Celebration time

 Yesterday Bernd finished his hair spring exam! This is his final exam before his final exam. Now having 5 months free to prepare and work on his own projects. A big weight lifted. 

Over in our workshop, after Bernd’s exam we started learning the final details of the technician course. Our professor taught us the theory and oiling points of the calendar and of the automatic winding. Which now leaves just the chronograph. 

While in the other workshop, Nick is making solid headway on his turning. After having learnt how to operate the lathe, he’s quickly finishing parts for his tools.

Balance bridge holder

Completing his balance bridge holder, a very useful tool in the second year. Also putting to use the milling attachment to make screw heads. 

Meanwhile Sens is preparing for his final exam, here achieving and almost perfect reading.

Jaewon, Chris, Gary and Phil are now learning the intricate winding and setting system of the watch. A part of the watch hidden behind the dial and rarely seen. This arrangement of the watch is particularly tricky to oil and involves a couple different oils.

That’s it for this week! Until next time!

Who let the dog out

 Everyone working hard over here in Le Locle. I myself finished restoring a very old pillar pocket watch. With gilded and hand engraved bridges, it is quite the handsome watch. 

Dog?

After a lot of debate, we still could not come to a conclusion as to what this animal is.

Not many parts to this watch

As for GUI, today he completed his winding stem restoration exercise. For this, he is given a caliber with no winding stem at all, from this he deduced the full dimensions of the stem then turns and tempers it. A very useful exercise.

Dimensions to be found

Restored 

Jaewon, Chris, Gary and Phillip are now learning about barrel restoration. Going through arbor end-shake and side-shake, and how to change it. 

Work arbor 

Chris laser engraved the back of Joan’s custom AliExpress build. Came out nicely.

Sense is now preparing for his final exam, touching up his skills on regulation. Attempting to reach isochronism, where the rate at low amplitudes match the rate at high amplitude, giving the watch consistency. As well as dynamic poising, to match the rates at different positions.

I’ll end it with a reminder of spring’s arrival. Until next time!

Bizarre phenomenon

 Here we observe an interesting event. On a ETA 7750 which at very low amplitude the escapement greatly miss-locking. The escape wheel tooth can be seen falling directly on the impulse plane of the jewel. Although as the amplitude rises, the teeth can be seen sliding up to the locking face from the impulse face, until it very quickly falls directly onto the locking face, no longer miss-locking. Interesting to see. 

On other news, a lot of students have been taking exams this week. Gui and Caio both took their winding stem exam, and Nick took his first exam. Nick took his male and female exam, hand filing two brass pieces. 

Here we can see Nick now learning his way around the lathe.

Onto Chris, been forging some metal. Melting his tin to make a black polishing plate. 

Jaewon started to take apart his Valjoux 23, finding some interning reparations. The pusher lever having been welded together. Interesting technique. 

That’s it for this week. Until next time!

Another day another dollar

This week flew by fast, everyone was busy at work. In workshop 2 Gary, Chris, Jaewon and Phillip started the technician course! A big jump from micro mechanics, learning very different content. As always the technician starts with trial by fire, oiling 30 Incablocs to get a feel for the finer work which is required by the technician course. After which they moved on to the wheels, tedious work. Bending a series of wheels is harder than is sounds, the high spot is always running away from you. Nick, our newest student just took his very first exam, a grueling 8 hour exam!

Gary bending wheels 

As for our workshop, I took my hairspring exam! The last exam before the final exams, if that makes sense. A very difficult exam, requiring many different skills to complete. While Caio and Gui have almost mastered the turning of the winding stem and hopefully will take their exam soon. 

How it starts 

Winding and grinding 

On some side news, our professor Michael and I have been experimenting on how to turn a regulator balance to a free sprung without adjusting the inner pinning point. Results have been promising.

That’s it for now, until next time!

Happy Birthday Craig!

 Short week this week, yet still eventful. I’ll kick things off with the most exciting accomplishment. Craig has done the final assembly for his caliber. The Eclipse 000. A real work of ingenuity, came together looking very unique. The knowledge learnt while building it is just as important as the watch.

Voilà!

Lil guy

Now backing up to the weekend. Us over here had a lovely fondue day,, home made 4 different flavors.

Everyone came over to the workshop and ate till we could move no more. After which we put on Tropic Thunder to digest. Was a great time, though the only thing we were missing is a chocolate fondue!

Now back to work, Jaewon Had started work on pivot gauges, not an easy job, though so far he’s fairing well.

Caio and Gui are approaching their winding stem exam, a daunting 8 hour exam involving may different skills, from hand turning to hardening. Here is one of Caio’s practice pieces. 

To end it off, we show the creation of Joan. Made purely from Ali express for a genuinely unbelievable price.

That’s it for this week! Until next time.

Cows are back

 You know spring is properly here when the cows return. 

Unfortunately it’s a rainy day for them. As for us, hard at work. Hair springs are still taking up all of my time and the other senior students. Our skills have greatly improved since we started, after many weeks bending springs under the microscope we are feeling much more confident using tweezers to manipulate the spring.

Gary made a new case prototype out of brass for a 7001, it’s looking sharp!

Some more good news, Jaewon do his wining stem exam  this week and passed! He’ll be moving on the pivot gauges.

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

Fire and fury

This week we all just spent laboring away, the senior students are still working with hairsprings, almost understanding the secrets the coils hold. Preparing for their exam. Guilherme and Caio are understanding the frustration of hardening the winding stem and learning of the fickle nature of steel under high temperatures and cold water. 

Over in the other workshop, Chris, Gary and Phillip are making their way through the pivot gauges. A task which at the start seemed almost impossible, but now burnishing is coming naturally. As for Nick, still fresh off learning the drill, still got plenty to learn from the machines. 

Jaewon ever on his experiments, is trying hardening on winding stems of different materials and with different techniques. Results are inconclusive.

Hardening 

Until next time!