Clockwork Buckle Mark V

This is the latest incarnation of the clockwork belt buckles... I was a little hasty when I chose this particular watch (a 1931 Ingraham movement) , as I soldered the back and frame together PRIOR to verifying that I had a matching bezel in the lot of parts it originated from. Well, three months and two other lots of old parts later.... I still didn't find a matching bezel, nor would any other watch fit on that case back. The movement works, so I *had* to use it, right? So I came up with a different way. The crystal is actually held in place by a brass (plated, dash it all) expanded metal mesh attached to the case. It actually turned out better than I thought it would. :) You can't really see the gears in the photograph because of the mesh, as it throws off the focus of the camera and adds a lot of glare. :-/ Oh well.

Okay, it's after Christmas, so...

I built this watch as a Christmas present for my friend Ben. It's been done for a month or so, but of course, I couldn't show it until now... :) A key feature is the hand sewn "pocket" arrangement that holds the watch. The watch is held in place by tension from the springs and the crown, thus allowing removal and replacement if the owner acquires another watch, or to use as a pocket watch. Sorry about the poor quality picture... If I can find another (I thought I took some better ones) then I will add it in.

Clockwork Buckle Mark IIII

Yeah, yeah... I know. This one looks just like the Mark III buckle. However, this one actually works. It's made with a similar, though newer, movement also from Ingraham. One important difference is the evolution of the post (not visible, sorry!) for the holes in the belt. Up until now, they have all been made from a section of brass or steel soldered to the inside of the synchronizer. This one actually has a small hole drilled in to the synchro allowing me to insert the post direct in to the main frame of the unit, thus increasing the strength.

Sometimes, when you screw up, you think of a better way.

So I've been working on a commissioned watch for a while now, and since it is now after Christmas, I think I can safely let the cat out of the bag. Originally, I'd designed something with a normal buckle type strap and a spring tensioned strap on the cuff end. Well that didn't pan out, when I destroyed the finish on the buckle strap. So I went back to work with a new strap, and this new design hit me. It worked out much better, and I think is substantially better than the first try.

Clockwork Buckle Mark III

This buckle is made from a 1936 Ingraham carcass. It's got nearly everything to run, except the pallet fork and escapement wheel. I think the brass movement is a little more attractive than some of the other (functional) Westclox movements I've use. I also put a nice glass crystal on instead of the original plastic type. It should hold up to daily wear a little better and resist scratching.

My beautiful wife designed this watch! She has a wonderful knack for taking my abstract ideas and coalescing them in to exactly what I see in my mind. Then she tweaks it and makes the finished product so much more than I had originally envisioned. Yep, that's my hairy arm.

Gearheads that aren't steampunks?

I came up with this one while looking through my "shiny parts" bin. They were shiny, and well... That's how most of my stuff starts out. :) I suppose it might appear to have more value, were these platinum plugs instead of Iridium. However.... If one knows that ALL iridium on this planet comes from asteroids which have cashed to Earth... Well, that makes it a little more interesting, right?