““My interest in watchmaking came before my interest in watches themselves,” said Ms. Zhang, the 21-year-old founder of Rotate, a mechanical watch kit introduced Oct. 15 on Kickstarter. It reached its modest $15,000 goal within two days, and by the middle of this month had raised more than six times that amount.”
“Intrigued by the prospect of building a working timepiece — “Really, just to see if I could do it,” she said — Ms. Zhang spent 18 months ordering parts and tools from a dozen vendors around the world. The final result was a manual-wind wristwatch with a skeletonized dial so she could see all the gears.”
“Included in the Rotate kit is a partly assembled movement from a Hong Kong supplier, based on the ETA 6497 manual-wind caliber. The screws, center gear and watch stem are separate. Additionally, the kit includes a 44-millimeter stainless steel case; a dial; spring bars; three vegan-friendly (faux leather and faux suede) straps; hour, minute and second hands; and the tools required to assemble the components: a screwdriver, putty, magnifying glass, tweezers, spring bar tool, cutter, glue, gloves and a step-by-step guide.
“It’s the kit I wish I had when making that first watch,” Ms. Zhang said.”
Source: Gomelsky, V. (2019, November 22). The newest D.I.Y. kit: Make a mechanical watch. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/fashion/watches-kickstarter-kit-jennifer-zhang.html?searchResultPosition=7
Analysis: It’s a brief piece merely centered around the origins of a DIY watchmaking kit company, but I enjoy attitude in the creator. It’s a small intricate machine and you can see all the pieces move. Something that might be worth looking into are DIY kits or ways to involve the kids in the making of a flying machine, which also helps teach kids about aviation.
