A new beginning
My name is Robin Israel, master watchmaker and founder of R.I.O. Uhrenwerkstätte. Along the way I have reached many interesting milestones: as a national skills champion, a graduate of the N.G. Hayek Watchmaking School with a WOSTEP 3,000-hour certificate, an award winner in Omega’s chronograph department, an Omega-certified watchmaker, a master watchmaker, a teacher at the master watchmaker school, a trainer and a watchmaker in my own workshop I would like to share my experience, which is why this blog is taking shape.
Why a blog?
About ten years ago I launched uhrenkunde.de as the website for my business. From the outset, making watchmaking topics accessible was also important to me, hence the name „Uhrenkunde“.
Initially I was able to produce a fair amount of content, but I constantly had problems with the program used to build the website. It reached the point where I could no longer touch the site, because every major change immediately led to a whole string of problems. The logical conclusion would have been to rebuild it using a sensible platform this time. However, given the size and scope of the site, the work involved was more than I could manage. A simplified new site was not an option either: after all, the site was quite well visited, with around 5,000 visitors a month. Simply deleting the additional content, into which several hundred hours of work had gone, was therefore out of the question.
Over time, technology has moved on considerably, and creating a good website and incorporating content is becoming ever easier. At the same time, the old uhrenkunde.de site has become so hopelessly outdated that renewal is unavoidable. With the opening of the watch workshop’s first branch now also approaching, which must be included on the website, I looked around. After a little research, it was clear that rebuilding the website had become another good deal easier.
With Adobe Dreamweaver, a responsive-site template as a starting point, some icons, ChatGPT and a few other tools, I was able to rebuild the site completely. Important content such as service reports and watchmaking knowledge can be transferred more easily through a modern content management system such as WordPress than I could ever manage on a static website with a realistic amount of work, so this content is going into a conventional blog format. Here I can once again share content quickly and easily and, hopefully, gradually make a large knowledge base and exciting watchmaking content available.
Over the coming months I will add the content from the old site here, piece by piece, and then regularly publish exciting new reports.
If you enjoy the content, please share the pages to inspire even more people to take an interest in watchmaking!
Chronology of the old www.uhrenkunde.de site before the move:
2024
06.12.2024 – Deletion of www.uhrenkunde.de and redirection to the new www.rio-uhren.de website. All content has been imported into this blog.
2023
- 03.04.2023 – We have recently become an official TAG Heuer-authorised service centre.
2022
- 15.09.2022 –
- 01.09.2022 – Today our new apprentice watchmaker starts!
- 01.08.2022 – The watch brand Abeler & Söhne is added to our range. We will also be selling vintage watches in excellent condition in future.
- 22.07.2022 – The workshop has been remodelled; there are now display cabinets and a new service reception counter in the area in front of the workshop.
- 01.07.2022 –
An experienced watchmaker has joined us and brings many years of experience in Rolex manufacturer servicing as well as clock repairs. - 21.03.2022 –
- 15.03.2022 –
The www.speedmasterwerkstatt.de website is online! - 01.02.2022 –
2021
- 01.01.2021 – The repair reception area has been redesigned. The display workshop can still be viewed through the glass windows, while repairs are now handed over through a hatch. This is intended to reduce dust in the workshop and, as a positive side effect, automatically meets recommendations for controlling coronavirus.
2020:
- 19.12.2020 – During lockdown, repairs can only be handed over at the door.
- 01.11.2020 – The workshop now has an air purifier that continuously circulates and filters the room air.
- 22.08.2020 –
Change of opening hours: For family reasons I am adjusting my working hours to school days and working Monday to Friday. The workshop is now open for dropping off repairs on Thursdays and Fridays from 9 am to 12 noon and 2 to 6 pm. - 10.07.2020 – The workshop was fitted with hygienic radiators this week.
- 21.03.2020 – Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the workshop can currently only be reached by shipping
- 15.02.2020 – Omega carried out an inspection visit today. The feedback was excellent and, of course, the workshop remains an Omega-certified service centre
2019:
- 21.08.2019 – From now on, I am teaching on the master watchmaker course at the Hessian Watchmaking School, supporting the part-time students in specialist theory, technical calculations and planning their masterwork projects.
2017:
- 10.11.2017 – A week of training at Omega is coming to an end. Together with some pleasant colleagues, I trained on calibres 8500 and 8520 and received detailed instruction.
2016:
- 28.02.2016 – Certification and modernisation of our machinery have brought several new machines into the workshop; more under “Machines“.
2015:
- 16.10.2015 – Today was the final day of the master craftsman examination. From now on I can call myself a master watchmaker !
- 10.08.2015 – Uhrenkunde – Added lubrication of the Swiss lever escapement
- 09.08.2015 – The workshop is now an officially certified service centre for Omega, Longines, Rado, Mido, Tissot, Hamilton, CK and Balmain
- 21.07.2015 – As I currently find more time to post short items on Facebook, that content is now included under “Blog” .
2014:
- 04.10.2014 – Several small changes to the site
- 11.06.2014 – Description of servicing an Omega 3303 chronograph
- 13.05.2014 – Description of servicing a Seiko 11A ladies’ watch movement.
- 29.04.2014 – Description of servicing a Girard-Perregaux 352 movement.
- 07.04.2014 – Following several questions at the Easter market, I have added a short description of regulating the rate of a pendulum clock .
- 04.03.2014 – Uhrenkunde – Added the Swiss lever escapement
- 28.02.2014 – my website is online! –
at last - Spring 2014 – Adding written texts and collected content to the website
2013:
- Writing texts, collecting photographs and images, graphic design of the website
2012:
- Refreshing my knowledge of web design and HTML
- July 2012 – Reserving the address Uhrenkunde.de
2011:
- June 2011 – The idea for this website takes shape; the first photographs and texts are collected