Graduation

 

 Week 21

This week we celebrated the graduation of four students: Ivan Berets, Louis Stein, and Varun Kumar from the 2-year Fullskill course and Sheikh Bamadhaj from the 1-year Technician course. Congratulations to all of them!

Preparing for the party at the school

Ivan Berets

Varun Kumar

Louis Stein

Sheikh Bamadhaj

Going out to dinner to celebrate

Ivan, Louis, and Varun all went above and beyond the requirements of the Fullskill course, and the three of them already have jobs waiting for them with independent watchmaking companies. We will no doubt be seeing great things from them in the future.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

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

    Even with the celebrations, work doesn't stop for the students. Bernd passed his winding stem exam this week, and Art and Nine worked on pallet fork adjustments. Joan prepared for his own winding stems by making slot gravers, sharpened to a fine point.

 

Cesar spent his time this week learning how to make snailing finish. 

 

Workshop B

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

    

Before graduation, Ivan, Louis, Sheikh, and Varun got in one last lesson on servicing quartz movements.

 

Louis measuring for isolation between contacts

Craig continued work on his school watch, making sure the bridges were properly aligned to the mainplate.

Piece by piece....

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!

The cows have arrived

 

The cattle of wisdom have come to informs us that summer is soon upon us.

This is a big week for KHWCC, after a week of examinations, four students have finished their final tests. Their movements will be assessed over the weekend and their graduation will be next week. Soon we will have a new batch of students starting their journey.

Game faces on

As for the other students, they have been busy too. Art polished a cracked pallet fork jewel, wasn’t an easy job.

Cracked jewel

Voila

The students making their way through the micro mechanics course are still mastering hand turning winding stems, getting ready to take their exams soon.

Joan’s threads 

Cesar’s tempered stem

We celebrated Craig’s birthday this week by devouring the chicken pot pies he baked for us. Looking forward to the next one.

Happy birthday Craig!

That’s it for this week, until next time!

Calm before the storm

 Some good weather came to wish us a good weekend in the end!

View from the workshop 

Concentrations sharpen as 4 senior students prepare for their week long practical exams next week. This Friday they say their theory exam and spoken exam with the professor.

Ivan has also been producing multiple ETA 7750 movement holders this week with the school’s new 3D printer.

The finished product 

Craig has been making progress on his school watch and this week he has been working on the great train bridges. Milling out the general shape and drilling through holes.

Coming along 

Art constructed a small jig to hold pallet fork jewels to be polished on a tin plate. The jig can be attached to the polishing tripod he made.

Jewel polisher 

The students on the micro mechanics course are currently working on hand turning winding stems. Learning all the skills from turning, hardening and tempering with polishing.

Slot making practice 

Hand turning the winding stem pivots 

That’s it for this week. Thank you for reading, until next time!

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!

Last week!

 Spring weather is truly upon us. 

This week Art and Nine are making progress in their technician course, Art took his gear train test this week and is moving on to the escapement.

The senior students are making progress on their school watches and out most senior, Dunny, had his last week with us. 

Louis finished making the wheels and assembling his gear train.

Gear train on the German silver plate 

Using the topping tool

Louis used a vintage topping tool to reduce the diameter of his center wheel to make a smoother transition of power to the third wheel.

Craig is working on his dial and devised a method to cut post for the dial feet by making his own cutter.

Cutting the bit 

Tempering the bit

And…. Voila

The final hollow cutter to easily mill posts.

Cesar is working on his posing plate. 

Crocodile 

CROCODILE

This is Dunny’s final week with us before he travels back home to Texas to go independent. We all wish him the best of luck with his future endeavours.

Until next time Dunny

That’s it’s for now.

Thank you for reading!

Until next time.