Lithuanian Watchmaker Liudas Norkus and The Surprise Success of his LN1 Regulator

The watch community can be a truly great thing, as every now and then it seems to embrace new ideas, new concepts, new people and brands with open arms. We’ve seen it happen in watches where the community can get involved in the design process, or with watch clubs bringing together brands and collectors. And we see it once again with Liudas Norkus, a new name on the firmament! In just 24 hours, this young Lithuanian watchmaker managed to sell out his debut watch. And we’re not talking about five, eight, ten or even twenty-five watches, but two hundred! Naturally, such stories tend to get noticed by us and it presented a perfect opportunity to get acquainted with him and his watch!

Robin, MONOCHROME Watches – Liudas, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Liudas Norkus, and I grew up in a small town in Lithuania with a population of about 800 people. There wasn’t much to do while I was growing up, and we all pretty much knew each other. I always knew that once I finished school, I wanted to travel and become independent. In 2015, I moved to England, where I worked full-time until 2021. As my interest in watchmaking grew, I started changing jobs more frequently, trying to balance work with my passion, and finding ways to pay the bills while dedicating more time to doing what I like.

How did get interested in watchmaking, where did your passion come from?

I had a few vintage quartz watches during my school years, but I never thought watchmaking would be something I’d pursue later in life. I first discovered it in 2019, after I had already moved from Lithuania to the UK. It all started when I bought a watch magazine that illustrated a variety of unique watches, which instantly got my interest. Before that, I only knew a few watch brands, but seeing the incredible creations by independent watchmakers made me wonder how watches were made and how they worked.

At the time, I already owned a few mechanical watches. I still remember out of curiosity, I ordered a £25 watch repair kit from Amazon. Using the basic tools, I opened one of the watches to explore its inner workings, and that was it. I was immediately intrigued by the tiny components inside.

Have you studied watchmaking, or did you acquire the skills in different way?

I never attended any watchmaking school, but since I started in 2019 I have been trying to find more information on the Internet, how other watchmakers make watches and what techniques they use. Over the next few years, I discovered many watch brands, but I was completely alone in this mechanical artistry, and finding help in the beginning wasn’t easy.

In 2019 I connected with a friend and watchmaker, Denis Carignan, from New Hampshire, USA. His 30 years of knowledge in watchmaking and teaching helped me a lot to stay on the right path, and for the next five years, we shared and exchanged many ideas.

How did you start out as a watchmaker, what were your first steps?

I started with very few tools or machines. My first goal was to understand the basics of how mechanical watches work. Using various measuring tools, such as a depthing tool, callipers, and a microscope with a digital camera, I accurately measured and studied different movements I had purchased. I then recreated these movements into the CAD software, including a dual open heart movement, Fusee-and-Chain pocket watch movements, and the Seagull ST3600, which I later used for my first watch.

The LN1 Regulator is your very first watch, can you explain to us where the inspiration comes from?

I completed the LN1 Regulator design in 2022, but it came after I created many different designs, none of which I was able to make. Hopefully, I can revisit some of those concepts I made in the future. Since I got a few pocket watches I’ve always been drawn to them, particularly regulator watches made by great watchmakers like Ferdinand Berthoud, Breguet, and Patek Philippe. Maybe their work inspired me to design watches with traditional elements.

The design is very distinctive, and I understand you do quite a bit yourself. Can you tell us more about its design and construction?

One of the first movements I studied was the Seagull ST3600 (21,600vph, 40h power reserve). Initially, I had doubts about its reliability and longevity, but after seeing it still running over the next few years, I decided to take a chance and use it for my first Regulator watch. Choosing this movement also allowed me to create a watch at a more accessible price point. Everything was designed in CAD software in-house including movement, case, crystal and the dial. I chose to use domed sapphire crystal to accommodate a 3-dimensional dial on top of the movement, and use the stainless steel case for the movement only, I wanted to create a case as thin as possible, without sapphire crystal it’s only 6.2mm. Box crystal also maximizes the view of multi-level dial from every angle.

If you remove the top plate of a pocket watch movement, you’ll see pillars, in my design pillars supporting the chapter ring. There is a visible barrel too, but I wanted to make the mainspring visible inside through the open lid. Several pocket watches I own are made from brass, I liked the raw brass aesthetic from earlier watchmaking, and the dial side also features Roman numerals.

The watch is 41mm wide, and just 6.2mm in height. The crystal adds 5mm to that, so in total it’s 11.2mm which I feel is still reasonable. The dial and indications are made out of 38 individual parts, with the hours at 12′, and the minutes in the centre. The barrel is visible at 5′ and it has an openworked top plate to show the mainspring inside. All bridges and hands are 24k gold-plated, and the mainplate is sandblasted and lacquered.

Can you elaborate on what is done in-house, in regards to making parts of finishing them?

I modified the movement in-house, making it work together with the dial side I designed. I also made the top plate, bridges with pins, pillars, and barrels using a lathe and milling machine. The barrel lid and hands were laser-cut in the UK, but all the visible components were entirely hand-finished by me, using sandblasting and various hand tools. I’m also very thankful to watchmaker Jack Matthew Elam, I think he is one of the finest watchmakers in England today. Thanks to him, I learned many different techniques in the last few years that I was able to apply to my first watch.

While most parts will now be made for me, I’ll still be responsible for making a few minor components and hand-finishing every part. It’s a long process, with thousands of pieces to finish and assemble by hand, all within a very short period of time.

You sold out the first two batches of 100 pieces very quickly! How did you manage to do that?

Yes, 200 pieces were sold in 24 hours, after the launch within a few hours I received hundreds of messages and in 3 hours first 100 watches were already gone, I think I was also lucky to meet great collectors who helped me to take allocations and everyone in the group shared the watch with others. It was a big surprise but I am very happy about it obviously! I set the price at GBP 900 for the first batch of 100 pieces, and GBP 1,100 for the second.

I know it might be a bit early to tell since you have 200 watches to make, but; what’s next?

I would like to explore different ideas, as I’m still at the beginning of my journey and there’s so much more to discover. For me, it’s important to continuously improve the quality of every watch I create and be able to do more in-house work, especially with a new movement. This is what I aim to do for the LN2. It has also worked out that my second watch might be made in the United States, which adds another exciting chapter to this journey.

Where do you see yourself heading in the next couple of years? What can we expect from you?

I’m truly excited about the journey ahead, every day I learn a little bit more, and I want to spend more time studying horology, be able to make more components by myself and find new ideas to bring together in a watch.

You currently live in London, England but are originally from Lithuania if I’m correct. How has that move shaped your view on watchmaking?

I’ve received a lot of support from Lithuanian watch enthusiasts and collectors. I’m hopeful that one day, we’ll have more new watchmakers emerging from Lithuania.

How can people get in touch with you or stay up to date on your work and progress?

My website will be open very soon but for now, everyone is welcome to reach me on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.