British clock makers Booming Export Trade

A heartening story for British business but also a special coup for clock making in the UK. This BBC item tells the story of Smith clocks who are enjoying something of a boom in export orders despite the comparative state of economic stasis at home. Apparently, "Made in Britain" has become a popular selling tag in many eastern European countries and China and of course Britain has a very special place in the history of clock making and is renowned the world over as an innovator in horology.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12157437

Dr John Taylor & The Chronophage

An interesting story about Dr John Taylor , inventive horologist and designer of the 'Chronphage' a very exotic novelty clock / work of art. Dr Taylor also cites John Harrison as a significant source of inspiration for his long term interest in clocks and horology.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/isleofman/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9330000/9330447.stm

Spring Time --- Return of The Mechanical Wristwatch

According to a recent BBC business news item there has been something of a resurgence of interest in wristwatches with mechanical movements, this in turn has increased the need for more craftsmen (and women) equipped with the unique time honoured skills required for precision watch and clock making. The increased need for specialist craftsman to service mechanical watch movements has also come about as a result of increased ownership of high value prestige time pieces by Rolex and Breitling etc , a legacy of more economically buoyant times. The maintenance of these exquisite and highly intricate watches requires considerable skill as some, especially those with chronograph and chime movements, involve levels of mechanical intricacy that are close to the limit of human dexterity.

The British School of watchmaking based in Manchester is now a rapidly growing institution that provides a comprehensive training in the full range of watchmaking crafts and skills, obviously considerable dexterity and patience is a prerequisite for any budding watchmaker and it is necessary for students to be able to work at the micron scale --- eventually. The schools training program starts at the big end so to speak, ‘big’ here means fractions of a millimetre but even at this scale the level of dexterity and concentration required is beyond many of us.

For more info have a look at the WOSTEP website and / or listen to the BBC in Business piece below.

The British School of Watchmaking