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With regards to the attraction of luxurious mechanical watches, Patek Philippe’s iconic commercial says it greatest, “You by no means really personal a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the following technology.” Mechanical timepieces are well-known for his or her longevity and their place as heirloom items in lots of households. Whereas they might not be as technologically superior as fashionable smartwatches with their built-in wifi connectivity, Bluetooth, and cell apps, it’s exactly this adherence to custom which contributes to the immortality of mechanical watches.
Evaluating the designs of recent mechanical watches and people of yore, we discover that the fundamental design of the motion that powers these timepieces stays comparatively related. Sure, there have been some design improvements in the previous couple of many years which have allowed watch actions to be slimmed down, enhanced their efficiency, and improved their sturdiness however they nonetheless operate in a lot the identical manner, utilizing the potential vitality of a tightly coiled mainspring which drives the motion of many tiny gears, cams, and levers. The fantastic thing about this utterly analogue design is that ought to any of those parts break or put on out, they are often changed by a talented watchmaker, restoring the watch to its former glory.
Appears like a easy resolution doesn’t it? If an element breaks, simply swap it out. In actuality, nonetheless, it’s a way more complicated activity which is why watchmakers require years of coaching and a lifetime of studying. Inside every motion sits over 100 completely different parts, with extra complicated designs this quantity can climb past 1000, like within the Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega, so servicing a watch isn’t any small activity. As well as, servicing doesn’t simply contain the inner elements however these on the surface as properly, such because the case, bezel, and crystal. It’s thus no marvel that watchmakers are on a unending journey of studying to good their craft.
We just lately did a bit that goes in-depth on the method of servicing a Rolex. For these extra pressed for time, right here’s a short rundown of what goes on through the servicing of a typical watch. First off, the watch’s motion is rigorously faraway from the case after which separated from the dials and fingers. Subsequent, the assorted parts are systematically eliminated to dismantle the motion, usually beginning with the stability, then the barrel (which holds the mainspring), after which the gear prepare. All the motion’s particular person parts are positioned right into a specialised cleansing machine to take away any filth and gunk that may have gathered whereas the watch’s case is often cleaned individually. As soon as cleaned, all parts are meticulously assembled and lubricated, and the motion is positioned again within the case with the dial and fingers earlier than the serviced watch is put by way of a sequence of checks to make sure that they nonetheless meet the identical requirements of accuracy, water-resistance and extra.
That’s the fundamental technique of servicing a watch. At each step ranging from reception, the watch and its parts are rigorously examined to find out if there are any current issues. Broken or worn-out elements are changed, and your favorite piece of wrist sweet is nearly as good as new. The place it will get sophisticated is when elements turn out to be are unavailable for a selected mannequin, which occurs pretty often with classic watches. This can be a subject that pops up pretty often throughout debates about whether or not to ship a bit to an unbiased watchmaker or again to the manufacture. However that’s a dialogue for one more time. Suffice to say that regardless of the larger costs and longer ready occasions, a watch manufacture would possess the precise expertise wanted to service their very own watches and is extra prone to have genuine elements available for repairs. If unavailable, they’d even be extra prone to have the mandatory information to manufacture the lacking element (for a value in fact).
In brief, mechanical watches have an amazing attraction amongst watch fans for 2 principal causes. The craft of placing collectively a useful and extremely sophisticated watch, which runs precisely and reliably with out the necessity for electrical energy, is an artwork type that has been honed over lots of of years. Greater than that, each mechanical watch tells a narrative. Not simply the story of a model however of the artisans who actually had a hand in creating the useful artwork in your wrist. And the great thing about it’s, this piece of artwork, with the correct amount of TLC, will be handed right down to future generations in order that the appreciation for this craft by no means dies out.
It could be just a little troublesome having to ship your watches for servicing each few years, however that simply comes with the territory. Shopping for a luxurious timepiece doesn’t cease on the transaction, it’s a lifetime of care and dedication. Now, we could be biased right here, however in our opinion, the timeless historic and emotional reference to each mechanical timepiece, makes all the trouble properly price it.