The Timekeepers Journey.

What is watchmaking?

A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches.

They are master craftsmen who built and design watches –becoming a watchmaker only takes a willing heart, focused mind and determination to see it through. It is a lifelong journey the watchmaker will enjoy once they start to gain confidence in their skills.

Horology, the science of measuring time and the art of making instruments for indicating time, is an exciting field of study and watchmaking is a rewarding career.

You might think watchmaking is as simple as changing a battery or carefully milling a wheel gear on a machine, It takes math (ASMD, algebra, geometry, trigonometry), chemistry, mechanical engineering, machining and other skills to make a timepiece work smooth and be precise under many environmental circumstances (temperature, its physical positions at times, magnetic fields, among other things).

Computer Aided Design (CAD) apps will do some or all of this math for you and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines or 3D metal printers will make the parts. However, you still need to know and understand them to use the computer apps and machines. Learning the skills to do all of this by hand is an amazing experience and opens our eyes to what it takes to make a timepiece that looks great and keeps precise time.

These are lifelong skills no computer coding, smartwatch or other device apps can ever replace. It’s what makes watchmaking an amazing unique craft and in demand. Here at watchworld.co.za we have partnered with some of the world’s top timekeepers CAT, Ingersoll and Bigotti to give you a wide variety of truly stunning time pieces that would suite your every need.