What We Do in the Workshop

September always feels like a turning point.

The summer starts to wind down. The mornings change. The school year begins again and, somehow, everyone starts looking at the months ahead.

Here at Pinchbeck, that doesn't mean everything suddenly becomes neat and organised.

But it does mean we're back at it.

And while our watches are assembled at the bench, there's quite a lot happening around it.

Paul is usually at the other end of the phone

If you've emailed us, called us or asked a question about a watch, there's a good chance you've spoken to Paul.

He has always cared a great deal about people being happy with their experience of Pinchbeck. Sometimes that means answering a straightforward question. Sometimes it means talking someone through a watch they're considering. Sometimes it means helping solve a problem.

Whatever it is, Paul is there.

Rob is at the bench

Meanwhile, Rob is doing the thing that everything else revolves around.

Building watches.

Assembly takes concentration and patience, and there are plenty of moments when the workshop goes quiet because something needs properly focusing on.

Then, occasionally, everything goes exactly right.

Those are Rob's favourite moments.

Emily is trying to keep up

There are photographs to take.

Stories to tell.

Newsletters to write.

Posts to share.

And usually far too many ideas pinned to a wall somewhere.

Emily spends her time trying to keep up with everything happening around Pinchbeck and turn it into something worth sharing.

Because there is always a story somewhere in the workshop. You just have to remember to stop and notice it.

Jason is chasing the next idea

And then there is Jason.

Usually thinking about colour.

Or a dial.

Or whether something could be changed very slightly.

The dials have always been at the centre of Jason's thinking. They're where an idea often starts, and sometimes where it takes rather longer than expected to finish.

But that's part of the job.

A colour can take time.

An idea can take time.

Getting something to look right can take even longer.

And then we all go home

Because alongside this small creative team, there is ordinary family life.

September means children going back to school. Emily and Rob's children are heading back to secondary school, while Jason's son is returning to university.

So there are school bags, timetables, new routines and all the usual things that happen when summer comes to an end.

Pinchbeck carries on alongside all of that.

The watches still need building.

The emails still need answering.

The ideas still need chasing.

And somehow, between family life and workshop life, it all keeps moving.

September feels like a good moment to take stock.

A new season is starting.

And we've got plenty to get on with.