STUDENT OUTING!

 WEEK 167

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

This week the technicians started the second trial hairspring exam. We are focusing on riveting, flatness, centering of hairspring and poising balance. The exam is very challenging, as all exams are. It is one thing to finish each task on your own, but to finish on time is a part of the exam, too. It's great that everything has significantly improved for our second trial exam.

Kate Raksina

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Tetsu and Dean

More than five months having passed since Tetsu and Dean started the Fullskil program; where did the time go?!

This week, Tetsu finished his barrel closing tool, with which he finally had some experience with the Schaublin 102.  It means that both have finished their graded and non-graded mandatory tools.  Tetsu and Dean are now looking forward to using their newly-aquired micro mechanical skills in the next part of the Fullskill program.

Dean worked on doing some light restoration work to his Rolex Oysterquartz Ref. 17000 (see separate blog post below) and performing repairs to some tools he acquired in preparation for later coursework in the program.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week we visited the EPHJ trade show. We saw many interesting companies. It was nice to see how technology and digitization is shaping the future of the watchmaking industry. Asmund worked on winding stems, Francesco on pivot gauges and cleaning his new collection of movement holders. Robert worked on winding stems. I continued to work on cleaning and oiling the keyless works. 

-David

STEP 1: VISIT! (EVERYONE)

We had very good fortune and got a tour of Philippe Narbels workshops! Thank you so much Philippe!!

STEP 2: VISIT #2! (EVERYONE)

Good times!

STEP 3: VISIT #3! (EVERYONE)

As a bonus we had a really interesting visit of the iron museum!

Really cool visit! This was in Vallorbe where they make the best files in the world!

STEP 4: EPHJ! (EVERYONE)

This year was really pleasant and interesting!

STEP 5: BALANCE AND HAIRSPRING! (TECHNICIANS)

Technicians working on balance and hairsprings!

STEP 6: ROLEX OYSTER QUARTZ! (DEAN)

Dean continued restoration work on his Rolex Oysterquartz watch by disassembling the case & bracelet parts.  A trip to the ultrasonic cleaner yielded some great results.  After installing a new crystal, tube, and gaskets, it was ready for many more years of use.

STEP 7: WATCHES! (DAVID)

A real beauty! 

STEP 9: WINDING STEM! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund made another nice winding stem!

HENRIK's WORDS:

 

Summer arrived! The temperature got as high as 28°C! The visit to Philippe Narbel was great!! He was really kind and spend a good amount of time with us showing his workshop and giving valuable tips and tricks regarding high end finishing! We also went to EPHJ in Geneva to network and check out some tools and machines! It was a very busy but fantastic week!  have a great weekend everyone!

COOL TOOL!

 WEEK 166

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

The technicians are finishing up the hairspring course. We have been straightening, flattening, centering and poising for the past few weeks and we are now fully aware just how important the balance and hairspring are to a properly running watch. It’s truly amazing how the smallest adjustment can make such a big difference in performance. We are now seeing all of our efforts come together during the timing portion of the course. We talk about rate, amplitude, regulating pins and delta. This is a very challenging part of our education at KHWCC and we are all slowly mastering these skills.

David

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood: n/a

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood: 

Hello everyone 

This week has been passing by really fast, I finally did the last finishing on the brass anvil and delivered it to Henrik for grading. Where satisfied with the results with diagonal straight graining, but time will tell if it is up with Henrik’s standards or not. Also working on the adapter for the micrometer stand, it’s going forward but I will need to find a digital micrometer before I can make the final dimension for the hole which the micrometer will fit into. So far so good! 

Francesco is working on different tools and pivot gauges, as I’ve seen it’s going really well. Think he is ready for the exam next week, so best of luck to him! 

-Åsmund

Robert has been doing the last graded winding stem and we had a good discussion on how to do the heath treatment and I think we both had something to learn from each other. 

Not a lot of high-tempo action this week, just refining and finishing the 3 winding stems we as students will keep.

Saturday we go to the Vallée de Joux for a watchmaker's bourse, an opportunity to find resources. The weather forecast for the weekend is nice and sunny, should be a good trip down and back.

Robert

After plenty of practice in cleaning and oiling incablocs I'm now going through all the different movements on our list. Disassembly, hand cleaning and then reassembly of the winding and setting mechanism, which is the first part we work on. The incabloc part was a good practice to get some routine in oiling and handling small parts. Sharpening tweezers properly is an absolute must, using the correct oilers too. Fun work. Interesting to see those industrial movements and how they're engineered with cost reduction in focus. Sometimes with very weird outcomes. Quite different to the nice pocket watch movements I worked on so far! 

-Renato

STEP 1: TOOLS! (TETSU)

Tetsu made this cool looking pallet fork holder to make shellac application easier!

STEP 2: TIMING! (TECHNICIANS)

The technicians trying out timing!

STEP 3: TOOLS! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund finalized his brass anvil!

STEP 4: HERRLI! (FULLSKILL & TECHNICIANS)

Almost all of us went to Herrli in Bienne, it was nice to see Maurizio again!

Got this beautiful mini press! Thank you Maurizio!

STEP 5: BOOKS! (ROBERT)

Robert brought this interesting book to school!

STEP 7: YOUNG TALENT COMPETITION 2023! (EVERYONE)

Now open for inscriptions; F.P. Journe 2023 Young Talent Competition!

HENRIK's WORDS:

 

Although the week was a bit cold, the temperature is forecasted to go up for the weekend which would be nice! The technicians were mainly working on tweaking balance springs but they also got introduced to timing which is a very interesting subject and for many mind opening, especially if you learn all the other parts of a watch movement before! Tetsu and Dean were busy with their last tools and David and Renato continued with the winding and setting mechanism, last week visit to Maurizio at Herrli in Bienne was great! Tomorrow most of us will go to the watchmaker flea market in l'Abbaye hopefully to pick up some cool tools! we also got invited to the very talented watchmaker Philippe Narbels workshop! you can find him here; https://www.instagram.com/philippe_narbel_watchmaking/  or https://www.instagram.com/manufactor_sa/?hl=en   and   https://www.instagram.com/narbelandco/   It was a great week! have a great weekend everyone!

BUSY AGAIN!

  WEEK 165

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

Hello ,

The hairspring examination is coming soon, technicians are practicing to adjust the hairsprings after putting it on the main-plate. We have learnt how to place the regulating curve in the middle of the regulation pins. We also have to indicate where to bend hairspring to make it flat and center. It’s alway difficult at the beginning but we still hope that keeping on practicing will improve quality of our work.

A Verachai

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (30 May~03 June) Dean & Tetsu had a rather relaxing week after having been their tools graded. Now they were working on some small pieces, such as non graded tools and bolts & nuts to be fitted on the other creations.

Dean quickly finished two tools; Pallet Fork Platform, Barrel Closing Set & Graver Holder, then moved over to produce artistic bolts & pins going on his Pointed Head Nose Vise mainly on his favorite Schaublin 102.

In the meanwhile, Tetsu was gaining new experience by using a milling head & dividing head on the Schaublin 70 and made test/experimental pieces, which were all used for his tools later.

He then started planning his Pallet Fork Platform and started to cut the materials.

It was a less stressful week but an intensive one as usual and they are ready for a long weekend.

Hope you all have a nice one, too.

Dean & Tetsu

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Another milestone behind me, finished the last winding-stem exam! And my heat-treatment method left the stem straight, no need to straighten, one less step to do. Just need to make a few extra for personal keepsakes, not a timed exercise at this point, opens up the window for customizing...oh, yes!

Weather is supposed to be spectacular this weekend, perfect for a school trip to Herrli in Biel for a chance to purchase some parts/tools.

STEP 1: TOOLS! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco made a hand setting tool for the staking set!

STEP 2: KEEPING OUR PLACE CLEAN! (TETSU)

As a tradition the students have weekly duties, this week it was Tetsu who had the kitchen duty!

STEP 3: GLOW! (DEAN)

Dean had a Rolex quartz watch that will need some restoration!

Two of the lume plots had fallen off at 8 and 9 o'clock!

STEP 4: MORE TOOL MAKING! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco working on some other tool we will see soon!

STEP 5: SHOCK ABSORBERS! (RENATO & DAVID)

Traditionally very early in the technician course the students learn how to disassemble, clean, lube and assemble back the famous Incabloc shock absorbers to help warm up before starting with the movements, and this also gives them the chance to see how well their tweezers perform, David and Renato were busy with this and also they learn how to deal with the winding and setting system of a watch including how to correctly lubricate them!

STEP 6: MILLING! (TETSU)

Tetsu was busy milling some last tools!

STEP 7: WATCHES! (A & KATE)

A & Kate got some more vintage watches to work on!

STEP 8: HAIRSPRINGS! (TECHNICIANS)

The technicians were very busy with the hairsprings, working to get them as flat and centred under the bridge, as well as correcting the centering of the hairspring between the regulating pins!

STEP 9: VINTAGE WATCHES! (RENATO)

We had a look at one of Renatos very interesting watches!

In need of restoration!

STEP 10: ! (ROBERT)

Robert; Found a bird's nest in my lever indicator, get to start hairsprings a little early...

 

HENRIK's WORDS:

 

We got more or less the same weather as last weak, so the week felt like it went by in no time!  Renato and David continued with the technician course practicing shock absorbers and got also introduced to the winding and setting mechanism as well as a general introduction how to deal with mechanical movements! Robert and Asmund finished their winding stem exams, the Technicians continued with hairsprings mainly making them flat and centred under the bridge, Dean and Tetsu had a very experimental week using the lathe, milling machine, and the jig-boring machine on the tools they have complete free design on! It was a very enjoyable and creative week! Tomorrow (Saturday) we will also go to Herrli in Bienne to get some more tools and watch parts! have a great weekend everyone!