CHÂTEAU DES MONTS!

 WEEK 189

Team A

Origin: Sweden, The Philippines & Taiwan

Name: Daniel, Miguel, & David

Watchmaking class: Fullskill

Current mood:

This week we have been introduced to more machines like the lathe, the grinding machine and the profile projector.

We were shown how to sharpen the gravers for the lathe and how to thread screws and bore holes.

We learned how to use the profile projecter to check the angle and dimensions of our work pieces.

After another week of practice, our consistency is starting to come together.

-Miguel

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (14-18 November) Tetsu and Dean continued making pivot gauges.  As the sizes of the gauges being made became smaller, the amount of work required to ensure they didn’t break under the pressure of burnishing became greater.  Also of note was the need for them to ensure their gravers were as sharp as possible when cutting the shoulders of the pivot gauges.  The hardened nature of blue steel can wreak havoc on the sharpest of gravers, so knowing when to swap out the dull gravers for sharp ones has become important.

Burnishing such small pivots has proven to be a high-stakes game of balancing pressure against increasingly small pivots.  One wrong move and hours of work can be snapped off in the blink of an eye!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tetsu and Dean

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Me and David started with the balance and hairspring topic. We are now practicing different methods to remove the roller from the balance staff and balance staff from the balance wheel. Besides that, how to remove the collet from the balance staff and how to remove the hairspring completely, i.e. from the collet and stud. Very interesting exercises, can't wait to see how we fit and manipulate a new hairspring later on!

-Renato

Geartrain...a little taste of real "meat and potatoes!"

The 3 of us did some timed work on ETA 6498 movements this week, where multiple sections of study were put to the test:

- The Winding/Setting works

- The Barrel for the mainspring

- The 4 wheels of the Geartrain

We had a short period to note any previous scratches/defects on the mainplate and bridges, then the challenge was "Don't add any fresh ones!" as we dis-assembled the movement, noted any introduced errors, corrected them, cleaned all the parts, added lubrication to specific points, and put them back together for grading.

A very satisfying week where so many parts of a watch came into focus all at once, a small feast for the senses of accomplishment and knowledge coming together at once.

-Robert

Team D

Origin: Finland

Name: Xinying

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

This week I finnished setting and winding practice for rest of the movements and started practice with barrels. It was a little bit challenging at the beginning but gradually I learned to look at right spots to complete practice barrels and I will continue next week to do the same for the movements.

Xinying 

STEP 1: TURNING AND MAKING THREADS IN LATHE! (DANIEL, DAVID & MIGUEL)

Michael showing how to set up the lathe prior to turning!

STEP 2: LE LOCLE WATCH MUSEUM! (ALMOST EVERYONE)

Eagerly waiting to get inside!

Astonishing level of engraving work!!

Engraved Apple watch!

At the Château des Monts last Sunday we had the chance of meeting Jean-Bernard Michel showing us how to engrave!

STEP 3: SPECIALIZED TOOLS! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco making some special size tools for his Horia jeweling tool!

STEP 4: THE BALANCE AND HAIRSPRING! (DAVID & RENATO)

David and Renato learn something new this week; how to extract hairspring, double roller and balance staff!

HENRIK's WORDS:

 

Lots of raining this week! Most of us went to Château des Monts, the watch museum in Le Locle to see Jean-Bernard Michel showing his work! Xin was working on barrels and mainsprings! Miguel, David, and Daniel got introduced to the lathe as well as the grinding machine and profile projector! Renato and David started a new course; the balance and hairspring course! Tetsu and Dean continued with pivot gauges and the quality of the burnish was much better compared to the week before and the dimensions got closer as well!  Francesco, Asmund and Robert had 2 trial gear train exams!  It was a very interesting week!  Have a great weekend everyone!