February 26, 2008 – 9:38 pm
Today for Tuesday’s Tools I present to you my hand pushers. They are very simple tools, but frankly you really need to have good ones. Hand pushers are used for installing hands on a watch. Well made hand pushers will keep you from marking the hands when you install them. This set are Rolex [...]
February 21, 2008 – 9:17 pm
Micromechanics I
Micromechanics II
With our first major exam behind us it was time to move on to the next unit. With winding stems we learned to cut stems on the lathe. Mostly right angles and flat surfaces. Our next task would introduce large tapers. We were to make a balance tack. The balance [...]
February 18, 2008 – 8:54 pm
When I was in watchmaking school I had access to some of the best lathes made today. We had a Schaublin 70, a Schaublin 102, and 16 Horia lathes all with just about every attachment available. I learned to use them all and I got spoiled. We were manufacturing parts and making our school watch, [...]
February 13, 2008 – 9:07 pm
It has been a while since I worked on an ETA 6497, but I did so today and it reminded me how much I like this movement.
The 6497 and 6498 began as UNITAS calibers, but when UNITAS became a part of swatch group (through a series of acquisitions) it became an ETA caliber, like the [...]
February 8, 2008 – 10:08 pm
Part I
With our first exam out of the way we turned to our lathes. Before you can turn on the lathe however, you need sharp gravers. We were given a dozen gravers with beautiful diamond shape lozenge tips and then our instructors took them to the grinding wheel and squared them off. Using [...]
February 6, 2008 – 9:36 pm
By request, today I will go into more depth on my micromechanics training. To review, I attended the Lititz Watch Technicum. It is a WOSTEP Partner school in Lititz, PA fully funded by Rolex. The first major segment of the training covers micromechanical skills needed for watch repair. Before we ever started [...]
February 3, 2008 – 8:17 pm
The University of Oklahoma has revamped it’s watchmaking program. It is unclear to me if they remain a WOSTEP partner school or not, it looks like they are focusing on AWCI-CW21 recognition instead. That would be a bold move, but I believe it would be a smart one.
A press release on the school’s web [...]
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 and [...]
January 15, 2008 – 10:11 pm
I attended the Lititz Watch Technicum from Sep 2004 to Aug 2006. It was a wonderful experience and I recommend it to anyone who wants a career in watchmaking. The facility is truly amazing and the instruction is the best available. The program is constantly changing so I can’t tell you exactly what it is [...]
January 15, 2008 – 8:15 am
Let’s talk about things that tick.
I often get asked how I became a watchmaker. At age 28 I am exceptionally young for watchmakers these days. The average age of watchmakers in the U.S.A. today is about 46 I believe, most are ready to retire and a few youngsters are filling the gap, but not enough.I [...]
