81–90 of 92 posts
https://imgur.com/a/making-mechanical-watch-VmYL7qF link direct to the gallery.
Ah thanks - we've changed to that from https://old.reddit.com/r/watchmaking/comments/1gvdmyo/i_made... above.
(I also enjoyed the overwhelmingly positive reception from the readers in that reddit sub - though that's less relevant of course)
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One of my very vague goals is to build a clock, from scratch, without looking anything up. It wouldn't have to look like a wall clock; just something that keeps 24-hour time within reasonable tolerances. (It's been impossible to avoid knowledge of all clockmaking stuff, but I still avoid watching videos on how clocks are made. This is probably going to be something I do once the child is in college!)
If you ever get to go to London... https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/clocks-timekeeping Latitude has a "natural" definition (sphere spins around, how big around are you spinning near the poles vs. the equator?). Longitude has no "natural" definition!? How far away are you from Mount Everest? ...only works when you have a natural sight line to the peak of the mountain... If "high noon" at London is exactly (ummm...) NOW!…
This weekend I came across this book while looking for something new to read. It may not be the best exploration of longitude, mapping, and trade as a technology but your comment brought it to mind immediately. You might find it interesting.
Tracks on the Ocean - A History of Trailblazing, Maps, and Maritime Travel https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo240066...
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Even the main spring? For some of the components it seems like a significant sacrifice in quality to make it yourself. I appreciate people can make their own, but I also think the obsession some folks have with in house movements is misplaced.
As for obsession with in-house movements, I like to observe to the obsessed that the most in-house brand of them all are... ...Seiko. They even make their own lubricants. (Wearing a nifty Seiko as I type this, but also own a handful of other Japanese, Swiss and German watches.)
Like this one which retails for a cool $365,000 USD: https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en/collections/slgt005g
Or you can get a nice everyday mechanical watch for as little as a couple hundred.
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As for obsession with in-house movements, I like to observe to the obsessed that the most in-house brand of them all are... ...Seiko. They even make their own lubricants. (Wearing a nifty Seiko as I type this, but also own a handful of other Japanese, Swiss and German watches.)
Seikos are extremely underrated. Also most people don't know, but they even make watches as intricate as the most expensive Swiss brands. Like this one which retails for a cool $365,000 USD: https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en/collections/slgt005g Or you can get a nice everyday mechanical watch for as little as a couple hundred.
I posted this several years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32447630
(link no longer works)
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> At a certain level, watches aren't about quality. Only exclusivity. Annnnd at this level I'm out. I mean, cool engineering solving a particular problem, near impossible tolerances, astounding art/materials all appeal on some level - but "exclusivity" on it's own doesn't mean anything.
> "exclusivity" on it's own doesn't mean anything. For most people, no. But for some people, who can buy anything, whose friends can buy anything, it means a lot to have something others can't buy. I'm with you though. I'm happy wearing a Seiko or other well-built but not expensive watch.
I use my phone these days. But if I wanted a watch I'd probably go for a Casio G-Shock solar - may or may not go for a variant with fancy GPS timing or scuba-proof. Features that take care of problems I might have.
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Ah thanks - we've changed to that from https://old.reddit.com/r/watchmaking/comments/1gvdmyo/i_made... above.
I did consider that when submitting, but the watchmaker submitted the post in reddit and had answered some questions there. Your call though. (I also enjoyed the overwhelmingly positive reception from the readers in that reddit sub - though that's less relevant of course)
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Almost everyone that's not already a large company is buying components. The only truly independent watchmaker I've ever heard of machining absolutely every component is Masahiro Kikuno.
Roger Smith (based in the Isle of Man) makes them from scratch. A bit pricey to say the least: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-65903947
Anyone who's into this kind of thing would probably dig watching Clickspring: https://www.youtube.com/@Clickspring
This person's build is amazing! Mostly photos, but still super cool to see how "from scratch" it is - if you're expecting "bought a few components from Swiss companies" then, yeah, it's not that! I submitted this a week ago and sadly it sank without trace (poor choice of posting time I suspect), so I'm trying again. I have no affiliation with the builder.
These are the things I expected him to have to source and I was correct, even Daniels bought springs.