How to Turn Watchmaking Techniques into Principles

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

—George S. Patton

Watchmaking is about creating problem solvers. Not solution memorizers. Here’s how I use an ecological approach to teaching watchmaking.

Learning watchmaking techniques are important. However, learning watchmaking principles is even more crucial.

The best watchmakers in the world remember principles. Not techniques.

Principles can be applied in multiple scenarios. Techniques can only be applied if all the parameters are met.

In school, it’s important to learn the fundamentals. You learn how to solve problems. When you get out of school though, you find out that the problem is never identical to the one you learned in school. It’s always presented in a different context.

I teach watchmaking step by step to beginners. At first this requires teaching them the techniques of how to do a specific task.

Once they get the hang of it, they’re required to apply the knowledge right away. They do this once or twice in a perfectly contained environment. After they get the hang of it, our goal is to make it practical.

It’s important to force the exposure to the same problems in different contexts.

SAME PROBLEM + DIFFERENT CONTEXT = NEW STIMULUS

This causes them to break free from a specific set of techniques and it forces them to realize that the technique themselves are flexible.

The individual must realize that they need to be flexible on the path to the same result.  

Repeated exposure to different contexts of the same problems will convert techniques into principles.  

The best people in the world follow principles and not specific step-by-step techniques.

HOW WATCHMAKING IS TAUGHT

The process needs to be simplified into smaller, more manageable chunks.

I focus more on developing specific skills and knowledge sets that are essential to the craft.

In a nutshell:

1.    DEFINE THE CONSTRAINTS

I start by defining the constraints of the learning process. I can’t teach the students everything all at once. By identifying one thing at a time, we can focus on laying each foundation as best as we can.

This means that I have to identify the constraints by reducing the field of vision.

What is the specific goal the student has to learn?

Do I want them to get better at assembling? disassembling? polishing? oiling? troubleshooting? etc.

Do I need them to work on speed and time to produce higher amounts of quantity / repetition?

Do I need them to work on quality over quantity?

Are they at a point where I can push them to do both quality AND quantity?

What tools or abilities do I want to limit their usage of to increase their attention in another area?

2.   IDENTIFY THE SKILL

For example, if our goal was to get better at polishing, we’ll need to identify the skill set to work on. Within polishing, we have specific areas such as lapping, lasering, high polish, satin finish, sand blasting, etc. We need to identify the skill that’ll help us accomplish the goal.

What area do I need them to work on that’ll yield the highest leverage?

What particular techniques do they need to work on within the area?

How can I limit their options so that they work only on the skills they need to learn?

3.   BREAK DOWN THE PROCESS

How can I build up the technique in a digestible way?

How can I slowly add more without complicating it for the student?

Is the information I’m providing necessary for the student to acquire the desired stimulus?

What is the best method for this student to learn this technique?

4.  TEST

How can I test their abilities to see if it was successful?

How can I introduce the same problem in different contexts?

How can I integrate this section of their experience to the bigger picture?

5.   REFINE THE PROCESS

Was it successful?

What needed more improvement?

Identify the problem areas that weren’t fixed or needs improvement

Rinse and repeat

We start off reducing the field of vision to isolate a specific goal and skill. As the student progresses, we start to open up the field of vision so that they can adjust and acclimate easier to more variety.

How I Applied Watchmaking To Get a 4.0 GPA, Win Competitions, & Run an Ultramarathon

How I Applied Watchmaking To Get a 4.0 GPA, Win Competitions, & Run an Ultramarathon

Let’s talk about the last year or so…

I’ll skip right to the chase. Classic no BS style.

 RECAP

Before I stepped away a year ago (February 2021), I was out to prove for my next upcoming book that the PRINCIPLES of watchmaking extends far beyond creating and repairing watches. I was out to prove that it could be applicable to everything we do in life.

I was trying to prove that these principles could be used in everyday life to simplify, breakdown, and learn anything.

It was a rather bold claim when I first put it out. As it should be. I essentially came out and said that I found a blueprint to excel in anything. If you guys know and learned anything from me, it would be to question EVERYTHING. Even if it’s coming from me.

THE CHALLENGE

During a Q&A / Ask Me Anything session prior to 2021, you guys challenged me to apply and prove my claims in 2 specific ways.

1. Mentally taxing setting - Classic Academia

2. Physical taxing setting – Martial Arts

Perfectly legitimate requests. To prove it to myself and most importantly- you guys, I re-enrolled into a traditional university AND signed back up with a martial art. 

1. I re-enrolled into a classic university while maintaining a full-time job.

2. I enrolled into a famous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in NYC

For those of you wondering, yes. I legitimately re-enrolled back into a university. Paid all of the tuition out of pocket (over $18,000USD) while maintaining my full-time job just to prove a point.

Stupid? Yes

Extreme? Yes.

Costly? Yes.

Point proven? Priceless.

As for the BJJ academy, I signed up to a $230USD monthly academy on top of all these obligations. So all in all for this experiment, we’re looking at about $20,000USD just to SEE if this was plausible. Nothing was guaranteed here.

SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS

Here were the specific definition of success for each of the setting:

1. UNIVERSITY

1. Take up a random assortment of classes to ensure a wide range of knowledge

2. Must get B+ or higher / 3.5 GPA or higher

3. Must be enrolled for a couple semesters at least

2. BJJ ACADEMY

1. Must demonstrate fluency

2. Must compete in a competition

3. Must get recognition by teacher/professor

I’m here to say that I’ve accomplished that and much more.

THE RESULTS

UNIVERSITY:

I managed to attend courses at the beginning of 2020 all the way till now. See attached images below. I completed all of my courses with an A and achieved a 4.0 GPA and won not only the Dean’s list award but the President’s list award as well.

I just finished up 2 more courses from December to February (also with As). I have another 2 more courses to complete because I wanted to clear up any confusion should I have stopped shy of 2 years. Mind you, the original goal was simply a couple semesters. The classes were a mixture of general requirements, science, health, and language.

University Grades for 2020

University Grades for 2021

There’s more to the pictures but you get the point.

Was it tough? 100%.

I was able to snag a 4.0 GPA learning subjects that I have zero to no interest in simply by applying the principles of watchmaking. I’m literally confident that if you guys apply these same principles- you too can achieve results like this.

BJJ ACADEMY:

With the BJJ academy, I went from a random Purple belt who hadn’t trained in several years to a recognized competition Brown belt with several local tournaments and 2 bigger grappling events under my belt.

I was able to score a Silver Medal at an IBJJF Jiu Jitsu Championship International Open as well as a Gold Medal at another (I can’t include it since if I do, it would be relatively easy to track me down).

I would call that a success if you ask me but I’m sure someone will have something negative to say.

MARATHON & ULTRAMARATHON RUNNING

Did I mention there was a bonus? Not knowing whether I would succeed in the martial arts endeavor, I decided to take up an extra physically taxing activity just in case. A back up so to say.

I went the extra mile (no pun intended) to compete in marathons and ultramarathons within a span of a year. I had zero to no experience in running prior to February 2021 so if I can do it, so can you. I managed to apply the same principles to simplify and breakdown the necessary training time to get ready and succeed for these runs. I knew how many miles I needed to run each day and how many miles to progress to in order to achieve what I needed to do.

I went from doing a 21 mile run to a 26.2 mile run the very next day, to a 90 mile run within a week. From there I progressed to a 161 mile run a couple months later. This was only possible because of the systems I’ve had in place.

The 161 mile run is arguably one of the toughest things I had to do in my life.

THE TAKE AWAY

I wasn’t born talented or with special genetics. I sucked in school initially since I didn’t consciously know about the watchmaking principles until later on in life. I sucked in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu prior because I was disorganized without a clear set of thinking. I never ran more than a mile in my life let alone a marathon prior to 2021 because I had no idea how to break things down and work towards a simplified step-by-step process.

I did however progress through all of that using the principles of watchmaking that I have now organized. Would I call all of this a success? I think I will.

Some of you will have some negative things to say. I’m sure of it. To make it clear, I don’t think it’s not a matter of grit or pig headed determination. I felt positive and in control that each step I took was calculated because of how I went about simplifying and breaking everything down to key components. It’s akin to Will Smith’s story in some sense.

““You don’t try to build a wall. You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say ‘I’m gonna lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid,’ and you do that every single day, and soon you have a wall.””

— -Will Smith

February 2021 was a tough time in my life. I had many things to sort out. My family, work, the upcoming book, and living up to my word with you guys to prove my point. This meant that something had to give. Posting everyday had to be put on hold so that I can focus on a bigger plan. A bigger “brick wall”.

I’m here to say that I believe I accomplished that and that I’m back.

Here I am a year later in February 2022 with much more to bring to the table.