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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

#121

Post by fennecfoxy »

LzeYing wrote: post #5

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

Why?

Many modern watch parts are CNC machined, often the finishing is done by hand such as zaratsu polishing - but even that is a repetitive motion that can be mechanised.

I would not be surprised if given enough time even what we have today - a decent VLA model + some other specialised models, 6-axis CNC machine, an SMD pick and place etc would be capable of designing, manufacturing and assembling a mechanical watch.

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

#122

Post by fennecfoxy »

This is definitely something I've always thought about doing once I retire (if my generation gets to retire).

Just seems like the ideal way to spend the last period of your life; quietly making the small mechanical pieces and hopefully finally assembling something to be left behind.

Though I don't imagine I'd ever be able to produce something as small, accurate or intricate as these students are able to.

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

#123

Post by realo »

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…

Well... your high-end is not my high-end.

Truly high-end luxury watches are priced in many multiples of 100,000 $ and are all mechanical.

I will never be able to afford any of them.

For example, this (pre-owned, good condition):

https://www.chrono24.com/patekphilippe/platinum-perpetual-ca...

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

#124

Post by BoxOfRain »

jhbadger wrote: post #119
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…

Is it a Seiko 5 (self winding)? Yeah, those aren't that accurate, but I wouldn't call them "junk" - they do lose or gain a minute or two a day in my experience - I generally correct mine every couple of days against my phone or computer though.

I have a 1950s mark 2 Shturmanskie as my main watch, the same model Yuri Gagarin wore into space. It's a 'frankenwatch' in that it's been assembled from parts of other watches, albeit in this case they're the right parts from the right period except the dial, which is a reproduction to avoid the considerable amount of radium the Soviets liked to put in their pilot watches.

Now that is an unreliable watch! It'll usually lose maybe a minute a day which is actually pretty decent for something from when Khrushchev was in power, but it likes to randomly stop or occasionally start running fast or slow according to its mood. I'm not sure how much of it is because it's a Soviet frankenwatch and how much is that it's hard to find people who'll work on Soviet watches in the UK.

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

#125

Post by lgunsch »

epihelix wrote: post #67
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…

> Although it seems youd have to pay a lot to get an accurate one because I have a $250 mechanical Seiko and its time keeping is junk. It was mediocre when I got it and has gotten worse. It was $150 when I bought it so I suppose it would have been a good investment if it hadn't got beat up. You know you need to service mechanical watches regularly, right? A 7S26 movement (Seiko's mass-produced budget workhorse) isn't…

I took my Seiko 5 in for service mid last year, and after that it kept time well. I don't loose more than a minute over a week or more. But, I specifically sought out a mechanical watch because they're interesting to me. As a software developer, I feel like I don't need another computer strapped to my arm. I appreciate the intricate mechanics.

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

#126

Post by selimthegrim »

annzabelle wrote: post #29
LzeYing wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haha, so you're going to do something AI can't replace, right?

Thinking about it. I'm pretty attracted to the idea of a career with some kind of protectionist licensing system, like doctor or actuary, but that may just be staving off the inevitable. Might teach high school. After I got laid off in the US, I moved to a mountain town in New Zealand planning on being a ski lift operator while I think about the future, but got a software developer job by accident instead.

I still get emails from NZ begging for people to come fill IT jobs

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

#128

Post by hluska »

vlovich123 wrote: post #42
wasabi991011 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> canada's economy is roughly slightly below Mississipi No, it isn't. Not true in absolute terms, not true per capita, not true adjusted for purchasing power.

It is true per capita in USD dollars due to the weak Canadian dollar. Mississippi has better purchasing power

[dead]

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

#129

Post by dataflow »

jhbadger wrote: post #119
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…

Is it a Seiko 5 (self winding)? Yeah, those aren't that accurate, but I wouldn't call them "junk" - they do lose or gain a minute or two a day in my experience - I generally correct mine every couple of days against my phone or computer though.

> I generally correct mine every couple of days against my phone or computer though.

Why do you put up with that?

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

#130

Post by throw2ih020 »

fennecfoxy wrote: post #122

This is definitely something I've always thought about doing once I retire (if my generation gets to retire). Just seems like the ideal way to spend the last period of your life; quietly making the small mechanical pieces and hopefully finally assembling something to be left behind. Though I don't imagine I'd ever be able to produce something as small, accurate or intricate as these students are able to.

It's surprisingly easy to learn. I had a coworker who did this as a hobby while working in tech. Rolex hires people right off the street and trains them into professionals within weeks. Even as an amateur I've opened a few of the cheaper watches in my collection for some basic maintenance. When I retire it's one of the hobbies I hope to dive deeper into, it would be nice to be able to do my own oiling on most of my collection.

The main barrier to entry is that you need a lot of tools and supplies, I priced it out and to do a full service on an automatic I probably need $1000+ of tools and supplies.

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