Story and photos by Garrett Liberman ’25
Over Winter Term ’25, Upper School students, led by Upper School Math Teacher Oggy Smiljanic, spent two weeks immersed in the craft of watchmaking, starting with the basics and working their way up to creating personalized timepieces. Oggy shared his inspiration for watchmaking: “I got interested in making automatic (mechanical) watches when I realized that mechanical watches need to be serviced, just like cars—because they are mechanical. This can be quite expensive. I did some deep diving on the subject and realized that I can build watches on my own and avoid expensive servicing.”
After following this class for two weeks, Oggy’s passionate drive for watches was clear and shined above all else. The classroom, however, was anything but quiet. Despite the delicate nature of watchmaking, the space was constantly buzzing with energy. Students eagerly discussed techniques, asked questions, and worked with precision tools. Chatter about personal designs filled the room, which created an atmosphere of focused excitement. Oggy noted, “Teaching this kind of class is extremely rewarding. I don’t get asked ‘when will I need this in the real world’— everyone is motivated and full of enthusiasm. Camaraderie and collaboration are incredible.”
The work for these students started even before Winter Term began. Students ordered everything needed to make a watch: dials, faces, bands, stems, etc. Then, over the course of the two weeks, students were introduced to the basic mechanics of automatic watch movements, exploring the various parts of a watch and how they fit together. They also explored how different watches are designed, creating their own faces using Adobe Illustrator during the first week. By the second week, students were printing, setting, and applying lume to their personal dials. The tools necessary for watchmaking were introduced, followed by hands-on sessions where the students assembled their watches. The final challenge of this course was calibrating these timepieces to ensure they functioned properly, marking the success of their efforts and the creation of fully functioning mechanical watches. Tommy Goodman ’26 shared the feeling of completing his watch: « The most exciting part was finishing the watches, and then putting it on and showing it off to the class.”
Oggy explained what inspired him to turn his passion into a Winter Term class: “My students learn quickly that I build watches, and it was the students who urged me (literally, begged me) to organize this class. They were eager to get in on the action and learn. I couldn’t say no.” This eagerness is exactly what Winter Term is all about, students and teachers coming together around a shared passion. Oggy also emphasized the unique value of having two weeks of classes that go beyond traditional academics: “As a parent and a teacher, I love seeing students who are usually not ‘stars’ in traditional, academic classes emerge as ‘stars’ in this new learning setting. In short, it gives students an opportunity to reinvent themselves as ‘students’ and to re-imagine ‘school’ as a different kind of place. That is the special, secret sauce of the Winter Term experience.”