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GEORGE DANIELS WATCHMAKING I ~dtti Philip \ ilson Publi hers li•JO Dan et 1981 f rst pubh htJ 1981 R pnn ed with dd1tionr. 1985 Rt:v c;e<l 1n 1999 repnnred 2002 Rt 'it'd and ttpnnted in 2011 R pnntt.'d 111 2. 12 2013 (twiao) Pubh~hed bv Ptuhp W1Lc;on Pubh hers 11n 1mpnnt of I BT auns •Co Ltd bSakm Road I ondon W2 48U 01 tnl>ulrd bv r.il raw Macmillan a d '1~ ot St Maron' rress I 'i Fifth AH•nue \> )ork NY 10010 978 85607-704 5 n hlli n"Wrvt"d No part of thia pqlllll.lll. . t a tem or transnutted 1n any ot the publishen> PREFACE TO THE THIH.D EDITIO .,, t}!e nurd [d1h(1fl Prefa ce , market for L'XPl'nsiv1.· hand-finished \p\r'l(dllt (uc: lh,utccf .\t..'i .ow Tn1h,1 i.1.c .l' hI1•~ ,no d b u)r 1 .-~ td thru•e\c' ef!id a Tt M~th 1h 11 ·'l9t: ' .-c,g0 Co,·<s 1 c• . ."u,c bnda i1clndk Entono ,otm• l-ay..n ucdpa pri.l nn1.r ett. h.a te nr 1e ac9no3tl0il•sqe .cu tai. otend ctwhohlm'i cprh·on ~nhlinc.,n.1,hhll y mb lye'n tldhhtto••d d' > wkai~iltfdhu l titmh e..a.. adnwcip. 1utthhlae nt ifro iS.n.,ei do amf ns·)1d m Bfpachltlt• l t'oro fio nab nL. ·o1inh ndadtou now;t ariny .. 1n . t 10 "·ate e-. the mid-19~0-.. \l\ 0wn intere., . . b t .t W<"- not until 1%7 th.lt the prospect o f in•d epl'nd en t h'i \C' tla\'glta•\'i , n i.Un 1I. 011 don b1.'camc .i rrc"•' "-t'1l '\ c to me. As a imIpnr mw ln'd .. i dmcenanng" m oyt ocwutnti tnogol <w. hI 1f'ol'llt" t huantd. w piitnhi otlnw" ,a dtth.leiytm wn oouf l.d;o mbee 0c1. m,ulat koitn rge ". . taotrem• gcy: .t he V·.f'O rk 0·o 1-rokt..h,heorp w kantcohwmleadkgeer,. ..a f ogro om da n\ yar v1. eetayr so If ..,ufficient for my purpo.,e. I therefore bought a ..,mall, much 11&ed, 1had acqui· n_.· .- u1 :· ;ome u .·. e u• 1 \\ t d maKin\7 and h-. nt·' -l1 ·i ng t ooI s. Thc se Si:h.whlin bench l,1the for thio; and the gmeml work of making the hinacnldu dtcolol ba abn r ad ,- .".,0 mmal'n adnrtet1q, uata h teeo pwpiitnhg s toonmo 1l .·" aictchc ..,.s. utifnfci.<c 1>. c. nIt n c ua dttde1 r. h.o ton 11t. uigs Lf·.r\ lslOc mL'Cpoonnocmntys .t ol wbuoy l eUs!s>ocnd ..l,a wtheer ..e.. Tleh.1er\n' acnd •f urosmua ltlhvi. s, ollat.tlh bt'c. cFaiur~. .te , d an 8 mm 1a · d tlwy .in• worn out. Secondly, worn mach1~es can do good work but be u'dul an . - achim'" orw ,, ro"c <:>ng1m• an the . ngine-tuming 01. , , f nnly if t ht' opcr,1tor learn'> to ma~h·r thdr idiosyncr,1s1c.,. rh1., l.Htcr otltwhreer wa csrtrla'li\g\ ho te h. ne eng.i ne, both giv('n t<1 me by the late I ro essor is fl'Ot·ctt-d in the quality (lf work prodUl"l'd in thl' past on L>qu1prncnt that would tod.w be con..,idered l''trl·nwly crudt•. I could afford to David forrehn sd. ent a 1l. t-r ti.n , c ', 1 tl\1.' bcnche .... of ~un ivinh prac- do no mon• than fol111w pcbt l'>.amplc ,1nd pl'rH.'\'l'rt.' with the lathe Torren... ad r. :,p, the met1 \ 0d .., ( )f 'a bv• vn one age of wntchm,1kin • 'I hw. . equipped for work, tlw first w.111 h w,1 l.1id down on paper The titioncrs stu ) mg di 'nd ·'" hi .... mentorc; died one b} following two )'l'.1r .. were "'PL'llt in cxpl•rimcnt and practin• to acquire 't , "'"" boun ess " , h h h :oH.tnOiesf ,l _"gh U1ee n, mpcar,a ot" )ds•. t t i• I)n1 e h1~i~"'' v r1.ot d ow0m\-i\t'sSh amtth o•1e..n, m 1.n g i1i"en •t n'v h•' "'C ir"<o) Uhl.l.e.e,JaJg\ d'e t ' owDr iutthhb eltiihnre .t om.I oItkl:. ,n< wtttto onnI•Cd oIIn tte:• aknaM runrn .t dhAtl•'. r steIt.ca Ohnndliiiqvnueger ,-o .a fo Ctfh diet!>s c tmmecaahnknucitrca aoclft u rrer,1qeru efir :ro.tkm•iml ltc hwneb hr oaow fa t,1m twh.1.11altt' crtihaiml ., ien dh atdo r knowledge th~t _"e~ a er He rl'tired i\t .... event) read\ to tart a 01d.l•n. . i.111 work hop in Clerkenwl.'ll, agreed th,lt for a ..,um of day, of comnu~tmg itEto ~ \\:atchmaldng methods but"' ithm t o moncv I ..,l\Ould ha\'c tlw priv1lebc oi m.1king my fir,t w.1tchca..,e wntmg a t reat1se on ng is . . under his guidance. TI1c \\ork to<1k iin· d.1y., to compll'te, after " k.., he died, taking his knowledge with him. I, which tlw c.i-.e went to the A-.-.ay Office lo bl• hallmarked .md ' ee . - . most kindl)' man who posse,-;cd a k.n l\\ ~ Tom~n. s \\tahsa ta he had ever heard or rca d ,1 l> Ou 1 'n hi ... 0b ll ' sub:.equently my newly made namt:> punch wa .. rl'gi. ... tered. Thank. . to Oli\'cr, the libt Clerkenwell ca .. emaker, my apprcntict"ihip and e''.ehrythhmgl . He had a vast library but never nct.>dcd to I r wit oro og]. h nt t ht my tir~t c,1se \\ L'fl' complt.>ted. He was not forthcomin~ with compli 1 1 tn it for he could recollect \'dth ea ....c not on ) t e ~~ a'" a 1d m1•nt... but he did not criticize the worl-. and, lnr a m.rn ..,tecpl·d in b11oks, in three languages, but could abo quote f:·o~1 h ~n~~l ii th the 1\·.iys of old Cll'rkl'mvell, th.lt was prabe enough to l'ncouragc !me l had' biled him in Dublin to collect -.omc l> t <: P n k.in fu rt lwr work. l'll"tne-tuming machines and talked for hours ,1b11ut. \\di h o th)!. I he intervening yc.1r.., ha\ l' "'l'l'fl rn.111y W<lk hc.s complt•IL'd ,rnd me0t hod!:.. It b1'came •m creasm• g1 ) . <·: l ear t 11 me that• 1t "a ( n h t•.1ch one h,1.., included :.ome ft•.1tun· tlMt h,1.., brought :-tn impnwe Practicl! for one man to ma ke tI ' cw I1 0I c, ",• 1 tch h)' h1msc1 I 1 k ment in pt•rtormance. Thi.., is ,1 slow prnCl''-s ior it t,1 J..:l''- m.iny centuries it had ~come est 1bJ.i .,hcd t IM l t lle• s.i m ple<.t\\,l\tom1 month ot h•sting to be certain of tlw result. nut 11 i.., .rn important watches w, as for the work to be <.hv•1 dl'OJ .m to d"is t1' 11 ct1\c.lm1 en n 1~pcct of the \\ <ltch th.tt till' t1ml·kc1.•ping mu t bl• .1t le.hi ,,.., good ~raratc trades. n ,1., the bc-;t ,)f tlw p.1~t ,md it is nut u11r1·.i..,nn.ibl1• tor th1' pur('h,1..,1•r When I returned to England with tlw partc; for the rose t tot• pe1 t 11 Ill be better, 1•.,p1•cially in tlw l<mg l('rm. thought over what I had leamed ·m [) u bim" . 11 1l, tool!> th,.l t 1t mn nt On 1 gencr.11 le' cl 11 1s .1!>.Sumcd th.tt 11 cnmple' .1rmv of tools 1s colll'Cted consisted for the mo~t part o f .. ·i mpI e p·i t" C: c• s ol ct1u1pnfu : rcqum•d hut I have not found thi-. to bt.• .. o. It i-; tnw th.lt llKl' the Llmateum.h con!'.>truction and with th1·. neglectt>d .1ppcarancc 0 omplL'l1on (>f nt) first w.1tch !1) \'1•ry ncarh, it not quite, \ork .md uf disuse The mo::;t :.1.g m.f i.c anl a'>pc·ct o t-ll l." m c1 1m mental storhee re•t n 111' method.-.., th<' 1•11uipnwnt in my worksh<'P h,1i; c p.1mlL'(t to th1l for the mo::;t part, tlw purpo::;e W<h unrecogni· zablc and, w mdud1• precision measuring and m:H l11n111g 1•qu1pmcnt Although the\ nMke working c,,.,icr they ,in• not strict Iv 1wcc. .. M\ Su1 h h1<1l "~ , there were few remaining t rac1.•s nf the method of use. . er} It\\ 1 then that I rcali1ed th,lt then.' v",1s to bt' no redl~t hat Mnott' chx.ipvecn <thiae\ l'm toon hcur )l o11 pnudr c,h1 .IySoLu' nthg1 'mwn.t Id 1hm,l.\1"l'k illn\1~l dst't u1dml'hn tp ,w1-;os1u1l1dg of th plC'asur{' of w.1tchmaking by traditional methods, a ral')' rcfercnu• to tlwm m this hook ,md nowhL•rL' i tlw wo1k dt.•scrtbt~I ucl\ methodb had no sped.ii mPrit ;myw.:iy. 'Jl w bc<.t con;:rexi t dt•pcndcnt upon such 1.•quipmcnt. Nt•vt•rtlwlcss, prL'LISton m.1l lun n L thud would be th1• om•s that >;ucn•cded by .idnptatl }\n\akiJ'l8 ery l1Hl s.ivt• timl' and rt•dun• th<' ,11nount ot com1•n1r,1tll1n l1l'Ll''i"',1n " g 1-qu1pml'nt 'lorren!'I had th•suilwd his old watc as an to m11kl• sm.111 1 omponcnls br hand nwtlwds. Tlw studl•nt c.m P~ I hsti; clb mabler~ of the 'cork ,rnd n,1il' nwthod. Th15 W work acqulw thest• i"I'- ,ldv.lncm~ yt•.trs brmg n•dmL•d paht•nll' .md 0 r mphfi~c1hon of tht>ir .1bility but it w.1s true tha! t~ad)ilf 111nph hed by the ex1wril!110• i.;ilim•d in making • Plate 0 ')\ O J - . - :.-- --· .. .. . •. • • • • • • .' l..\. .., A \.------I~ --,' - _·.-..-,,-..-..-,-.-----~~- ...... - - - - - - - - --- c. - - -,~. .. .:::---- s A lion of hronograph Action of Pillar Wheel will I hutton in the ea I h h • I W 1 fr l'·running on lhe hollow arbu11r I , nd J>ref>~llt'l' t A frorn the chronogr<1P 1 . d wntheramr l . I l l 1· l , to the nght, o r' lt cc nt1nn<1ll')ly i c·ngil);f..'rncnt w ith the loolh<·d c:dgr· "f cau.., · lh • p1lldr whl· • p<1w 0 8 rK l will advani: hronogr.1F h w ri ... t \V,ll h, four 1n1nut • tl I 1urb /f1,11 1 .i rri·lf'.'. .it H to l ngdge c1 rt1t hel tootl ' ur t her Pf('f,SUfe I pringw1 II n1t•ls o ,, i.1 I ..,( .1pt.•n1 •nt, I1 \ r L 11.i . I W l • 1 re le ised t hl' paw ~. I ' £ 'nd f1n~er I , r • hx.,d tu f . 'I h • whr·el I', will1 it., <1111, t h ' rJil la r wht•el one' to< l 1. il 1 ' h d back to 111• t rm1n 'll 1. ur l' f rt l' "'f run~, l hr ino >r iph I 'twillh•puse r ' t• t!i .!11n it< r tord1ng ,1rho11r p.1~~,in~ ll1rou,;li L. raisP th poinl of thP pdwl ~o t ldl' t 01d 1 n1. r , l I h •1 • h t t ; t h1.• 1 l 1 • ., ' 1' 1 l1 lf Ii r,ti ·d, 1,pnng C,wi!I prec.;s W i11tu c 1)1\l.i t left by I h · blopt' of t he 1'c1tChl I toot b. d t th Jeft and t. >ll en~age o 11 • r ! •} 1nd1•r 1cl · if I t1, bi rl lltl• ·•·< onrli-.. ht1nd. '111 · d i,1~rc1n)s bt•lciw '>how I IH :' ,1 ll · I 'LI· · rn-. zeroed. rn nf I th hng r f will '11gag • 111" i11t1•n111·dLll r· d ise11gt1g£•t j 111 t I1 1' rig i 1 w1 1 ' 1 I ' I r 1 ~ ont th l1>r " l l,1\)h ·d 111i11ul · Wlu•11 l<1{1 1 I tn lei ~ 11nd. holh .in IH· t' l' lic111d, 1 .i 111·, r 1 11 , ,, , , r I