During my recent visit I found them in the midst of preparing to mill the first series of cases for the Sculptura Una on the CNC machine.  First a 5 piece series in brass, just to be sure the tolerances are held perfectly over a series of several pieces.  The pieces in gold will then follow.

 

The new watchmakers workshop

 

 

Polishing screw ends (you said it, that is the end that disappears in the hole and no one ever sees)

 

Usually used for special work, the hand driven watchmakers lathe works just as well to turn down a screw head when the other lathes are in use.

 

The first step in finishing a tourbillon cage, stoning the edges.

 

 

This is what he is seeing through his loupe.

 

 

This is what the entire piece looks like, raw from machining.

 

 

This piece has already seen more of its finishing.

 

 

Stephanie, the engraver who we already met on our last visit, is busy finishing up a piece for a Tempusvivendi Geisha dial.

 

 

 

 

There is a lot more of her work in this case.

 

 

A double axis tourbillon in work.  As you can see the cage is not mounted yet.

 

 

You can see the cage in the case below.

 

 

A single axis tourbillon movement all apart

 

 

Now, finally, those upcoming Sculptura Unas you have been waiting for so long to see.

Here is the first movement with dial. Everything is still in the raw.Still so much work to do before the fair in April.

 

 

Thomas himself starting out the finishing of a hand.

 

 

Five movements are finished and the module plates ready for assembly.

 

 

Stephanie has had her fun hand engraving these movements.   If the customer does not give instructions for the decorating style the decision is up to her.

 

 

Here a Sculptura Una case before mounting the horns

 

 

This horn is partially through its forming on the CNC milling machine.

 

 

Sculptura Una case, movement and hands,

 

 

with bezel.

 

 

In a resent post of pictures from the Prescher shop there were questions about tools and their use.  I hope to clean up those questions with these pictures.  Here we see from right to left, a base that is screwed to the stage of the CNC milling machine, a tool which holds the raw case back while it is being machined and finally the raw case back itself.

 

 

The tool is screwed to the base and the raw piece either fits by pressure and/or is glued in place.

 

 

Here the inner side of the back has been milled.  Then the piece is removed, turned over and placed on another tool for milling the outer side, below.

 

 

 

 

After milling and polishing the case back looks like this looks like this.

 

Thomas says he is seeing an accuracy of about 1/1000^th to 3/1000^th of a mm with his new CNC machine.  The expansion caused by warming a piece of brass in your hand for a minute or two can mean the difference between pieces fitting together or not at such close tolerances.  Running at 40'000 rpm this CNC mill can do the work of an electro-erosion machine by using very fine milling bits.  Look at this one below, 0.15mm in diameter.  It is even possible to cut gear profiles with this bit.

 

 

As a last little tidbit Thomas showed me the press for doing transfer printing. This is used for dial printing. 

First the paint is smeared on the metal matrix on the right and then squeegeed off again which leaves paint only in the relieved areas of the matrix.

 

 

Then the tampon is lowered onto the matrix to pick up the paint.

 

 

The tampon is then raised, the carriage moved to the right to bring the unprinted dial under the tampon and the tampon lowered again on the dial.  This transfers the paint to the dial surface.  A quick drying paint is used so that it several coats can be made creating the thick printed layer we like to see.

 

I am looking forward to a visit after the Basel Fair to see the CNC in action itself and learn all the steps needed to make a part using it.

Thomas also showed me a preview of an upcoming new model.  Still too early to say anything concrete, but if it turns out anything like planned we will all be seen gaping in disbelief (once again).
I hope you have enjoyed this little visit to TPHH,

Don