Fondue and Exams, the perfect menu

Everyone stuffing themselves with cheese fondue

On Monday the school hosted this years first Fondue party! All our students were invited along with some friends of the school.  It was the first time many of our students had cheese fondue.     They had a lot of fun and are looking forward to the next school event.

Tomas and Theren taking a practice exam

It is also exams week!  Our students have been working hard preparing for the exams all week.  The first exam consists of filing two pieces of brass into specific dimensions within the tolerance of 0.05mm.

Screw for the graver handle, made by Simone

Simone made a shuriken-shaped screw with the lathe and milling head attachment.  

Jig Boring on a snowy May day

This week our students learned how to use the Jig Borer.  They did a small exercise scribing and milling out holes on a brass plate. It is the most precise machine we have in the school, accurate to 3 microns! 

Theren setting up the Jig Borer

The students are almost finished with the tools.  In a couple weeks they will start with actual watch parts, winding stems!

 

We also had a visitor who brought a Ulysse Nardin Royal Blue.  It is a watch with a movement made mostly out of sapphire. It is a beautiful watch with only 99 pieces made in the world.

The Royal Blue

The second surprise today was that it snowed!

Snow in May

Milling with the lathe and Bench tests

This week we had our first Mongolian female bench tester, her name is Darima.
She currently works in the watch industry but came to Switzerland to get a better understanding of how a watch is made.

Darima doing the taster course

We had a new student, Simone, who joined us last week for the fullskill program.  He has some catching up to do!

Simone having fun filing

For the fullskill course, our students have been working on the Schaublin 70 Lathe.  Aside from turning with the lathe our students also learned how to drill and mill using the same machine.

Henrik showing the students how to set up the milling head

Darima also brought a Minute repeater pocket watch from Mongolia hoping to have it repaired and serviced.  Although in the end it wasn't repaired, it was a great movement for the students to see.  It is not everyday that we have a super complication in the school!

The pocket watch with the case closed

The dial of the pocket watch

The minute repeater super complication up close

Turning,milling and a visit

In the last few weeks the students tried out the Aciera F1 manual mill for the first time, they will later use this machine to make tools and watch parts. We also went on  a visit to the museum in le Sentier, Valle de Joux Espace Horloger where they had a demonstration on forgotten watch restoration techniques, although it’s a bit early for the students to comprehend fully what was demonstrated they still  got a good impression on how watchmakers restoring watches may work. The students will later in the course learn similar techniques.

Tomas practicing manual milling on the Aciera F1

Theren practicing turning on the Schaublin 70

Nicholas a new taster course student practicing polishing

Entry to the museum.

The local watchmaker demonstrating how to fit and vibrate a steel hairspring to an antique watch.

New hairspring fitted to the collet and balance.

Vibrating the hairspring to obtain the correct length.

And finally the hairspring with balance fitted in the movement.

Nice information boards in 3 languages.