Smiths School of Horology · Free online course
Watchmaking 101: how a mechanical watch works, from mainspring to timing
A free, self-paced crash course in mechanical horology: eight visual modules, a hands-on virtual bench, an exam and a certificate in your name. In English and Arabic, about 1 hour 52 minutes in all.
The eight modules
What a Watch Is — Time, the Oscillator & the Five Systems
Before a single gear turns, one truth: a watch keeps time because something inside it vibrates at a steady rate — and the whole machine exists to count those vibrations.
The Mainspring & Barrel — Stored Energy & Power Reserve
Every running watch lives on borrowed energy — wound once, then spent in measured breaths until it runs dry. This is where it is stored, and how it is spent.
The Going Train — Wheels, Ratios & Jewels
Five wheels between the barrel and the escapement — carrying the power forward and counting it into hours, minutes and seconds.
The Lever Escapement — How a Watch Ticks
The cleverest handshake in horology: it locks the train in counted steps and feeds the balance its impulse — lock, unlock, impulse, drop, repeated forever.
The Oscillator — Balance, Hairspring & the Beat
The mainspring only feeds it; the gear train only serves it. One part alone decides what a second is — the balance and its hairspring, swinging in perfect time.
Telling & Setting the Time — Motion Works, Keyless Works & Complications
The dial side of the watch — where a running movement becomes an instrument you can read, wind, set, and ask to do more.
Practical I — Disassembly: Tools, Safety & the Service Order
Sit at the bench. Let the power down, then take a movement apart the right way — and watch every part name itself.
Practical II — Reassembly, Lubrication & Timing
Build it back, prove the train runs free, place the right oil in the right place — then let the timegrapher pass its verdict.
Questions
- Do I need any tools or a real watch?
- No. Everything, including the hands-on bench, runs in your browser. Bring curiosity, nothing else.
- How long does it take?
- About 1 hour 52 minutes in total. It is self-paced and resumes exactly where you left off, on any device.
- Is it really free?
- Yes. Watchmaking 101 costs nothing: enrol free with your Smiths account to unlock every module, the exam and the certificate.
- Is the certificate accredited?
- It is issued and branded by Smiths Boutique. We reference the standards of WOSTEP, BHI and AWCI, but the course is not accredited by them.
- English or Arabic?
- Both, in full, each on its own page. Switch language any time from the top bar; the certificate follows your choice.