This was touted as a 1 day course in watchmaking, no experience or knowledge of watches required. And in the end, you get a watch, that you've put together, to take home. I was a little apprehensive at first as I knew nothing about the inner workings of a watch. But in short time, the instructors, Joe and Marc, who are amazing, put me at ease, and the course that they've put together, is truly approachable for the novice. That being said, the experience of taking apart a watch and putting it back together, would be worthwhile even for someone which knowledge of watches. I love the comradery that the atmosphere lended itself to. The lunch that they provided was better than most restaurants (and I'd like to think that I'm a foodie). And the watch that I had put together, which included a personalized, initialized gear, is a watch that I'd be proud to wear. Overall, an amazing experience. I hope they do a more advanced course. Will definitely take again.

If you are a watch enthusiast, this is the class to be. You not only build a watch but also take it home with you. The instructors are super nice and helped all along. There is so much to learn and I hope they have a follow up class. Shout-out to Joe, Marc, Gian and Oscar for a wonderful put together class.

I found myself in a beautiful loft-style warehouse workshop in Chicago, clean, exciting, and filled with state-of-the-art watchmaking tools. Within minutes, four watchmakers had introduced themselves and begun teaching us the fundamentals of mechanical watchmaking.

Most of the six participants in my group knew a fair amount about mechanical watches. Some had extensive collections, but, like me, didn't have much successful hands-on experience actually building one. That's where this workshop really shines. It meets you wherever you are and takes you through the process from the ground up.

Over the course of the day, we disassembled and rebuilt a Swiss manual-wind, 17 jeweled, 6498 movement, then turned it into a complete 42mm Hampden First Edition watch. At every point along the way, the instructions were clear and easy to follow, presented both on a large screen and individual synchronized iPads. And whenever someone hit a snag, a professional watchmaker in a lab coat appeared and provided just the right amount of help to get you over the hump without taking over the work.

All of the watchmakers were patient, knowledgeable, skilled, and genuinely enthusiastic about what they were teaching. By the end of the day, all six of us were enormously proud of what we'd accomplished and strutted out convinced that each of us was wearing the most beautiful watch on the planet.

The experience goes well beyond the mechanics of building a watch. Hampden has a fascinating history in…

This workshop was unique and fantastic. Just the right amount of detail and depth without being overwhelming. Marc and the team did a great job working with us, explaining everything and making the class interesting and engaging. Lunch was excellent and the watches turned out beautifully! I can’t wait to take another workshop.

If you are a novice into timepieces or a seasoned collector, this class will be fun, informative, interactive, immersive look at a standard swiss movement 6498 timepiece engine. The staff at Hampden Watch is so helpful, and the experience was 1st class. The location is in an old but very modern factory type building. The workshop where the timepiece experience takes place is state of the art, with stereoscopic microscopes, all the essential hand tools, and the proper testing equipment. Tons of amenities as a fun casual meet greet over breakfast, a chef inspired fully plated catered lunch, and an enjoyable tour of the history of this 100+ yr old watch manufacturer.

The6498 movement is on the larger case size 40,mm+ but comes with a stainless bracelet and leather strap. While this movement maybe not for everyone as its manual self winding and only has a small seconds complication the watch style you will build come with many face choices and colors and these options are not sold as any timepiece on their website so it truly becomes your own personalized timepiece.

The workshop presentation and hands on portion have a large video display with the presenter actually showing you what you will be working in stages, additionally ipad's are at each work station detailing the assembly and disassembly operation in full detail.. the class to teacher ratio is 2:1 so you never feel you are stuck, and can not complete your task and help is nearby.