Watchmaking and Watch Repair

I had a dilemma not too awfully long ago. I'd purchased several, very nice, antique railroad pocket watches off EBAY, but they underperformed. Which is a nice way of saying that they didn't run very well. Both their internal and external appearances were spectacular and rather than return them I set out in search of someone who could diagnose/repair these complex little antiques. My son also called complaining that his 1960, Rolex GMT, that we'd just had refurbished wasn't running well either. 

I love detective work and my investigation lead me to the door of David Searles in Milford, New Hampshire.

David, a 1976 MIT graduate, (a classmate of Benjamin Netanyahu) is a watch maker, antiquarian, horologist and all around interesting fellow, whom I approached with my balky collection. After just a couple of weeks they were back in my possession, ticking away happily, keeping near perfect time. Don't forget, they're nearly 100 years old. 

Since my retirement I rarely wear a watch these days, but my railroad timepieces are beautiful, intricate display pieces that represent  a piece of complex, mechanical art. Their gold or silver cases, made smooth by the touch of many hands before mine, energize my imagination and feed my curiosity. Where have they been? Who owned them? Did they actually guide a railroad conductor and help orchestrate the movement of giant steam locomotives over our nations labyrinth of rails?

David's "parts" collection alone warrants a full scale magazine article and took years to build. This picture shows wooden cases of watch crystals in huge quantities to satisfy all different sizes, makes and ages of watches. Then he showed me his collection of pins, wheels, springs, levers, stems, gears, grommets and other internal parts that simply amazed me. 

As seen here, lighting, vision enhancers and specialized tools have a premier role in his shop as David addresses a complex, antique watch that will soon be available at auction.

He explained to me how accuracy has improved over time, from the 16th century until today, as watchmakers painstakingly developed new parts, tools or techniques. Then others would tweak these parts and increase accuracy yet again. Open the back of an old pocket watch sometime and marvel at how all these tiny parts, that you need magnification to see, work perfectly in unison.   

One of hundreds of boxes of small parts. "One doesn't just run out and purchase these items" David explained, "they come from buying out old watchmakers, saving parts from other watches and keeping your eyes open at flea markets and auctions." 

So what does David do when he's not repairing watches? 

He's an indépendant consultant who writes catalogs, condition reports and pricing guides for Jones and Horan Auction Team in Goffstown, NH. They hold four auctions per year in Manchester, NH that exceed $3 million in sales. I've been to several and they're very exciting.

David's a member of the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors, the Swiss Association of Chronometrophilia and other organizations that keep him supplied with study and reading material. He also rents space at the New Hampshire Antique CO-OP in Milford, NH where he sells selective pieces.

As my readers know, I enjoy meeting people who are passionate about what they do. These are people who don't understand about "just going to work," they're people who can't wait for the sun to rise so they can get under way and create, produce, teach, fix, learn and enjoy their labor. David is such a guy.

He can be reached at:   watchperson@hotmail.com