This is where you’ll find the musings of NFW owner, George Fox. It’s also where George will post the latest news at NFW and info about what George has up his sleeve or in his head!
George's Blog
US Special Forces Commissions NFW
Back in March of this year, I was contacted by the US Special Forces to see if we could possibly produce some AutoPilots using their insignia. NFW has an excellent reputation among our military customers, including members of certain Special Forces units. Our L.E. Skull & Tridents artwork got them thinking, since, coincidentally, it is very similar to an emblem that’s used by the Special Forces, known as their “Nous Defions” skull & arrows emblem.
Of course, I was honored that they even asked us to do this special project. They ended up sending us two different emblems/insignia so that we could get to work on the design concepts. As soon as we had the concepts ready I flew down to Fort Bragg in NC to present the concepts. The guys originally just wanted us to make one watch. But when they saw the drawings they liked them both so much that they decided to make both of them.
And the good news for you guys is that, in addition to the quantity we’re making for Special Forces personnel, they are allowing us to make some additional quantities of the exact same watches for our customers!
However, the BEST part of all this is:
FOR EVERY SPECIAL FORCES WATCH THAT WE SELL, WE ARE GIVING $50 TO THE SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION, CHAPTER 7.
THE SFA PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE FAMILIES OF OUR SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIERS WHO ARE KILLED OR WOUNDED IN COMBAT. HENCE, WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD TO BE ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE SPECIAL FORCES WHO DO SO MUCH, AND WHO SACRIFICE SO MUCH, FOR ALL OF US.
And now for the unveiling of the Special Forces AutoPilots. Here’s both of them together (below I’ll describe the significance of each emblem and show each design individually)
WATCH SPECIFICATIONS:
NFW AutoPilot (44mm x 15mm thick, but wears a bit larger)
Movement: Miyota 9015, automatic, 24 Jewels, Hacking
Sapphire Crystal (front & back)
SuperLuminova on hands & dial markings
Tactical-Black IP Case & Bezel
Black Rubber strap
Black Carbon Fiber Dials
200 Meters Water Resistant
HOW TO GET ONE:
We are only making a couple hundred pieces above & beyond what the SF orders and will begin accepting reservations with a $100 deposit, with the balance due when the watches arrive. To place your reservation, just shoot me an email at:
GFox@NFWonline.com
WATCH AVAILABILITY: October 2011
PRICE:
NFW Regular Price: $500
Advanced Reservation Price: $400
And remember that you’ll be contributing $50 to the SFA, Chapter 7 when you purchase the watch.
BACKGROUND INFO ON THE INSIGNIA SHOWN ON EACH WATCH:
“Nous Defions”
Like most anything else that is associated with Special Ops, the motto “Nous Defions” (French for “We Defy”, or “We Challenge”) has a somewhat mystified origin. Most in the US Army Special Forces community agree that the motto, and accompanying skull and crossed arrows logo, was born from the early days of the development of modern direct action and counter-terrorist tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) at a training area in Mott Lake, 11 miles west of Fort Bragg. Members of Special Forces that conducted training in Mott Lake generally agree that the phrase “Nous Defions”, and its commonly associated logo – the skull and crossed arrows – was born there.
There is some uncertainty as to the true origin of the motto itself. Some assert that it first emerged during World War II, with the French resistance movements. It is very possible that the motto was then adopted by elements of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) that organized, trained, equipped and operated with the French resistance. Today, the insignia is used by an advanced skills Special Forces school, Special Forces teams that focus on direct action, as well as select companies within each Special Forces Group. The symbol has even been adopted by entire Special Forces battalions.
“Nous Defions” is a challenge, a brash statement, an in-your-face phrase that illustrates the aggressive nature of the “Quiet Professionals”. At the same time, just like the men that originated it, its history is shrouded in mystery, lore and legend.
“7th Special Forces Group (Airborne): De Oppresso Liber! Crest Insignia”
The 7th Special Forces Group was activated on 20 May 1960 in Fort Bragg, NC. It is one of the most deployed formations in the special operations community and it has a combat resume that place it as one of the most combat experienced units in the US military. Because of their high deployment rate in Afghanistan, the 7th SFG has suffered many casualties, thus making the contributions from the sale of these watches all the more relevant.
As a unit of the US Army Special Forces Command, the 7th Special Forces Group is organized, trained and equipped to perform seven special operations missions: Unconventional Warfare, Foreign Internal Defense, Special Reconnaissance, Direct Action, Combating Terrorism, Counter-proliferation (of Weapons of Mass Destruction), and Information Operations.
At times referred as to “Green Berets” – due to their distinctive headgear, the quintessential Special Forces Soldier exemplifies the “Quiet Professional”. Like their other Special Forces brethren, the 7th Special Forces Group have been, and will remain deployed, throughout the world displaying their dominance in full-spectrum operations through their unconventional warfare expertise. They have been far forward of the front lines of every modern conflict, operating quietly, covertly, out of the limelight, in constant contact with the enemy and in the protection of freedom the world over. From humanitarian assistance and training of indigenous forces, to direct action and special reconnaissance missions, all Special Forces Soldiers live up to the Special Forces motto: “De Oppresso Liber!”, to Free the Oppressed.
This dial shows the Special Forces Crest, featuring the crossed arrows behind the banner that reads “De Oppresso Liber.” The “7″ signifies the 7th Special Forces Group.
On behalf of myself and of NFW, I am extremely proud and honored to have been asked to make these watches, and to support our Special Forces by giving a significant contribution back to the Special Forces Association, Chapter 7. And for any active and retired SF personnel who may be reading this: Thank you for your service!
If you’d like to reserve one of these Special Forces watches, by all means come & get ‘em!
If you’d like to learn more or donate directly to the SFA, here’s a couple direct links:
7the Special Forces Group (SFA Chapter 7): http://www.sfa7.com/Home_Page.php
SFA: http://specialforcesassociation.org/
Thanks in advance, everyone.
Best,
George Fox
NFW
How To Get YOUR ViperFish!
HOW TO GET YOURSELF A VIPERFISH!
Simple! Take a close look at the photos below, select the ones you want to purchase, note the model number, and email George Fox of NFW with the details of what you want (please reference the color and model number in your email).
George’s email address: gfox@NFWonline.com
AVAILABILITY: The first two shipments of ViperFish sold out very quickly. However, a new shipment has just arrived, so the pond is now fully stocked with fresh “Fish” once again.
3-HAND AUTOMATIC, SELF-WINDING MODELS
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Size: 48mm diameter by 18.5mm height
- Case Material: 316L Surgical Grade Stainless Steel
- Crystal: 4.5mm Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
- Caseback: Screw-down, with sapphire exhibition back
- Movement: Miyota 9015, 28,800 BPH, 24-Jewels, with NFW signed rotor
- Strap: Custom, thick, black silicon rubber with sturdy, custom tang buckle
- SuperLuminova Luminescent material on dial hour markers, all hands, and bezel markings that are white, blue, or orange
- Water-Resistance: 300 Meters / 1000 Feet
CLASSIC BLACK DIAL: MODEL 08510 Standard Price: $539
CLASSIC ORANGE DIAL: MODEL 08610 Standard Price: $539
BLACK CARBON-FIBER DIAL, ORANGE ACCENTS:
MODEL 08710 Standard Price: $565
LAVA RED SUNRAY DIAL: MODEL 08810 Standard Price: $565
BLACK & BLUE: MODEL 08910 Standard Price: $565
AQUA BLUE DIAL: MODEL 09010 Standard Price: $550
ACID GREEN SUNRAY DIAL: MODEL 09110 Standard Price: $550
Black, Top-Grade Mother-of-Pearl: MODEL 09210 Standard Price: $539
MODELS 08510 & 08610
MODELS 08910 & 08710
MODELS 09010 & 09110
MODELS 09210 & 08810
QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH MODELS
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Size: 48mm diameter x 18.5mm height
- Case Material: Surgical Grade 316L Stainless Steel
- Crystal: 4.5mm thick Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
- Caseback, Crown & Chrono Pushers: Screw-Down
- Movement: Miyota OS60 Chronograph, with 1/20-second resolution
- Strap: Custom, thick, black silicon rubber with sturdy, custom tang buckle
- SuperLuminova Luminescent material on dial hour markers, all hands, and bezel markings that are white or orange
- Water Resistance: 300 Meters / 1000 Feet
CLASSIC BLACK DIAL: MODEL 09310 Standard Price: $500
CLASSIC ORANGE DIAL: MODEL 09410 Standard Price: $500
BLACK CARBON-FIBER DIAL WITH ORANGE ACCENTS:
MODEL 09510 Standard Price: $525
AQUA BLUE DIAL: MODEL 09610 Standard Price: $515
MODELS 09310 & 09410
MODELS 09610 & 09510
Will there be a steel bracelet for the ViperFish?
Yes! We’re currently going through the tooling stage for the bracelet. Then, to build them is a 90-Day process. The bracelets will be available in June for those who want to get it. This will provide you with the option to just stay with the soft silicon strap, or to give your ViperFish a completely new look with the bracelet. There will be two color options for the bracelet: All stainless steel or Black IP stainless steel. Bracelet prices are TBD.
Thanks in advance for your business! Please let us know if you have any questions at all.
George Fox
President & Designer, NFW
Email: gfox@NFWonline.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/NFWwatch
Phone: 203-292-9271
How to Reserve Your AutoPilot Limited Editions!
NFW AutoPilot Limited Editions Are Coming
How YOU Can Reserve YOURS!
When? The VIP Advanced Reservation period begins Friday, Sept 24, 2010 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time (no sooner, please!).
How? For a limited time we’re having a special reservation period for our NFW Friends & Family. So, if you’d like to reserve one before we release them to the general public, here’s how to do it:
1.) Choose which model you want to get, and make a list of your Top-5 most desired numbers (for example, if you choose the watch that will have 113 pieces made, you may want your first choice to be #26, your second choice #16, your third choice #42, etc).
2.) Email George Fox directly at gfox@NFWonline.com no earlier than 6:00 PM, eastern time, Friday 9/24 (to be fair, reservations sent before this time will be moved to the back of the line. Thanks for playing fair!).
In your email, you’ll need to include: your phone number, the watch model number, and a list of your Top-5 most desired numbers. We’ll do our best to get your top number choices. If all 5 of your number choices are already reserved then we’ll just select a number to reserve for you to make sure you still get a watch.
3.) We’ll send you a confirmation email with the watch number that’s been reserved for you. We’ll then call you to get Visa or MasterCard info. $100 will be charged upon reservation, and the balance will be charged just prior to shipping you the watch. If you prefer to handle the transaction info via email instead of over the phone, please note this in your email.
When will the watches be available? We expect to receive them towards the end of October and will begin shipping them immediately, in the order that reservations were made.
Without further adieu, here they are!
“Liquid Steel” AutoPilot L.E. Model: 08210 Quantity Being Made: Only 113
Regular Price: $620
Your VIP Price with 20% Discount: $496
Inspired by the race car that NFW sponsors with iW magazine, the surgical-grade 316L stainless steel case, bezel, and bracelet are polished to a mirror finish. To say this watch is eye-catching would be an understatement! The black dial shows our “Skull & Tridents” artwork, done in what we call “liquid steel.” The hands & hour indices are coated in BGW9 SuperLuminova. The substantial 44mm AutoPilot case has a sapphire crystal, a sapphire exhibition caseback and each watch is individually numbered. Powering this bad-boy is the new, highly-anticipated Miyota Calibre 9015 automatic, self-winding movement. The movement’s rotor is signed with NFW. This work of art is secured to your wrist by our extremely comfy AutoPilot bracelet, which has 5mm thick, fully screwed links. The watch comes with two hex drivers for adding/removing the links. For water-resistance, this watch is rated at meeting or surpassing 200 meters (660 feet). We recommend reserving your piece asap. With only 113 of these being made, they may not last long!
NFW Fifth Anniversary “Black & Red” Model: 08310 Quantity Being Made: Only 55
Regular Price: $685
Your VIP Price with 20% Discount: $548
To commemorate our Fifth Anniversary, this very special AutoPilot is done in the NFW signature colors: Black & Red. The surgical-grade 316L stainless steel case, bezel and bracelet are finished in a rugged black ionic plating. Simply put, this is a badass watch! The intense, red, sunray dial shows our “Skull & Tridents” artwork in black. The hands and hour indices are coated in BGW9 SuperLuminova. The substantial 44mm AutoPilot case has a sapphire crystal, a sapphire exhibition caseback, and each watch is individually numbered. Powering this killer watch is the new, highly-anticipated Miyota Calibre 9015 automatic, self-winding movement. The movement’s rotor is signed with NFW. Securing this work of art to your wrist is our extremely comfy AutoPilot bracelet, which has 5mm thick, fully screwed links. The watch comes with two hex drivers for adding/removing links. For water-resistance, this watch is rated at meeting or surpassing 200 meters (660 feet). With only 55 pieces being made, we wish everyone the best of luck in trying to secure one of these, and congrats to everyone who gets one!
Remember: Reservations via email to George Fox begin no sooner than 6:00 PM (eastern time), Friday 9/24.
Thanks to all of our fantastic customers (members of the NFW Family) for the past 5 years! We couldn’t have done it without you. We’ll continue to do our very best for each & every one of you, for many years to come!
George J. Fox
President & Designer, NFW
Look Closely at the Wrists of the NFL Refs!
The 4th quarter of this year is gonna be hummin’ at NFW, folks!
We’re just now launching the “Official’s Watch” that the NFL asked me to design for all the refs to wear during games. This watch is 100% custom-designed, right down to the software inside the watch, meeting a long list of special criteria that the NFL refs asked for. This watch isn’t up on our site yet, but here’s a photo of it. We’re selling them for $99.95. Just shoot us an email if you’re interested in them:
And there’s lots more coming along in October & November. We’re working hard in the NFW Batcave, so stay tuned & let the games begin!
All my best,
George
Welcome!
Welcome to the much-heralded, greatly-anticipated, brand-spankin’ new NFW website!
Here you’ll find plenty of great photos of our watches and lots of information about what we do. You can peruse the “NFW Community” section where we fondly refer to our customers as being a part of “The Family” at NFW. You can read testimonials about us and our watches, written by people who’ve purchased our watches.
And in the store section you’ll find not only our watches, but also some of our other gear, such as our high quality hats & t-shirts. We have a safe & secure online store for making purchases, but of course you’re always welcome to call me to place an order. I always do my best to make myself available to chat with our NFW friends & family. Of course, I’m often embroiled in meetings, which is probably where I am if you call and I can’t pick up the phone. But the online store will make ordering quick & easy for you.
And don’t forget to check out our specials. I think about once per month we’ll put out some special pricing on a couple models, just to keep things fun & interesting!
We produce our watches in very limited batches, so if you see something that’s sold out, please feel free to contact us, via phone or email, to find out when it may be back in stock. Or, you may find another item that you like just as much.
Once again, welcome to our new site! Please sign up and join The NFW Family!
All my best,
George Fox
President & Designer
NFW