I recently saw really gorgeous photos of watches popping up on my Facebook and had to investigate. These watches were not only made by hand, but they were being made locally. RD Horology is watchmaker based in Albany that is returning the age-old art of the hand-built mechanical wristwatch.
I took some time to talk with Richard Daley, the man behind RD Horology to learn more about his product and process.
Horology, as an art and science, has a very in-depth and deep history. Is the historical element what drew you in? If not, how did you get into it?
RD: It is a mixture of both I would say. 5 years ago I never really wore a watch, I was given one as a gift and that is what sparked my interest. I have always been interested in the mechanics of how things work, so it felt natural to do research on the topic. I became obsessed in a way with mechanical watches, particularly complicated pocket watches from the 1800’s. After that, I began looking on auction sites for old, cheap and simple pocket watches to start disassembling and understanding.