Basel World

Basel World

As many of our readers know, this past week was Basel World 2016.  Before we get into the juicy details of the excitement the students had we would like to talk about the things that happened preceding the big event.

CJ serious about filing

In the beginning of the week we had a new taster course student from Taiwan.  CJ has had some exposure to the industry, but would very much like to expand his skills and knowledge in this field.  He showed that he was a hard worker and was serious about his education.

Prototyping

Our 3 students Theren, Tomas, and Simone are working on a secret project that they will try to enter a competition with.  The AHCI has a new talents competition every year where students from all over the world can compete to win fame and glory (along with 3000 francs worth of tools).  The students have started using the pantograph to make prototypes of their secret project.  More on this later...or not because it's a secret.

Blancpain showing off their tourbillon

Ulysse Nardin boat (not meant to sail)

Cabestan making incredible movements

So...Basel World.  It was the first time for most of our students to visit this big event.  Besides the usual suspects like Rolex, Omega, Patek...etc, there were also the more interesting independent watchmaker brands, such as, Voutilainen, Sarpaneva, MBF...etc.  It was a great opportunity for our students to meet the highest level of watchmakers in the world all gathered in one single building.  More on Basel World in the upcoming post.  Enjoy the pictures.

The independents

Pictures just don't do them justice  

Winners of the 2015 young talents competition from the AHCI

Taking it slow

Tomas tapping with a 0.35mm tap

The boys back to some old school micromechanics

Theren smoothing down his escape wheel

Exams are over and the students have a few weeks until Basel World.  It is too short a time for starting a new subject so these weeks are dedicated to catching up and doing extracurricular work.  Simone finished up left over exercises and started turning balance staffs.  Theren continues to do the fine details on his escape wheel and repairs on his own watches.  Tomas is working on a swan neck for his pocket watch and servicing and repairing other personal watches.

Shuai turning between centers

Taking some professional pictures

Shuai has started turning pivot gauges and also learned how to burnish using the Jacot tool.  He has thus started his journey of making 13 perfect pivot gauges, just like Eddie.

Henrik makes the cover!

For our friends in America that have not taken a course from Henrik, you're in luck, because Henrik was invited again by the AWCI to teach restoration techniques at their headquarters in Harrison, OH this August and later to give a finishing course at the AWCI annual convention this year in Chicago, IL in late September, link to the courses can be found here;

http://www.awci.com/education-certification/education2/list-of-continuing-education-courses/

If you are interested in meeting Henrik or taking one of the two courses offered by Henrik this year, feel free to check out the AWCI website and sign up soon!

KHWCC 2.0

That's one happy watchmaker

Theren replacing a broken guard pin

Tomas making his own anvils for the Horia tool

Lots of interesting things happening in the school this week.  The three students, Tomas, Theren and Simone had their escapement exam today, which was a big load off their backs.  Because the exam took only half the day, they thought it would be fun to grade each others' practice exams from the previous day.  Being the teacher isn't as easy as it seems!

The pantograph, used to make engravings and much more

Tapping machine used to make threads much quicker

The new and improved social space

The school got major upgrades this week also.  We got rid of the old plastic sofas and got brand new leather sofas.  They have proven to be dangerously comfortable, students sit down for a quick rest and find themselves fast asleep in seconds.  The machine room also got sweet new machines, specifically a Pantograph and a tapping machine.  The machines need a bit of work done to them before they can be used, but the possibilities the students can do now are really endless.

Longines 30B running.

Two years ago, Charles (our graduated student from last year) got a Longines cal.30B from a collector wishing to restore the watch, and because Charles just didn't have time before he graduated, he handed the watch to German (another student that graduated last year) and asked him to finish the job.  German was able to remake a balance staff for the watch and make it run again.  This Wednesday, the collector came back to collect his watch.  The collector was very happy to visit the school and see where all the watchmaking magic happens.  He also brought more of his collection for the students to see and perhaps even work on.

The collector sharing his passion of watches with the students

The movement that came in 2 years ago, returned to it's owner

More from his collection (Longines 13zn and Valjoux 72)

Tests in the past and future

Burnishing away

It's exam week, so everyone has been busy preparing for today.  Shuai's  winding stem exam is done with and Eddie has finished his Pivot gauge exam.  The other boys had their first practice escapement exam today.

Turning like a pro

Shuai's technique to prevent winding stems from bending was a great success.  He has made more than 5 winding stems without a single bend.  He may be onto something!

Tomas turning the setting lever screw

Theren working hard on his escape wheel

Tomas has pocket watch with missing swan neck and a broken winding and setting mechanism.  He has a lot of restoration work to do.  He has made a new setting lever screw already and is working now on a prototype of the swan neck for the regulator.

Setting lever screw: The original vs The new

Homecoming

The quarter repeater in all it's glory

Henrik's new toys

Henrik purchased a Billodes (aka Zenith) quarter repeater pocket watch and a Cyma full calendar wrist watch for the students to repair in the near future.  The quarter repeater was built in Le Locle where the Billodes factory used to be located.  The watches are in working conditions, but still need a lot of work done to make them perfect.

Theren milling the prototype escape wheel.

Lining up the cutter to the correct angle for the escape wheel

Hand filing the spokes of the wheels

Theren continues to work on his escape wheel.  He was able to finish the brass prototyping this week and has started on the real steel piece.  He has to do some minor modifications to the cutters he made, and now things look to be promising.

Shuai trying out different techniques to prevent bending

Shuai is working on the winding stem and as we all know, the bending from the heat treatment has caused the students the most trouble in the past.  Shuai has developed a new technique to try and overcome this obstacle.  He made a special tool to hold the stem and avoid bending.  The experimentation is still in progress.

Eddie working on burnishing pivot gauge pivots

Tomas disassembling his Russian watch

Tomas has finished his escapement exercises and has started working on his own watch repairs.  He started with a Russian Slava watch and from the design of it, it is nothing like the Swiss counter part.  He has another Swiss pocket watch which he need to make a swan neck for.  The original is gone forever, so he will need to do some research and design a new "original".

Simone finishing up his escapement exercises

Felix trying out assembling and disassembling different movements

This week we also hosted a new bench tester coming in from Oxford, England.  His name is Felix and he has already fell in love with watchmaking, and the school!

New tools

An assortment of tools Shuai purchased this weekend

Simone's flashy new escape meter

The students had some free time last weekend and they thought it would be great if they went for more watchmaking!  They went on a shopping spree in a tool shop and got some useful tools (and some not so useful).

Eddie turning pivots

Eddie continues on making his pivot gauges.  Starting with making cylinders and pivots, and most likely starting with the burnishing next week.

Shuai starts turning winding stems

Shuai's impeccably finished slots 

Shuai has finished all the prep work for the winding stem this week, and so will  be starting on making a complete winding stem starting next week.  Exciting things coming in the future for these two students.

Tomas doing the final cleaning

Simone adjusting his pallet forks with his new escape meter

The other students have been finishing the escapement exercises, adjusting the pallet jewels and doing the final cleaning of the pallet fork.

Theren making prototype spokes for the escape wheel

Planning is 90% of watchmaking

Making fly cutters for the escape wheel cutting

Theren started a restoration project, making an escape wheel for a Patek Philippe wrist watch.  The process consists of multiple steps, making many tools for making tools to make the part.  We hope he succeeds!

Tomas made a new type of finishing on the milling machine

Henrik found a solution to remove tungsten carbide (hardmetal). If a drill breaks in a brass piece made from hardmetal we can now dissolve it.

Lost and Found

Simone checking out the set up for adjusting the guard pin length

After finishing the theory on escapements Henrik showed the students a bonus lesson on vintage pallet fork guard pins and how they can be adjusted.  Special pushers are needed for this operation which is irreversible.  So don't try this at home!!!

Tomas adjusting the escapement 

Theren cleaning the pallet fork

Shuai started turning on the 8mm lathe this week.  Beginning with the turning of different sized cylinders out of brass, and later in steel.  Shuai also learned how to sharpen gravers by hand.  He also started filing squares in preparation for the winding stem.

Shuai starting on the 8mm lathe and enjoying it

Eddie started turning between centers

Due to massive amounts of assembling and disassembling the escapement for adjustments, the  students sometimes lose parts due to sudden gusts of winds (or maybe blunted tweezer, or just bad luck).  Therefore the students spent some time on the big table this week.

Sweeping the big table looking for a lost pallet fork

Tomas praying to the watchmaking gods to help him find his pallet fork

There's a flu going around in Switzerland and some of the students caught the virus.  It was a tough week all around.

Theren upgraded his screwdrivers with newly added leather grips