FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Dunlaing is a co-location brand; our design studio is in Ireland and our operations centre is in the UK. Dunlaing benefits from a family-owned design studio situated in Galway, containing an array of inspirational elements encompassing Irish art, history, literature, aeronautical engineering, and mechanical intricacies, many of which have been created by members of the family. The studio's location amidst the picturesque Irish countryside affords views of the Burren and Connemara mountains, with occasional clear days even revealing the distant silhouettes of the Arran islands. ​ Within this studio space, design sprints are facilitated. Our Head of Design, Michael Dowling, frequently allows himself a dedicated period to focus solely on the creation of new wristwatch designs and the enhancement of existing offerings, all while being immersed in the captivating ambiance of the west of Ireland. Typically spanning several weeks, these design sprints encourage a deep focus on creative development. Many factors were considered before employing our co-location approach. ​ The UK hosts vendors with competitive pricing and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. Given the considerably higher expenses in Ireland, encompassing rents, cost of living, and other factors, the watch's sale price would need to be significantly higher if our operations were based in Ireland at this early stage in the brand's life. The decision to house our operations in the UK is also influenced by factors like its watchmaking heritage, robust infrastructure, and a well-knit horological community. This choice enables us to present our wristwatches at a more reasonable pricing and provide free shipping, all while fostering organic brand growth. As our economies of scale continue to expand, we have intentions of extending a portion of our operations to Ireland in the future. However, during this growth phase, it is the UK that presents us with the most favourable prospects to do so effectively.

Dunlaing primarily uses Royal Mail for shipping our watches, although we may use other shipping services as needs be. Countries that we cannot ship to are as follows: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Republic of Guinea (Conakry), Guinea- Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, North Korea, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Russia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

Your watch runs based on the movements of your arm. Give your watch a shake and wind using the crown to get the watch moving again.

Your watch may be magnetized. A watchmaker with a demagnetizer will address the issue within minutes, for a minimal fee.

Yes, all the movements used in Dunlaing Watches have a hand-winding feature. If the watch is automatic, it will wind with general use. hand-winding should only be used if necessary. Simply refer to the product manual showing what position the crown needs to be in and then turn the crown in a clockwise direction. You should feel a small bit of resistance. Continue to rotate the crown 15 to 20 times, this should give the watch significant power reserve.

Each product page and manual will outline the power reserve of each watch. Generally, we use movements that have an approximate power reserve of 40 hours. To ensure an automatic watch keeps running, wear it and move your wrist. This will rotate the rotor, thus winding the watch. If it is a manual watch, then you need to regularly wind it.

Mechanical watches are marvels comprised of springs, components, gears and screws which all work together to tell time. At one point in history, all watches were mechanical and required manual winding in order to be powered. These watches were typically wound via the crown, which in turn tightens the mainspring inside the watch. The mainspring is the power source of all mechanical watches. Once wound, through a series of components and gears known as an escapement, the mainspring's tension is incrementally released which powers the watch. What makes an automatic watch (also known as a self-wind watch) different is that it has a weighted rotor mounted to the back of the watch's movement. The rotor is usually shaped in a semi-circle and is connected to the mainspring via a series of gears. With the motion of your wrist, the rotor spins on an axle and in doing so, winds the mainspring which in turn powers your watch.