Winter approaches

Disassembled Incablocs

This week the students started to assemble and disassemble incablocs.  Incablocs are the shock absorbers in watch movements that prevent balance staff pivots from breaking.  They are extremely small and delicate, therefore it is a good exercise for the students to improve their manipulation with tweezers.

Theren assembling the Peseux 7001

Tomas cleaning his movement before oiling

Simone cleaning the yoke

Tomas preparing to oil the Incablocs

Henrik also started teaching the students how to oil watch movements, beginning with the winding and setting mechanism of the 6498 and 7001.  

Eddie has begun turning slots in preparation for the winding stem.

Eddie turning the slots

Meanwhile, Nicolas started to learn about the machines, starting first with the drilling machine and now this week he continued with the milling machine.

Nicolas squaring up the vice of the milling machine 

Nicolas making his brass anvil base

So far Le Locle has been kind to us with the weather, however, as news has it, we are expecting approximately a 20 degree drop in the next 3 days.