It's Winter Break!

The temperature drops right before our vacation, and we had a cheese fondue to wrap up the year.
As usual, we had a deep cleaning of the whole school before break. We are ready for our vacation, and wish everyone safe and sound during the break. See you next year :)











Finally, some of our works this week. Enjoy

CJ annealing the regulator back to normal carbon steel for easier machining.

Choose the proper Phillips curve according to the bridge.

Stan re-pivoting his restoration project.

One more week to the winter break

This week we try to finish as much of our project as possible, because our last winter break in school is coming. Waiting for us ahead is the final exam, time really flies by. :( 
let's check the pictures of what we are working at.

Last weekend the previous student Joe came for the finishing course. It's nice to have him here and we also had a chance to have dinner together with him. Thank you Joe, and all the best.

Yi-Ting is modifying the centre wheel to fit the snail cam into it. 

The challenge is to drill the hole through the whole pivot. The steel is very hard and she couldn't do the drilling in one shot because the hole burnished very easily. She had to drill a bit, clean, and remove the burnish with various compounds. It,s really time consuming. 

Stan accidentally break the fourth wheel pivot, and is a good chance to practice re-pivoting. 

Forth wheel with broken pivot.

After drilling a hole. After this, he still have to prepare the pivot to fit in the hole.

Very busy week for the lathes.

Balance before losing weight. CJ is preparing the bimetal balance for his prototyping, compare with 6498 it is way to heavy, so he has to do some filing to lose some the weight and make it look nice.

Balance after losing weight and some finishing.

Interview from Smell of Metal launched on Youtube

Smell of Metal just launched the interview of Henrik on Youtube. Many thanks to them and please enjoy the video and know more about our teacher and school. Link: https://youtu.be/X68kIx-NdR0

After some basic introductions and manipulations of vintage valjoux 23, modern 7750 and module type Dubois Depraz 2020, the chronograph course come to an end. Today we introduce Breguet hairspring and doing some practice of forming the double bend. Next week we'll back to our own project and try to finish as much as possible before the winter break.

Waiting for the moment when module type chronograph Dubois Depraz 2020 engages with ETA 2801 movement.

Breguet hairspring in blue steel from Le Locle watchmaking school in the past gives us motivation!

Black Friday, Chronograph, Taster Course

    Last week we had watchmakers to join the restoration course, and they were here to learn some restoration skills and get some tips and tricks. They learn how to use the lathe to cut a wheel and also how to use a profile projector to make a missing part from the movement, gold plating, sirface finish restoration jig boring etc.

    This week we had theory for the classic chronograph, ETA 7750 chronograph, and the modular chronograph for the base movement. Before we start adjusting the movement, we made some tools to help us to do the job easily. After that,We learned how to adjust the chronograph with the Column wheel to function, and we also learned how to dissemble 7750 and the module one. The classic chronograph with the column wheel is much more beautiful compared to the other two. Learning how to make the right tension for the spring is really important and it is not easy. The components adjustment for chronograph also not an easy job, each adjustment will affect another. However, all in all, it is fun to work with chronograph movement.

    This week we had a visitor from Malaysia, Adrian. He works in a watch shop in Malaysia as a sales for few years, and now he want to learn more watchmaking skills for himself. He mention that it is really hard to find a school that he could learn the skills he wants. Finally, he found our school and came for the bench. We think he will be here soon to start his watchmaking learning life.

Hour wheel cutting

Hand filing the yoke

Shorten the normal screwdriver for the chronograph adjustment

 Add a torque drum for the screw driver

 Hand made key for Column wheel adjustment

 Classic chronograph Valjoux 22

Peak to peak (not good!)

Nice tool to check the minute jumping moment

 Replacing broken rubbed in jewel

Looking good with some cleaning up of the surface too.

Adrian visited for the taster course/bench test

It's Winter Time

Keep updating some pictures about the Biennale du Patrimoine Horloger. We have a chance to visit Greubel Forsey, to have a close insight of the factory. Also have a pleasure to talk to the watchmaker behind the watch. And later, during the conference event we have BHI watchmaker come to La Chaux-de-Fond  share some history and their experience to us. 

During the weekend, there are also watchmaking flea market in Les Fins, France and La Chaux-de-Fond Horology Museum.  Thanks Henrik to bring us to both place, so we don't miss out each one of them in our last year during school.

We had visitors from the Smell of metal, who interviewed Henrik and promoted watchmaking in their blog post.

Outside of Greubel and Forsey

 

The British connection

Flee market!

Smell of Metal visit and interview of Henrik

Some of our daily pictures:

tried a tip on thread removal inside of crown, thanks Horological Times! 

Filing bridges to shape

One step closer to finishing the school watch.