CAD

Open Source constructions… to help future generations to maintain and revise my watches and as inspiration for young creative watchmakers

A new watch project needs a lot of time in pre-planning, brainstorming and finally construction. Even if no part is milled, turned or even polished, the CAD software is one of my most important tools in the manufacturing process. I would like to share this (head-) work openly and free of charge with all watch lovers and fans of fine mechanics. To the young creative it may be a little inspiration for own projects and to the demanding service watchmaker in the distant future it may be a help for the maintenance of my watches. 3D data for tools and aids, which you can print yourself with good 3D printers, make the work much easier.

Only rarely do I still use the pen and drawing pad. I myself constructing with the CAD program Solid Edge for many years – from shaping parts to creating assemblies and drawings. The common formats *.par, *.asm and *.dft can only be used within Solid Edge.
To provide cross-platform data, I use for the 3D data the two formats *.stp and *.stl (e.g. for 3D printing). 2D data like drawings possibly as *pdf or as *.dxf
For rendering nice views or animations I made good experiences with the open source program “Blender”, without ever becoming an expert in this field.

Finally it remains to say that a construction is never finished, that means, there will always be improvements or details in some parts, on which I have put less emphasis during the theoretical construction, because I had the practical execution of the parts “in the hand”. So there is no guarantee or warranty for hundred percent correctness of all data.