Hi there. My name is Willem, and I’m teaching myself the craft of watchmaking one YouTube video, lost spring, and motionless movement at a time.

This blog is where I document my journey so beginners can follow along if they’re interested in taking up the hobby of watchmaking. I’m building my skills mostly through online learning, supplier guides, and the helpful people I meet along the way.

The name of this blog comes from the Greek idea of Kairos, an alternate understanding of time. Unlike Chronos, which symbolises the steady and unavoidable passage of time that governs all of us, Kairos refers to a specific moment in time.

In ancient stories, Chronos is typically personified as an old bearded man, while Kairos is depicted with long hair at the front and bald at the back. This depiction of Kairos serves as a reminder that opportunity can be grasped as it approaches, but cannot be caught once it has passed. In the opening two-part introductory series, I explain why this idea felt like the only fitting title for the journey I am beginning.

In this blog, you can expect practical notes on how to start watchmaking, beginner-friendly explanations of the tools you will need and where to find them, and step-by-step work on a practice movement. But mostly, you will be getting a story, the story of how a regular person with no experience attempts to teach himself to work on watches using only online resources.

I post weekly on Sundays and hope to include short clips in future. If you are curious about mechanical watches, welcome to my bench. Grab a coffee, start by reading my first post, and learn with me.