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Canada's only watchmaking school still ticking after 80 years

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

#81

Post by Someone »

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.

> When G-shocks, Garmins, and Apple Watches are a few hundred dollars and well-known luxury watch brands start at a few thousand,

The price of the most expensive Garmin a quick internet search gave me is $3,100; the most expensive G-SHOCK €8,800 ⇒ IMHO, G-SHOCK definitely is a luxury brand.

Apple Watches, relative to those, are cheap at €999 max.

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

#82

Post by watwut »

zuzululu wrote: post #37
sanswork wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada's GDP is $2.2t vs $165b for Mississippi. Immigration rate is decreasing.

thanks for bringing this up and I have to reiterate the importance of per capita which is something that is curiously ignored in these discussions but I'm sure you know the difference from just measuring GDP alone and just forgot about it Canada's nominal GDP per capita is roughly $53,800 USD, which places it nearly on par with Mississippi also Canada admits people from third world countries at a per-capita rate roug…

And still, Canada has higher living standards, better healthcare, school system, criminal justice and lower murder rates.

No, Canada is not as poor as Missisipy.

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

#83

Post by Someone »

culopatin wrote: post #32
sleepyguy wrote: post #6

My grandfather was a master watchmaker and jeweler who learned his trade in the Soviet Union and then in Europe. After emigrating to Toronto after the war, he opened his own jewelry store, where he repaired watches and clocks, as well as crafted and repaired fine jewelry. He was a true master of his craft and built a successful business based on his exceptional skill. He Was well known for his craftsmanship and his r…

Is this still a viable career?

I would think so, in the same way instrument maker or painting maintenance can be careers: not for many, but a decent career for a few aficionados.

It’s not likely to employ millions of people, but there will be demand from people with serious money. For instrument making, research labs will need specialized glass parts, for example; for painting maintenance, museums have a need to keep their centuries-old pieces in the best condition. For watches, if you pay a few million for a watch, paying 10k a year for maintenance should not be a problem. For that money, you can make a decent living of 20 customers a year in many countries.

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

#85

Post by MarceliusK »

sleepyguy wrote: post #6

My grandfather was a master watchmaker and jeweler who learned his trade in the Soviet Union and then in Europe. After emigrating to Toronto after the war, he opened his own jewelry store, where he repaired watches and clocks, as well as crafted and repaired fine jewelry. He was a true master of his craft and built a successful business based on his exceptional skill. He Was well known for his craftsmanship and his r…

The image of him in the home shop with the radio playing and people still bringing him supposedly unfixable things is wonderful

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

#86

Post by MarceliusK »

p1necone wrote: post #7
sleepyguy wrote: post #6

My grandfather was a master watchmaker and jeweler who learned his trade in the Soviet Union and then in Europe. After emigrating to Toronto after the war, he opened his own jewelry store, where he repaired watches and clocks, as well as crafted and repaired fine jewelry. He was a true master of his craft and built a successful business based on his exceptional skill. He Was well known for his craftsmanship and his r…

My father was a watchmaker. Fond memories of going with him in his van to the various jewellers he did work for picking up and dropping off. I remember being given a big metal lamp from his workshop when he passed away and realising the body of the lamp was not isolated from the incoming power, although luckily not at mains voltage (not what killed him).

Fond memories and a slightly terrifying electrical inheritance

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

#87

Post by palijer »

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.

Garmin venu series has 10 days which I love.

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

#88

Post by noufalibrahim »

cik wrote: post #70
noufalibrahim wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad fountain pens came up here. There's a shop a few hours away from where I stay in an old town in India called the "Pen Hospital". It was a thriving business in the 60s when my father went to college. Lots of people came there mostly to repair fountain pens. He's mostly just a stationery store right now but if you take a fountain pen there for repair, he does it for free just as a nod to the tradition I guess.

My dream is to visit this store. I've heard that it's by far the greatest modern fountain pen store in the world. I'm dying to go, just for this. I've ordered from them before - all the way to Canada and Israel. A gem, might be my favourite store in the world.

I don't know if that's the same. There's another here called Kim and Co. which makes ebonite pens without fillers. They became popular via. social media and a lot of people ordered pens from them. Perhaps that's the one you're referring to?

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

#89

Post by [deleted] »

piskov wrote: post #75
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…

[deleted]

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

#90

Post by sodastar »

gleenn wrote: post #58
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…

If you are using a mechanical watch to keep time (accurately for long) you are doing it wrong

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