Occasionally I am drawn to the watches manufactured by RGM (Roland G. Murphy). Some of the movements are beautiful to behold. But I wonder how these compare to other boutique watch makers? Some of the world's greatest (Dufour, Smith, etc.) sell limited production pieces that command very high prices for watches without complications, because of the level of finish. Can RGM be considered among them? Do their watches justify the high price (but relative bargain compared to the "masters")? How much is truly American-made? Am I being presumptuous (or lazy) to assume hairsprings and possibly other parts are manufactured by companies outside the US, whether Swiss or Chinese? The forum here doesn't recognize "RGM" as a search word, and searching "Murphy" doesn't turn up much. If I missed some choice threads on the topic, please direct me! I'm also not ashamed to admit I am hopeful to get a response from you, Al @Archer. You have visited Dufour and have handled some boutique masterpieces though I don't know if your experience supports an opinion on RGM. And I respect you may not have time/interest/experience to respond, so no hurt feelings if you don't chime in. I guess my curiosity stems from the occasional desire to own a magnificently constructed timepiece, in the reality of not being able to afford such rare examples of the art...
I've done a bit of research on the ever-factual internet... Seems RGM displeased A Blog To Ignore, I mean Watch. Not sure how it should reflect on RGM. I have also read about the fabrication of machines to perform the work of machines too difficult to find or fund, but I'm uncertain how it might impact the final product (if at all). Seems my inquiry may go without response due to the relative obscurity of the watches, and potential "political" implications, which I understand and accept. But the query remains if anyone cares to comment. Thanks!
Sorry I know you were hoping to have me give you some insight here, but honestly the watches are just not on my radar much. I've not seen one in person that I can recall, so if I did I was obviously not really struck by it or I would remember it. The guilloche dial work they do is very nice, but I can't say if that translates to the movement quality really. The only personal experience I have with their work is sort of tangential in nature. They are the service agent for Sinn in the US, and I have serviced watches that were serviced previously by them I was told. Based on what I saw in terms of adjustments to pretty basic ETA movements (assuming that they had not been tinkered with after RGM worked on them) they weren't as thorough as I would like, but this is so far removed from what you are asking about I don't think it's very relevant to be honest...
I don't watch commercials much in this age of the digital recorder (I catch a few between beer and snack runs watching American football). But now I have "Eminence Front" in my head... Not a bad thing, really Screen shot from the commercial... ...but definitely NOT a movement made in USA (although I like it)!