Six hours. Six guests. One Swiss mechanical watch you build yourself.

If you are looking for a truly unique, hands-on experience in Chicago, look no further than the watchmaking class with Hampden Watches. I walked in with zero experience and walked out with a stunning, functional piece of mechanical art that I built with my own two hands.

The class itself strikes the perfect balance between fascinating education and meticulous crafting. The instructors are incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and passionate, guiding you through the intricate inner workings of a timepiece. There is a meditative, deeply satisfying feeling to working with such tiny components and watching a movement come to life.

But the absolute best part is the sentimental value. Every single time I look down at my wrist to check the time, I get this amazing rush of pride knowing, "Wow, I actually put this together."

It’s more than just a high-quality timepiece; it’s a tangible memory of my summer in Chicago that I will cherish forever. If you get the chance to take this class, don't hesitate. It is worth every single penny.

I recently got into watch collecting and wanted to learn more about how mechanical watches actually work. After hearing about Hampden’s watchmaking workshop on a podcast, I decided to sign up, and I’m really glad I did.

From the moment I arrived, Joe and Mark made me feel welcome and right at home. The day starts with a great breakfast with pastries, fruit, coffee, and more. The class itself is extremely well organized, and the benches and tools are comfortable and easy to use.

One of the things I appreciated most was the pace of the workshop. There’s no pressure and no strict timeline—Joe and Mark take as much time as needed to make sure everyone understands each step and feels comfortable working on their watch. Halfway through the day, everyone breaks for a great lunch, which gave me a chance to talk to the other students about watches and their collections.

Joe and Mark were always happy to answer my questions, whether they’re about watchmaking, the watch industry, or Hampden itself. Joe told us about the history of Hampden and gave us a fantastic tour of the building and his personal watch museum, which features an impressive collection of vintage Hampden, clinton and benrus watches and many other fascinating pieces.

The entire experience feels first class from start to finish. The best part is that you leave with not only a much better understanding of how watches work, but also with a beautiful watch that you assembled with your own hands.

I would highly recommend…

I attended the Watchmaking Workshop because I had bought a very nice German watch and realized that I didn't fully understand it. Disassembling and reassembling the movement was fascinating, and I was glad to have support from the instructors throughout. I now look at the display case back of my watch and can understand much of what is happening behind those beautiful bridges, which really enhances my appreciation. I enjoyed the tour of the facility, learning about the history of the brand, meeting others who are fascinated by watches, and learning a bit about the watch industry. Finally, I walked away with a nice-looking watch with a Swiss movement that was assembled by me in Chicago.

I was very excited for this class. The experience was even better than I'd hoped. I've been modding watches for awhile and have always wanted to take the next step and build a movement. In this class we completely disassembled and rebuilt the movement. The class was taught in a way that left no one behind, yet moved at a pace that no one was sitting around. There was no point that I didn't understand what the next step was. The class was very well run. It was a premium quality experience and I came home with a premium quality watch. I also loved hearing the history of Hampden Watch Company and how they got to where they are today.