Update: Picked up a unique hairspring tweezers technique from a master in Glashütte

Watching him work without loupes shifted my entire approach to precision adjustments. Anyone have stories about learning from craftsmen in different regions?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_martin4h ago

Learning from masters in places like Glashütte highlights a CRITICAL divide between mass production and artisanal integrity. Those techniques are often guarded secrets, passed down through apprenticeships that modern education systems simply can't replicate. I've seen similar wisdom in Swiss watchmaking villages, where tactile experience trumps theoretical knowledge every time. It makes you wonder what other SKILLS are disappearing because we prioritize efficiency over mastery.

emery_perez883h ago

Glashutte's own watchmaking school now incorporates 3D printing and computer aided design into its curriculum. This blending of old and new suggests that tactile experience and theoretical knowledge aren't mutually exclusive. The guarded secrets of past masters often limited innovation to a select few. Modern efficiency priorities have actually preserved skills by digitizing them and making them teachable online. The disappearance of some manual techniques is a natural consequence of progress, not a cultural loss.

ray_miller8452m ago

During a visit to Seiko's Shizukuishi Watch Studio, I noticed they use laser welding for components that were once hand-soldered. This mirrors a wider trend where digital precision replaces human nuance, not just in horology but in fields like surgery or culinary arts. We're standardizing expertise into algorithms, which democratizes access but flattens the depth of mastery. Do you believe some arts inherently resist digitization, or is it all just a matter of time?