.