Week 16 This week we had the opportunity to go to Arc Stämpfli's workshop here in Le Locle and meet its owner, Lindsay! This is her hand painting station for doing custom details such as lume or moonphases. This is the pad printing station. This is where the dials are printed. Here Lindsay is showing us how to apply the ink to the printing template. Art, David, Miguel, Nine and Varun printed a blue dial with Breguet numerals. Craig, Harold, Henrik, Michael and Mun printed a green dial with roman numerals. STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS ..read more

  Week 15 This week Watches and Wonders has started in Geneva and with it, many other events and exhibits in the city.   STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop A&B Students:     Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine     Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Mun, Varun     This week Miguel vibrated his 6498 hairspring to 18,000 vibrations.     The goal is to let the spokes swing together, that will let you know you are at the same frequency.     This week Miguel also finished making the tin polishing wheel for his screw ..read more

  Week 13 This week we are going to say goodbye to Amer and Faris as they will be completing their time in school. Best of luck to them and congratulations! They prospered under the care and guidance of Michael (far left) and Henrik (far right) STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop A+B Students:     Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine     Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun This week Daniel remade a broken crownweel for a detent pocket watch, it was a bit more tricky than conventional wheels due to teeth hearing downwards as well as outwards. St ..read more

  Week 11 STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop A & B Students:     Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine     Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun      This week, Daniel, David and Miguel learned how to manipulate hairsprings. Here they are learning how to manipulate a clock hairspring to begin. They also learned how to pin the hairspring to the collet, cut the hairspring, pin the hairspring to the stud, and attach it to the balance bridge. They also learned how to regulate the hairspring to exactly 18,000 vibra ..read more

  Week 10 STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop A and B Students:     Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun     This week Daniel, David and Miguel started the hairspring course. They started with removing the balance staff from the balance wheel and installing a new one. Michael demonstrating how to remove the roller table on the Bergeon Platax. Michael also showed them how to remove the roller table using the roller table removing tool. After removing the roller table, the balance is clamped into t ..read more

  Week 9 This week we had yet another bench tester! Joan from Barcelona! Here he is sharpening his screwdrivers to prepare for working on a 6498.     STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop A Students:     Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine     This week, Daniel has continued with adjusting pallet forks and completed his first trial exam.  Here is a pallet fork on the escape meter to adjust the depth of the pallet fork jewels.     This week David made a special attachment for the lathe to do sun ray finishing on h ..read more

  Week 8 This week we had another bench test! Nicholas from England! Here he is learning how to put in the mainspring in the barrel by hand.   STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop B Students:     Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun     This week Ivan continued planning out his school watch with Fusion 360.      Ivan also continued his restoration work on his pocket watch. He beveled and polished the edges of the ratchet wheel and used tetrabore to matt finish the top of the screw. Here Ivan refinished the e ..read more

  Week 7     This week we had a new bench tester! Bernd from Germany! Here he is working on a 6498 and a pocket watch movement.       STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop A Students:     Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine      This week, Daniel, David and Miguel learned how to remove the hairspring collet from the balance staff and flatten a balance wheel using the lyre and the horia tool. Here is the laser welded collet of Nivarox for an ETA 2892 balance wheel. Using hand levers, you must gently pry ..read more

  Week 6 STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop B Students: Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun      This week Ivan made a balance staff for his pocket watch.     This week Dunny made a pinion and wheel for his school watch.     This week Louis made an hour trip for a repeater pocket watch. GUEST STARRING Workshop A Students: Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine      This week, Miguel continued adjusting the escapements for his 7 movements and he also made a custom anvil and pusher for his Horia to rem ..read more

  Week 5 STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Workshop A Students: Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine     This week Art and Nine learned how to turn on the lathe. Art is turning the pin for the balance bridge holder.       Art has also taken and passed his first exam!     This week Daniel, David and Miguel learned about the different types of escapements.     Daniel has started with pallet fork adjustment. Daniel's set up for inspecting and cleaning his pallet fork. He made a custom tool by shortening a mandrin to hol ..read more