2017cnc10-11

42 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST October/November 2017 very basic, but adding a chronograph or calendar that recognizes leap years are all very complex tasks. I took a job in Beverly Hills, Ca. before starting Weiss in our apartment with Whitney.” Weiss produces two styles of watches, the all-me- chanical self-winding version, and an automatic wind- ing model. There are no electronics in either timepiece, only mechanical parts. The basic explanation on how a mechanical watch works is simple, the watch slowly unwinds. The reality is more com- plex than that. You start by winding the crown that loads a spring. The spring puts torque onto the gear train and a wheel. That wheel has an escape wheel next to it allow- ing time to escape in a set fashion. Cameron’s designs are timeless, elegant and clean. He drew in- spiration from old gauges in cars and airplanes. “I really like simple watches,” tells Cameron. “A manu- ally wound watch introduces peo- ple to a whole different concept to wearing a watch. You become part of it, you wind it and understand that the movement processes is charged by you. Without your input it doesn’t tell time. It is something most people have never done before. Be- coming part of the process is a bonding experience that customers enjoy.” Weiss focuses their efforts on time only, because no one else in the US is manufacturing watches in this way. How Weiss purchased the Fanuc Robodrill when they moved into their Torrance, Ca. facility. They considered it a “no-brainer” for its ease of use and capabilities. The compact machine packs quite a punch. All the workholdings are customized to their needs. The tiny parts cause unique challenges. Remember the parts can’t have a tab so holding them is difficult. Tolerances in watchmaking are very tight. Weiss has to hold + .0002 and – nothing on most milled pieces.