The hands start as steel wire, and the temper having been drawn.
Starting to drill out a guide hole.
In order to have concentricity the hole is drilled at small intervals.
Drilling finished.
Drilling out the minute hand.
Finished hole.
Turning down the minute hand to closer size.
Turning down the hour hand.
Steps of turning to insure that the steel is not weakened by excessive torque.
Rough shape of hands before further turning.
For the seconds hand, I flatten out the wire on the vice.
A portion is left on the opposite side of the hub to facilitate working the piece.
Profile.
The guide hole is drilled for the seconds hand.
Solid aluminum billet is faced off.
The dial is turned to closer measurements.
Material is removed in order to work on dial better, and to part off.
Dial area turned out.
Dial ready to be milled.
Checking the concentricity of the chuck.
Milling out a test marker.
Return to lathe to turn out the 'railroad' track lines.
Turning with 0.3mm wide point.
Two concentric lines.
Turning the five minute marker lines.
Turned and ready to be parted.
Parting off the dial.
Further parting.
Dial parted.
Continue to work on hands.
Initial form given, note the 'pip' at the end.
Hubs on the hour hand are turned.
First portion of hub turned.
Other hub turned in order to be able to manipulate both sides of hand.
Turning off of excess material around the hub.
Initial hand filing, flattening the bottom of the hand.
Top portion.
First phase of hour hand finished. Much more finishing remains.
Work on the minute hand begins.
Initial form.
Leaving the end pip in place allows for the end of the hand to remain tubular when shaping it.
Hubs turned.
Turning off of excess hub steel.
Back of the hub area cleaned up.
The minute hand hub is reduced, further shaping of hand.
A slip of the graver and the minute hand is ruined.
A new one started from scratch. Turning steel to rough diameter.
In absence of a mill (working from a 2nd shop at the farmhouse), using the lathe as a mill.
Turning hubs.
Cleaning up the support of the hand.
Turning the hand shape.
Bottom minute hand hub to diameter, it will have to be reduced in length.
Hand filing of minute hand (end 'pip' will be cut off in the final stages).
Further work on hour hand, rough top of hub cut.
Further cutting of top hub.
Finishing the bottom of the hour hand hub.
3/4 of the hour hand is finished, further work on its shape needs to be done, and on the hub.
Minute hand top hub shortened.
Here I am making the new dial.
Testing the outer diameter of the dial and how it seats onto the bezel.
The outer and inner form of the dial is turned.
Testing if the chuck revolves concentrically to the spindle.
Milling out the hour markers.
The hour dot markers milled out.
Parting the dial off.
The dial placed in a holder to be able to machine the edge clean from the parting operation.
Testing the fit of the dial on the watch.
The dial previous to inking the milled out markers.
Inking the hour markers
Cleaning off the excess paint.
The dial with the hour markers.
The hands arriving at the final shape.
Next the hub is formed and the hand parted off from the steel rod.
