OVWCCC MasterClass - An Introduction to Collecting Watches with Gary Fox

An Introduction to Collecting Watches - Gary Fox

(NB This is not a workshop for experienced watch collectors!)

Have you just begun collecting watches, or are you considering starting? Do you have a watch left to you by a relative and would like to learn more about it and the technology it represents? Do you have a few watches that don’t work, and wonder how complex it might be to repair? Then this is the workshop for you. It will cover the basic terminology of a watch and its parts, the structure of watches, what to look out for when buying one, and what to consider when evaluating the price you are being asked to pay. What are the different types of cases, and how do you open them and remove the movement? Once out of the case, how do you let down the mainspring? What are the different escapements, and what care should you take when removing them? What is the minimum set of tools you should buy? Where can you get them? The workshop will be run as an open forum where questions and discussion will be encouraged. There are no silly questions, and Gary will share some of his own (from when he started collecting) if you ask politely.

(Note: This is not a course on watch repair but will prepare you for that course when next offered!)

Gary Fox is a NAWCC Fellow and has been a member of the Ottawa Valley Watch and Clock Collectors Club for over 45 years. He was a founding member of the club when in became Chapter 111 of the NAWCC. He has held the position of Treasurer and Secretary for numerous terms and was the club’s newsletter editor for thirteen years. While he collected clocks for many years his focus changed to pocket watches and he has amassed a significant collection of those with ties to Ottawa. He has written and published two books on noted schools for watchmakers in North America and is working on his third. His knowledge the industry is such that he was invited to speak at the Scientific Instrument Symposium, an international meeting of curators of museums from around the world held at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa last August.

Would you buy a watch from this man??  

Notes

This member only event is limited to 10  + 1 instructor.

Registration opens May 1, 2025

Please contact us if you are a member and are experiencing difficulty with registration.

Not a member and wish to attend?

Please join the club here , before registering for the workshop

The May club meeting will take place after the workshop.