The Watchmaker and his Lathe – Hans Jendritzki
The Watchmaker and his Lathe by Hans Jendritzki is a practical guide to using the watchmaker's lathe for the manufacture and repair of mechanical watch components. It explains the construction and operation of the lathe, its tools and accessories, and a range of traditional workshop procedures used in watch repair.
The book covers the selection and use of collets, chucks, gravers, slide-rest tools and measuring instruments. Practical examples include turning balance staffs, making winding stems, turning pinions, producing jewel settings and bushes, replacing pivots and working on screws.
Jendritzki wrote the book for watchmakers and repairers who wish to improve their understanding of the lathe and its applications. His introduction emphasizes the importance of practical training and the ability to manufacture or repair components when ready-made spare parts are difficult or slow to obtain.
This English-language edition was reprinted by Historische Uhrenbücher, Berlin, Germany, in 2018, with the kind permission of Mrs. Jendritzki.
Reading sample
Contents of the Book
The following list reproduces the complete chapter sequence from the original table of contents, including the publisher's note and introduction.
- Publisher's note
- Introduction
- General points concerning the watchmaker's lathe
- The modern watchmaker's lathe
- The headstock of the watchmaker's lathe
- Collets, internal step-chucks and external step-chucks
- The use of wax-chucks
- The hand-rest
- The headstock and tailstock
- Turning between centres
- Gravers
- Slide-rest tools
- The face-plate or mandrel-plate
- Measuring-instruments for use with the lathe
- Special jobs which can be done on the lathe
- Turning a balance-staff
- Making a winding-stem
- Turning in a pinion
- The execution of a jewel-setting and of bushes
- Replacing pivots
- Screws
- Set-up and driving equipment
- Examples of the use of the watchmaker's lathe
The Watchmaker's Lathe and Its Accessories
The opening chapters introduce the watchmaker's lathe and its principal components. Jendritzki discusses the modern lathe, the headstock and tailstock, the hand-rest and methods of turning between centres.
Separate chapters deal with collets, internal and external step-chucks, wax-chucks, gravers, slide-rest tools and the face-plate or mandrel-plate. Measuring instruments used in conjunction with the lathe are also covered.
These sections provide a foundation for understanding how different tools and accessories are used in watchmaking and repair work.
Practical Lathe Work for Watch Repair
The later chapters concentrate on specific workshop operations. They describe tasks associated with manufacturing, adapting and repairing mechanical watch components.
The practical subjects include:
- Turning a balance staff
- Making a winding stem
- Turning a pinion
- Producing jewel settings and bushes
- Replacing pivots
- Working on screws
- Using set-up and driving equipment
The book concludes with examples of the use of the watchmaker's lathe, connecting the earlier explanations of tools and accessories with practical applications.
A Practical Guide Based on Workshop Experience
In his introduction, Hans Jendritzki describes the watchmaker's lathe as a self-sufficient tool for watchmakers who need to make or repair components themselves.
He observes that apprentices and recently qualified watchmakers do not always receive sufficient training in the proper use of lathes and their accessories. Inadequate knowledge can lead to wasted time, unnecessary expense and unsuccessful work.
Jendritzki developed the material following letters sent to the Swiss Watch and Jewelry Journal by watchmakers from different countries. These enquiries led to a series of practical articles covering lathes, tools, accessories, maintenance and both traditional and modern working methods.
The articles were subsequently collected and edited into book form. The author's intention was to support practical training and help watchmakers make better use of the equipment available in their workshops.
He also points out that the usefulness of a lathe depends partly on the availability of replacement parts. Where components cannot be obtained promptly, the ability to manufacture or adapt them can be particularly valuable.
Publication History: 1959, 1982 and 2018
The work was first published in 1959 under the title The Modern Watchmaker and his Lathe.
According to the original publisher's note by H. Marquis, the later publication, The Watchmaker and his Lathe, was entirely re-edited and updated by Hans Jendritzki with the assistance of Marcel Bergeon.
The original publication details identify Edition Scriptar S. A., Switzerland, and the Swiss Watch and Jewelry Journal, with the years 1959 and 1982.
The present reprint was published by Historische Uhrenbücher in Berlin in 2018, with the permission of the author's widow, Mrs. Jendritzki.
Historical Technical Information and Safety
The publisher's notice explains that the book reflects the state of watchmaking technology in 1958. Some terminology, measurement units and workshop procedures have changed since that time.
Important safety notice: Certain procedures described in the book may no longer be permitted under current legal or professional regulations. Applying historical methods may involve serious health risks. The publisher states that the descriptions and illustrations are intended strictly as material of historical interest and accepts no liability for damage or injury arising from their use.
The book therefore serves both as a practical record of traditional lathe work and as a historical reference for watchmakers, repairers and restorers studying earlier workshop techniques.
Book details
Author: H. Jendritzki
ISBN: 978-3-939315-59-9 / 9783939315599
Facts: First published 1959 as “The Modern Watchmaker and his Lathe”; later fully revised edition under the present title, with the assistance of Marcel Bergeon. Edition Scriptar S. A., Switzerland, and Swiss Watch and Jewelry Journal, 1959 and 1982. Reprint Berlin 2018, 86 pp., format 21 x 26 cm, paperback (perfect binding)
Language: English
