Tartu watchmaker calls mechanical watch repair meditation

Mechanical watch repair is a form of meditation for Szabo Rubin, an American-born watchmaker of Estonian descent who has worked in Tartu for five years, he told ERR’s programme Ringvaade. Rubin taught himself the craft, driven by a lifelong interest in mechanics.

As a child, he took things apart and sometimes managed to put them back together. Later, while cycling in England, he became more interested in mechanics and metalwork as he made parts for his bicycle. His interest in precision led him to mechanical wristwatches, which he described as the finest things one can make.

Rubin initially learned from online forums before buying books. He has spent much of his repair time making parts, and said he is capable of making an entire watch. The work is “very zen, like meditation”, he said, while also being exciting and creative.

Customers usually bring him watches that belonged to their grandfathers, hoping to repair them so they can pass them on to their sons. Rubin said mechanical watches have not been practical objects for decades but remain interesting and meaningful things to show and inherit.

He said he has not yet seen a watch that cannot be repaired. Some jobs have taken as long as two years, and the most expensive watch he has repaired was worth between 15,000 and 20,000 euros. Rubin said he has plenty of work, but not enough time.