Here’s a tool I learned how to use from a jeweler. The Ball peen hammer is very useful for forming rivets. I use it whenever I need to replace a worn rivet in a watch bracelet. This is a useful skill which should be taught in watchmaking school but is not. It […]
I just spent 4 days talking watches from 7am to 11pm. It was fantastic! It was the first time I had attended the AWCI Convention and it was even better than I had expected. It is truly amazing to be surrounded by professional watchmakers (and clockmakers) who work in magnificent situations.
Even before going […]
I’m off to the Annual Convention of the American Watchmakers Clockmakers Institute. I hope I will have lots of good stuff to post about when I get back. See you all next week (unless I find myself bored in my hotel room at night in which case you might get a short and […]
Before I was a watchmaker I didn’t think much of safety glasses. I remember wearing them in science class in school. As a kid I mowed lawns, used power tools without ever thinking twice about safety glasses. — As a watchmaker my eyes are very important to me. I would have to […]
When I was preparing for graduation from watchmaking school I interviewed for an internship with Rolex. I remember one of the questions they asked me was why I wanted to be a watchmaker. I said something like, “I like the creativity involved and getting to see so many different watches and how they accomplish […]
I hinted yesterday at the fact that there are many ways a crystal can be attached to a watch so I thought I would run through them.
1. Many mineral glass crystals are held in place by epoxy. This is especially true when there is a thin metal border on the underside of the crystal like […]
When installing new glass crystals sometimes they are held in by a gasket but other times they are held in place by a two part epoxy. The different methods for securing crystals is actually quite diverse. Seiko makes an adhesive specifically for securing crystals but really any two part epoxy will do, so long as […]
An update to the what is it post. That tool, which I confess I did not know exactly what it was for, is a tool for cutting shoulders on pocket watch bows. Thank you Jon for informing me. Here is a close up shot of the cutters and a video of it […]
What is it? We have here a tool from my workshop. On one side it has a large disc with small cutting tools on it. There is a pin to position the cutters. There is a handle to rotate the cutter. Only one cutter rotates at a time. On the back side […]
Bergeon showed some new fancy tools for watchmakers at Basel this year. I haven’t had a chance to actually play with any of them, hopefully I’ll get the chance before too long. For now here is the catalog of new tools but don’t forget your pocket book, these tools don’t come cheap. Here […]
