Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

cbc.ca

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 166 posts

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#71

Post by rcxdude »

titanomachy wrote: post #68
AdamN wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> all high end watches are mechanical. No, most high end male jewelry are mechanical watches (and much of women-oriented jewelry as well). High end watches are such a solved problem we don't even talk about them anymore. Either the G-shock, the Garmin watches, or the Apple Watch run circles around mechanical watches in terms of functionality with each satisfying a different niche (100% self-contained, long lived smar…

I think most people when they hear "high-end watch" picture some sort of mechanical jewelry watch. When G-shocks, Garmins, and Apple Watches are a few hundred dollars and well-known luxury watch brands start at a few thousand, it's reasonable to consider the latter more "high end". Personally I'm not interested in owning a luxury watch, I like the Garmin ones.

I think they were specifically bristling at the implication that 'high-end' was mainly relating to price as opposed to functionality. The most expensive watches are expensive for reasons of fashion while being inferior in terms of functionality.

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#72

Post by [deleted] »

AdamN wrote: post #60
Cider9986 wrote: post #43

The 8th highest voted HN submission is on mechanical watches. I imagine that's the type the watchmaking school involves themself with because afaik all high end watches are mechanical. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31261533 4 years ago 413 comments They have a certain beauty in their intricate details working together for function. I do really like looking at the glass back which shows some details and you can…

> all high end watches are mechanical. No, most high end male jewelry are mechanical watches (and much of women-oriented jewelry as well). High end watches are such a solved problem we don't even talk about them anymore. Either the G-shock, the Garmin watches, or the Apple Watch run circles around mechanical watches in terms of functionality with each satisfying a different niche (100% self-contained, long lived smar…

[deleted]

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#73

Post by Affric »

rcxdude wrote: post #71
titanomachy wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think most people when they hear "high-end watch" picture some sort of mechanical jewelry watch. When G-shocks, Garmins, and Apple Watches are a few hundred dollars and well-known luxury watch brands start at a few thousand, it's reasonable to consider the latter more "high end". Personally I'm not interested in owning a luxury watch, I like the Garmin ones.

I think they were specifically bristling at the implication that 'high-end' was mainly relating to price as opposed to functionality. The most expensive watches are expensive for reasons of fashion while being inferior in terms of functionality.

My Apple Watch has 3 days of battery tops.

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#74

Post by nkapias »

culopatin wrote: post #40
crdrost wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean people do make a living doing it, but my understanding is that it requires a lot of hustle—as a hobbyist you can just take your time and meditate and take a million pictures, but if you're trying to make a living you have to focus on volume, volume, volume... So you have to have a system, this one goes in the cleaner and you are immediately disassembling the next, another is in a tray next to the machine that…

Can one end up working for TAG out of this for example? What does it take for that career ladder to happen?

To my understanding it depends mostly on the applicant age.

Watchmaking can take a heavy toll on eyesight, due to working with magnifying glasses on tiny parts during decades. Also each brand has unique processes and machinery, for which they have expensive learning courses.

Thus they would rarely consider applicants past their forties even if they have experience and favorable relations.

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#75

Post by piskov »

Cider9986 wrote: post #43

The 8th highest voted HN submission is on mechanical watches. I imagine that's the type the watchmaking school involves themself with because afaik all high end watches are mechanical. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31261533 4 years ago 413 comments They have a certain beauty in their intricate details working together for function. I do really like looking at the glass back which shows some details and you can…

That’s why I eventually settled with gshock that has solar charging and syncs time twice a day with radio towers (or bluetooth if you are somewhere in the world where there is no time radio signal)

Even rolex needs time setting, servicing to lube and clean metal parts, etc.

Gshock on the other hand will work for 10-15 years without a single manual time adjustment or battery swap needed.

Absolute unit.

This gold metal square one I especially love for summer:

https://www.casio.com/content/dam/casio/product-info/locales...

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#76

Post by mschuster91 »

rcxdude wrote: post #71
titanomachy wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think most people when they hear "high-end watch" picture some sort of mechanical jewelry watch. When G-shocks, Garmins, and Apple Watches are a few hundred dollars and well-known luxury watch brands start at a few thousand, it's reasonable to consider the latter more "high end". Personally I'm not interested in owning a luxury watch, I like the Garmin ones.

I think they were specifically bristling at the implication that 'high-end' was mainly relating to price as opposed to functionality. The most expensive watches are expensive for reasons of fashion while being inferior in terms of functionality.

> The most expensive watches are expensive for reasons of fashion while being inferior in terms of functionality.

... and for reasons of money laundering and tax evasion, similar to artwork but even better suited. No customs official anywhere will flag and interrogate you about the watch on your wrist, the younger ones probably won't even know if you're having a watch worth six figures on your wrist or some cheap knockoff.

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#77

Post by bparsons »

zuzululu wrote: post #10
stouset wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure but it’s also a microscopically small component of the country’s overall economy.

canada's economy is roughly slightly below Mississipi with increasing amount of migration from third world countries putting strain on its resources and with almost no plans other than to tax the already overstretched middle class its almost the exact dilemma in Western Europe except the only saving grace is military security is guaranteed by its larger and richer neighbor

The Canada hater has logged on.

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#78

Post by nkrisc »

Affric wrote: post #73
rcxdude wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they were specifically bristling at the implication that 'high-end' was mainly relating to price as opposed to functionality. The most expensive watches are expensive for reasons of fashion while being inferior in terms of functionality.

My Apple Watch has 3 days of battery tops.

You don’t buy an Apple Watch for its battery life, you buy it for its many other features.

If battery life is important there are other much better options.

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#79

Post by titanomachy »

mschuster91 wrote: post #76
rcxdude wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they were specifically bristling at the implication that 'high-end' was mainly relating to price as opposed to functionality. The most expensive watches are expensive for reasons of fashion while being inferior in terms of functionality.

> The most expensive watches are expensive for reasons of fashion while being inferior in terms of functionality. ... and for reasons of money laundering and tax evasion, similar to artwork but even better suited. No customs official anywhere will flag and interrogate you about the watch on your wrist, the younger ones probably won't even know if you're having a watch worth six figures on your wrist or some cheap kno…

I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. Any dense, non-perishable store of value will be eventually used in this way.

Re: Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

#80

Post by kasey_junk »

jameshart wrote: post #28
LzeYing wrote: post #5

I believe this is exactly the kind of high-paying job that is difficult for AI to replace.

I am literally wearing a watch right now that was produced without any of these artisans’ specialized labor and which boasts among its features access to AI. In a very real sense I have replaced use of the skills of watchmakers with AI. Sorry about that. To be fair most watchmakers were already put out of work by quartz oscillators and integrated circuits in the 1980s.

Yet most people in the watch industry will suggest that the Apple Watch was a boon for the industry because it retrained people to wear a watch, a fashion that was being abandoned.
Post reply on HN