Each step of the process is clearly explained, with diagrams on the screen showing which parts will be manipulated, which tools are required, and what role the parts play in the movement explained. It’s clear that with 3 years’ worth of experience, HSNY has updated their content to anticipate most, if not all, the likely steps that will stump their participants. The room goes silent as each of us attempt this delicate act, followed by audible sighs of relief as the bridges take temporary residence on the tray, with the bridge-side down. Sounds relatively simple, right? Not so easy when Vincent compares the second step of the session – removing the balance bridge – to “performing open-heart surgery on a watch.” No pressure. After a brief introduction to the history and types of watches, the content quickly turned to delivery of theory and practical activities. Assisting him was Andy Quek, head of after-sales service at The Hour Glass, and a third-generation watchmaker in Singapore. The instructor is Vincent Robert, director of HSNY’s Travelling Education program, and himself a watchmaker trained in Switzerland. It covers the basics of the escapement (Horology 101), gear train theory (Horology 102), then finally winding and setting works (Horology 103), through the supervised disassembly and reassembly of an ETA 6497 movement. The half-day workshop offered in Singapore is roughly equivalent to three separate evening workshops offered in New York. In less than 10 days, the workshops were sold out, proving yet again the immense popularity of the program. In September 2018, the Society saw a new milestone: hosted by The Hour Glass, their travelling Horology 101-103 program came to Asia for the first time. In 2015, the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), America’s oldest watchmaking guild, introduced Watchmaking 101, and the start of HSNY’s public education program.
A daunting prospect (it certainly was to me), but be assured, it is possible for a novice to take apart, then put back together, a working mechanical watch. I’m going to make a bold claim: to take your appreciation of horology, especially haute horology, to the next level, you should make at least one attempt at watchmaking. How a class with the Horological Society of New York gave me a new appreciation of horology.
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