Big hands on the little hands: students find a future in the not-quite-lost art of repairing mechanical, watches.Despite the domination of battery-powered quartz watches and digital displays, mechanical watches that need to be wound are coming back into style. But very few people are qualified to repair them. To help fill this gap, the Swiss watch industry has introduced special training programs in cities around the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Harry Papathomas, 20, from Madison, N.J., is one of six students enrolled in a free, but highly selective, two-year training program at a school recently established in Secaucus, N.J., by the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program. MASTERING PRECISION "This is an art form within the confines con·fine v. con·fined, con·fin·ing, con·fines v.tr. 1. To keep within bounds; restrict: Please confine your remarks to the issues at hand. See Synonyms at limit. of a watch," says Papathomas. His first step toward becoming a watchmaker is to use a jeweler's saw to fashion a brass file-cleaner. It will be six months before he and the other students actually touch a watch. First, they must master the elements of microtechnology Microtechnology is technology with features near one micrometre (one millionth of a metre, or 10-6 metre, or 1μm). In the 1960s, scientists learned that by arraying large numbers of microscopic transistors on a single chip, microelectronic circuits could be and precision sawing, filing, and sharpening. When students graduate, they can command a starting salary of $55,000 a year. By tradition, they will be called "watchmakers," even though most won't be building watches from scratch. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, there are potentially 100,000 watchmaking jobs open in the U.S. For a while, the watchmaking profession seemed done in by the "quartz revolution." In 1969, Seiko introduced the first quartz watch with hands, and in 1972 came the Hamilton Pulsar--the first watch with a digital display. The Swiss, who had a near-monopoly on mechanical watch-making, worried that mechanical watches would soon become obsolete. But mechanical watch exports from Switzerland to the U.S. rose 25 percent in 2004, to 444,862 watches, according to the Swiss watch federation. MINI-MASTERPIECES Not everyone is right for the job of repairing and maintaining the machinery inside a fine mechanical watch. "Watchmakers have to be focused, detail-oriented, fastidious fas·tid·i·ous adj. 1. Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail. 2. Difficult to please; exacting. 3. Having complex nutritional requirements. Used of microorganisms. , and disciplined," says Paul Madden mad·den v. mad·dened, mad·den·ing, mad·dens v.tr. 1. To make angry; irritate. 2. To drive insane. v.intr. To become infuriated. , the course instructor. His students already show an appreciation for their craft. "Opening a watch is like opening up a masterpiece," says Anna Vakhilt, a 23-year-old student from Bayonne, N.J. "Every watch balance feels like a heartbeat (1) A periodic signal generated by hardware for activation and/or synchronization purposes. See MHz. (2) A periodic signal generated by hardware or software to indicate that it is still running. 1. ." Glenn Collins is a reporter for The Times. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion