Omega Geneve Restoration

I bought this lovely gents 1960s Omega Geneve last year and finally in 3rd year thought it was the perfect time to return it to its former glory. It had been massively neglected and water had gotten into the winding mechanism.

 

 The glass was badly scratched up and the crown was missing.

The case was banged up and the strap was very badly worn.

London Hackspace

Over the summer I was introduced to the London Hackspace which resides in Hackney - quite appropriately I think. It's an amazing place where creative things happen and has a treasure trove of resources. I have visited the Brighton and Birmingham version in the past and knew that there was equipment for computer hacking and machines such as 3D printers however I was surprised to find that they had gadgets for all kinds of creative construction. It's a community affair and anyone can use the facilities so I recommend having a look and potentially becoming a member. It would be a great place to use in the holidays away from the college workshop.

Workshop Wednesday 03/12/14

A before and after shot of a balance spring Lance is working on

2 1/2 weeks left of term before the Christmas holidays and deadlines are fast approaching. Second and third years need to hand in half of their repair portfolios of clocks or watches and the first and second years have making projects to hand in - the mini clock and the cock and plate project.

It's been an exciting term with many people showing an interest in the course, most notably The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles came and spoke to our students.

Workshop Wednesday 29/10/14

Longcase clocks on test

After a long summer break, we are back in full swing with the third years working hard on their final masterpiece, the second years starting their portfolio of work and the first years on their cube and mini clock. It's been so busy we haven't had time to update the blog so we'll ease in gently with some pictures of what's going on in the workshop.

Watch Case Refurbishment

This week I've been polishing cases on watches that are being serviced. It's not something that's normally done by watchmakers unless they own their own shop, but is a great skill to have. I've documented the process of refurbing a Tag Carerra for you to see how it works. At the end are before and after shots of a selection of other Tag Heuer watches, too!

BHI Practical Exam - Second Year

Over the last few weeks Rosie and I have been working on the BHI practical exam, in which you are given a technical drawing for a multi-part item made from different materials and finishes with tolerances of 0.05mm, and required to make it - this year it was a cock and plate. You're given three weeks, but this is to allow you time to make mistakes. I was definitely glad for the excessive time last year, but this year having made a more similar, but much more complex, practical piece as part of the degree, I found this exam to be largely straight-forward. See after the break for a picture diary!

Class of 2014 Final Clocks

Sadly this is a short post, as we have just two students leaving us. We do, however, still have two excellent clocks to show!

Rosie's Horizon Clock

Another clock design for you to have a look at. My design is very different to James' who has posted below so it's good to have a preview of the variety of clocks that will be on show in 2015.

What's the course like? BCU interview.

The university recently conducted a number of interviews with students to allow people considering the courses a brief insight into what they have to look forward to. You can find the two minute video for horology after the break:

Designing a clock.

This is Just a brief insight into some of the work I've done to work toward my final year clock project. We had this year to do all the design work so we could have everything planned for next year, giving as much time to work on them as possible.

BHI Automatic Watches Course

 Over the Easter break a number of students from second year visited the BHI for a week long (four days for us due to good Friday) course on automatic watches, which looks at both Swiss and Japanese movements. We had John Murphy as a tutor, a very knowledgeable watchmaker who was an excellent (and patient!) teacher! Here's a few photos from the course.

AHS Turret Clock Day at Big Brum

The 'Big Brum' Clock Tower

The Antiquarian Horological Society's Turret Clock Group meet four times a year, and this Spring was held in Birmingham so that members and students could climb the Big Brum Tower in the centre of Birmingham.

Making a Recoil Escapement

This term's project for the second year Applied Studies module was to make a recoil escapement to fit to the mini clocks we made in our first year.  Follow after the break to see the process I followed:

Omega f300Hz service

The Omega f300hz is a tuning fork watch, a technology which preceded quartz. Unfortunately quartz was much cheaper to produce so tuning fork watches were produced for a relatively very short time. I recently acquired one that wasn't working, and so needed to service it. 

Workshop Wednesday 12/03/14

While Jon and Jeremy are busy meeting and interviewing potential students for next year, we have been busy in the workshop!

This week, first years are mainly focusing on their first clock overhaul which had to be a strike mechanism of some kind. Some had a few initial problems with their clocks and Simon is now a 'Re-pivoting Expert', but most are now ticking away and have been for a few days. Second years are either working on portfolios or their pallet project which are to be finished before the Easter holidays.

Workshop Wednesday 26/02/2014

Here's another Workshop Wednesday to catch up with what all the students are doing

Free Astronomy Course

Since the birth of horology, clock and watch makers have attempted to recreate the heavens in their creation. Astronomy and horology have always been linked and in fact a show and free book at Salon QP 2013 covered this subject beautifully: https://www.hautehorlogerie.org/en/the-foundation/events-exhibitions/s/salonqp-2013/https://www.hautehorlogerie.org/en/the-foundation/events-exhibitions/s/salonqp-2013/

Top picks from SIHH 2014

Salon International de la Haute Horology, better known simply as SIHH is a chance for high horology brands to show of their latest and greatest fine watches. It happened January 20-24 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Here's a look at five of my favourite watches from the event:

Visit to Big Ben & Elizabeth Tower

This January the students descended on the Houses of Parliament for look behind the faces of arguably the most iconic clock on the face of the planet. Unfortunately iconic status and accessibility don't come hand in hand as the belfry (and "peak" of the climb) room sits some 334 above street level...

Replacing a balance staff

Prompted by a record of repair watch I have with broken balance pivots, last week we learnt how to replace a balance staff. There's quite a lot to do, but it's certainly not has hard as I expected!

Platform Escapement Course at Upton Hall Part 2

This week at Upton Hall, the main focus was to be on manipulating hairsprings so were advised to prepare mentally for the challenge ahead. Before we started we were allowed a sneak peak at the auction storage room of the BHI which was a complete treasure trove. The next auction will be online in June.

To do the tests on the hairspring we first removed it from the the balance staff and rested it on the underside of the cock with the stud in place. This was so that we could see if the collet was central to the jewel hole or not. Paul told us that if the index could be moved without affecting the placement of the collet then the problem is towards the centre of the spring whereas if the index caused movement itself, then the clearance in this area is the problem.

Checking the clearance on the index pin

Balance Cock and Plate Project

As our first major project of the second year, I thought I would upload something of a photo diary to show the process of making the cock and plate. This was the most difficult thing I've had to do as part of this course so far, so this post will overlook the many failed attempts at various stages of completion!

Workshop Wednesday 05/02/2014

Welcome to the first of what will hopefully be a weekly post; Workshop Wednesday! Just an opportunity to see the various projects some of the students are working on. The day today started with the second years' weekly project meeting and a very exciting cake to go with coffee.

Talk by Rebecca Struthers

Rebecca Struthurs, our PhD student and director of Struthers London, is doing a short talk on the history of horology this coming week which certainly shouldn't be missed if you're in the area. Follow the jump for full details:

Laser Cutting in Horology

A resource we've just started to use in the degree course is the school's laser cutter, which is great for creating quick prototypes to test designs of things like escapements and wheels.

Platform Escapement Course at Upton Hall Part 1

As part of the George Daniels Education Trust, students on our course were offered a place on 'Service and Repair of Platform Escapements' with Paul Shrouder FBHI (http://bhi.co.uk/courses). Me and one other student, Stuart Andrews, attended the first weekend at Upton Hall, the home of the BHI.

Enamelling

As part of the 'Manufacturing and Finishing Techniques' module, the second years had the first of three sessions on enamelling, which will culminate in an enamelled dial for their mini clock.

Whitehurst of Derby Hook and Spike Alarm Clock

I was given this clock by an old neighbour of mine whom I have known all my life and so was very happy to be able to help when he mentioned he had a clock that needed repair. The clock and a matching one had been given to his mother and her sister in 1922 as wedding presents, as they wed around the same time, but it had been sitting in a box for 30 years after a move and was extremely dusty.

19th Century Pocket Watch

So I received this 19th century verge escapement pocket watch from my dad, his father bought him it as a present around 40/45 years ago and he hadn't wound it in many many years, unfortunately over the years the case went missing then over Christmas he gave it to me to have a play with as I found it really interesting and see if I could even do anything to fix it! 

Support from LVMH

Good news for the course, as LVMH, the brand known for Tag Heuer, has agreed a partnership with the BA Horology course at BCU. It will allow students to take part in a summer placement giving them "practical experience of working in a commercial watch environment and the chance to build up technical skills outside of the classroom"

The year so far

As we begin the second week of the second term of our 2013/14 year, now is a good time to give a brief overview of the year so far. We currently have 20 students on the degree program, with 7 in first year, and 13 in second year, and they all have been very busy in the first ten weeks!

Welcome to the BA Horology Blog!

Almost  two years ago Birmingham City University finalised the conversion of its Horology course from an HND based largely on the BHI Distance Learning Course to an Honours Degree. In this period some major advances have taken place. Students and external examiners are noticing the changes in academic style.

                                                                                                                                    

The new degree promotes a culture of self directed study. Research sits alongside analysis and evaluation, but we also endorse the traditional route...  repetition of rigorous practical tasks. Our objective is to encourage personal development; the undergraduates are developing new employability and life skills which will enhance their future prospects.

We are inspired by the many blogs and web sites that we have seen from the world of watches, clocks and other horological subjects such as Astronomy, Physics, Engineering as well as the philosophical debates upon the meaning of time itself. 

The students now think it is time to let that world see some of the excellent work that they are doing.

I wholeheartedly agree with them!

Jon Parker MEd

BA Horology Lecturer