Some sort of balancing corrective to the short-sightedness is needed-now!

His name was Companion of Hours, or Iry-Hor. He was one of the earliest rulers of Egypt. Not the first ruler - before him, Scorpion I and Bull ruled the Nile delta. But thanks to the remnants of a clay vessel placed in his tomb 5200 years ago, Iry-Hor is the earliest living historical person known by name, with material evidence of his existence. The oldest wooden statue known as the Shigir Idol is twice as old as the oldest pyramid. Dating to 9,000 BC - and possibly much older- this is the oldest known sculptural project in the world. Again, not only or the first - it was one of many similar wooden object form Early Mesolithic Urals. But Shigir survived for over 11,000 years by pure luck.  It was made from larch, which is naturally phytoncidic, then preserved in a bog that had an acidic, anaerobic environment, which kills micro-organisms. Making seems to be much easier than outlasting. For humans, achieving immortality seems almost impossible. We try, we strive, we fail. And then again, mostly by chance, incidentally, the remnants and relicts from the past resurface, only to frustrate us with how little we know about who we truly are.  Will good intentions, detailed planning and (un)limited resources be enough to preserve us in millennia or beyond, only time will tell. But if anything has a chance, then it would be long-term thinking itself, as a foundation, that would set us on track. This week our small team of makers, immersed in a topic well beyond our grasp: The Long Now. https://longnow.org/

James G The most pressing problems we face as a species such as climate change, epidemics, and wars are of a complexity that are enormously difficult for us to conceive of solutions for. Mitigating these existential risks requires huge amounts of intellectual and physical resources, scientific analysis, creativity, innovation, coordination of billions of people, and a multi generational commitment. As humans, we do not have the best track record for managing these types of challenges. Despite humanities enormous technological achievements, we still possess brains that have evolved primarily to grapple with the life needs and struggles of a hunter gatherer in the African savannah. While these brains may have served us well in the past, the scale of the challenges of the contemporary era demand a different approach. The Long Now Foundation is an initiative that is attempting to address these limitations by promoting long term thinking and responsibility. For example their 10000 Year Clock project is an incredible monument born of utopian thinking along the lines of Etienne Louis Boullee's Cenotaph for Isaac Newton. It also brings to mind the long term nuclear waste warning messages discussed in "Into Eternity", the 2010 documentary film. Monuments like this are a powerful tool for transmitting ideas and messages across deep time and forming collective memory. You could spend countless hours browsing their collection of essays, videos, lectures, and podcasts that deal with a diverse array of fascinating topics that lie at the intersection of philosophy, art, science, architecture, engineering, anthropology, history, and sociology. I am proud to work for an organisation that is a member of the foundation and is linked to the pursuit of its goals of thinking, understanding, and acting responsibly.

Josh The Long now project is something that has piqued my interest for a little while now. Ever since the Ted talk about the Long now clock came to YouTube I've be intrigued with the the extended thinking of the future- Is it possible to extend our existence beyond our lifetime if we think hard enough? The seriousness of the project is appealing, it has a certain weight that helps it transcend the short term. But one part of the "Long now" project that is super intriguing to me, outside of the clock project, is the "long bets" spinoff. Long Bets is a place where people can make long term predictions in a "gentleman's bet" fashion. The idea is simple- you stake some money at 50/50 odds, against a prediction. There are a few rules, which are outlined clearly on the site- the bet has to be relevant, the minimum term is 2 years, there is no maximum term, you have to use your real name- and all won money goes to charity. you can have a look at all the rules and caveats on their site. "Matilda will still be married to her cousin, Shane in 2032." .... is not a bet. "The share price of RMD on the ASX will be above 100 dollars by 30.08.2024" ... is an example of a long bet. A very interesting aspect is that all the bets are public. Scrolling through the site and looking at all the things that people are betting on shows what people are thinking about! some bets have even been won and lost- indicated by a blue "WIN" symbol. Some notable bets-  Joe Keane in 2008 bet-  "Large Hadron Collider will destroy Earth." His stake was 1000 dollars and the period was 10 years. He was countered by Nick Damiano, who as we all can figure- won. Christoph M Stahl bet, in 2008 that by 2018 the Euro wouldn't be the legal currency in France Italy and Germany! And some longer bets- - By 2030, commercial passengers will routinely fly in pilotless planes (bet in 2002) - At least one human alive in the year 2000 will still be alive in 2150. (bet in 2002) - By 2060 the total population of humans on earth will be less than it is today. (bet in 2017). And my favourite- "Over a ten-year period commencing on January 1, 2008, and ending on December 31, 2017, the S&P 500 will outperform a portfolio of funds of hedge funds, when performance is measured on a basis net of fees, costs and expenses." (10 years, 2008-2017) The content isn't that interesting to me, as much as the people behind the bet. Warren Buffet Vs. Protege Partners LLC. The total amount of the bet? $2,222,278 USD. If anything, Longbets is a mild amusement, but thinking a bit deeper reveals the fragility of all these predictions. All it takes is one bat to transfer it's cold, for all of our bets to fall apart.

Andrew The Long Now is an organisation which strives to inspire long-term thinking in an attempt to improve the quality of our human existence. Its’ centrepiece, a mechanical clock with a 10,000 year power reserve. They’re gonna want to put an onion crown on that one. We were all tasked with giving our opinions on this organisation. Without knowing what anyone else would write about, I tried to come up with an original viewpoint. Whilst even the entire weekend was not enough time to delve properly into every sub group of the Long Now (which I highly recommend you do), it was enough time to absorb the bulk of it, and come to this conclusion. For comparison, some of the oldest institutions known to human history: Education: The oldest existing educational institutions on earth include the King’s School, Canterbury, England, founded in 597, the University of Karueein, founded in 859 in Fez, Morocco, as well as the University of Bologna in Italy, founded in 1088. There are many others that would still be here if not for civil unrest, religious war, and systematic genocide. Business: The oldest operating business on earth was Kongo Gumi in Japan, founded in 578. It was a construction company that specializes in shrines and temples until it was bought out in 2006 after suffering financially. Certainly, many other long running businesses have ceased operation for the same reasons as above. Finance: Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the oldest surviving bank in the world, founded in 1472. Sveriges Riksbank is the central bank of Sweden and the world’s oldest central bank, founded in 1668. Religion: Judaism is the world's oldest known monotheistic religion, dating back approximately 4,000 years. Hinduism is said to be even older, and there are several religious idols and depictions that have been discovered and dated to before even that (the Dreamtime and Aboriginal Australians – approximately 75,000 years). Horology - the literal study and measure of the passage of time: The Antikythera mechanism has been dated (if it is even human) to sometime around 200-100BC. As it stands, it is the oldest mechanically complex horological device, until around the 1300s when the Verge escapement was invented by…someone. It makes me laugh that out of all histories, horological history is so often completely incomplete, or absolutely contested with flimsy thereabout dates. The Horological Society of New York is the oldest still running society, founded in 1866. All this to say: we (humans) like to think that we are very forward thinking. And we are; actually, out of every animal, we are the best by a country mile. But we still aren’t very good. Thinking 75 years ahead from now, based on a 75,000-year timeline starting with early Aboriginal Australians, is like thinking 86 seconds ahead in a 24-hour period. And we certainly don’t even do that. In fact, I would be very surprised if most countries had a forward planning average longer than whatever their standard government/parliament term is. So, every time you drive across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (in traffic or not), be thankful it was made wide enough to incorporate seven vehicle lanes, a 24-hour bus lane, two train lines, a footpath, and a cycleway, in the 1920s! Oh, the foresight! (Hands up if you remember the M4 having two lanes). But not only that, we for the most part struggle at making things last. Depending on which historian you talk to, there have been over 70 distinct ‘civilisations’ (ancient Rome, Carthage, South Americas, Babylon, etc.) Their average length? Take a guess. The worst part is, most of the time, these civilisations are not destroyed by natural events, but by mismanagement and war. Not to mention the fact that if any relic is moderately valuable there are always attempts to steal or destroy. The Great Pyramids of Giza were once covered in stark white polished limestone. What a sight that would have been if you didn’t have your eyes toasted from the reflection. The average lifespan is about 349.2 years with a median of 330. Of course, many lasted much longer than that, say a couple thousand years for the biggest and best. Clearly, you can see the cynic, realist(?), and pessimist, creep to the surface as I type this. 10,000 years is a bloody long time. With a current global average life expectancy of 70 years, that’s about 143 lifetimes. For both the organisation to last and the clock to chime. Please, don’t get me wrong, I am behind this idea 100%. As well as the clock, some sub-organisations include The Rosetta Stone and PanLex, who are documenting, translating, and recording all languages in human history that are currently known. How much more might we know about ourselves if we could only decipher the scribbles of old? There are also lectures not only on the importance of forward thinking but how to do it better than we have been, and trying to learn from past human failure and success. So many reasons to be a part of it. Come on, a 10,000-year clock that produces a unique chime every day! That’s the coolest thing ever! Watchmaking is all about embedding yourself as a humble character in the passage of time by maintaining its measuring devices, and ensuring that they live longer than yourself. This is that and then some. But a small part of me struggles not to think that the project is doomed to fail, because humans are too. The smallest example of our impending doom in relation to forward thinking that comes to mind; me wanting to be a part of this organisation and finding out how much it costs to contribute and become a member, only to weigh the cost of membership against private health insurance, with consideration that the average home deposit for pretty much every suburb in Sydney has had a rise in cost of between $40,000 and $120,000…over the last year. More than most yearly salaries. A bigger example: We just can’t stop throwing rubbish into the ocean. Of course, I could just better manage my finances and squeeze the membership in, or protest at Town Hall in the time slot after the ‘Free Julian Assange’ people, but that would be putting brand new rims on a car with no engine. This might be an exaggeration but it holds true for so many things. The Long Now won’t pay my mortgage or fill my belly. (Please read in David Attenborough voice) For humans to start putting the effort in for each other, en masse, generations into the future, our world must be in a place of absolute peace, prosperity, and progression. Anything less, and the human will default to its primal, knee jerk reaction of self-preservation (End David A.). Seems pretty pointless winding a clock to last thousands of years when our current legacy as viewed from ultra-advanced aliens is – Earth, group of animals who fail to correctly harness natural resources due to greed, fail to care and feed each other due to greed, and fail to preserve the only home they have due to mindless wastefulness, and greed. I promise this article is mostly a jokingly bleak, light-hearted criticism. It is just the immediate negative reaction I have to most things. I know the purpose of the Long Now is to start the chatter and inspire people which is very noble, and I’m sure it is already succeeding with 11561 members since 01996. If that clock is finished in my lifetime, I will climb that mountain to hear its chime and give it a wind. Of that you can be certain. And you should too. It is being designed in such a way that it can be modified and updated as time and technology rolls on. Made from materials that are of no value (you’d be lucky to get $1.50 per kilo for stainless and would have to get it out of an actual mountain first, but then again, all of that stark white limestone is still gone). Of course, there are instructions in easy-to-understand pictorials on maintenance and usage, so that in the unlikely event of a virus wiping us all out, whoever finds the clock will be able to continue the ticking. But due to the length of time it is expected to run, it will be mostly a manual wind clock. I give it 4000 years…give or take 349.2.

Michael When I first heard about the Long Now project at work it came across as just a bunch of super rich people flexing their wallets by building an overpriced elaborate clock to show off, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I think the Long Now project is the perfect response to mainstream modern nihilism that has become far too prevalent and is the first step towards a brighter, more thought out future.  Currently we are in a very interesting state as humans where we are rejecting the past, eroding culture and consuming meaningless content like never before. It seems that as we have fallen deeper into the grips of technology and consuming, in the effort to become more connected, we have traded true human connection both with each other, and ourselves. We have gotten so caught up in ourselves and the here and now, that our future has become a murky topic where we love to point fingers, but no one is responsible. That’s where the Long Now project comes in. Started out of necessity, the Long Now project aims to encourage ‘long term thinking’ - to put the next 10,000 years into perspective and work towards preserving what we have, and improving on what we can. While the clock is an incredible feat of engineering, its true purpose is to start the conversation around, and cement the idea of a 10,000 year future.  I think the idea of Long Now is incredibly unique because it is attempting to create a culture around being thoughtful about what our future will look like; it’s not your typical foundation. But by far my favourite aspect about the project is how they’re utilising technology to preserve culture and information, such as with their iconic ‘Rosetta disk’ - a microscopically etched disk capable of fitting 13,000 pages of information at 400 microns a page. The issue of culture dying out is not a topic that is brought up often, but it is one of extreme importance. With so much new information and content being uploaded and streamed everyday, if we are not careful, the important stuff could become buried and erased forever. Luckily the Long Now project is working towards a ‘10,000 year Library’ which would help to catalog and store all of the important stuff. Incredible. I believe the Long Now project is the perfect first step we need to make for the future, and it really grounds the idea that we will be around for much much longer. For anyone who is thinking about getting involved, I’d say do it. The future generations will thank you, and it’s a perfect legacy to leave behind to further our species.

Gemma  The Long Now was established 1996 as a way to raise awareness about the acceleration of technology, the short-horizon perspective of market-driven economics, the next-election perspective of democracies, and the distractions of personal multi-tasking. All are on the increase. The concept behind this idea is extremely relatable in today’s world and when thinking about Covid 19. We cannot be short sighted and need to encourage everyone in taking long-term responsibility for Australia to open back up to the rest of the world. This concept is extremely meaningful to me as I am Scottish and have been unable to travel home in nearly four years.  This is a huge chunk of my life and a long time. And who does not want to go on holiday?

James N  If the lockdown in Sydney has given me one thing it is time to think. Only now that I’m beginning to write this short essay, I’ve realised that so much of what I’ve been thinking of, and Mr Hacko’s interest in both the “Yes Chef” mentality and The Long Now Foundation, are more intertwined than I first realised. It’s quite simple if not a little depressing: the future and where my place in it is. From everything I’ve experienced since January, I’ve come to understand that everything in watchmaking takes time - pun intended. The 10-year commitment of apprenticeships confirm that and so does the time and effort that has been put into Brookvale’s watchmaking projects. Furthermore, The Long Now Foundation holds this concept of time central to its mission. But what I have also been reminded of this lockdown, is that it’s so easy to become complacent. While it may seem like it will have little impact on a long term goal, in reality, complacency is the real enemy of long term commitments. Thinking small and individualistically is another disease that slowly but surely chips away at the substance of this long journey of watchmaking and learning. A quick look at its website shows that The Long Now Foundation’s key focus is to establish a long-term initiative and thinking that contradicts the world’s increasingly worrying mindsets of sacrificing quality for quantity. Mr Hacko’s interest and membership in this type of organisation is no coincidence. I don’t think what is being done here in Sydney can be done without the acknowledgement of the necessity of long-term planning - not even massive investments can magically make everything work itself out. Despite this end goal being well known, the lockdown has brought forth more complacency than I’d like to admit. Nothing can remedy being in the city and at the workbench but more can be done at home. This essay is only a small puzzle piece in the wider scheme of mitigating the impacts of this lockdown not only on my learning but also on the long-term goal. The other unfortunate and lurking side effect of being stuck at home and physically disconnected from Sydney Watches is simply forgetting about the unit. Staying inside with only my thoughts has promoted this individualistic thinking that can be detrimental to the importance of working as a collective.  Finally, the meeting point of the “Yes Chef” philosophy, that of The Long Now Foundation, and watchmaking: perhaps it is a combination of slowing down to speed up and being both in the movement and future. What I mean is that working efficiently with what needs to be done, whether it is an essay or a repair but acknowledging the future and consciously not getting lost in the moment. My mind could just be playing tricks on me as the lockdown eats away at my last brain cells and these ideas could fundamentally oppose each other but Yes Chef and The Long Now Foundation have both contributed to building and broadening my perspective. As my watchmaking journey continues, let time be the judge of it- pun intended.

Apprentice Corner - Andrew restoring a Charles Leon Guinand Rattrapante

The rattrapante, which roughly translated from French means to catch up or recapture, is a rare and exceedingly expensive type of chronograph. Also known as a split seconds chronograph, the rattrapante is not to be confused with a ‘flyback’ chronograph, which merely allows the user to restart the counters without having to stop them. Generally, the rattrapante design calls for two column wheels activated by separate pushers. The chrono is started, stopped, and reset by the standard two pusher (or single pusher) system we all know and love, whilst a third pusher usually at eleven o’clock lies dormant. In addition to this, the centre sweep seconds hand of the chronograph has another hand (often unfathomably thin) superimposed beneath it in such a way that it cannot be seen. When the chronograph is started, both the sweep hands move as one and it is nigh impossible to tell that two hands even exist. Until of course the split seconds pusher is depressed. This action stops the lower (some modern versions stop the upper) hand whilst the other hand continues; thus ‘splitting’ the hands. The same pusher can then be pressed again to reset the hand back to its native position, hidden away beneath the main sweep hand. As such, the hand appears to rapidly ‘catch up’. This could allow a person to stop the split at the end of a lap to record that time, whilst the other hand continues to time the whole race. Or for timing individual artillery firings in a military array. They are extremely difficult to manufacture, even with modern machinery, and to see one in action is truly quite mesmerising. The first pocket watch with a stoppable seconds hand was invented in 1831 by Joseph Thaddaeus Winnerl (master to one Ferdinand A. Lange – founder of A. Lange & Sohne) however it wasn’t until seven years later did Mr. Winnerl add a superimposed hand that could be split and resynchronised, to his design. This complication could not be reset to zero until 1844 with the invention of the heart shaped cam thanks to Adolph Nicole, though it took no less than eighteen years for the two developments to be manufactured together in watches. Then in 1880, Auguste Baud enriched the chronograph by adding a minute counter. As such, the chronograph, aside from materials and efficiency advancements, really has not changed since. Split second timepieces were first used for recording race horse lap times (surprise, surprise), but the military industry really fuelled their manufacture. One such manufacturer founded in 1865 in the little Swiss town of Les Brenets, was Guinand. The company was run by brothers Julien-Alcide and Charles Leon Guinand as the two master watchmakers saw the opportunity that existed to be one of the first companies to produce stopwatches and chronographs en masse. They would go on to supply chronographs to the military forces of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany amongst others. After the first ‘Great Depression’ in the 1870’s, the young company was put under enough stress so as to lose Julien-Alcide and see Charles Leon take on sole management. However he dug his heels in, developed a newer chronograph on his own, and sought to add to it some of the nifty new chrono features coming out of Germany mentioned above. The very first split seconds chronograph with minute counter had only just been invented a year prior to Guinand mass producing them in 1881. An absolutely amazing feat of engineering and manufacturing in, financially, the worst environment the world had ever experienced. Even today, only a handful of brands possess the ability to make rattrapante watches and fewer still would dare to undertake the task of making more than a few. All of this making C. L. Guinand that much more prominent. After the turn of the century and the addition of tachymeter scales, Guinand was more popular around the world for timing devices than our humble Omega is today with the Speedmaster. By the end of World War II and while being led by Georges-Henri, Charles Leon’s son, Guinand was a synonym for rattrapante. So much so, that they were one of very few brands to make it through the quartz crisis a few decades later. Then some years later in 2020, a lowly watchmaker’s apprentice in Sydney, had compiled enough experience to be allowed the chance to respectfully overhaul a C. L. Guinand, Le Locle, rattrapante stopwatch. This stopwatch may be placed in very the early 1900s however, another development by the aforementioned Auguste Baud in 1880 might state otherwise. As well as adding the minute counter, he also relocated the split seconds mechanism from under the dial to the case back side of the mechanism. A feature that this particular stopwatch does not possess. Safe to say it’s from the turn of the nineteenth century-ish. To speak about its use would be to say it does not contain precious metal, nor is it a decimal counter (counts to 10 and 100 seconds rather than 60) so we may rule out military and scientific commissions. More likely this was used to time race type events, however almost anyone back then and today could benefit from a proper chronometer grade mechanical stopwatch. Need I suggest the ability to ensure meetings stay on track? Thanks to the high grade hand craftsmanship of Guinand, the stopwatch needed only a clean, re-lubrication, and tune. Largely easier said than done. Short of reading about them I had only up until this point seen a single vintage WWII rattrapante pocket watch and a single modern rattrapante wristwatch (at the boutique of none other than A. Lange & Sohne, king of the triple split seconds). However this was an extremely complex movement, masterfully designed to be completely serviceable and adjustable. All whilst looking suspiciously similar to the Minerva and Lemania parents of the Speedmaster that were developed several years after Guinand was a force to be reckoned with. You may be wearing a derivative of Mr. Guinand’s chronograph right now... All of this making the task to overhaul a little more familiar for me. In any case, here we have the stopwatch itself. Completely overhauled and ready for the next artillery forward observer, Caulfield Cup spectator, or schedule filled solicitor, to make good use of this fantastic example of the driving force behind today’s modern mechanical stopwatches, chronographs, and triple split second flyback marvels of horology. Andrew

Apprentices corner

Think of a balance wheel like the heart of a watch. The pivots and the staff are the main arteries, the hairspring is the muscles expanding and contracting. Without the arteries, there is no movement, no rotation, and no watch ticking. The biggest culprit of damage: impact.

In the above image you can see the fine pivot extending at the bottom of the staff, however the top pivot has been broken off. This short length does not fit into the upper jewel and thus the balance wheel has no top point of support. Broken balance staff pivots are a common problem amongst older watches and is the reason for replacement. You will also see the coil of the hairspring where it slots into the balance cock. This style of spring is called a Breguet overcoil.  Below you can see the image of six balance staffs, with the left-most being the brand new replacement balance staff and the five on the right are the various broken staffs removed from the Japanese railway pocket watches we have been working on last week.

Up until the mid-1960s, shock absorbers such as Incabloc and other patented inventions were not common in pocket watches, and as a result, many watches now lay dead in boxes or storage or the back of your cupboards collecting dust. These shock absorbing systems were the 'bike helmets' for the balance staff pivots when encountering a not so soft landing with the floor, preventing the pivots from snapping. Hence, earlier watches when encountering these circumstances, were not so lucky. Whilst it remained easy to break a pivot on the balance staff, replacing one is a skill not so easily found; as not all watchmakers are able, or have experienced how, to replace a balance staff. There is no room for error and no place to hide at any step of the process. No corners are to be cut or else the final result will be worse than the before. Patience and true attention to detail are the cornerstones. Without these, the job cannot be even mildly considered. Now to begin the written recount of the journey through the replacement process.

The process, after removal of hairspring, begins with the correct selection of tools; our balance staffs all belonged to the same calibre, with identical dimensions, we needed only to select the correct tools once and then note the numbers of the tools down. Continuing on, the tool is then lowered into place just over the pivot on the shoulder of the staff, and checked for alignment. This is all before our second most important part of the process comes into play: the right force. A small hammer strikes the tool at the top to push down on the staff and subsequently push it and the balance wheel out of the roller. The initial moment before you strike can only be described by the feeling of diving into a body of water and the suspense between your feet leaving solid ground and the re-entry into the water. A moment of truth, one could say. The first hit over, you now have the feel of the staff and can adjust your force accordingly, whilst also listening for changes in tone. Once out, all excitement is held until the roller and roller jewel are assessed, along with the balance wheel. Once all is revealed well, it is time to double down to remove the staff carefully from the wheel. This stage has two schools of thought. Either, one strike to cleanly remove the staff, or a series of small nuanced taps to encourage the staff to move through the rivet. The second is the preferred, for smaller taps allow the metal to freely loosen, provided there is adequate wheel support, without high risks of shredding the rivet and opening the hole for the next staff too far. We experienced this with one balance staff hole, and despite many adjustments, the wheel remains ever so slightly wobbly. Enough to annoy or discourage our efforts, but not enough that the watch does not work within its means. The inability to hide is the perfect way to describe our triumph, not through lack of effort to correct, but there comes a time where you must weigh the risks and draw the line. This first stage cannot be rushed or sloppily completed or else the next stage will not end well for the watch or the maker. The new replacement staff must be tested between the main plate and balance cock for N shake and rotation. Satisfied, the new staff can be supported from underneath as two newly selected tools come into play. The riveting stage begins with a flat tool that simply presses the wheel down by hand onto the staff so it sits flush with the widest flange. Next a rounded tool coaxes the metal undercut on the staff into a tight doughnut shape against the wheel, with slightly weightier taps as we rotate the wheel around. Followed by the flat tool again to flatten the created rivet. The wheel now undergoes a series of checks for equal weight balance, freedom of rotation (does it spin), and to finally check if it’s true. 'Does the wheel wobble and if so why', is the question we ask as we look closely to check if we have achieved parallelism or not. This is the stage at which Nick steps in for the final finessing and checking stages, and whilst I and another apprentice may know the process, we are yet to learn the art and finer details.   After all is said and done, we can boil the process down to two key points; the correct selection of tools and the right amount of force applied.  To add another layer to this instructional narrative, the balance staffs for the pocket watches in this learning process, were not sourced the same way we may for a watch you wear on your wrist. These pocket watches are over sixty years old and Seiko no longer supplies replacement parts for them. Luckily, back in 70's there was a third party balance staff manufacturer who made parts for this calibre, and thanks to their visionary efforts, we are now able to repair old Seiko railway pocket watches. Obviously, the third party maker hardly made any profit from investing time and efforts into making those parts, so from a business perspective that was a kind of failure. Yet if it wasn't for that 'failure', restoration of vintage Seiko pocket watches would be almost impossible. Chloe, first year apprentice.

From Apprentice Corner: Brian Loomes

Brian Loomes is a horological historian, genealogist, and a prolific author and best-known expert on British clocks. As Britain's longest-established clock dealer, his name is known by everyone connected with antique clocks.

Through his own original research in ancient records into the life and work of clockmakers he has compiled thirty reference books and hundreds of articles about antique British clocks and their makers. Several of them have become definitive texts and are used as standard reference books by museums, libraries, auction houses and collectors the world over. So much so that even many of the terms today in general use to describe certain types of clock features were first coined in these books.

Brian Loomes is not a watchmaker by trade, but our young apprentices are expected to immerse themselves into the work of Loomes, discover his style, methodology, attention to detail, and relentless pursuit of penning down horological history which would otherwise remain unpreserved.

This week we are studying ‘The Concise Guide to British Clocks’, and our apprentices are required to write down technical words and terms they have not heard before. We discuss them the following day, and we learn together.

The first four words we discussed yesterday were:

Fusee
Hood pillar
Spandrels
Foliot

(These were Chloe's picks)

Do you know what these terms refer to, without looking them up? I have to admit, I tripped up on 'spandrels' and had to ask Bobby to look it up for us. Not to make any excuses, but if the word had been in context, I am sure I would have worked it out. If you too are struggling to work it out then here is a tip- there are four on the dial of a traditional English long case clock.                          

From Apprentice Corner: Book Review

Longitude by Dava Sobel

Longitude, by Dava Sobel is a short but no less fascinating read. The history revealed and timeline constructed, outline the trials and tribulations of mariners, scientists and astronomers alike in their quest to accurately measure longitude.

The concept of using a grid like system of coordinates to plot and chart any spot on the earth’s surface is owed in part to Ptolemy in his work Geographica of the 2nd century. These lines, latitude and longitude respectively, thereby can be used to not only chart but also navigate the open ocean with no landfall in sight. Latitude, the lines circling the girth of the earth, is calculated simply with skyward indicators in the positioning of the stars or sun. Longitude however began to be calculated utilising time comparison, given the angular nature of the lines as they circle the earth pole to pole. The mariners must have two ’times’ for their calculations, that of their current location (native time) and that of the pre-determined port of known longitudinal location. They needed a watch that they could carry on the boat and accurately and consistently tell the time of their destination port. Cue one of the greatest problems that persisted over almost 16 centuries to stump even the greatest minds, and the man who triumphed in creating a solution to which there was no contest and the ramifications that we still use today.

The catalyst that formed the tipping point for the longitude problem was the 1707 tragedy. Admiral Sir Clowdesley Shovel was the head of a British fleet that, due to miscalculations that were prevalent at the time, dashed and sunk four warships against the rock of Scilly Isles and lost more than 1600 lives to the mistake. In response a parliamentary committee was formed and the parliament in 1714 passed the 'Longitude Act' offering £20,000 for a viable solution. The wining solution was one that had accuracy within a singular half degree, approximately 30miles, on a journey from England to the West Indies.

The great many ideas for solutions across the centuries were either mechanical (clock) or astronomical. Ranging from celestial patterns, tracking the moon's path across the sky in relation to stars, or the four known moons of Jupiter. The mechanical clock method relied on the time difference equation with a clock bearing the destination port time and the local time noted at noon, thereby calculating for every hour apart, there is 15 degrees of longitude between the ship and destination.

Newton himself noted a small watch would be ideal however he saw the possibility of an astronomical solution as more giving. It wasn't until 1727 when a self-educated village man of carpentry and watchmaking skills caught wind of the prize potential. By 1730 this man, named John Harrison, already had substance enough plans to share them with Edmund Halley, a board member who encouraged Harrison and connected him with another Society member who specialised in clockmaking. Five years later Harrison had a clock (H1) that tested well on its maiden voyage of Lisbon. Harrison, taken by the possibilities of his own idea built another chronometer, namely H2, in just 5 years. His second clock was given more accolades than the first however Harrison being a man of not science but watchmaking and carpentry, was self-driven to achieve not the best but his best, and this he took twenty years to build another chronometer, H3.

As Harrison's instruments became more accurate and reliably more suitable, so did the contending astronomical solutions,  just as the intrigue did for with more scientific minds wanted their idea not Harrison's to succeed. Chiefly against Harrison was Nevil Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal, and he pursued testing on Harrison's clocks and at each point attempted to thwart his efforts in the name of having a more scientific solution despite the brilliance of Harrison's chronometers. Despite this after completion of the third watch and receiving of the Copley Gold Medal (1749), a fourth pocket version was completed, tested and proven on the West Indies trip that was requirement. Despite this board did not immediately award the prize as they had in Harrison's absence of making, become focused on other methods that proved not as accurate but still viable. 1765 was when they finally awarded only half the total prize and moved the goal posts again for Harrison, and demanded he create duplicates to prove the replicability of his watches, as well as ordering a secondary watchmaker to produce a duplicate. Harrison would not receive the final prize amount until 1773. The true prize More than 5,000 ship chronometers would be used by 1815.

Marine chronometers are now regarded and appreciated worldwide as priceless collectors items. After reading Longitude, I got to see a marine chronometer from 1841. The craftsmanship behind the chronometer really made me want to develop the skills so that I can one day sit in front of a historical timepiece not just in admiration, but know how to disassemble, adjust, reassemble, and if needed make a replacement part. This is a watchmaker's dream.                         

Intriguing History of the Reverso

Apprentice Corner: Top 10 Watch Videos

***My Top 10 Watch Videos

Something a bit different today - I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite watch videos on youtube. Narrowing it down to just 10 was no easy task, but I decided to choose those that display the genius, passion and perseverance that goes into watchmaking.

#1: Vacheron Constantin - Ref. 57260 - The Most Complicated Watch Ever Made

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this video. Hundreds of times, at least. The reference 57260 represents the absolute pinnacle of watchmaking. Only Vacheron Constantin (and possibly Patek Philippe), with over 200 years of accumulated expertise, could pull off such an incredible piece.
There is, and only ever will be, one of these pieces. Vacheron Constantin doesn’t care how much money you’ve got (though you definitely need deep pockets), nor do they care how famous you are. They have to WANT to make a watch for you. We don’t know who they made it for or how much it cost, and though I’ll never get to see it in person I nonetheless consider it a real privilege to see the watch in action. Inspirational.
I’ve heard that Vacheron is working on something else, still a number of years away, which will top this. How do you beat perfection? I can’t wait to find out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InYrmk3Ezb8

#2: Patek Philippe 5175R Grandmaster Chime Watch

No explanation needed. Be prepared to pick your jaw up off the floor after witnessing only some of the work that went into this extraordinary piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGPjFFMD3c0

#3 The Single Men - Masters of the Incredible and the Beautiful

Many of the greatest independent watchmakers and CEO’s of larger companies are interviewed in this fascinating documentary. A must watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thAKJnp0ntU

#4 Talking Watches With Roni Madhvani

Of all the people interviewed in Hodinkee’s Talking Watches series, Roni Madhvani is most certainly the least well known. And yet, at least to me, his collection is by far the most interesting - but then again I’m a huge fan of watches with bizarre shapes and daring dials. I mentioned one of the watches he displays (the Patek 3412) in a previous book review, so it was exciting to finally see one ticking away. His collection is absolutely stunning and so very unique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lJIIHGyD_A

#5 Invenit et Fecit - A short documentary on F.P.Journe

F.P. Journe is a modern trailblazer. He’s a truly rebellious watchmaker who has established an extremely successful brand while remaining completely independent. His watches aren’t for everyone (though you really need to see one in person to get a proper idea of how nice they are), but they’re completely distinct and can be mistaken for no other.
This documentary provides not only an interesting insight into the man himself but also a good overview of the nature of the industry over the years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ciWgA1QiMk

#6 Our Maison - "Beyond the gesture" by Jaeger-LeCoultre

I’ve never heard anyone say something bad about Jaeger-LeCoultre. They make my favourite watch - the Reverso (okay, equal favourite with the Rolex Prince); they’re innovative, distinct and have a commitment to quality that is second to none.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahdP3uPqAOU

#7 Clockwatch: The Daniels Wristwatch

Who was F.P. Journe’s hero? George Daniels. This is the one name that we talk about constantly here. Simply put, George Daniels (1926-2011) was the greatest watchmaker since Abraham Louis-Breguet. Nick, Josh and I read through his seminal Watchmaking book almost every day (I’ll do a review on that one in a couple of years when I finally manage to get a proper grasp on it all!), seeking answers, advice and guidance as we work towards manufacturing components right here in Sydney. This video is a nice little introduction into the legendary figure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_XK2sR30Kw

#8 Talking Watches With John Goldberger

Probably the next least-well known person Hodinkee has interviewed, John Goldberger is perhaps the most knowledgeable collector around. I previously reviewed one of his books and mentioned that the only reason you need to buy the book is because Mr. Goldberger produced it. He’s such a cool character and one could listen to him talk for days. So cool, in fact, that he casually grabs a cheese knife, dusts it off on his jacket and then proceeds to bust open a two million dollar Rolex 4113 without a moment's hesitation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgSYZIUrRkw

#9 John Mayer On The IWC Big Pilot, Past And Present

I didn’t want to include three videos from Hodinkee because I wanted to highlight some of the great content produced by other watch news sites, but alas, I’m a huge fan of both John Mayer and IWC so I just had to include this one. I guess I’ll just have to make another list!
There’s nothing overly interesting here, it’s just a guy having a nice ol’ chat about a brand and model he’s super passionate about - something I myself love doing with other collectors. It’s always a blast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdKqR_CBRBk

#10 Born To Design Franck Muller Watchmaking - SolidWorks

Franck Muller is a brand that is totally unafraid to push the boundaries in all aspects of watchmaking. Their designs are utterly unique and the mechanics within are always innovative and made to the highest standard. This video is especially of interest since we’re also using SolidWorks to design our watches.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNgIsYbcJ3M

Apprentice Corner: Book Review

***Book Review of the Week:
Vintage Rolex Sports Models - by Martin Skeet and Nick Urul

Vintage Rolex Sports Models, written by long time collectors and watch enthusiasts Martin Skeet & Nick Urul, is a comprehensive reference for any fan of Rolex sports watches. The ‘sports’ watches consists of the Submariner, Sea-Dweller, GMT-Master, Explorer, Turn-O-Graph and Cosmograph.


Each section begins with an overview of the history of the model, describing the catalysts that lead to its conception, design inspiration, choice of movement and even how it was marketed.


This is followed by each of the model’s references listed out chronologically with even the minutest changes noted: font variations, case sizes, movements, bracelets, hands, finishes and everything else that could possibly differ is described.


My favourite section is without question the one on advertisements & literature. Full of pamphlets, magazine spreads and other advertising paraphernalia, it’s a fascinating insight into how Rolex as a brand and watch innovations in general progressed over the years. It’s rather amusing to read how watches were marketed in the 1940’s-1990’s: big bold statements like ‘a diver's dream come true!’ and ‘Rolex conquers Everest!’ were accompanied by long gushing testimonials from famous wearers and shameless self-promotion as to how damned good Rolex really is.


Need to confirm that you’ve got the right box? Check that the paperwork matches up? How do you make sense of the serial number? It’s all here with accompanying photos that’ll help you know exactly what you’re dealing with.


The price guide section is, of course, obsolete now, but such information is best checked online anyway.


There is one thing that I feel detracts from the book, however. One of my favourite things about watch books is the beautiful photographs of the watches that make you want to pick up the book time and time again, regardless of whether you’re interested in the information therein. Unfortunately, all the pictures of the models and their different references are seemingly just computer renderings. Good ones at that, but most of the watches look rather two dimensional and are without any of the ‘character’ that draws people to vintage Rolex.


In fairness, with over 140 models featured and some of them being exceedingly rare, the authors would have had a hell of a time trying to photograph them all. As well, some might see this as a good thing as it enables one to more clearly distinguish the different references, as some of the variations between them are quite subtle indeed. Nonetheless, I still think it would’ve been nice to have an actual picture or two in each section.



If you’re a serious Rolex collector with a focus on their sports watch offerings then this book would surely prove to be a valuable asset. The book was published in 2002 so don’t expect to see any information on watches produced thereafter. It is, after all, a vintage Rolex book, so if this is what you’re after it should be perfect for you.

Book Review: Longitude, By Dava Sobel

***From Apprentice Corner: Book Review


Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, By Dava Sobel

Longitude, written by Dava Sobel, tells the story of John Harrison, an inventor of the highest magnitude who spent over 40 years feverishly devoted to solving the greatest scientific problem of his time.

The book has been adapted into a TV series, won the British Book of the Year in 1997, as well as many other awards. So much praise has been heaped on this book that I needn’t add to the chorus, but I feel it necessary to give the book a brief introduction for those that might not have heard of it.

In the days long before GPS, sailors used a technique known as ‘dead reckoning’ to figure out their position, wherein sailors would calculate their position at sea using a known previous position and advancing that position based on estimated speed and direction. With wind, tides, imperfect measuring instruments and a whole range of other variables affecting the calculation, what could possibly go wrong?

A lot did, and often. Even after improvements in celestial methods that helped determine longitude, the problem persisted. The most accurate lunar tables still had errors (errors which compounded based on your position on Earth) and they relied on cooperative weather to be of any use at all. One degree of longitude equals approximately 111 kilometres; the slightest error in calculation meant the difference between running aground or perhaps never seeing land again!

The costs to the seafaring nations were enormous. Precious cargo and thousands of lives were lost. The British, French and Spanish governments offered enormous rewards for any one person able to resolve the problem, but most laboured in vain. Many of the greatest clockmakers and scientists ranging from Galileo to Edmond Halley gave it a shot. Isaac Newton implied that the dilemma was unlikely to be resolved by mechanical means. The fact that one man was able to satisfactorily resolve the problem with his incredible marine chronometer is hard to fathom.

The trials and tribulations of John Harrison, the competing designs and the plots of the sailors that so desperately needed a resolution to the problem are beautifully documented in Longitude - Dava Sobel is one of the finest science writers on the planet. I won’t comment too much on her extraordinary science writing ability but suffice to say that you won’t be left perplexed by any concepts at any point and will be enthralled throughout.

Of particular relevance, the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney has an exhibition on now titled Ships, Clocks and Stars,featuring many navigational instruments used back in the day, replicas of John Harrison’s early clocks and his original H-4 watch - the very watch that practically solved the problem once and for all. The exhibition finishes on the 30th of October so you’d best get in quick!
www.anmm.gov.au/Whats-On/Exhibitions/On-Now/Ships-Clocks-Stars