Watches & Wonders Inbound

 We’ll start off the coolest stuff. Our friendly neighborhood Craig is making amazing progress on his school watch. Although he has graduated, he has rented a bench to carry on his research into the mystical arts of horology. 

Curvy

All you see is designed and made by Craig, here using a sandwich method for the bridges, giving it a truly unique look. Not only that but also making curved Geneva stripes, putting the waves into waves of Geneva.

As for myself, I have been trying my hand at black polishing larger surfaces. Here I am attempting it at the regulator of a Zenith pocket watch. Black polishing and frosting.

Before 

After

Meanwhile, in my workshop, Caio and Guillerme have started learning the process of making the winding stem, a complicated part which required many steps to complete. Jae won has also been making progress with this task, here showing his hardened and tempered stem.

Gary has started to work on a case, looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Tomorrow we will be heading to Geneva for a weekend in watches, we are all super excited and we will catch you up next week.

New student!

 Hello everyone, this week we welcome a new student to our school! Nick has joined us from England and will be staying in Le Locle for the next two years. 

Welcome Nick

On some other exciting news, our school is getting some tool upgrades! We have some new lapping machines, installed this week. It’s now up to our professors to master its use, then to teach us these new skills. 

The big guns

Onto the students, Jaewon ever on his side quests is pursuing the perfect burgundy, or maroon, or Bordeaux. So he’s been has success on screws, but still working on bigger pieces.

Slick

Gary has plated some hands on his vintage Tissot and relumed. Also found a perfect crystal replacement. Looking lovely now.

Before 

Voila

Meanwhile Chris, is doing some science experiments, a screw head broke with the screw in the watch. Unable to remove the screw Chris decided to melt it out. He dipped the bridge in warm sulphuric acid to dissolve the screw, it was successful. 

That’s it for this week, see you in watches and wonders!

Happy Easter

 Starting off with the most important event this week. Craig’s graduation!! We threw a little party in the workshop in honour of our new graduate, speeches drinks and diplomas were given.  

Happy teacher and happy student 

Congratulations Craig! We’re all excited to see the watches you will make. He is our 41st fullskills graduate!

Craig’s family joining us

This now making Bernd, Louis, Joan and Cesar the senior students. We are still making our way through the hairsprings, definitely the most patience testing part of the course. One slip and hours of work are gone. A lot of time is spent flattening and centering the hair spring around the collet, a crucial step in order to get good timing out of a watch later down the line.

This is not a happy sight

But we are persevering and making progress. Trying not to lose ourselves in the spirals of the spring. 

Chris in the meanwhile found himself a little hidden treasure. A pocket watch belonging to a priest with a very nice Moser calibre. 

Bearing the Moser stamp

Closer up

Now we break off of a long weekend to enjoy the Easter break and ponder what rabbits and eggs have to do with the resurrection of Christ.

Happy Easter !