Benches...

Curtis · by **Curtis** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:49 pm

Hi all,

I posted the following two links quite awhile ago when I was moderating the AHCI forum at ThePuristS.

Have a look - Benches 01 and Benches 02.

If any of you have pics of your own benches or watchmakers/clockmakers known to you... please feel free to post! ;-)

Cheers,

Curtis

Paul Loatman · by **Paul Loatman** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:39 pm

Curtis wrote:Hi all,

I posted the following two links quite awhile ago when I was moderating the AHCI forum at ThePuristS.

Have a look - Benches 01 and Benches 02.

If any of you have pics of your own benches or watchmakers/clockmakers known to you... please feel free to post!

Cheers,

Curtis

Those are some cool pictures, it's nice to see the benches of all these great watchmakers.

by **Steyr** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:21 pm

Salem
Siteen street Riyadh S.A. :

Curtis · by **Curtis** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:05 am

Hi Steyr,

Nice pics. Did you take them? Any back story to watchmaker and pics? How about pics of your own bench and workshop?

Hi Paul,

I'm glad you like the pics. How about some pics of your own bench and workshop?

Cheers,

Curtis

Paul Loatman · by **Paul Loatman** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:19 am

Curtis wrote:Hi Steyr,

Nice pics. Did you take them? Any back story to watchmaker and pics? How about pics of your own bench and workshop?

Hi Paul,

I'm glad you like the pics. How about some pics of your own bench and workshop?

Cheers,

Curtis

I'm actually in the middle of moving right now so all of my equipment is packed up, but even if it wasn't my "workshop" is just an old kitchen table that i pulled into my bedroom, i don't even have a real watchmakers bench at the moment. There's nothing very special about my work area to be honest. I'll get pictures of all my equipment when i move back in with my parents though.

by **Steyr** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 2:42 pm

Yes, those are pictures I took. Unfortunately, this idea of interviewing watchmakers during my business trip came when my travels stopped. So, I have couple more but regret about all the ones I met earlier.

Regarding my bench, I have only one picture avaliable today which is from the very first day I installed it.

This is the bench I had at school, when J-B Viot was my teacher. Our teacher proposed it as I helped during the relocation in another school.

Today, it's much more messy, and I need to find an extension on the right to have a lathe up and running. And for the bigger machines, they are located outside of Paris in a place I share with a spring maker.

Now at school, we have :

Curtis · by **Curtis** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:14 pm

Hi Steyr,

Thanks for the post. Your idea to interview local watchmakers on your business trips is a good idea and I'm sure it would have been interesting. Thanks for the pics and please feel free to share what you are working with us - when time allows.

Cheers,

Curtis

by **Jacob Sobell** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:26 pm

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Curtis · by **Curtis** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:22 am

Hi Jacob,

Welcome and thanks for the post. I had a look at your website and noticed a picture of what looks to be an Albert Potter pocket watch. Did you have the good fortune to work on that piece? If so, please share some details and more pics.

Cheers,

Curtis

by **Jacob Sobell** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:06 pm

I am not working on that Potter currently but am working on something interesting. Will gladly post lots of pictures when the job is completed. It is connected to James Murset if you know anything about him it would be helpful. I believe he regulated this watch for observatory trials.

Mean while here is a picture of my old apartment. A nice one bedroom...

Curtis · by **Curtis** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:02 am

Hi Jacob,

Thanks for the pic... it is a familiar site - bedroom as workshop, with enough room to curl up on the floor to sleep! ;-)

I did see a post on Calibre X (maybe this is the watch you are working on), but I don't know anything about James Murset. If I come across anything I'll let you know. I look forward to seeing and learning more about this watch. Thanks.

Cheers,

Curtis

by **Jacob Sobell** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:42 am

I am interested in knowing more about this story. It is the only Potter I have seem with a SPHERICAL hairspring. James Muset appears to be a regulator by the dial printing and I would guess if you wanted a good watch to start with a Potter would be the one. I had look for Observatory results from the time period of the watch previously and will look again when done with the service but James Murset could have submitted the watch at ANY time after production. This is also the only AMERICAN potter I have seen. It would be great to see others that were produced. I would also love to see any of his Cuban work which none seems to have surfaced. Albert Potter's story gets confusing when you factor in Potter being a common name with several Potters being watchmakers. A certain tourbillon comes to mind! :wink:

There is also I believe a family link to George P Reed, another of America's greatest watchmakers.

As for the work shop, you have to do what you have to do. I moved my bed to the Dinning nook by the kitchen so I could have a dedicated shop.

Here is another picture for the Bench thread, this is from my second watchmaking school

whiskeybelly · by **whiskeybelly** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:08 pm

Here's mine. This is post several weeks of intense work leading up to Christmas- it's usually a little bit cleaner. Shot's a bit wide so more can be seen (and what's on the bench can't :wink:

).

Curtis · by **Curtis** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:45 am

Hi Whiskeybelly,

I love it! Thanks for the pic and more are appreciated. What are you working on? Thanks for the post.

Cheers,

Curtis

whiskeybelly · by **whiskeybelly** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:16 pm

Curtis wrote:Hi Whiskeybelly,

I love it! Thanks for the pic and more are appreciated. What are you working on? Thanks for the post.

Cheers,

Curtis

I do complications for Swiss companies, and a bit of proto and development.

Here's my favorite machine in the shop, a Dixi jig borer:

To its right is a bit of a similar Hauser M1. The M1 gets used mainly for centering work in faceplate quills that then go onto a special Schaublin 102 lathe; the Dixi gets all the drilling and boring work. Dixi made the first commercially produced jig boring machines, when they were Dixi LePhare. Gorgeous construction, with typically pleasing aesthetics and attention to detail for machines of its vintage. They still make very large machines and very tiny tooling like drills and end mills (the little boxes to the left behind the machine are Dixi drills/mills).

And at times the most useful machine in the shop:

Swiss machines, of course

.