Tempus Fugit

 Week 17

The school has a new student: Sense from Thailand. He started work on the Technician course last week and is showing great progress.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

    Joan spent this week working on the pointed nose vise, delayed by the tragedy of glue separating while the piece is still in work.

 

Workshop B

Students:
    Craig, Ivan, Louis, Sense, Sheikh, Varun

    

Craig moved on from the dial of his watch to the mechanism itself, milling out the dial side keyless works based on the design of the ETA 7001.

The pieces fit!

 Louis has assembled his watch - a detent movement of his own design made entirely from scratch, and it is tantalizingly close to working. It ticks with help, but there remains a power delivery issue to troubleshoot.

Louis, Ivan, Sheikh, and Varun have also been spending time preparing for their final exam, which is fast approaching....

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!

Easter

 Hello again,

Easter break starts tomorrow!  The senior students are preparing for their final exams and finishing up their watches.

Craig completed his first prototype dial, made with steel applied indices and nickel coated brass plate. 

Dial prototype

Joan is finishing up his balance bridge holder.

Pointed staff turned in the lathe 

The students in their micro mechanics course have started hand turning and working in winding stems.

Winding stems in progress

We had a special visit this week by Jason Champion, an old acquaintance of Henrik. Mr Champion is now the head teacher at AWCI, he came to observe how watchmaking is taught over here and to discuss watchmaking in America. Always great seeing passionate watchmakers from other sides of the globe.

Henrik, Jason and Michael

Hopefully the weather pulls through for the Easter break, happy Easter and until next time.

Watchmaker

Week 14

This week the school is proud to congratulate Ivan Berets on the manufacture of his school watch. It is a rectangular movement based on the Peseux 7001, featuring a German Silver mainplate and three-quarter plate. Beveling and finishing all completed by hand. Beautifully done!

This week also held the yearly watch festival in Gevena, with multiple showcases of watchmaking including Watches and Wonders, AHCI, and Time to Watches. The students took a day to peruse the wide variety of clocks and watches from independent and small-studio watchmakers, talking shop with some of the designers and perhaps gaining inspiration of their own.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

    Bernd, Cesar, Joan, and Louis Lu began learning how to harden and temper steel. A tricky process to get the right temperature and time while avoiding warping.

 

Workshop B

Students:
    Craig, Ivan, Louis, Sheikh, Varun

    

Louis made a balance staff for his school watch, and notably out of titanium. Strong and light, and also more difficult to machine.

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!