“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” —George S. Patton Watchmaking is about creating problem solvers. Not solution memorizers. Here’s how I use an ecological approach to teaching watchmaking. Learning watchmaking techniques are important. However, learning watchmaking principles is even more crucial. The best watchmakers in the world remember principles. Not techniques. Principles can be applied in multiple scenarios. Techniques can only be applied if all the parameters are met. In school, it’s important to learn the fund ..read more

Over the past few months a lot of you guys have approached me to learn watchmaking. You’re tired of the traditional schooling route. You’re tired of the boring jargon. You’re tired of a lot of things. You message me with the intent to learn from me. I’ve answered a lot of your questions but I feel that this needs to be public- even if it’s brief. I teach watchmaking with a principles’ based approach backed up by practical actions. My approach to watchmaking can largely be based off of 3 key principles. There’s more but let’s keep it short for now.  These are: 1. The principle of Investiga ..read more

  “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” — Mark Twain Watchmaking is not a well traveled path and for many it may seem extremely daunting. I have received many questions from watchmaking students in regards to what to expect and how to manage expectations.  If you're an aspiring watchmaker, watchmaking apprentice, or watchmaking student, you will want to read this. I applaud and thank you for your commitment and interest. The very fact that this field has piqued your interest is worthy enough. It takes a special kind of person ..read more

The Art of Oiling in Watchmaking - Lubrication 101 DISCLAIMER: Specific oils and lubricants will come and go. The ones that I’ll be going over here are the current “accepted” standards of watch repair. The following practices may become obsolete. New lubricants and standards are still being developed to push the boundaries of average service cycles. THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH PROFESSIONALS.  MORE PEOPLE TINKERING WITH WATCHES NOW It seems that a lot of people have started to tinker with practice movements (which is pure awesomeness). Please see How to Get Sta ..read more

How I Applied Watchmaking To Get a 4.0 GPA, Win Competitions, & Run an Ultramarathon Let’s talk about the last year or so… I’ll skip right to the chase. Classic no BS style.  RECAP Before I stepped away a year ago (February 2021), I was out to prove for my next upcoming book that the PRINCIPLES of watchmaking extends far beyond creating and repairing watches. I was out to prove that it could be applicable to everything we do in life. I was trying to prove that these principles could be used in everyday life to simplify, breakdown, and learn anything. It was a rather bold claim when I ..read more

This tip is valid for MODERN Rolex watches. If your watch is older and uses an acrylic/plexi crystal, this does not pertain to you.  Here’s how you can tell if a Rolex watch has a reflective coating or not. Use a loupe and look at the 6oclock marker on the crystal. You should see an extremely faint Rolex logo. See below image for a reference. We also use this to tell if the crystal is centered. ?  Usually we'll use this 6 oclock indicator of the Rolex logo to see if the crystal is centered. The logo should line up exactly at 6. This way, the cyclops of the crystal lines up ideal ..read more

If you’re relatively new to the industry or if you haven’t heard yet, many of the watch companies have been resorting to swapping movements in the repair process. This is NOT a rumor. This is NOT a speculation. This is for a fact. Whether you like it or not. If you think this is unethical or morally unjust then I suggest you pick that fight with them. I am not here to state whether or not this is a matter of ethics and whether or not they should be doing this. Rather, I am here to discuss WHY they are doing this. WHY WOULD A COMPANY OR BRAND RESORT TO MOVEMENT SWAPPING RATHER THAN REPAIR IT? O ..read more

Figure 1. A breakdown of UV Light and it’s potential usage for watchmaking and coronavirus OVERVIEW OF UV LIGHT TO COMBAT THE CORONAVIRUS FOR WATCHMAKING PURPOSES There has been a lot of craze about the possibilities of using UV light to kill the Coronavirus (COVID-19). While a lot of it is plausible and possible, the usage of UV light to kill the virus on watches may be more problematic as opposed to a solution to the industry. WORLD WILL BE CHANGED WHEN COVID-19 IS OVER One of the first things we’ll find is that when the pandemic (at the time of this writing) is over, the watchmaking indust ..read more

The book is taking the watchmaking world by storm but I need your help. Hey homie... If you can take 30 seconds of your time and write what you liked (or disliked) about the book on Amazon- It would definitely help the book in terms of ranking. Click here to leave a review Within the first couple days of 100+ No BS Watch Tips for Watch Enthusiasts & Salespeople being released, we took the position for #1 for New Release sold.  Within the next several days following that, we quickly rose past Top 10 and the book is currently #3 for Clocks & Watches on Amazon a ..read more

Eudaimonia - The state and pursuit of self-excellence and full human potential This post is going to be really different than the normal posts that you’re used to reading from me. This post is for dealing with difficult and tough times. It is applicable to any situation and is not limited to any specific occasion. This will not be a watchmaking post although a lot of principles do derive from it. This post is a heart to heart human connection to you. I am approaching you first and foremost not as an acquaintance, colleague, or friend but rather as a family member, brother, or even as a mentor ..read more