What is a watchmaker? (Artisan Edition)
“So you make watches?” Not really. But in order to fix a watch, it really helps to know how to make a watch.
Most watches and components are made by machines in huge manufacturing plants, not by hand. There are very few individuals making watches by hand, and most of them don’t fabricate every part. I make watches the same way you make your bed. You don’t actually build a bed from scratch every morning. That would be insane. I’m more of a watch repairer. Many of the skills and theory used in making a watch are necessary for repairs— especially when it comes to older pieces. So I’ll lay out for you some different ways to be a watchmaker.
Handmade artisans
In countries all over the world, men and women have devoted their lives to manipulating brass and steel into tiny machines. Some modify factory watch movements, and some build them from scratch. Others specialize in one field like making cases, dials and hands, or decorating movements. Anglage, perlage, guilloche, black polishing, and frosting.
These maniacs have looked deep into the past to a time before mass production, and have continued a centuries old tradition of creating exquisite artifacts. The investment in time and tooling is great. The pursuit of perfection is unparalleled. And the end result is absolutely amazing. Where do they come from? Some of them were machinists once, and they have merely found an outlet to justify their proclivity for hoarding old machine tools. Others are watchmakers or clockmakers who have fallen in love with one aspect of the trade, and seek to restore the work of great masters like Breguet and Faberge.
And sometimes you have to. The image above is two hammer springs made of brass. While brass is a terrible material for springs, the top one broke as a result of overconfidence. The bottom is a sympathetic recreation. Half way through the process of making the replacement, I realized that in the 1700s some young inexperienced intern like myself probably made the original. Oddly enough I didn’t see myself as an artisan at the time, just someone who seriously screwed up and had no other option but to make it right.
Sometimes a previous watchmaker has broken a screw on a 200 year piece, and you have to make a new one. But there’s no sense in making one— you need to make at least three. One to lose, one to use, and one to break. And with the time it takes to set up the tooling, it seems like a waste to make just one.
Once you’ve visited this side of horology, everything else seems like Legos. Fairly straightforward, very little drama, fairly low stakes. Tear down, clean, assemble. Over and over again. The level of personal and financial investment in artisanal watchmaking is unprecedented in modern times, but luckily for the world it’s not going away any time soon. And for those who are drawn to it, it’s a nice segue for young watchmakers who end up filling up the many open benches at shops and repair centers around the world.
