Horological Workshop for
Antique and Vintage Watches
Member of the British Horological Institute
Member of the British Watch And Clockmakers Guild
In my workshop I repair and restore antique and vintage watches, chronographs and pocket watches. I also manufacture quality watches and clocks for collectors. I do not work on Quartz watches.
Over the last 30 years I have acquired a multitude of horological tools and equipment which have enabled me to carry out some of the specialist work needed in the restoration of antique watches and clocks.
Sometimes tools and equipment for the horological trade are obsolete and unobtainable just like vintage watch parts. In such cases the tool, an accessory or even an entire machine will have to be made. This is a fairly time consuming process but tools made this way usually last a lifetime.
Below are some impressions of work carried out in my workshop and some of the equipment in use:
Jacot Tool
This tool is used for sizing and finishing of fine watch pivots. In this photograph the tool is used to finish a new balance staff for an old English pocket watch. The new staff is fitted between the centres of the tool and is carefully rotated forwards and backwards with a handheld bow whilst being treated with a pivot burnisher.
Precision Turning
Often watch parts are so small that the best way for making or working on them is with the help of a microscope. This includes turning small parts such as balance staffs on the watchmakers lathe. The quality stereoscopic magnifier shown here is great when trying to obtain a high grade finish.
Wheel Cutting
Badly damaged or missing clock wheels sometimes have to be replaced. In this case a calendar wheel is being cut new from a brass blank using a special gear cutter in a Chronos wheel cutting engine. Often I find it more convenient to cut wheels using a lathe with indexing attchment, but cutting wheels in the old Chronos engine can be quite fast.
Pivot repair
Clock pivots are refinished in a similar manner to watch pivots. This picture shows a Long Case clock centre wheel pivot being worked on whilst supported in a Jacot attachment which is mounted to a lathe cross slide. Again the work is driven by hand with a bow, allowing a fine control of the work progress. The attachment used has been made in my workshop.
Workshop
