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Designed with Cervine Design
Turning an idea into something real
Our stand began with a fairly simple idea: create a display worthy of the watch that went to the Moon.
Turning that idea into a physical product was considerably less simple.
One of the most important people in making that possible has been Scott at Cervine Design, whose CAD design, engineering knowledge and willingness to work through countless small details helped transform the stand from a concept into the product you see today.
The first CAD Moon and Stand
This was once the moon had been created to accept the watch insert, it was time for a stand, something simple but also something that gave an engineering nod.
An aluminium stand, brushed finish with the LunarDial across the front, it was simple but perfect, it looked great but also left the moon (and the watch) front and centre.
More than simply drawing a model
When we first started working together, the broad idea already existed. We knew we wanted an accurately detailed lunar surface, a recessed watch display and a stand that presented the Moon at the right angle.
What we didn't have was the engineering needed to make all of those things work together.
Scott took the concept and began solving the practical problems behind it.
The Moon itself needed to retain the incredible surface detail of the lunar model while becoming something that could actually be resin printed. The watch holder had to follow the shape of the Moon, hold the cushion securely without making the watch difficult to remove, and connect to the outer shell without compromising its appearance.
Even apparently small details became design projects of their own.
Finger and thumb recesses were added to make removing the watch cushion easier. The internal structure was developed to support the holder from behind rather than introducing unnecessary material around the top. Wall thicknesses, clearances, locating features and fixing points were considered, tested and revised.
The surrounding bezel was developed as a separate component too, giving us greater control over finishing and opening the possibility of different materials, colours and even future versions of the display.
Designed around a real watch
One of the things we were determined to avoid was creating something that looked good in a computer render but didn't work properly once it existed in the real world.
So we printed things.
And then we changed them.
Test components allowed us to check the fit of the watch cushion, the depth of the holder, the strength of individual sections and how easy it was to put a watch into the display and remove it again.
The first time Scott's watch holder was printed, the cushion dropped into it almost perfectly.
That was a particularly satisfying moment.
There were still changes to make, including strengthening part of the rear structure, but that is exactly why prototypes exist. Each physical print gave us another opportunity to improve the design before calling it finished.
The Lunar Stand
Scott's involvement didn't stop with the Moon.
The stand presented another challenge.
It needed to support a relatively large resin Moon securely while remaining visually light enough that the Moon, and the watch inside it, remained the focus.
We settled on a presentation angle of approximately 25 degrees and developed a folded aluminium stand with custom set connection points for the Moon. The design had to consider how the Moon would attach, how it could be removed, and how the stand could eventually move from prototypes into production.
As with the Moon itself, a 3D-printable version allowed us to create and evaluate the stand physically before committing to manufacturing the final components.
A genuine collaboration
Perhaps the best way to describe Scott's contribution to Lunar Dial is simply as a collaboration.
There have been drawings, renders, test files, measurements, photographs, printed prototypes and a considerable number of messages beginning with some variation of:
"I've had another thought..."
Rather than treating those as an inconvenience, Scott has consistently taken the idea, considered whether it would actually work and come back with a practical solution or an even better suggestion.
Some ideas survived.
Some changed considerably.
Others were abandoned completely.
That's product development.
The result is something far better than the original concept could have become without that process.
About Cervine Design
Cervine Design provides accessible and flexible design support for individuals, creators and small businesses, including computer-aided design, 3D printing, 3D scanning, rendering, laser cutting and related design services.
For us, Scott's combination of CAD knowledge and an understanding of how parts actually need to be made has been invaluable.
The lunar stand may have started with our idea, but a significant part of turning that idea into a properly engineered physical product belongs to Scott.
We're very pleased to put his name alongside it.
Lee
Founder, LunarDial
Design & CAD development: Cervine Design
Texture for the insert
The first print of the main insert where the watch pillow sits was smooth, it looked great, but we felt it needed something, a texture.
We went to Scott and asked if he could create a leather like finish, a few days later three STL files landed, we printed them and it was C that we went with, it just gives a lift to the watch area and of the watch is on a leather strap the two pair really well.
A half Moon..
We printed half a Moon, we needed to see what the texture was like on a final print, it needed to be enough but not too much, the first print was perfect, enough detail without being too rough.
Now it was just a case of finalising the files, printing a full Moon and testing it for fitment with the watch and watch pillow..