With the Watchmaker at the Bench

In With the Watchmaker at the Bench, author Donald de Carle, a medalist and fellow of the British Horological Institute, opens with the following statement: “I shall attempt to sit at the bench with [the reader] … to give him, so far as I am able, the advantage of the apprenticeship as it should be given.”

The book is perfect for the watchmaking beginner: de Carle lays out all the steps in watch repair in simple, easy-to-understand language. Accompanied by more than 100+ high quality illustrations, this book is one of de Carle’s countless contributions to the art of horology.

First published in 1933, With the Watchmaker at the Bench was de Carle’s first book and remained in print through multiple editions. It is the most beginner-oriented title in his long shelf of horological standards, which would later include Practical Watch Repairing, Complicated Watches and their Repair, and De Carle’s Watch & Clock Encyclopaedia. De Carle served as Chairman of the British Horological Institute in 1956, was a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, and wrote the horology entries for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Whichever of his other works a watchmaker ends up studying, this is the one to start with.