I was searching RUclips a few days ago to find someone actually machining a watch from scratch and was surprised at how few results I got. A lot of people calling themselves watchmakers that only clean and reassemble watches, never making them. And now more videos from you, awesome.
Unfortunately watchmaker is the correct word to use for those that repair watches, especially in modern times when most watches are factory made. Makes it hard to use as a search term to get the result you’re looking for.
As @_Agent_86 mentions, they are correct to call themselves watchmakers. It is also true that almost no one in history actually does or did "machine watches from scratch". Even before modern factory production, traditional watchmaking was done by over a dozen individual trades making various parts. If you restrict to only the watch movement, it is a bit more common, but still has only been true in luxury watches since well before RUclips, because it isn't economical for large-scale production. Smaller high-end watchmakers like Roger Smith do essentially make whole watches from scratch, producing no more than about 10 a year from a small workshop staffed with a handful of watchmakers, with years-long waiting lists and 5-digit prices. He has posted some videos, and channels like Clickspring, DeanDK and others have content that covers some of this, because it is a passion project. The reality is that even for those of us with experience and know-how, it requires a shop full of thousands of dollars in tooling and a ton of time to do something like this. This is also assuming that you are working from a pre-existing design.
There have been few people on this planet who could actually build a watch from scratch, but most are gone by now. I was lucky enough to know one of them, who worked for NASA as a tool and die man. He not only made his own gold cases, but dials, gear train, bridges, dials, screws, and could make pretty much any other part of a watch. I wish I had tried to buy one of his watches, as they were truly beautiful. It could take a couple of years of full time work for a single person to produce one of those hand made watches. If you want to get a better idea of the monumental amount of time and effort that goes into making a high quality watch yourself, look into George Daniels and Philippe Dufour. That gives you an appreciation for what an undertaking is was for Mike and Alistair to research, design, and fabricate their chronometer escapement.
Surely the displacement of the weight per tick is entirely dependent on the tooth counts of the gear train rather than directly on the efficiency of the system as a whole? I suspect as the drive wheel gets geared up more and more, reducing torque to the escapement, there will be a point where it no longer has enough torque to overcome the friction in the system and drive the escapement properly anymore, and just shy of that point it will be running at maximum efficiency (presuming it wasn't already adjusted to this stage). As the mechanism wears and friction increases this could cause the mechanism to fail and require maintenance to get it running again
Instead of remaking the gearing, you can just reduce the weight to a point, when it's not capable of running the clock anymore to measure an actual efficiency. Or you can make the string barrel thinner to make the clock run longer with the same string length and the same weight. (If the clock is efficient enough)
Exactly. For each click of the mechanism, the weight will fall a set distance, dictated by the ratios of the drive train. Each of those movements of the weight are then brought to a standstill by the escapement. Where the kinetic energy will be converted to noise and (a tiny amount of) heat. It would have been interesting to see how little weight was needed to keep it running.
@@scottoswald7535 Inefficiency of the mechanism will only be detectable if it's so bad that it finally stops working. Up to that point, for every click, the weight will move a pre-determined distance. Efficiency will have no influence on that measurement.
It's fascinating to see the other end of the spectrum of precision machine work. I manually machine stuff that is in the tens to hundreds of pounds that require 0.005" accuracy usually and it boggles my mind that people such as yourself have the steadiness and patience to craft such tiny and precise parts. Truly awesome in the original sense of the word, extremely well documented and presented craftsmanship.
When I was a young man I started as a Toolmaker with Timex . We had many Swiss watch making machines in the Toolroom. I personally worked on a Schaublin Lathe with all the attachments milling and grinding attachments. When Timex closed the Toolrooms in the eighty’s you could pick up one of the schaublin lathes with all the attachments for buttons. The smallest diameter drill that I use was 0 .010 diameter. I used to make staking punches out of carbide. The tolerance was +0.000 -0.0002. Timex was a good place to work I would have been a 40 year man. Great video.
Schaublin is a top brand, for which you now have to pay a lot of money for 2nd hand.
Год назад+138
I just wanted to commend you on this video. The audio levels are perfect both for speech and background music throughout, the focus of the camera is spot on, and the pace is fantastic for the type of content. Thank you for sharing! 👍
Thank you for sharing this. My grandfather was a watch maker from Denmark, who moved to Montreal in the 30's. I used to visit his shop, and he would be making gears of any size, from smaller than your finger tip, to as big as the diameter of a drinking cup. Whatever the client needed. I would go and visit his shop in downtown Montreal, and it was stunning to be there. So many watches and clocks ticking away all over the place, all going off at around the same time. Amazing smells too, a mix of pipe tobacco and oil. I remember it like it was yesterday, and really it was 1976. He complained about Timex every time someone brought one in as "not a real watch", but he had a bit of a smile on his face when he did. Never turned a customer away, even for a battery replacement. The tools and techniques you are using are very similar to some he had. It was nice to watch what you did.
Use a big tool to make a small tool. Then use the small tools to make micro tools. Then use micro tools to make nano tools! Now, we are doing the inverse... nano tools being used to make big tools!
Cool! I’m guessing your expertise is rare. My dad’s former colleague in defence research was a scientific instrument maker and some of his tools found their way to me. The boxes include gravers, small files, a parallelogram-section burnisher, graver sharpening guide, brass quadrant calipers, tiny taps and dies but no holder, squares, tiny mallet. Tools with purposes unknown to me include couple of sharp edged polished burnishers about 4” x 1/4” x 1/16” with teardrop sections, and a couple of steel rods about 6” long x 3/16” dia. shaped like a cane with the handle turned out and sharpened to a point. I couldn’t begin to guess what he would have made
People in this trade usually were employed to apply their skills to the needs of a particular industry. In my case it was working for ICIANZ for a decade in relation to developing and maintaining instrumentation in relation to chemical process control. I then moved on to work in theatre, film and advertising providing design and manufacture of special effects, set design and puppetry. I eventually settled on working at a university for thirty years across a range of activities. I n each case I was able to employ all of the experience and knowledge that I had gained initially while learning about whole new range of opportunities where my skills could be applied. The tools with unknown purpose that you described are not familiar to me but could be intended to help in the calibration of a mechanism by locking it place or providing a dimensional reference. The burnisher could be used to restore an edge or bearing surface. Anything is possible? @@Mars-zgblbl
Sir, the meticulousness of your manual adjustment is extraordinary, the quality of the tool equipment that you operate is good, complete and, most importantly, carefully chosen. The treatment of the edges of each tool individually are so precise that I really only have to tell you that I admire your masterful hand in turning, filing and cutting, your final result and suitability to do so. I am a mechanical adjuster but I have never practiced the profession. I was extremely pleased to be able to appreciate someone who honors the profession and, although I do not practice it, I totally love it. Thanks for posting.
The amount the weight drops each tick is directly related to the distance your escape wheel travels. It does not necessarily relate to the power required to run the mechanism, for example if the weight was smaller it would still travel the same distance, thus using less power. So while the spring surely does use more than it could, I feel that a smaller escape wheel / more teeth on the escape wheel would be the easiest way to increase the efficiency. Or making the barrel for the weight smaller. I wish I could make stuff like this, I've always liked watches and would like to make miniature steam engines and stuff too. Really fun watching people doing these things, especially largely by hand. Awesome video, thanks!
you can work out the energy via the gravitational potential of the mass and it's displacement vs the theoretical work of the inertia and the frictional losses of the mechanism.
You should just get a sherline lathe and start in. Lots of good videos on You tube and I used to get a few magazines such as home shop machinist. If you go to a few watch shows through NAWCC and AWI you might find some folks to help you out. Lots would like to pass on their knowledge.
I by no means have a good grasp on how exactly this works, but wouldn’t reducing the weight cause the tick period to shorten? If the PE of the weight is reduced, the spring will have less kinetic energy and won’t travel as far per stroke? I could be wrong.
The patience and meticulousness of this process is astounding. I was mesmerized by the techniques, craftmanship, and knowledge of these guys. Amazed. I'll never look at my wristwatch the same again. Perhaps he said in the vid, but how many hours was this from beginning to end?
I think theres inefficiency in how the watch is placed, forces by gravity effects vertical rotating circles, this can dramatically effect the power input, maybe putting it flat down and having the weight fall off the table will you get better results. and the spring , for the issue that it how its configured may give you a varied spring constant with unwanted variation and dampening forces. I do think you can do a spinning top design where it balances on a ruby a spinning top and then it controls the frequency of the clock. Reduced friction, there are also things like screws that attaching the escapement mechanism, tolerance of the gears might introduce dynamic friction but i don't think theres much too look into there, is friction where the pole is held where the axle is place. Hanging the weight at the end of the gear might be able to put stress on the gear may increase friction and binding in the gears. I do think the hairspring is an issue yes. So there you go laying the timing mechanism flat instead of vertical, might be little wastage in escapement and the spring used, screw that mounts the escapement mechanism and that the at axle doesn't have a bearing. Don't get me wrong im not the critical type, i was just commenting on why the clock needed such big power input and I was thinking what are the many issues could result in increasing power output. I love the video, love the work, you work hard and keep up the great work man its lovely stuff, I always had an appeal for craftsmanship like this.
A joy to watch! Enjoyed the work and the beautiful tools/shops. There are already 638 comments, so I hope I am not horribly redundant. I am an amateur in this arena, but a seasoned mechanical engineer. A few sources of energy losses and hence causes of inefficiency will be the following: Anything that has friction, such as gear losses, bearing losses (yes rolling elements are usually quite low loss). Are any axial fits allowing faces of parts to touch and cause friction loss? If the balance wheel contacts the sides of the spring there is a high relative velocity and associated friction loss. The balance wheel will produce a loss due to air friction. If you could remeasure in a vacuum chamber, you could quantify this loss. I think the escapement wheel involves both rubbing motion (friction) and impacts. The impact noise is itself indicative of a loss. The noise is energy. The less noise the less loss. This might be the greatest source of lost energy. I imagine the smoother contacts, (reduced impact distance of each fall) will demand greater precision. The spring itself will have some internal loss, but I imagine it is a very small loss, as almost all of the potential energy is converted to kinetic and back again.
Wow about time.. lol. I've been watching < watchmaking videos now on RUclips for about a year. Not searching just when I see one and I'm in the mood I'll watch it. This Chanel so far is the best. There is another guy I won't mention by name but he... um.. I wanna be respectful so I'll leave it there. My dad was a watchmaker for almost 60 years and he taught me everything he could lol which by his library of knowledge was about 10%, I remember sitting and watching him make balance staff for a lady Rolex watch, it was mesmerising. His attention to detail was amazing in everything he did. I bet spending a day with you would bring back a lot of memories. Sadly he passed away before he could teach me watches but he did teach me everything I know about clock repairs I worked side by side with dad for 20 years and even right up to the end he amazed me with the skills he wielded. Some of these RUclips watchmakers Make me cringe. Well done and thank you for actually being a true pleasure to watch right to the end. It really is a shame that we are a dying breed.
Re: efficiency. I think that although it's is using 150uW to run, it doesn't need all that energy. It's ticking quite loudly and powerfully/firmly. I expect you could get away with a much lighter weight, or a larger diameter "bobbin" (sorry don't know the correct terminology!), bringing energy consumption more into line with the escapement your friend is making. Regardess of all that, thank you for sharing your beautiful craftsmanship and videography and editing and audio skills. A joy to watch!
I recently read the book, longitude, which is roughly about the making of the first accurate time keeper for use in ship navigation. It was fascinating. As is this video. Just incredible to imagine the people of long ago making these.
I became interested in mechanical principles a few years ago. Back then I didnt appreciate the engineering know how that goes into mechanical watches. Marvellous to see how you achieve what you do. Many thanks for the high quality videos. :)
Just finding the channel, instant sub, like, bell:) I got into watchmaking when this video came out, I dug out my grandfather's 1920 Elgin pocket watch, wound down the main spring, reset the balance, and got it ticking for the first time in my lifetime. A couple George Daniels documentaries later, a former train hopping past, and I have recently started my collection of railroad grade watches. My father was a sailor, and I sailed as well, so naturally I am now down the path of the Harrison clocks and other maritime chronometers. This content is invaluable to me, and so many others. Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
I watched all of this video and I see that you have asked for some suggestions. To reduce the weight of the assembly, drill a series of small holes in the escape wheel rotating and moving components. That would reduce the weight and would not seriously compromise the strength. I think your poise weights are too long. My suggestion is mainly to reduce the length, diameter, and weight of your moving components by drilling holes, reducing thicknesses, and carefully removing mass from your components. I am a retired tool and die maker and I admire your work.
Ive spent a fair amount of time watching similar content, but this is the first time Ive really felt that I had a clue how the escapement worked. An excellent model/display, and great camera work too! Thanks.
I have been not patiently waiting for another video of yours for so long it seems like, I absolutely love your content as a fellow horology enthusiast and watchmaker I love getting to see the fun and amazing work you do, puts a smile on my face every time. I gotta say I bet you love using that Knew Concepts piercing saw! I have one and can’t believe I used a standard one before that, it’s such a night and day difference with the amount of control and precision you can get with those saws, great video and I can’t wait to see what you do next.
What a fascinating video presentation. Looking back at my life of 80 years , I would willingly exchange every dismal abstract job I ever struggled through in order to have had one chance to acquire the knowledge and skills to create precice and beautiful objects like these. Knowledge, design, artistry and precision and fine machine tool working in perfect hamony by outstanding engineers. Thank you.
Spent 3 months following your instructions, bought all the specialized tools, had a lathe installed & made all these impossibly tiny parts only to find out you "weren't trying to make an accurate timekeeper.." Now I'm running late for work so thanks 😤. Seriously though, beautiful work. The level of precision you achieve by hand is incredible
So very beautiful. As a watchmaker who has worked on countless watches over many years, I applaud your workmanship and thank you most sincerely for making these videos.
It’s always a pleasure to see the accuracy you are working with. A accuracy that makes me question myself, what came first, the chicken or the egg or is this line of work; clockwork or rocket science?😊 Thanks again for sharing this beautiful piece of art with me 👍👍🙏 love from Holland 🇳🇱
Y'all bring so much motivation and joy. You're one of the very few who can explain how something is made without completely going off topic. Thank you. Going to be making my mechanical wall clock here soon. Currently designing the dial. This definitely helps with my escapement problem. Always good to see masters at work.
As a professional watchmaker i am amazed at what you do in your workshop. Actually the energy the system "needs" dictates the aplitude if the balance. so with a fixed weight the balance can only reach a certain amplitude. you can optimize this by corecting the beat error or less friction everywhere
Years ago I made a detent chronometer escapement wall clock. I initially used a flat "hairspring" made from an old watch spring and it didn't really work as good as your escapement. In the end I made a vertically coiled spring from flat section plastic (3mm X 0.1mm). With this spring the movement works quite well and does not take so much energy to power it. The only other thing I noticed is that the clock is very noisy compared to an anchor or grasshopper escapement. Superb video though - keep them coming.
I thoroughly enjoyed your video, but I wanted to make one comment in response to your statement that a weight is more accurate than a spring. The problem with a weight, particularly in a grandfather clock, is the weight of the chain that the weight hangs on. As the weight moves down, more chain is on the side of the weight and less is on the other side or the sprocket. This makes the clock run faster at the end of the week, compared to right after being wound. The winch wound grandfather clocks virtually eliminate this problem and seem to run much more consistently, as the winch cable is very much lighter than the hanging chain. Thoughts? Thanks for this delightful video!
As a machinist l am amazed at the tiny parts that you create; always fascinated me. Thanx for a glorious video that is soothing to view and also excellently made; perfect camera work, sound & explanations.
A gorgeous example of precision engineering in making the watch mechanism. I love the attention to detail and the exquisite camera work. A joy to watch and to learn from. Thank you!
Amazing content! To solve the problem of the drop i would suggest to add more teeth to the driving wheel . Because with less space between each tooth you will have a lower drop i think. I might be wrong , although i think it would be worth trying. Thank you for the amazing content. I am a very passionate Watchmaker based in London and i believe that videos like these are extremely important for the Art of Watchmaking to continue expanding and to inspire the future generations.
I’m torn between admiring your machining skills and or your machines and fine hand tools ! I’m a machinist by trade since retired , however , I have never worked on pieces this small . Thank you for videoing and sharing . 👍
Very nice video, especially liked how the escape wheel was machined. The weight drop is determined by the dimensions of the parts, and gear ratios etc. The minimum energy required could be determined by decreasing the weight mass, until the mechanic wouldn't tick over any more. Not sure if the experiment was conducted in this fashion. Though what was shown in the video it seems that a some one weight was hooked to the mechanism and then the change in potential energy was calculated, this would show the energy budget for the mechanism, with the given weight.
I'm fascinated by your comment on energy used. A couple others commented on this question. For the sake of discussion, let's increase the driving weight a little thus increasing the energy used. Presumably the timing of the motion remains the same. So, if things are running at the same speed, where does the extra energy go? 1) The clicking. I imagine a heavier weight will produce a louder click, which represents more energy. 2) More weight will put more force on the various pivot points and bearings, as well as at the sliding contact point between the escape wheel tooth and the impulse wheel. This extra force increases friction. Presumably parts will wear out faster using a heavier weight. 3) I suppose, perhaps, that the balance wheel will swing a wider arc, moving faster as well. That means more air resistance. All these things seem so miniscule, but at this small energy level they are significant. One comment mentioned reducing the weight to the minimum that will keep the clock going. I agree with him that this would be a better analysis of the energy that this clock requires to run. Another comment mentioned reducing the mass of various elements. That would reduce the vertical forces of the various axles on their supporting surfaces, thus reducing friction. (Though would holes in the balance wheel add air resistance?) Another miniscule contribution, but possibly significant. Thanks for the invitation to think about this question and to comment on it. I enjoyed doing so, and also very much enjoyed watching your work.
Mesmerizing from start to finish. Amazing knowledge and skill required to make every individual part and the finished product didnt disappoint me at least. Thank you for sharing with us.
I am not a watchmaker, but I am an Electronics Engineer. The thought occurs to me at around 23.20, that you need a strobe light timed to the rotation of the lathe, to give you a stationary image of the part as you machine it. Adjusting the timing of the strobe related to the rotational position of the backplate, would place the part and the cutting tool, "in the same place", which MAY make machining of the part more visual and less reliant on the lathe dials ? LOVE the craftsmanship. Top marks.
This looks incredibly difficult, but immensely rewarding. Thank you for making such a detailed account of the process involved. I can only imagine how hard it must be to do at a smaller scale or back when tools were more rudimentary.
There's so much that goes into watch and clock making, from tight machining tolerances to stylistic decisions, with everything having to work perfectly in concert. Sometimes, the only thing that determines a good clock from a bad one can be a matter of a pinion.
Bravo! So interesting! I get the impression you are an academic researcher from the words used in your script (e.g. " Here, we differ from traditional practice ...") and this makes the video very easy to follow.
It might be a strange comment, but I really don't understand nothing of what you spoke and how this "Time measurement instrument" works, still I am so impressed by what I see and how you make it. Very very impressive. Thanks!!
As a clockmaker I can tell you why it may be so inefficient. The pivots of the balancewheel, resp. the bearings, create way too much friction. The pivots of a sea chronometer balancewheel have ruby bearings and have only a diameter of about 5-9 hundreth of a millimeter (0.05-0.09mm). Try making them thinner, and the clock will run with less power. Also the chronometer escapement itself is quite powerhungry and not made for a vertical positioning. That's also why all the ship's chronometer clocks are mounted in some kind of gyroscope bracket. Try using a graham lever escapement with pivots as thin as possible.
At last I found you! I could not find a video explaining watch making. And , oh boy, your video is wonderful. And your work is just art to me. I love watches. I will look at my automatic watchess with even more love. The sound your watch makes reminds me of the old clock in my grandfather's house (he was born in 1887 and had it since 1910). Sadly, the clock was lost between all the things when he passed away.
Awesome Video, always wanted to see how watch makers hand craft (no CNC) inner workings ,very good resolution on the various metal removals.... that's art just incredible
See children this is why you must learn everything about engineering at school and all the world will make sense, what a excellent video I love how you made this look easy but not at all, I am restoring a 8 day Westminster and it goes really well only 15 minutes loss over a week, but I need to put it in the case, I might line the inside with gold leaf just, no one will see apart from me.
Thank you so much for making this video. It is beautifully shot. I appreciate the difficulty of doing this when filming such small things and also the camera being in the way whilst you are trying to work. Thank you also for taking the time to make this explanatory model. It was also very interesting to me as someone who also machines parts for various purposes to spot almost train spotter fashion the George Thomas universal pillar tool and dividing head, the Quorn tool and cutter grinder, The Myford Super7 and the Dore Westbury milling machine which lastg I also use though subjecting it to greater stresses. Thank you again for your efforts.
Absolutely beautiful precision Tools… and phenomenal skill of you Guys. I could “Watch” this kind of Video all day. This is tantamount to Brain surgery. Thanks. Nigel.
Que trabalho primoroso, digno de um grande mestre relojoeiro. A precisão, a criatividade, o conhecimento técnico não só das ferramentas, máquinas e utensílios de um artesão. Parabéns. De São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brasil.
Great inspiration for me to improve my filing skills on tiny parts. mmWave radio antenna components and instruments are getting to be a similar size as watch parts
Lovely to see all the Geo. Thomas gear in the video! The pillar tool, the dividing head, etc. And wasn't that a Quorn making the fly cutter for teeth? Nice job guys! You didn't mention any rarified watch oil for the pivots--perhaps a source of energy loss?
Hi, your filming and explanations are top notch, and the end product is a good proof-of-consept. But regarding the effiecency, the hairspring has very little to do with that, its mostly affects the accuracy but there is some problems because your spring is significantly too stiff for the weight of the balance. Most of the ineffiecency comes from the locking and sliding surfaces, especially in the locking stone, running wheel and bearings. also there is quite a bit of drop in each tick and both of the detent springs could be significantly thinner but that is just some watchmakers nitpicking! Excellent work and cant wait for your continued interest in the watchmaking business
@@chrisstephens6673 You’re not the only one who finds that synthetic Geiger counter sound effect irritating. Apart from that, I have much admiration for Clickspring.
I was searching RUclips a few days ago to find someone actually machining a watch from scratch and was surprised at how few results I got. A lot of people calling themselves watchmakers that only clean and reassemble watches, never making them.
And now more videos from you, awesome.
Repairing or restoration makes you money. Manufacturing removes that money.
@@Robert_Browne well yeah of course. I'm just wondering how many watchmakers on RUclips could actually make a watch.
Unfortunately watchmaker is the correct word to use for those that repair watches, especially in modern times when most watches are factory made. Makes it hard to use as a search term to get the result you’re looking for.
As @_Agent_86 mentions, they are correct to call themselves watchmakers. It is also true that almost no one in history actually does or did "machine watches from scratch". Even before modern factory production, traditional watchmaking was done by over a dozen individual trades making various parts. If you restrict to only the watch movement, it is a bit more common, but still has only been true in luxury watches since well before RUclips, because it isn't economical for large-scale production.
Smaller high-end watchmakers like Roger Smith do essentially make whole watches from scratch, producing no more than about 10 a year from a small workshop staffed with a handful of watchmakers, with years-long waiting lists and 5-digit prices. He has posted some videos, and channels like Clickspring, DeanDK and others have content that covers some of this, because it is a passion project.
The reality is that even for those of us with experience and know-how, it requires a shop full of thousands of dollars in tooling and a ton of time to do something like this. This is also assuming that you are working from a pre-existing design.
There have been few people on this planet who could actually build a watch from scratch, but most are gone by now. I was lucky enough to know one of them, who worked for NASA as a tool and die man. He not only made his own gold cases, but dials, gear train, bridges, dials, screws, and could make pretty much any other part of a watch. I wish I had tried to buy one of his watches, as they were truly beautiful.
It could take a couple of years of full time work for a single person to produce one of those hand made watches. If you want to get a better idea of the monumental amount of time and effort that goes into making a high quality watch yourself, look into George Daniels and Philippe Dufour. That gives you an appreciation for what an undertaking is was for Mike and Alistair to research, design, and fabricate their chronometer escapement.
Surely the displacement of the weight per tick is entirely dependent on the tooth counts of the gear train rather than directly on the efficiency of the system as a whole? I suspect as the drive wheel gets geared up more and more, reducing torque to the escapement, there will be a point where it no longer has enough torque to overcome the friction in the system and drive the escapement properly anymore, and just shy of that point it will be running at maximum efficiency (presuming it wasn't already adjusted to this stage). As the mechanism wears and friction increases this could cause the mechanism to fail and require maintenance to get it running again
Instead of remaking the gearing, you can just reduce the weight to a point, when it's not capable of running the clock anymore to measure an actual efficiency. Or you can make the string barrel thinner to make the clock run longer with the same string length and the same weight. (If the clock is efficient enough)
Exactly. For each click of the mechanism, the weight will fall a set distance, dictated by the ratios of the drive train. Each of those movements of the weight are then brought to a standstill by the escapement. Where the kinetic energy will be converted to noise and (a tiny amount of) heat. It would have been interesting to see how little weight was needed to keep it running.
Also, was any lubricant used? If the friction is too high it would reduce the efficiency.
@@scottoswald7535 Inefficiency of the mechanism will only be detectable if it's so bad that it finally stops working. Up to that point, for every click, the weight will move a pre-determined distance. Efficiency will have no influence on that measurement.
Regardless of being inefficient, that's still a beautiful piece of engineering!
What is inefficient?
It's fascinating to see the other end of the spectrum of precision machine work. I manually machine stuff that is in the tens to hundreds of pounds that require 0.005" accuracy usually and it boggles my mind that people such as yourself have the steadiness and patience to craft such tiny and precise parts. Truly awesome in the original sense of the word, extremely well documented and presented craftsmanship.
Patience . . no matter how much you start with, you always run out
When I was a young man I started as a Toolmaker with Timex . We had many Swiss watch making machines in the Toolroom. I personally worked on a Schaublin Lathe with all the attachments milling and grinding attachments. When Timex closed the Toolrooms in the eighty’s you could pick up one of the schaublin lathes with all the attachments for buttons. The smallest diameter drill that I use was 0 .010 diameter. I used to make staking punches out of carbide. The tolerance was +0.000 -0.0002. Timex was a good place to work I would have been a 40 year man. Great video.
Schaublin is a top brand, for which you now have to pay a lot of money for 2nd hand.
I just wanted to commend you on this video. The audio levels are perfect both for speech and background music throughout, the focus of the camera is spot on, and the pace is fantastic for the type of content.
Thank you for sharing! 👍
This is the perfect comment.
agreed!
Thank you for sharing this. My grandfather was a watch maker from Denmark, who moved to Montreal in the 30's. I used to visit his shop, and he would be making gears of any size, from smaller than your finger tip, to as big as the diameter of a drinking cup. Whatever the client needed. I would go and visit his shop in downtown Montreal, and it was stunning to be there. So many watches and clocks ticking away all over the place, all going off at around the same time. Amazing smells too, a mix of pipe tobacco and oil. I remember it like it was yesterday, and really it was 1976.
He complained about Timex every time someone brought one in as "not a real watch", but he had a bit of a smile on his face when he did. Never turned a customer away, even for a battery replacement.
The tools and techniques you are using are very similar to some he had. It was nice to watch what you did.
I’m amazed at people who can work with such small items making even smaller items.
Use a big tool to make a small tool. Then use the small tools to make micro tools. Then use micro tools to make nano tools!
Now, we are doing the inverse... nano tools being used to make big tools!
Premium, detailed, impeccable standards of a premier.
As someone who started their working life as a Scientific Instrument Maker, your work is a joy to behold. Thank you for sharing your creative journey.
Cool! I’m guessing your expertise is rare. My dad’s former colleague in defence research was a scientific instrument maker and some of his tools found their way to me. The boxes include gravers, small files, a parallelogram-section burnisher, graver sharpening guide, brass quadrant calipers, tiny taps and dies but no holder, squares, tiny mallet. Tools with purposes unknown to me include couple of sharp edged polished burnishers about 4” x 1/4” x 1/16” with teardrop sections, and a couple of steel rods about 6” long x 3/16” dia. shaped like a cane with the handle turned out and sharpened to a point. I couldn’t begin to guess what he would have made
People in this trade usually were employed to apply their skills to the needs of a particular industry. In my case it was working for ICIANZ for a decade in relation to developing and maintaining instrumentation in relation to chemical process control. I then moved on to work in theatre, film and advertising providing design and manufacture of special effects, set design and puppetry. I eventually settled on working at a university for thirty years across a range of activities. I n each case I was able to employ all of the experience and knowledge that I had gained initially while learning about whole new range of opportunities where my skills could be applied. The tools with unknown purpose that you described are not familiar to me but could be intended to help in the calibration of a mechanism by locking it place or providing a dimensional reference. The burnisher could be used to restore an edge or bearing surface. Anything is possible? @@Mars-zgblbl
Sir, the meticulousness of your manual adjustment is extraordinary, the quality of the tool equipment that you operate is good, complete and, most importantly, carefully chosen.
The treatment of the edges of each tool individually are so precise that I really only have to tell you that I admire your masterful hand in turning, filing and cutting, your final result and suitability to do so.
I am a mechanical adjuster but I have never practiced the profession. I was extremely pleased to be able to appreciate someone who honors the profession and, although I do not practice it, I totally love it. Thanks for posting.
This channel deserves more subs. People with skills like this with this level of attention to detail are extremely rare these days.
The amount the weight drops each tick is directly related to the distance your escape wheel travels. It does not necessarily relate to the power required to run the mechanism, for example if the weight was smaller it would still travel the same distance, thus using less power. So while the spring surely does use more than it could, I feel that a smaller escape wheel / more teeth on the escape wheel would be the easiest way to increase the efficiency. Or making the barrel for the weight smaller. I wish I could make stuff like this, I've always liked watches and would like to make miniature steam engines and stuff too. Really fun watching people doing these things, especially largely by hand. Awesome video, thanks!
Same opinion about efficiency. Quickest way to check that out is reducing the weight. How much can be removed and still working fine.
you can work out the energy via the gravitational potential of the mass and it's displacement vs the theoretical work of the inertia and the frictional losses of the mechanism.
You should just get a sherline lathe and start in. Lots of good videos on You tube and I used to get a few magazines such as home shop machinist. If you go to a few watch shows through NAWCC and AWI you might find some folks to help you out. Lots would like to pass on their knowledge.
I by no means have a good grasp on how exactly this works, but wouldn’t reducing the weight cause the tick period to shorten? If the PE of the weight is reduced, the spring will have less kinetic energy and won’t travel as far per stroke? I could be wrong.
You guys are filling in the Clickspring-Shaped hole in my heart :) Wonderful work and beautiful camera shots, as always! Gorgeous mechanism and video!
Both has a patience unheard of in human being.
The patience and meticulousness of this process is astounding. I was mesmerized by the techniques, craftmanship, and knowledge of these guys. Amazed. I'll never look at my wristwatch the same again.
Perhaps he said in the vid, but how many hours was this from beginning to end?
I think theres inefficiency in how the watch is placed, forces by gravity effects vertical rotating circles, this can dramatically effect the power input, maybe putting it flat down and having the weight fall off the table will you get better results. and the spring , for the issue that it how its configured may give you a varied spring constant with unwanted variation and dampening forces. I do think you can do a spinning top design where it balances on a ruby a spinning top and then it controls the frequency of the clock.
Reduced friction, there are also things like screws that attaching the escapement mechanism, tolerance of the gears might introduce dynamic friction but i don't think theres much too look into there, is friction where the pole is held where the axle is place. Hanging the weight at the end of the gear might be able to put stress on the gear may increase friction and binding in the gears. I do think the hairspring is an issue yes.
So there you go laying the timing mechanism flat instead of vertical, might be little wastage in escapement and the spring used, screw that mounts the escapement mechanism and that the at axle doesn't have a bearing.
Don't get me wrong im not the critical type, i was just commenting on why the clock needed such big power input and I was thinking what are the many issues could result in increasing power output. I love the video, love the work, you work hard and keep up the great work man its lovely stuff, I always had an appeal for craftsmanship like this.
That was 38 mins well spent. Thanks for an informative and soothing dive into the spring detent escapement :) Cheers
Fantastic to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
A joy to watch! Enjoyed the work and the beautiful tools/shops.
There are already 638 comments, so I hope I am not horribly redundant.
I am an amateur in this arena, but a seasoned mechanical engineer.
A few sources of energy losses and hence causes of inefficiency will be the following:
Anything that has friction, such as gear losses, bearing losses (yes rolling elements are usually quite low loss). Are any axial fits allowing faces of parts to touch and cause friction loss? If the balance wheel contacts the sides of the spring there is a high relative velocity and associated friction loss.
The balance wheel will produce a loss due to air friction. If you could remeasure in a vacuum chamber, you could quantify this loss.
I think the escapement wheel involves both rubbing motion (friction) and impacts. The impact noise is itself indicative of a loss. The noise is energy. The less noise the less loss. This might be the greatest source of lost energy. I imagine the smoother contacts, (reduced impact distance of each fall) will demand greater precision.
The spring itself will have some internal loss, but I imagine it is a very small loss, as almost all of the potential energy is converted to kinetic and back again.
Ooh, I didnt know I'd be learning about escapement mechanisms today 😊 Thank you for taking the time, and explaining everything in such detail
The mastery of the technical language is remarkable! Hats off your excellent work 👏
I started my engineering career as a scientific instrument maker some 55 years ago. Your fine work brought back happy memories.
Oh my. The end result is indeed a thing of beauty. Enthralling to watch from beginning to end. Thank you for sharing your fantastic work. 👏👏👍😀
Wow about time.. lol.
I've been watching < watchmaking videos now on RUclips for about a year. Not searching just when I see one and I'm in the mood I'll watch it.
This Chanel so far is the best.
There is another guy I won't mention by name but he... um.. I wanna be respectful so I'll leave it there.
My dad was a watchmaker for almost 60 years and he taught me everything he could lol which by his library of knowledge was about 10%, I remember sitting and watching him make balance staff for a lady Rolex watch, it was mesmerising.
His attention to detail was amazing in everything he did.
I bet spending a day with you would bring back a lot of memories. Sadly he passed away before he could teach me watches but he did teach me everything I know about clock repairs I worked side by side with dad for 20 years and even right up to the end he amazed me with the skills he wielded.
Some of these RUclips watchmakers
Make me cringe.
Well done and thank you for actually being a true pleasure to watch right to the end.
It really is a shame that we are a dying breed.
Glad to see this was re-uploaded. Thanks for sharing.
Re: efficiency. I think that although it's is using 150uW to run, it doesn't need all that energy. It's ticking quite loudly and powerfully/firmly. I expect you could get away with a much lighter weight, or a larger diameter "bobbin" (sorry don't know the correct terminology!), bringing energy consumption more into line with the escapement your friend is making.
Regardess of all that, thank you for sharing your beautiful craftsmanship and videography and editing and audio skills. A joy to watch!
This video is superbly narrated! Cadence, pitch, diction, and technical vocabulary are spot on. Well done! Subscribed 👍
I recently read the book, longitude, which is roughly about the making of the first accurate time keeper for use in ship navigation. It was fascinating. As is this video. Just incredible to imagine the people of long ago making these.
I became interested in mechanical principles a few years ago. Back then I didnt appreciate the engineering know how that goes into mechanical watches.
Marvellous to see how you achieve what you do. Many thanks for the high quality videos. :)
Just finding the channel, instant sub, like, bell:) I got into watchmaking when this video came out, I dug out my grandfather's 1920 Elgin pocket watch, wound down the main spring, reset the balance, and got it ticking for the first time in my lifetime. A couple George Daniels documentaries later, a former train hopping past, and I have recently started my collection of railroad grade watches. My father was a sailor, and I sailed as well, so naturally I am now down the path of the Harrison clocks and other maritime chronometers. This content is invaluable to me, and so many others. Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
I watched all of this video and I see that you have asked for some suggestions. To reduce the weight of the assembly, drill a series of small holes in the escape wheel rotating and moving components. That would reduce the weight and would not seriously compromise the strength. I think your poise weights are too long. My suggestion is mainly to reduce the length, diameter, and weight of your moving components by drilling holes, reducing thicknesses, and carefully removing mass from your components. I am a retired tool and die maker and I admire your work.
Ive spent a fair amount of time watching similar content, but this is the first time Ive really felt that I had a clue how the escapement worked. An excellent model/display, and great camera work too! Thanks.
I have to admire that level of craftsmanship and dedication its outstanding precision work 👍
I wish you put more time into showing how the parts work together. It was an extremely interesting video. Very well done. Awesome craftsmanship!
I have been not patiently waiting for another video of yours for so long it seems like, I absolutely love your content as a fellow horology enthusiast and watchmaker I love getting to see the fun and amazing work you do, puts a smile on my face every time. I gotta say I bet you love using that Knew Concepts piercing saw! I have one and can’t believe I used a standard one before that, it’s such a night and day difference with the amount of control and precision you can get with those saws, great video and I can’t wait to see what you do next.
The quality of this video and the importance to the details is amazing 👏👏👏
What a fascinating video presentation. Looking back at my life of 80 years , I would willingly exchange every dismal abstract job I ever struggled through in order to have had one chance to acquire the knowledge and skills to create precice and beautiful objects like these. Knowledge, design, artistry and precision and fine machine tool working in perfect hamony by outstanding engineers. Thank you.
Spent 3 months following your instructions, bought all the specialized tools, had a lathe installed & made all these impossibly tiny parts only to find out you "weren't trying to make an accurate timekeeper.." Now I'm running late for work so thanks 😤.
Seriously though, beautiful work. The level of precision you achieve by hand is incredible
So very beautiful. As a watchmaker who has worked on countless watches over many years, I applaud your workmanship and thank you most sincerely for making these videos.
It’s always a pleasure to see the accuracy you are working with. A accuracy that makes me question myself, what came first, the chicken or the egg or is this line of work; clockwork or rocket science?😊 Thanks again for sharing this beautiful piece of art with me 👍👍🙏 love from Holland 🇳🇱
Y'all bring so much motivation and joy. You're one of the very few who can explain how something is made without completely going off topic. Thank you. Going to be making my mechanical wall clock here soon. Currently designing the dial. This definitely helps with my escapement problem. Always good to see masters at work.
As a professional watchmaker i am amazed at what you do in your workshop. Actually the energy the system "needs" dictates the aplitude if the balance. so with a fixed weight the balance can only reach a certain amplitude. you can optimize this by corecting the beat error or less friction everywhere
Years ago I made a detent chronometer escapement wall clock. I initially used a flat "hairspring" made from an old watch spring and it didn't really work as good as your escapement. In the end I made a vertically coiled spring from flat section plastic (3mm X 0.1mm). With this spring the movement works quite well and does not take so much energy to power it. The only other thing I noticed is that the clock is very noisy compared to an anchor or grasshopper escapement.
Superb video though - keep them coming.
This video put me in a trance. And it makes me believe that humanity still has a chance. So beautiful.
What fascinates me is the amount of handwork that is involved in the making of many of your mechanisms!
I thoroughly enjoyed your video, but I wanted to make one comment in response to your statement that a weight is more accurate than a spring. The problem with a weight, particularly in a grandfather clock, is the weight of the chain that the weight hangs on. As the weight moves down, more chain is on the side of the weight and less is on the other side or the sprocket. This makes the clock run faster at the end of the week, compared to right after being wound. The winch wound grandfather clocks virtually eliminate this problem and seem to run much more consistently, as the winch cable is very much lighter than the hanging chain. Thoughts? Thanks for this delightful video!
As a machinist l am amazed at the tiny parts that you create; always fascinated me. Thanx for a glorious video that is soothing to view and also excellently made; perfect camera work, sound & explanations.
A gorgeous example of precision engineering in making the watch mechanism. I love the attention to detail and the exquisite camera work. A joy to watch and to learn from. Thank you!
Amazing content!
To solve the problem of the drop i would suggest to add more teeth to the driving wheel . Because with less space between each tooth you will have a lower drop i think.
I might be wrong , although i think it would be worth trying.
Thank you for the amazing content. I am a very passionate Watchmaker based in London and i believe that videos like these are extremely important for the Art of Watchmaking to continue expanding and to inspire the future generations.
I’m torn between admiring your machining skills and or your machines and fine hand tools !
I’m a machinist by trade since retired , however , I have never worked on pieces this small .
Thank you for videoing and sharing . 👍
You're a kind person for making it possible for us to see this. Thank you!
Very nice video, especially liked how the escape wheel was machined.
The weight drop is determined by the dimensions of the parts, and gear ratios etc. The minimum energy required could be determined by decreasing the weight mass, until the mechanic wouldn't tick over any more. Not sure if the experiment was conducted in this fashion. Though what was shown in the video it seems that a some one weight was hooked to the mechanism and then the change in potential energy was calculated, this would show the energy budget for the mechanism, with the given weight.
Yes I was wondering the same. It makes a very powerful ticking sound, as if it is driven a bit unnecessarily hard.
Absolutely staggering.
I'm almost speechless at the ease with winch you work.
you've made a beautiful thing between you, thanks for sharing.
This was incredibly inspiring to watch. Truly amazing to see such high skill levels. It must have taken many years to get to that level.
Imagine if everyone in the world took as much pride in their work as this dude.
36:34 the moment its heart beat for the first time - it lives!
i request an asmr video of this thing running. just the thing. running. nothing else.
I'm fascinated by your comment on energy used. A couple others commented on this question. For the sake of discussion, let's increase the driving weight a little thus increasing the energy used. Presumably the timing of the motion remains the same. So, if things are running at the same speed, where does the extra energy go? 1) The clicking. I imagine a heavier weight will produce a louder click, which represents more energy. 2) More weight will put more force on the various pivot points and bearings, as well as at the sliding contact point between the escape wheel tooth and the impulse wheel. This extra force increases friction. Presumably parts will wear out faster using a heavier weight. 3) I suppose, perhaps, that the balance wheel will swing a wider arc, moving faster as well. That means more air resistance. All these things seem so miniscule, but at this small energy level they are significant.
One comment mentioned reducing the weight to the minimum that will keep the clock going. I agree with him that this would be a better analysis of the energy that this clock requires to run.
Another comment mentioned reducing the mass of various elements. That would reduce the vertical forces of the various axles on their supporting surfaces, thus reducing friction. (Though would holes in the balance wheel add air resistance?) Another miniscule contribution, but possibly significant.
Thanks for the invitation to think about this question and to comment on it. I enjoyed doing so, and also very much enjoyed watching your work.
Beautiful work, but also, Beautiful machine tools! 👏
Mesmerizing from start to finish. Amazing knowledge and skill required to make every individual part and the finished product didnt disappoint me at least. Thank you for sharing with us.
I am not a watchmaker, but I am an Electronics Engineer.
The thought occurs to me at around 23.20, that you need a strobe light timed to the rotation of the lathe, to give you a stationary image of the part as you machine it.
Adjusting the timing of the strobe related to the rotational position of the backplate, would place the part and the cutting tool, "in the same place", which MAY make machining of the part more visual and less reliant on the lathe dials ?
LOVE the craftsmanship. Top marks.
You wouldn't need a strobe light to machine parts. It's a dynamic process, you do not need stop motion to see what you are cutting.
@@Somethingisntright64 ... fair enough...
This looks incredibly difficult, but immensely rewarding. Thank you for making such a detailed account of the process involved. I can only imagine how hard it must be to do at a smaller scale or back when tools were more rudimentary.
You're using attachments I've never seen in my life! Talk about precision micro machining, this is truly fascinating to watch!
I love to watch a Master at his craft----ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!
Fascinating! You have given me a more profound appreciation of the watchmaker's skill. Thank you! Subscribed
Beautiful craftmanship. Thank you.
I greatly enjoy seeing good workmanship and precision.
Thank for providing this video.
I was just thinking about making a similar size chronometer escapement!
Gorgeous work!
There's so much that goes into watch and clock making, from tight machining tolerances to stylistic decisions, with everything having to work perfectly in concert. Sometimes, the only thing that determines a good clock from a bad one can be a matter of a pinion.
Bravo! So interesting! I get the impression you are an academic researcher from the words used in your script (e.g. " Here, we differ from traditional practice ...") and this makes the video very easy to follow.
It might be a strange comment, but I really don't understand nothing of what you spoke and how this "Time measurement instrument" works, still I am so impressed by what I see and how you make it. Very very impressive. Thanks!!
As a watch nerd who has a small channel of their own, this video floored me.
As a clockmaker I can tell you why it may be so inefficient.
The pivots of the balancewheel, resp. the bearings, create way too much friction.
The pivots of a sea chronometer balancewheel have ruby bearings and have only a diameter of about 5-9 hundreth of a millimeter (0.05-0.09mm). Try making them thinner, and the clock will run with less power.
Also the chronometer escapement itself is quite powerhungry and not made for a vertical positioning. That's also why all the ship's chronometer clocks are mounted in some kind of gyroscope bracket. Try using a graham lever escapement with pivots as thin as possible.
At last I found you! I could not find a video explaining watch making.
And , oh boy, your video is wonderful. And your work is just art to me.
I love watches.
I will look at my automatic watchess with even more love.
The sound your watch makes reminds me of the old clock in my grandfather's house (he was born in 1887 and had it since 1910). Sadly, the clock was lost between all the things when he passed away.
So impressive to see. Lovely handicraft and engineering coming together. I cant wait to see the many other great videos you have made🌞
I'm in the process of building a mostly 3d printed pendulum clock with a two wheel grasshopper escapement. You are very inspiring.
Awesome Video, always wanted to see how watch makers hand craft (no CNC) inner workings ,very good resolution on the various metal removals.... that's art just incredible
Amazing! I would love to see a follow-up using an infrared camera to see where heat is lost!
Wow. I was captivated the entire time much in the same way when I watch Clickspring's content. You guys are killing it!! Keep bringing us more videos.
Love it, I would struggle to make this, and its 3 times actual size! superb demo thank you
See children this is why you must learn everything about engineering at school and all the world will make sense, what a excellent video I love how you made this look easy but not at all, I am restoring a 8 day Westminster and it goes really well only 15 minutes loss over a week, but I need to put it in the case, I might line the inside with gold leaf just, no one will see apart from me.
Thank you so much for making this video. It is beautifully shot. I appreciate the difficulty of doing this when filming such small things and also the camera being in the way whilst you are trying to work.
Thank you also for taking the time to make this explanatory model.
It was also very interesting to me as someone who also machines parts for various purposes to spot almost train spotter fashion the George Thomas universal pillar tool and dividing head, the Quorn tool and cutter grinder, The Myford Super7 and the Dore Westbury milling machine which lastg I also use though subjecting it to greater stresses.
Thank you again for your efforts.
Absolutely beautiful precision Tools… and phenomenal skill of you Guys. I could “Watch” this kind of Video all day. This is tantamount to Brain surgery. Thanks. Nigel.
I have always been fascinated with the designing, and building of watches!!!
Que trabalho primoroso, digno de um grande mestre relojoeiro. A precisão, a criatividade, o conhecimento técnico não só das ferramentas, máquinas e utensílios de um artesão. Parabéns.
De São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brasil.
This was a work of art. Just found your channel recently and really loved every video I've watched so far (no pun intended).
Super machining work !! Kudos to the patience.
I absolutely enjoyed this video and the amazing work you guys have done. Absolutely incredible and beautiful work. 👍👍
These videos are so relaxing. I would love to one day be able to machine something of this precision and quality
Great inspiration for me to improve my filing skills on tiny parts. mmWave radio antenna components and instruments are getting to be a similar size as watch parts
Wow - what a mastery! great photography, music and voice is so soothing I can meditate while watching the utube. Hats-off gentlemen...
I am watching the filing and this man is an expert at it. I file and make things with files but I do take my hat off to you.
Love the soothing music and all the tiny machining. Really inspiring video!
This level of precision is almost incomprehensible
Lovely to see all the Geo. Thomas gear in the video! The pillar tool, the dividing head, etc. And wasn't that a Quorn making the fly cutter for teeth? Nice job guys!
You didn't mention any rarified watch oil for the pivots--perhaps a source of energy loss?
Hi, your filming and explanations are top notch, and the end product is a good proof-of-consept. But regarding the effiecency, the hairspring has very little to do with that, its mostly affects the accuracy but there is some problems because your spring is significantly too stiff for the weight of the balance. Most of the ineffiecency comes from the locking and sliding surfaces, especially in the locking stone, running wheel and bearings. also there is quite a bit of drop in each tick and both of the detent springs could be significantly thinner but that is just some watchmakers nitpicking! Excellent work and cant wait for your continued interest in the watchmaking business
Alot of Patience required ... impressive machining skills 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
This channel is very reminiscent of Clickspring, except with a relaxing English voice instead of a relaxing Australian voice
I miss clickspring, he's been afk for a while now
And unlike clickspring there is none of that dreadful squeaky noise when he overlays the finished and unfinish item.
1😂❤😂😂😂😂@@kahlzun
@@chrisstephens6673 You’re not the only one who finds that synthetic Geiger counter sound effect irritating. Apart from that, I have much admiration for Clickspring.
@@chrisstephens6673I always liked it.
I find it amazing people were able to produce these in miniature hundreds of years ago.
Wow, thank you so much. I really enjoy watching skilled people producing projects like this.
Hermoso mecanismo ,sos realmente un ARTISTA DE LA INGENIERIA ,muy hermoso mecanismo de presisicion .
Amazing to see such skill still exists. Keep doing what you're doing.