January 31, 2008 – 8:49 pm
In the world of watch repair obtaining spare parts is extremely important & often problematic. The american watchmaking industry invented the production of interchangeable parts in the late 1800s but parts weren’t really interchangeable until the 1940s. By the end of WWII watches could easily be repaired by identifying faulty parts and ordering replacements. For [...]
January 30, 2008 – 8:52 pm
When I graduated from the Lititz Watch Technicum, I left with an LWT Diploma, a WOSTEP certificate, and the title of AWCI Certified Watchmaker for the 21st Century. So what do they mean? My WOSTEP Certificate means that I successfully completed 3000 hours of coursework approved by the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program [...]
January 29, 2008 – 8:48 pm
I have three measuring tools I use on a regular basis. I use them for all kinds of things. I use them to measure parts dimensions to order replacement parts, I use them for measuring the width between lugs to fit new springbars. My favorite thing is to use them for making new parts, but [...]
January 28, 2008 – 8:36 pm
I love watchmaking! I very rarely have a day where I don’t enjoy what I do. Don’t get me wrong however, it’s not all fun. Today I write about one of the less appealing aspects of my career, in case you were thinking about becoming a watchmaker. Body Cheese is what we call it. I [...]
January 26, 2008 – 10:28 am
So, this is about the millionth blog post on the topic but I just wanted to throw in my $.02. The government is talking about sending me an $1800 check. $600 for me $600 for my wife and $300 for each of my two children. I think it is a great idea! We’ll probably use [...]
January 25, 2008 – 8:53 pm
I was reading in my January Horological Tiimes today about workshop organization and parts inventory management. I have seen some very cluttered watchmaker workshops. Often the watchmaker’s bench is completely covered with old parts and movements except for the 10 – 16 square inches directly in front of them where they work on their current [...]
January 24, 2008 – 8:49 pm
I’m going to put myself out on a limb and make some predictions for Basel World 2008. I don’t have any insider information, this is kind of what I’m hoping for and I think is plausible. I work with Rolexes on a daily basis, and I am a big fan. I went to watchmaking school [...]
January 23, 2008 – 7:36 pm
Isn’t she a beauty? I had the pleasure of working on this watch last week. It is a large (20 lignes +) pocket watch in a blackened steel case. The movement is swiss made in the studio of Pavel Bure (Paul Buhre) of Le Locle, Switzerland. The case ( and dial?) are made for the [...]
January 22, 2008 – 10:12 pm
Tuesday Tools The Horia Jeweling Tool What is a jeweling tool? Jewels in wristwatches serve as bearing surfaces for pivots. Essentially a gear (wheel) has an axle and the axle rides between two jewels. The axle needs to have some freedom of movement (or endshake) to allow it to rotate freely but not so much [...]
January 21, 2008 – 7:36 pm
One of the less glamorous things I get to do as a watchmaker is to change batteries in quartz watches. While not very glamorous, it pays well. Quartz watches rely on an electric current both for accurate timekeeping and to pulse a motor which moves the hands. Most quartz watches have either a 1.5V silver-oxide [...]
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