Busy week!

 

Week 26

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Miguel, Nine, Sheikh
   

    This week Art and Nine did several practice exams for winding stem.

    This week Miguel took and passed his hairspring exam! He also made 3 custom Horia tool anvils to support the roller table when putting it on the balance and when putting on the collet and hairspring.

After turning the all the dimensions before finishing.

 

Plating them in white rhodium to protect the surface.

The pieces after plating and finishing. The necks were tapered to create a strong but still stable support for the roller table.

    This week Daniel, David and Miguel started the chronograph course.

Here Michael is teaching them the parts of the chronograph using a Valjoux 22, column wheel movement.

Next he showed them a Longines pocket watch

This particular chronograph is special because it has an instantaneous jumping minute counter.

Finally he showed them a Zenith El Primero movement to show different executions of the column wheel chronograph.

To practice, they each have an ST19 column wheel movement which is a copy of the Venus 175 movement.

 

    This week Sheikh started the technician course. He cleaned and prepared his tools and supplies and started his first lesson, which is to diassemble, clean, and oil 30 incablocs.

  

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

 

Workshop B

Students:
  
    Craig, Louis

    This week Craig started on making winding stems. He learned heat treating, how to grind hard metal on the agathon and started making a steel ring to protect the large cylinder when filing the square.

Here he is learning how to shape hard metal on the Agathon to make slot gravers.

 

    This week Louis started restoring a Marine Chronometer.

It has a cylindrical hairspring.

The pivot of the center wheel has very thick rust from disuse.

In the process of cleaning up the rust.

 

 Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!

Tour de Suisse and Bench Test!

 Week 25

This week we had a nice surprise when the Tour de Suisse passed through the town in the afternoon! 

They closed the road in front of the school all the way through Le Locle and up to La Chaux de Fonds!

We also had a new bench tester! Sense from Thailand!


 Here he is black polishing some screws on a tin plate.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A + B 

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Miguel, Nine, Sheikh

    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Mun, Varun 

    This week Art did practice exams to prepare for the winding stem exam.

    This week Daniel finished his case design for his school watch. It is made from 7 separate pieces screwed together.

    This week David tested bending and regulating a CGS 7.1 hairspring for the 6498.

 

 

    This week Miguel took several trial exams to prepare for the hairspring exam.

    This week Ivan, Louis and Varun started learning about the escapement. How to fix the lock of the pallet fork, how to fix the endshake of the pallet fork and balance wheel and how to adjust jewels and manipulate shellac.

 
Thank you for reading!
Hope to see you again next week! 

EPHJ Visit!

 

Week 24

This week we had a school trip to the annual EPHJ exhibit in Geneva.

    We got to see the different companies who produce the furnishings and other components for different watch brands.

Here is an assortment of loupes customized for different brands.

Here are several different designs for automatic rotors.

We met a company who is able to 3d print cases in titanium.

A multi axis CNC machine milling a watch case.

One of the movements from Dubois Depraz.

LESS SA's new product, eye glasses with an attached loupe
Their lighting technology is placed around the rim to illuminate the work piece.

A familiar looking sapphire case.

A company who specializes in making ceramic parts for bezels, pushers and crowns.

A company who was doing a demonstration of using a rose engine for hand guilloche.

 

    This week we also say goodbye to our good friend Faris as he finishes his 2 month extension to work on his own projects and he is returning home.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A+B

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Miguel, Nine, Sheikh
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Mun, Varun

    This week Art took a practice exam for winding stems.

    This Daniel has more progress on his bridges and mainplate design. Daniel has also passed his hair spring exam this week.

    This week Craig and Mun learned how to blue screws using the electric heater.

    This week Louis made a new 4th wheel and pinion for his his LeCoultre 5 minute repeater.

Louis hand spoked the 4th wheel

Louis remade the pinion as well the original pinion is the damaged one above,
The new one he made is underneath.

    This week Varun also finished adjusting the jewels and endshake for the gear train of the 7 movements and he also completed his geartrain exam.

 

 

COMING UP NEXT...

Thank you for reading! Hope to see you again next week!

New Friends and a Lot of Balance Staffs!

 

Week 23

This week we welcome a new student to the school! Sheikh from Singapore!
 

Here he is preparing to drill and tap a hole for his balance bridge holder.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS


Workshop A+B

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Miguel, Nine, Sheikh
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Mun, Varun

 

    This week Daniel practiced hair spring bending and regulating as well as gaining some progress on the school-watch gear train.

 

 

    This week David serviced one of the required 7 movements, he finished the ETA 2824. He also continued working on his school watch project, he made a new winding stem for his movement.

 

    This week Miguel continued practicing hairspring and is now learning dynamic poising on his 6498. He also started on hand turning a new balance staff for his P. 7001.  

Turning the balance staff as one piece from a bar of blue steel.

Size comparison to a hand. The total length is just over 2mm.

Close up under the microscope after parting off. The pivots have not been finished yet. Miguel will take it to the centers lathe and jacot tool for burnishing and final adjustments.

    This week Craig finished his pointed nose hand vise and his brass anvil.

   

    This week Ivan took and passed his gear train exam! He also made a CAD of a 6498 3/4 plate.

    Ivan also started turning a balance staff for a Lemania split-second stop watch.

 

 

    This week Louis practiced burnishing axles, made a balance staff and made a 6 tooth escape pinion blank for his school watch.

 

Here is a close up of the cut teeth of the pinion blank.

Here is a close up of the front half of the burnished balance staff.

 

COMING UP NEXT... 

 

    Next week is the annual EPHJ fair where companies from the watch and medical industry will be showcasing their latest tools, machines and innovations.

 

    The school will be attending to look for tools and machines as well as to learn about any new innovations and production methods. 

Thank you for reading!


 Hope to see you again next week!