<https://www.youtube.com/embed/1moRfIXCfak?autoplay=1&rel=0>
Masahiro Kikuno is a master craftsman who belongs to an exclusive
international group of independent watchmakers. These consummate
artists create timepieces that reflect their deepest ideals, with no
connection to commercial watch manufacturers. Kikuno's creations are
deeply influenced by traditional Japanese culture. He's fascinated by
a masterpiece called the Myriad Year Clock, which was built by a
19th-century Japanese mechanical genius. Containing over a thousand
hand-made parts, the clock is a marvel of complex and precise
engineering. Kikuno seeks to transcend that old master's achievement
by giving the clock a modern rebirth in the form of an elegant
wristwatch. This program documents Kikuno's exacting methods of
designing and hand-machining all of the delicate parts needed to
create a modern masterpiece.
On Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 10:30:21 AM UTC-5, Spalted Walt wrote:
> <https://www.youtube.com/embed/1moRfIXCfak?autoplay=1&rel=0>
>
> Masahiro Kikuno is a master craftsman who belongs to an exclusive
> international group of independent watchmakers. These consummate
> artists create timepieces that reflect their deepest ideals, with no
> connection to commercial watch manufacturers. Kikuno's creations are
> deeply influenced by traditional Japanese culture. He's fascinated by
> a masterpiece called the Myriad Year Clock, which was built by a
> 19th-century Japanese mechanical genius. Containing over a thousand
> hand-made parts, the clock is a marvel of complex and precise
> engineering. Kikuno seeks to transcend that old master's achievement
> by giving the clock a modern rebirth in the form of an elegant
> wristwatch. This program documents Kikuno's exacting methods of
> designing and hand-machining all of the delicate parts needed to
> create a modern masterpiece.
Absolutely amazing.
I did notice the careful use of the words "try" to level the playing field
and the limitations of how much can be done purely by hand. While he did
in fact "hand-machine" the tiny pinion gear, there's a distinct line between
hand-made and hand-machine.
It would be interesting to see if the original Myriad Year clock maker had
some type of "machine" with which the smallest of the parts were made or if
they were truly 100% hand fashioned.
Obviously the machine would have been no where as sophisticated as what
Kikuno used and may have in fact even been invented and built by Tanaka
himself. That would something interesting to investigate a bit.
On Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 10:30:21 AM UTC-5, Spalted Walt wrote:
> <https://www.youtube.com/embed/1moRfIXCfak?autoplay=3D1&rel=3D0>
>=20
> Masahiro Kikuno is a master craftsman who belongs to an exclusive
> international group of independent watchmakers. These consummate
> artists create timepieces that reflect their deepest ideals, with no
> connection to commercial watch manufacturers. Kikuno's creations are
> deeply influenced by traditional Japanese culture. He's fascinated by
> a masterpiece called the Myriad Year Clock, which was built by a
> 19th-century Japanese mechanical genius. Containing over a thousand
> hand-made parts, the clock is a marvel of complex and precise
> engineering. Kikuno seeks to transcend that old master's achievement
> by giving the clock a modern rebirth in the form of an elegant
> wristwatch. This program documents Kikuno's exacting methods of
> designing and hand-machining all of the delicate parts needed to
> create a modern masterpiece.
While I found the video compelling, and way beyond my paygrade, I do wonder=
how much computer modeling/design simplifies (nothing about this task was =
simple, btw) and shortens the project. Can you imagine how perfect each pie=
ce must be both in design and fabrication, so that they interact properly a=
nd keep time? Amazing...
On Sat, 09 Mar 2019 09:03:05 -0800, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 10:30:21 AM UTC-5, Spalted Walt wrote:
...snip...
< While
> he did in fact "hand-machine" the tiny pinion gear, there's a distinct
> line between hand-made and hand-machine.
...snip...
Do jigs count? Master artists of the Renaissance loved the camera obscura
and sight grids. Were they less worthy painters? I suggest that there is
a long and productive gradient between hand-hand and hand-machine. The
master clockmaker can do more with his hand and any jigs than the rest of
us could do, short of cad-cam and a 3-d printer.
Bougereau was a master painter who was outclassed by photographs. (He
built a short railroad in his backyard to follow running horses as he
sketched. Some wag with a fast camera upstaged him.)
There is a region along the hand-hand to machine-machine dimension where
artistry dwells. When you are in that place you know it and that's why
you love making curlies. <snark>The corded folk just have to try harder
to get past the noise.</snark>
Hi, guys and gals, I'm back.
In rec.woodworking, Spalted Walt <[email protected]> wrote:
> <https://www.youtube.com/embed/1moRfIXCfak?autoplay=1&rel=0>
>
> Masahiro Kikuno is a master craftsman who belongs to an exclusive
> international group of independent watchmakers. These consummate
> artists create timepieces that reflect their deepest ideals, with no
> connection to commercial watch manufacturers. Kikuno's creations are
> deeply influenced by traditional Japanese culture. He's fascinated by
> a masterpiece called the Myriad Year Clock, which was built by a
> 19th-century Japanese mechanical genius. Containing over a thousand
> hand-made parts, the clock is a marvel of complex and precise
> engineering. Kikuno seeks to transcend that old master's achievement
> by giving the clock a modern rebirth in the form of an elegant
> wristwatch. This program documents Kikuno's exacting methods of
> designing and hand-machining all of the delicate parts needed to
> create a modern masterpiece.
The Myriad Year Clock is an interesting device:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriad_year_clock
The watch Masahiro Kikuno makes is a marvel, to be sure, but I found it
striking that this multimonth project of a watch apparently uses no
jewels. The reason for jewels in a watch is for longevity, they get
used in important areas as low friction bearings.
The other thing I found noteworthy was this production, and it could be
because it is from a Japanese company, neglects to mention that temporal
hours have a long tradition outside of Asia, too. The temporal hour
system has day and night always being the same number of hours, but
varies how long an hour is. Temporal hours had some favor before cheap
artificial light but astronomical measurements pushed the development of
fixed length divisions of time.
(For those who have not watched the video, the watch made has an
elaborate mechanism to move the hour markers depending on time of year,
thus allowing for measuring variable length divisions of time.)
Babylonian and Egyptian clocks, for example had variable length hours,
and the Greeks and Romans continued the tradition:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_clock
Elijah
------
contrary to subject, watched the video Sunday evening