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Making Mechanical Watches

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  • 20-06-2009 1:18pm
    #1
    sul02
    Closed Accounts Posts: 56 ✭✭


    Hi, Does anyone here have experience making mechanical watches? It is something i would like to get started at doing, however i dont know where to start. Can anyone recommend any starter kits etc? Any kits i have found to date, consist of attaching a pre made clock to a face you would make / design
    Thanks


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    #2
    Origipolo
    Registered Users Posts: 77 ✭✭Origipolo


    Hi Sul02, sorry for the late reply, holiday season and all of that. I attended the Irish Swiss Institute for three years before working for people here in Ireland and then companies abroad. Pity the ISIH closed, the training from Mr. O'Brien and his team was second to none, unfortunately the demand for the course disappeared. If you are serious about horology, I do not recommend you start out your career by investing your time buying watch or clock kits. There are quite a few branches to horology but all professional courses will start the same.. hours and hours of filing, drilling, turning, polishing, etc... before you are let near a movement. I have to be biased and suggest that any of the Watches of Switzerland training and education programs (WOSTEP) apart from getting an apprenticeship with Philippe Dufour or George Daniels is probably the best training you will receive.

    Birmingham City University has a horological programme, it is accredited by the British Horological Institute but I do not know of anyone that has attended or completed it. http://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/horology/bhiprel.html

    The BHI also does distance learning courses, http://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/horology/bhiprel.html

    I know the British School of Watchmaking has an opening for one student at the moment, its expensive but its a recognised WOSTEP Diploma like the ISIH used to offer. http://www.britishschoolofwatchmaking.co.uk/

    WOSTEPs headquarters in Neuchatel also run a full basic training course, again, it is expensive and may be difficult to get onto. http://www.wostep.ch/index.php?id=10&lang=en&page=8

    I would say that you are a bit away from making you first mechanical timepiece, but having said that, with proper training and attitude.... you will achieve anything. It took me five years to get a bench test with Claret! Have a look at some of the links below..

    http://www.claret.ch/
    http://www.mcgonigle.ie/
    http://www.watchrestoration.co.uk/

    The last link has a good quality video (4x realtime) of a Patek being restored by one of Steven's watchmakers...

    I really hope this reply to your post helps you and best of luck if you do follow the horological path. It may be frustrating at times but you will get enormous satisfaction from it... If you have any questions, I'll be here from time to time...


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