The end is near

 This Friday Artemiy has finished his final exam. 5 movements in 5 days, so this weekend is time for celebration.

Hard at work

Craig has also managed to finished manufacturing all the parts for his school watch. When assembled it beats soundly! It is a lovely manual wound calibre, now what is left for him is adjustments and the finishing. 

Jaewon learnt this week how to operate ours school’s jig borer, so he can finish making the tools in the micro mechanics course. Although it is not a very dangerous machine compared to the others, it is the most complicated to use. 

Gary always experimenting, is now trying some enamel dial variations with different layers of powder. They are coming out very lovely!

Blue like the ocean

A few of our students drove up the mountain last night in the snow to attend an event in the watchmaking museum. The event was the 179 years anniversary of Ulysse Nardin. A talk was given on the history of marine chronometers and their technical development. Afterwards we were given the opportunity to see some lovely pieces produced by them.

Until next time!

Milling Time

   Week 47

Is it hot chocolate weather? It's hot chocolate weather.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

     Art spent the week preparing for his Final Exam. It's crunch time!

 

Cesar worked together with Christiaan to try laser engraving as an approach for drilling holes for dial indices. Very flashy, but don't look directly at it.

 

Workshop B

Students:
    Christiaan, Craig, Gary, Jaewon, Philippe, Sense    

 

Gary has been hard at work on the milling machine, creating prototypes for several case designs.

  

 Jaewon and Philippe also spent some time on the milling machine this week, using the angled vise to make the the wedge shape of the polishing tripod. Jaewon started the milling process for the tripod, while Philippe finished his.

 

Jaewon starting the tripod

Philippe's finished product

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week

It’s alive!

 The milestone Craig achieved with his watch is that it runs for a full day after being wound. His watch is based on the ETA 7001. He re-designed the mainplate and all bridges, and machined them all by hand. This was done in addition to all regular course work.

The next steps are an improved custom barrel arbor and custom crown wheel, followed by finishing and plating.

Our newest student, Jae won, is trying out some finishing techniques. Here he used grattage on his posing plate, came out looking lovely.

Lovely 

Chris is doing some hand turning exercises before he moves on to pivot gauges and balance staff. He made a cute stand for all his work on the lathe.

Look at those boys on display 

Likewise, Phillip spent a few days mastering the slot graver. Practicing for the winding stem slot. He made a cute stand for his finished pierces.

Lil guys lined up

The senior students who have recently started their technician course are getting classes from their professor on the intricacies of oiling the keyless and motion works. Having 7 different calibres of varying sizes and types to practice on. Recently they also learned how to service and restore a barbell, fixing end and side shakes. In addition they are also practicing how to fix bent wheels! A useful skill of restoring an ancient watch with no spare parts.

Until next time!

Mun Graduates

 

   Week 44

Congratulations to Daniel Sai Mun Lam! This Friday he graduated after finishing the technician course. And he's moving quickly; he will have a full weekend of rest before heading straight to work on Monday.

 

Cheers!

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

     Bernd, Cesar, Joan, and Louis turned a corner in their coursework this week. First, they finished the hour wheel exam, bringing the first year of micromechanics to a close. 

 

Machining the teeth to the right profile

 

They now move on to year two technician work, starting with oiling Incablock jewels.

A LOT of Incablock jewels

Workshop B

Students:
    Christiaan, Craig, Gary, Jaewon, Philippe, Sense    

 

Craig ended the week by passing the hairspring exam, and did so significantly ahead of schedule. This will give him plenty of time to work on his own projects and hone his skills before he takes the final next year.

 

 Jaewon has progressed to another machine in the shop: the milling machine. This tool will be instrumental in several of his projects to come.

 

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week

Break comes with a storm

 With school coming to an end before a 4 day break, what better send off than a large storm that just arrived and will be staying until the end of the break.

This week was a shorter one but eventful nonetheless. Starting with the most important, Mun took his final exam!

In the last few days he took his written and oral exam, as well as two practical exams, best of luck!

Some students have reached the final hurdle of their first year in micro mechanics. The final task being to complete an hour wheel. Teeth cutting is a time consuming but enjoyable. 

Teeth

More teeth

Teeth aside, the new students have started making progress on their winding stems. This week, playing with fire, they have started to learn to process of hardening and tempering steel bars. 

Burn baby burn 

Ending with Art and Craig who have now started to dive into the intricacies of the chronograph. Their brain powers quickly depleting after a few hours of theory.

Well that’s it for now, until next week!

Cookout!

 

   Week 42

Over the weekend, the students made the most of the fading warmth of autumn and all gathered together for cookout and bonfire. Everyone ate their fill of hamburgers, mac & cheese, and marshmallows before relaxing around the fire. Many thanks to Christiaan for the use of his backyard.

 

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

     A solid achievement for Art this week as he passed his hairspring exam with commendable marks. A weight off his shoulders, to be sure, and one step closer to the Final.

The timing machine analysis for Art's balance and hairspring, showing an average rate (X) of +3 seconds/day and a maximum difference between all positions (D, or delta) of only 5 s/d.

Workshop B

Students:
    Christiaan, Craig, Gary, Jaewon, Philippe, Sense    

 

Philippe not only finished his hand-turning exercises, but made a very nice display block for them.

 

 

Craig used some of his time this weeks to perform a full service and adjustment of a ladies' Omega watch from the 1960s. Very small, and now ticking away happily.

All apart

All back together

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week

Ever-turning

 

 

   Week 41

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

     Joan spent the week hand-tuning on the watchmaker's lathe, practicing making pivots that require a microscope to clearly see.

Workshop B

Students:
    Christiaan, Craig, Gary, Jaewon, Philippe, Sense    

 

Christiaan put the 3D printer to further use, fabricating a series of prototype cases for one of his watches.

 

As his work with the lathe continues, Jaewon was also instructed in the necessary maintenance of the lathe tools, learning how to sharpen the gravers on diamond grinder.

 

Craig reached the point of taking his first practice exam for the balance and hairspring. It's a full day of intense concentration, but at least it's the last exam before the final one.

 

Craig also put in some time learning how to make the spiral-ground finish developed by previous student Ivan Berets. It's not ~technically~ snailing, but it still looks very impressive. 

 

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week

Frost is creeping up

 Welcome back, another week in Le Locle past. 

Jaewon is getting aquatinted with the lathe. Looks like he’s building some gym equipment. 

The junior students, Gary, Phillip, Chris and Jaewon are working hard with the machines in the school, to finish up all their tools and move on to hand turning. 

Mill man Chris

Chris is doing some experiments on the lathe, trying to see the deepest cone he can make with a graver.

The lather Gary

In the meanwhile Gary has also been putting Chris’ new furnace to work in some enamel experiments. With some trial and error he found the ideal material for the enamel base and a good temperature. Here he is trying different colours to see the end result.

Fresh mint

Here we got Louis grinding hard and having made his first balance staff!

Look at that baby

Craig, always ahead, has now moved on to timing and adjustments, the heart of horology. He started timing the balances, making adjustments to the position and clearance of the regulating pins, and performing dynamic poising to bring the timekeeping into tolerance for 5 positions and at full and half winding.

Before 

After

Cesar and Bernd have happily finished with their pivot gauges, having completed their exams this week. But out of frying pan and into the fire, for balance staffs are next!

Thank you once again for reading. Until next time.

Rainy Days

 

   Week 39

And with a sudden shift in weather, the days have gone from warm and sunny to cold, rainy, and dreary. Everyone in the school felt it too, and sometimes there are just weeks where you try your best, but glass breaks, polishing scratches, and hairsprings don't bend right. Still we persist.

The best weather all week and still no sun

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

     In spite of the melancholic weather, Cesar made some nice progress on his set of pivot gauges, completing several with sharp shoulders and smooth domes.

The small reflected ring of light from a polished dome tip

Workshop B

Students:
    Christiaan, Craig, Gary, Jaewon, Philippe, Sense    

 

Christiaan, Gary, and Philippe were introduced to the watchmaker's lathe, a small 8mm version used for hand-turning small components. They now work through a set of practice pieces, getting used to finding the right position of the graver and the feel of a smooth cut.

 

Craig joined Art in shaping of the outer coils of the hairspring. Attaching the stud via a brass pin, gently adjusting the outer coil so that the curve always sits in the middle of the two regulating pins regardless of their position, adding a double-bend so that the collet aligns centered with the pivot jewel, and tweaking everything so that the coil sits flat - this is the final step of constructing the balance. Following this, only adjustments to poise and timing remain.

All the pieces of a balance and the complete assembly

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week

(Here's hoping the weather improves) 

 

Fairs and events

Another week another dollar. 

Everybody is keeping busy. Art is almost done with his technician course (2nd year) This week he was practicing the skills with the hairspring. Here he centred and flattened the hairspring, he also bent the regulating curve under the bridge! 

Delectable 

Jae won is here using the band saw to dice up chunks of brass. No hand sawing when it comes to an 8mm plate of brass.

Cuts like butter

Gary is on the lathe with a 3 jaw chuck rectifying a case. Using a dial gauge to measure its concentricity. 

Joan hand turning pivot gauges 

Some of the senior students have started vibrating balance wheel. This is when you oscillate the wheel while comparing its vibration to a reference wheel of a known frequency. This allows you to clip the hair spring at different locations to find the correct length for the spring.

Craig using his magic 

The balance wheel and the reference wheel

On Thursday some students went to the Gaia awards show in the international watch museum in La chaux de Fonds, Congratulations to Roger Smith won the Gaia award. Very lucky some students for the opportunity to meet him and congratulate him on this special night.

Lastly on Friday Chris brought his little watchmaking assistant to watch over his work.

That’s it for this week.

Until next time