HOROLOGY
COURTESYRGMWATCHCOMPANY
wasverymuchanenthusiast.”
Lancasterhadbeenahub
ofAmerica’swatch industry
sincethe19thcentury,but in
the1970s, itspremierfirm, the
HamiltonWatchCompany,
movedaportionof itsop-
erationstoSwitzerland.This
countrywasthe lastbastion
ofmechanicalwatchmaking,
andafterBowman,Murphy
wentthereasatrainee inthe
WatchmakersofSwitzerland
TrainingandEducational
Program(WOSTEP).
Valuable thoughhis
WOSTEP trainingwas,Mur-
phygraduated justbefore the
industrybegan toboomagain.
With few joboers,here-
turned toLancaster,wherehe
landedaproduct-development
positionwith theHamilton
WatchCompany.Hisenthusi-
asmand traditionalwatch-
makingknowledgehelped
him to takeonavariedrole
and, in theprocess,he learned
productdevelopment, supplier
relationsand logistics.
“Ihadawatchmaking-and-
restorationbackground,and
Iwasgettinganeducation
inhowthemodern industry
worked,”herecalls.
Murphystayedwith
Hamiltonuntilabout1991,
doinghisownrestorationwork
ontheside.Bythattime,he
was losing interest incorporate
watchmaking.
“Theproductwasgetting
cheaper,”hesays. “WhenI
started,westillmadegoldand
gold-filled [watch]cases.Bythe
timeI left,wehadmaybethree
micronsofgold inacase. Itwas
justaboutmoney.”
Moneyhasneverbeena
primemotivator forMurphy,
butthepassionanddesire
tobuild lastingmechanical
timepieces is.Whenhe formed
RGMWatches in1992,hisgoal
wasmerelytoplyhiscrafton
hisownterms.
“Therewasnograndplanto
establishabrand,”headmits.
“IthoughtI’dstartabusiness
andseewhatIcoulddo.”
Working fromhisattic,
Murphy launchedthecompany
bydoingwatchrestoration
andrepair,andbybuyingand
sellingwatcheswhilehede-
signedthefirstRGMwatches.
Rendered inclassicstyles, they
usedSwisscomponents,and
Murphyreliedonprovensup-
pliersandconnectionshehad
fromagenerationofwatch-
makingexecutivesthatwas
rapidlydisappearing.
“Theywerestillpeopleyou
couldworkwithasa littleguy.
Icouldgoovertheretoacase
companyandsitatthetable
withtheguywhoran it,and
hewouldhelpmeout. Imeant
nothingtothemfinancially.
They likedmypassion. IfI
triedtodo [today]whatIdid
then?Noway.”
ThoughRGMassembled
high-gradewatchesbased
aroundSwissmovements,
Murphy’sambitionwasto
FROMLEFT:
RGMWatchCompany’s f
ounder,
RolandG.Murphy; the
AmericanMade801 has 19
jewels, beatsat 18,000vph
and isavailable in rhodium
orgold, finished inCotede
Geneveandperlage;
RGMheadquarters,which is
housed ina formerbank;
RGMcustom-madeCaliber
20 inaplatinumcase,witha
guilloche rose-golddial
AUTUMN
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
38
