Victoria Clocks.com
Barry Carter
Victoria, B.C. Canada

Parts Manufacturing

It is the ability to actually make clock and watch parts that distinguishes Barry Carter from most other watch and clock makers.

The many years he’s spent mastering the principles of watchmaking design enable him to determine how a malfunctioning clock or watch originally worked. After completing the mathematical calculations required to replicate an original component, he completes a CAD drawing of it. Once the computerized rendition is complete, he machines and finishes the new part. Each new part is polished by hand using various abrasives chosen especially for each job.

A watch and its parts are a very small precise mechanism. Tolerances are minuscule. The precision required to restore a watch surpasses that required by an eye surgeon. By using modern computerized parts manufacturing techniques, Barry is able to manufacture parts to within tolerances of ½ a micron or 1/2000th of a millimeter. Not only can Barry repair watches that most watchmakers would label “unrepairable,” he also makes parts for other watchmakers throughout North America.

Being able to restore clocks and watches made from the 16th to 19th centuries is about as incredible as time travel. Were the watchmakers who originally made those clocks and watches told their timepieces were still keeping time in the 21st century, they would undoubtedly be surprised and amazed.