Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Hi Daniel,

My father used to do repairs for the Waltham Watch Depot, who I assume were Waltham agents here in the UK. While still in school as there were many about I was allowed to repair Waltham Traveller 7 jewel movements which where, I think, a budget model? I never worked for my father, I was an indentured apprentice with another company, this was often the case with family businesses. On returning to the UK I was offered a job in the Science Museum in London which would have been interesting but not a lot of money. Anyway a young lady would would become my wife had finished her training in London and Dublin had returned to work in Cardiff. When back in the Principality I became self employed, doing trade work. this went on for a year or so when I went into business with my brother specialising in repairing old clocks. It was quite lucrative repairing watches but boring, the average watch being much the same as another. After a couple of years at this we started selling repaired old clocks and about the same time I was elected a Fellow of the British Horological Institute. Some of our repaired  clocks being sent to America, not far from Cardiff there was an American air base where large transport aeroplanes arrived and some of the personnel thought it would be a shame that they returned mostly empty. So, a lot of personal belongings? Were were returned to the States, including many of our clocks.

In 1987 one of our more prolific buyers offered me a holiday with my family in California if I would sort out some of his clocks that had problems. It worked out well, of the three weeks there, I did about 3/4 days work while my wife and two children were entertained. I think the place he lived was Orinda just outside San Francisco.

Repairing these old clocks I came into meet other specialist craftsmen, cabinet makers, polishers, glaziers, sign writers, as well as people that restored plaster work. The latter being why I had an idea of how to approach the damage on our mirrors frame.

Take care Tony.