The Japanese watch doctor who resurrects Swiss watches – rts.ch

At the age of 17, Masaki Kanazawa discovered a documentary on Swiss watchmaking. He was so fascinated that he immediately decided to become a watchmaker himself. Today, 26 years later, he is a restorer at the International Watchmaking Museum (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site for its watchmaking industry, in the heart of the Swiss Watch Valley.

“I am certainly not the most talented person,” said Masaki Kanazawa during his meeting with swissinfo.ch. “But I believe I am the right person for the position of museum restorer. As a member of the museum team, I understand the vision of this museum very well. I am committed to deciphering the watches and techniques of the past which no longer exist today and to preserve them for future generations.”

Work on historical pieces

The MIH collection includes many rare and sought-after pieces. These include antique water clocks, 16th century pocket watches, large wall clocks and mechanical watches. These objects are strongly distinguished by their size, type and date of manufacture.

Their restoration requires a lot of effort: in eleven years, Masaki Kanazawa has not yet restored 100 pieces. But he is proud that watches with a rich history have landed on his table. One of the most memorable for him is an intricate pocket watch by Ami Lecoultre, which he worked on shortly after taking over as a restorer. It was exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1878 – despite its complexity and rarity, the director of the museum at the time entrusted it to him for restoration.

“Leave watches as they are”

Masaki Kanazawa relies on the motto “restore, but not improve”. He explains that most of the work is to restore the original function of the watch, so that it can be passed on to the next generation without any problems. “It would be strange if a watch from the 17th or 18th century worked like a modern watch. If the watch is in poor condition, it should be preserved so that its condition does not deteriorate further.”

It was frustrating for him at times. “A poorly made watch will always be poorly made, even after 200 years. I always get a little annoyed when I see such watches. I think I could have improved them if I had used modern techniques,” he says .

As a rule, he doesn’t return a watch to the condition it was in when it was at its best, he says. “It would be strange if a 90-year-old grandmother looked 40 years younger after hospital treatment,” he compares. Thus, he considers himself more of a “watch doctor” than a cosmetic surgeon.

However, there are gray areas. For example, you don’t leave a watch worn by a soldier during the war in a dirty and rusty condition. But we can’t make it like new either. “Each scratch has its own story. That’s where the restorer’s expertise comes into play.”

Professional secrets taken to the grave

For restoration work, the fact that the watch industry has traditionally been very secretive also poses a challenge. Watchmakers have taken certain techniques to their graves instead of passing them on to the next generation. “If there is no information for restoration, the only possibility is to carefully observe the watch and try to decipher it,” explains Masaki Kanazawa.

When it comes to rare, but not unique, watches, he sometimes contacts other workshops that have restored similar watches. Not only does this broaden his knowledge, but it also allows him to examine things systematically, explains the restaurateur.

“Especially when it comes to decorative aspects, it is not always possible to recognize the original purely from the model,” he explains. “By collecting information about similar pieces, we can perform restoration work that matches not only the function, but also the style of the manufacturer.”

Originally, Masaki Kanazawa wanted to return to Japan to open his own store after a few years in Switzerland. He has been here for more than two decades now and a return to Japan is still not in sight.

Ruiko Ono, SWI/et al