All the best wishes out of Denmark: Roland.

P.S.; I started fiddling with my fist watch exactly one year ago, now I’m trying to restore a beaten up Landeron 48 and will start soon servicing a Poljot 3133. Fantastic work!! Can’t get enough of it ……”Bring it on” :-))

Hi Roland,

Many thanks for your kind message.

I don’t feel bitter at all, I’m far too positive for that, but I was disappointed in some people and ultimately with the BHI and their arbitrary nature. I will admit that it did kill off some of my motivation to work in my spare time, and I think that was primarily because the immediate end-goal had disappeared. I have always felt in control of my own future though.

I’m in the process of buying a house, and so in the interest of raising as much money as I could I recently sold my lathe and some tools, and will also be selling some historic pocket watches which I have restored (they were going to be part of my BHI portfolio). I can always buy another lathe in the future if needs be, but in the moment it was more useful to have the cash rather than let it gather dust. I still have access to a lathe at work, and will have much more space in my new home, and so it’s more of a short term loss for a long term gain.

I still work every day as a watchmaker though, but the direction I am going in may well be on a different path. I was offered a job last year with the opportunity to become a more practical watch-maker i.e. actually make watches from scratch, but I decided not to pursue that for a number of reasons. I’m lucky in that I’m both technically minded and also articulate and outgoing, which is quite rare in the industry, and so there are always opportunities available to me should I wish to take them. I am very self-motivated and driven, and so whatever route I go down I will always aim high.

We have the saying “don’t let the bastards grind you down”, which has similar meaning, and one that I often remind myself of.

Thanks again Roland!

Colin

Hi Lorath,

Many thanks for your encouraging comments. The process of making my own watch has stalled slightly, and in fact not a huge amount has progressed since 2014. My own professional watchmaking ability however has not stalled, and the ambition to manufacture my own watches is always on my mind. I hope to be able to produce a branded product this year for sale,I will be able to talk more about this when the details are finalised, however it will likely start as a selection of bespoke clocks with a strong historical and emotional appeal. The reason for starting with clocks is simply that it is very straightforward for me to modify them as required without making a heavy investment in tooling and machinery.

A batch of watches will follow after this, and over time I would aim to add an increasing complexity of modification to them.

Garrick is produced by the same people that make Meridian watches, and Simon Michlmayr who runs both, is a very highly respected watchmaker.

Interestingly the European Union invested heavily in German watch manufacturers, and only very little in British ones. There can be some optimism that following the UKs exit from the EU the UK government would be free to invest and encourage development within the small watch manufacturing industry without fear of breaking any of the existing EU rules regarding sovereign governments providing “unfair advantage” to local trades.

Many thanks again for your encouragement!

Colin

Hi Abdullah, thanks for your message. The living cost in Birmingham would be roughly around £600/month if you’re quite frugal. You will be able to apply to stay in the University Halls if you are a student, which can be a little cheaper than privately renting. As far as I am aware foreign students can do just part-time work on the student visa (10-15 hours/week); but the rules may have changed so the UK Government website should have the latest details. The cost of tuition is £9000 per year in Birmingham, plus you’ll need to allow for the cost of tools and materials. Alternatively you can also look at doing the BHI’s Technician Grade course as a distance learner, or the AWCI CW21 course. But that will need a lot of a self-discipline and study to get through that – it is possible though, as I finished half of the BHI’s full course as a distance learning student.

Having only recently discovered you’r website I am enthralled! What passion you have! When will you be manufacturing? Please count me as a customer because as you say a watch is what it means to you and I believe you will make a cracking watch.

Currently I’m torn between the Garrick – Norfolk, good price, sleek styling, but I have no idea of the credentials, and Robert loom – Robin, classic style. My price point is no more than £4000, will you be making a watch soon? and can i afford one? I should say, like you I’m mostly drawn towards the movement being manufactured/ modified in Britain.

Cheers for your time Collin,

All the best for the future and I’m confident you will do well regardless.

Abdullah

Hi Klaus,

It’s a long(ish) story; there was a lot of politics, but the result was that I went to work at Tag Heuer and continue with my BHI studies as a long distance student.

Colin

Just being nosey, why did you leave the school of watchmaking early?

Klaus.

Hi David,

Thanks for your comment. I’ve thought about this myself, as it’s always a shock when you encounter it.

I’ve concluded that it’s jealousy and a destructive self-loathing. When some (thankfully in the minority) people see success or passion or talent, it reminds them of their own lack of success, passion and talent. They see other people doing well as detrimental to their own self-worth and so seek to pull that person down, even although it doesn’t bring them up or make them better in any way.

It’s just that they measure their own value by comparing themselves to other people, whereas successful people measure their value by comparing themselves to their ambition. So if other people are doing well, such people see their value diminish. Successful people are never satisfied by their own self-improvement as the goal-line of their ambition is forever moving forward.

Generally speaking, watchmakers who are good are fantastically motivated, love their work and enjoy sharing their skill and passion. Watchmakers who aren’t so good either stagnate, leave the industry or move into management. It’s like all engineering fields in that respect.

Watches and watchmaking are both a bit quirky and so can attract people who think differently. Mostly that’s positive; people who love the obscure and individual, occasionally it’s because they were rejected by the mainstream.

I personally don’t know any watchmakers who regularly use watch forums; none.

The aggressive tone many of the contributors use is mostly fuelled by ignorance; they believe if they shout loud enough then you won’t question their lack of knowledge. There is a tremendous amount of misinformation on the forum posts I have seen, which is one of the reasons watchmakers actually stay away from them.

So, this isn’t a traditional forum, but you’re welcome to talk about whatever you want to. I’ve only ever had to delete one users comments; as they started getting personal towards another poster.

Colin