How Many years?

[RichG]

Hi Folks,
As I was reading through the post this morning. I was thinking about how many years of horological knowledge is shared on this message board. I told my wife that there has got to be hundreds of years if knowlege and experience. For a rookie like me its like having a library at your finger tips. Anyway, I thought that it might be fun and interesting to take a tally and see how many years of combined experience that you folks have. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
Come on everybody tell us how many years you have?
Rich NAWCC #0157382

[RichG]

Hi Folks,
As I was reading through the post this morning. I was thinking about how many years of horological knowledge is shared on this message board. I told my wife that there has got to be hundreds of years if knowlege and experience. For a rookie like me its like having a library at your finger tips. Anyway, I thought that it might be fun and interesting to take a tally and see how many years of combined experience that you folks have. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
Come on everybody tell us how many years you have?
Rich NAWCC #0157382

[doug sinclair]

Rich,

My late father was a Depression era watchmaker. In those days, ordering and getting parts was tough, and WW II didn't help much. Watchmakers didn't throw old parts out! One Saturday, in 1948 (at age 8 yrs.), my late father told me I was going to his shop with him. He gave me a metric caliper, a box of 1,000 manila envelopes, and a drawer full of broken, but not discarded watch mainsprings. I was to measure length, width, and thickness of all these springs, writing the information on the manila bag. I worked with him on Saturdays and school holidays until I got out of school, and then for several years threafter. I am now 62, so you can say I have 54 years of experience in this craft. Now, gotta get back to the bench.

Doug S.

[lpbp]

My mother tells a story, that when I was young, I took apart an alarm clock and fixed it. I don't remember doing this, but she also tells other stories about me I don't remember. Realistically I repaired the first clock, shortly after I started collecting, which was 35 years ago. I have been repairing for others for about 30 years, I'm still learning, aren't we all?

Larry Pearson, FNAWCC #35863 L138
candidate for Director

[Rod]

Around 1974 I found a Seth Thomas electric mantle clock at a local yard sale,the clock kept time but it would strike 13,25,or maybe any thing on the hour,after a trip to the only clock/watch repair person in this area and being told that it could not be fixed I thought,"anything can be fixed"I took the movement out of the clock and just watched it for a while and then I "fixed it"
That was the start of my collection and my love of clocks...........
Rod

NAWCC # 0058915

[RichG]

I knew that this was going to be fun!!! :biggrin:
We have about 150 years so far and very interesting stories.
Keep-em coming :biggrin: :biggrin:
Rich

[Julian Smith]

Put me down for 42 years
Julian Smith

[Brian C.]

Put me down for 15 years.
Brian C.

[loetch]

My parents bought a jewelry store in Hempstead, NY when I was 15. The watchmaker who sold them the store one day asked me to help him clean out his ultrasonic, he was looking for a bulova clic spring. Then I had to hunt on the floor for a seiko ratchet, and then match a set lever in the bestfit book...I didn't clue in that he was teaching me the parts till one day he had to rush out and could I overhaul a Seiko 6105 for him. Realized I had been conned into the business I learned what I could and got out to see the world in order to avoid watch repair. Everytime I was back to visit the folks there would be a bunch of watches for me to play with. One day I realized it was a comfortable place to be. I'm 47 and still remember the strong smell of my mentors tool drawer. Wondered what kind of animal could stink like that for that long. Now I've got a stinky tool drawer of my own. Put me in for a solid 20 years. Serge

[RichG]

228 years so far and that includes the 1 year that I have been tinkering.
Every year counts, come-on folks get yours added to the total. Don't be bashful. :biggrin: Experience is the greatest teacher of all.
Love the stories. :biggrin: :biggrin:
Rich

[Jerry Treiman]

I have been collecting and working on my own watches since around 1965 (37 years and counting). This does not count the wristwatches I took apart as a child until my mom said "OK, you can take them apart, but can you put them together again?". In high school I "apprenticed" (paid by the piece) to a local watchmaker and later to a clockmaker.

[Mike306p/Ansoniaman]

RICH I HAVE BEEN COLLECTING AND TINKERING FOR 10 YEARS. NOT LONG BUT STILL LEARNING AND HAVING FUN . :biggrin: THERE ARE A GREAT BUNCH OF GUYS HERE :smile: WILLING TO HELP YOU, AS THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO ASSIST ME AND PUT UP WITH ME. BUT IT TAKES NEW GUYS TO COME IN AND CONTINUE THIS HOBBY .MIKE 0136966 :biggrin:

[rrwatch]

Hmmm, joined NAWCC in March 1976, started tinkering with watches at about the same time, so I guess you can put me down for 27 years. Still learning as I go along. :biggrin:

Ed Ueberall
NAWCC #49688

[Jeremy Woodoff]

I bought my first clock at age 13 in 1965. I've been collecting and restoring clocks ever since. That's 37 years.

[RichG]

339 years and counting. Come-on folks, I know that there are several regulars that haven't been counted yet. :biggrin: Tell us your story.
Rich

[Chris McVetty]

Bought a clock for my father at a bazaar at my school in 1961 - the beginning of my downfall! My dad gave me that clock back a few years ago, he had marked the case with the date and showed that I had paid all of ten cents for it, and it is still running in my kitchen.

I've been working on clocks since 1973 now, part time for many years and full time for 3 years now. Even though I have been active longer, I consider that I have been working on clocks for 30 years now.

Chris

[harold bain]

If you count punch clocks and electric school clocks, I guess I've been at it since 1968. I've repaired tallcase and mantels first as a hobby, now making a living at it. My logo is "if it won"t tick, let me talk to it" Put me down for 35 years.

[bil2054]

I recall disassembling my first watch in 1959, and being richly rewarded by my father, since it was a birthday gift to my mother the year before, and at age 5, my re-assembly skills were somewhat lacking! I did go seriously to work for the Rapidprint Company in 1971, and spent a couple of years manufacturing time clocks, though the intervening 30 or so years have involved only casual "pottering about". Maybe an aggregate of five years?

Bill Miller

[tomrsey]

Put me down for 30 years. I made the mistake of buying one old clock. That lead to another and another.... I figured I better know something about what I was buying. I took an evening class at Greenfield Village. Loved it. Then I started hanging around a local clock shop on weekends looking over the owner's shoulder. He was kind enough to teach me a bit each week. He also insisted I join NAWCC (great advise)and with his encouragement I eventually got my state certification (no longer available) or license to repair clocks. Repairing clocks has been good therapy ever since. It also made some purchases more comfortable, since I could look at a movement that wasn't running and determine what it needed to get it going.

Tom Seymour
NAWCC # 41293
### #104

[RichG]

:biggrin: :biggrin: 439 YEARS !!!
Thanks everyone. Love the stories. Let's hear from the ladies. Come-on I know you're out there.
Rich
NAWCC #0157382

[Tom McIntyre]

I bought my first clock in 1967 and took it apart to get it running. I had to make a set of weights for it and do a little veneer work also.

I ran out of room for clocks about 25 years ago and have been mostly watches since then with an occasional clock that catches my fancy.

Here is a picture of the first one. Vienna Regulator (http://www.awco.org/images/ViennaSnap.jpg)

Tom McIntyre
NAWCC 2nd VP Candidate
Tommy the JOAT's Web (http://www.AWCo.org)

[Jon Hanson]

I have been collecting and buying watches for 45-46 years, or since the late 1950s; however, I had earlier experience playing, winding/setting and polishing up old key wind Swiss silver pocket watches while in grammar school that my father kept in his top dresser drawer that were originally my immigrant grandfather's that I do not count towards my 45-46 years.

Jon Hanson, nawcc#8801

[Greg Frauenhoff]

I'm a relative newcomer as compared with the above "oldtimers". I joined the NAWCC in 1988, but my first "acquisition" came in 1983 (my grandfather's Sangamo Special). Unless you want to count the Westclox pocket Ben that I carried in the 8th grade (or maybe it wasn't until freshman year in high school, things are getting fuzzier every day). I can still remember how loudly it ticked in the dead of night. Enough to be annoying at times. Before the pocket Ben there was an Ingraham pocket stop watch (this gets me back into the late 60s)

Although not doing any actual work for my father, I did spend a number of hours (much to his annoyance) watching him fix watches in the evening hours as a hobby. He learned watch and clock repair in his early 20s. He also worked for Elgin (both at the Elgin plant and at the Aurora plant) for a few years. So, can I claim that watches are in my genes?

Enough of the reminiscing. I'd date the beginning of my serious interest in collectable pocket watches to 1983 which is when I first remember actually buying one.

Greg Frauenhoff

My Watch Site (http://hometown.aol.com/gfrauen10/gfrauen10.html)

[Tom Huber]

I collected my first watches in 1955. It kind of started by accident. I was hired to do odd jobs for an old watchmaker in the little town where I grew up. I would do things like sweep out his shop, clean his windows, etc. This watchmaker was a wino, so he was always short of cash to pay me the $1 or so that I was due each week. He noted that I had an interest in what he was doing. So, in lieu of pay, he began paying me in bags of old watches. Now, my mother was not too keen on me dragging home junk when I was to be getting paid, but I convinced her that this was important to me. I began to tinker with them. I found some that I really liked and just piled the rest in a large box. In 1965, I needed extra money to continue in college, and an antique dealer in town offered me $500 for the box of watches (the box was a wooden box about 2'x2'x2'). The box was filled with pocket watches. I have no idea today what I had and subsequently sold. This antique dealer was a shrewd man and obviously knew I had a bonanza. In 1965, $500 was a lot of money and paid for an entire year of college for me. I actually kept about two dozen watches from that time and still have most of them. Oddly enough, two of the ones I thought to keep were Howards, and another eight were RR grade ones.

So, you can put me down for 48 years.

Tom

Tom Huber

[MikeP]

Since 1968. Somebody better at math than me will have to do the figuring...

[RichG]

:biggrin: Well we've got about 715 years so far. Great stories.
Phil, if I remember correctly, Trigger could only add 2+2.
Thanks everyone, I have enjoyed this and I'm sure that all the newbies, like myself, have realized all the knowledge that is available on this board. :biggrin:
Rich
NAWCC 0157382

[bil2054]

Was it Nelly Belle, Phil? :smile:

Bill Miller
NAWCC Member #157710
Bill's web page (http://bil2054.freeservers.com)

[doug sinclair]

Bill,

Did Roy Rogers ever drive Pat Brady's Jeep, Nellybell? On or off the set? Tell us Phil. What kind of a car was it?

Doug S.

[bil2054]

Alright, Phil! I knew there was something I liked about you,(aside from the clock thing) Super Vee, huh? Cool. I used to drive a '68 Chevelle stock car; even won :biggrin:a race, once!

Bill Miller
NAWCC Member #157710
Bill's web page (http://bil2054.freeservers.com)

[kirklox]

If you want to count working on timers and timing circuits and mech devices as controllers you can count me in for 35 years. If you only want to count collecting clocks and watches you can count 9 years now.

kirxklox (Sam Kirk)
Web Horology MB (www.webhorology.com)

[Chick Curry]

Fixed my next door neighbors alarm clock when I was 8. She gave it to me to "play with". Took it apart saw the broken ends of the main spring. Somehow with a hammer, nail and oak block got an X looking hole in both ends and wired them together with 'bell' wire. It worked. I just turned 70, so looks like 62 years and counting.

Chick Curry
Camden, DE

[MShaw]

I started tinkering with clocks when I bought a Sessions time only wall clock at a church bazaar for $.50 in 1953. Filled the worn pivot holes with solder and re-drilled them. Still running although I did rebush it properly about 2 years ago. Been seriously repairing for three years, part time . Use whichever start you think appropriate. :smile:

Malkin E Shaw