Craftmanship & Philosophy | Felipe Pikullik

Hauser

Every hole we bore starts on a Hauser pointing machine, built for one job only: absolute positional accuracy. A bridge with a dozen jewel seats has to line up to the micron, every time, or the movement simply won't run true. There's no shortcut for that kind of precision only a machine built for nothing else. Introducing this historical step also means we can now manufacture our own balance wheels by hand, in-house.

Schaublin

Every pivot and staff we turn passes through a Schaublin lathe, built in 1915 for a technique that has barely changed since: shaping metal against a blade, by eye and by hand, exactly as it was always done. Precision like this cannot be bought faster only inherited, machine by machine, from one generation to the next.

Burnishing

Burnishing does not remove material it moves it. A rotating steel tool, guided entirely by hand, gently displaces and hardens the surface until every edge carries a soft, mirror-like curve no abrasive could achieve. On a pivot, that same hardened surface means far less friction against the jewel it turns in the wheel runs smoother, and the bearing simply lasts longer.

Finishing

A bridge is finished the same way on the side that faces the case back as on the side that never will. The habit began for practical reasons a stray burr can ruin a lubricant, a rough edge can wear unevenly but we have kept it for a better one: some things should be beautiful whether or not anyone is watching.