Weekend Report: John Reardon Learns to Service a Pocket Watch at NAWCC's Weekend Crash Course

December 26, 2012

Not too long ago, I had theopportunity to attend a two-day "Servicing a Pocket Watchfor the Beginner" workshop at the NAWCC in Columbia, PA. After experiencing this classfirst hand, I recommend this watchmaking experience to anyone interested inlearning more about how their watches work and appreciating the incredible talent thatwatchmakers have in keeping a vintage or modern timepiece properly preserved andin good running order. For the watch enthusiast, this is about as good as it getsfor a?horological?weekend getaway.The three-hour-plus drivefrom NYC to the sleepy town of Columbia, PA seemed endless, but it was well worththe time. A tour of the NAWCC Watch and Clock Museum was rewardenough for the hours sitting in traffic. Once class started, each of the nine watchmaking benches in the classroom was taken by an eager student ready to dissect their watch and, hopefully, bring it back to life. After our Lititz-trainedinstructors, Emily Donia and Blaine Wilson from ZimmermanJewelers in York, PA, introduced themselves, the real fun began. As a warm-up, we were asked to removeand put back a screw from a pocket watch balance wheel. Seems easy enough Cuntil you try, that is. In a matter of minutes, screws were popping off and flying in alldirections. The subtle sound of bouncing screws in a silent workshop is anunforgettable noise. This dexterity test proved to be humbling for all involved, but this was just the beginning. Describing the feeling as frustration would be an understatement. Each participant in the classwas issued an American pocket watch to work on for the duration of theworkshop. I had the pleasure of working on an Elgin watch, circa 1927. Before removing each component, we were ableto view the instructors watch on a computer monitor positioned on each of our desks, witha live camera feed, so we could see the correct way to execute each step. As pieces were removed from the watch, we were given detailed information including thename of each part, how the individual part works within the movement, how thepower of the movement is translated through the watch, and helpful tips onproper disassembly. Over thenext 6 hours, each of us dissembled our own timepiece under the watchfuland helpful eyes of the instructors. Taking the watch apart wasrelatively easy, but putting it back together proved a problem. I never expectedaligning a bridge with three pivots could be so difficult. I spent an hour attemptingto replace one bridge before begging for assistance from the teacher. She put the bridge back on in five seconds flat.After the dry run on day one,we spent day two disassembling our movements once again, learning how to clean each part with the appropriate tools and solution, before reassemblingthe movement with proper lubrication. Only nowdo I fully understand the art of properly oiling a watch C I can only imagine howdifficult it is to perform the same steps on a much smaller caliber wristwatch. After 14hours wrestling with this gummed-up old Elgin pocket watch, the freshly cleanedand oiled piece came to life once again with a gentle nudge of the balancewheel back into position. As each of the students watches started running again,there was a hushed murmur of satisfaction that swept through the room withquiet exclamations of I finally got it! every few minutes. The initial frustration of just trying to get the job done turned to pride for all involved.What I learned from thisexperience is a complete and utter respect for the art of watchmaking that you just cannot get any other way. This is a respect for not only for the watchmakers who design and manufacture thesemicromechanical works of art, but also for the local watchmakers in towns across Americawho clean and service these watches on a daily basis. It takes an incredibly high levelof training and talent to perform the seemingly simple act of cleaning amovement. It takes a minimum of two to three years of training for a watchmaker toproperly handle the most basic of movements, and years more for morecomplicated calibers. A watchmakers level of problem solving ability,creativity, and manual dexterity is something to be respected and valued. Notto mention their patience. Even after this brief course, no oneshould dare work on any watches without proper training? - unless you intend on completely destroying the movement. (Go to the Lititz school for a few years if you are reallycommitted.) However, this is an experience of a lifetime for someone who seeks to develop a new level of intimacy with their timepieces and to appreciate the experts a heck of a lot more.The NAWCC offers ongoingclasses in Columbia, PA and the upcoming schedule can be seen here. Classestend to fill up fast, so book immediately.