Curtis for David Lou
1564
Budapest Watch Company>>>
In early 2000 I returned to Lancaster, PA from England to attend to several issues with our home. As I often do, I stopped in a Barnes & Nobles and found the latest International Wrist Watch. I purchased it and went off to lunch.
While I waited for my meal I flipped through the pages and was quite pleased to read about Steven Phillips, owner of Budapest Watch Company, Connecticut. Mr. Phillips was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1939. He comes from a family of watch and clockmakers who schooled him from his earliest days. This training was continued in Austria and France. In 1959 he immigrated to the United States during the revolution of 1956 and opened his own watch and clock repair shop.
This was interesting enough, but what really piqued my interest was his move from watch repair to watch making! He was making his own watches! This, for those who are unaware of my aspirations, is what I am moving towards and am always keen on finding others who are making watches, or clocks for that matter.
In 1998 Mr. Phillips introduced the "Guardian I" wristwatch of his own design and his own hands. He nows has added the "Guardian II-Enamel Series," "Guardian II-Diamond Collection," "Guardian III-Unusual Complications" and a watch, with a Phillips patent pending, in the prototype stage, which "will run almost quartz accurate when properly regulated." We will have to keep our eyes peeled and ears to the ground on this one!
In the traditions of all the great horologists, Mr. Phillips makes clocks, as well. He is constructing his "Eternal" clock. This clock incorporates a Phillips mechanism that will follow the deviations of the Gregorian calendar until the year 99,999! The mechanism is only an inch thick and may be reduced to for a wristwatch.
The clock accurately accounts for the days, months, leap years and non leap years. The calendar functions: day, date, month, year, leap year indicator, equation of time, moon phase, GMT, in addition to, hours, minutes and seconds. It uses a double three legged gravity escapement beating between 60 and 120 vph.
The clock will use "low friction" coatings instead of traditional lubricants. All bearings will be jeweled, including end stones for all. Solid gold will be used to avoid corrosion and the plates will be translucent. Mr. Phillips speculates 100 years between normal servicing. And, when the clock does stop, for whatever reason, all of the calendar bits may be reset by a single connected lever. If this is all to good to believe just wait... once the clock is wound it never needs winding again! Yes, it is a fully mechanical clock.
Wouldn't it be something if his current prototype wristwatch includes the elements of his "Eternal" clock?
I would also like to mention that Mr. Phillips is a candidate for AHCI membership and, I assume, will be showing in Basel with the Academy.
Please visit Mr. Phillips site at http://www.budapestwatchco.com
Cheers,
Curtis
Photographs and the bulk of information has been lifted shamelessly from International Wrist Watch for the advancement of Mr. Phillips celebrity.
