An Informal Q&A With Rob Inman, Watchmaker.

Meet Rob Inman, our master watchmaker. With a quiet precision and decades of experience at the bench, Rob brings each Pinchbeck timepiece to life—by hand, by eye, and with deep respect for the craft. In a world that moves fast, he chooses patience, skill, and care—because some things are worth the time.

What is the most rewarding or fulfilling moment you’ve experienced as a watchmaker?

I’ve had so many experiences of smiling faces handing over bespoke watches to customers in person. I get regular fulfilment as I have freedom to create pretty much whatever I want as long as it tells the time.

What’s one thing about your work that most people don’t understand or appreciate?

How much watch parts cost to produce and how much time goes into every stage of our process. Sometimes people think it’s just the price of a movement and a case and wonder why it’s so expensive.

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in watchmaking?

You need to be very patient as sometimes one thing can take hours.

What makes Harold Pinchbeck watches stand out in the luxury market in terms of craftsmanship?

Whenever anyone places an order, we refer to that customer by name throughout the entire build. Most of the time when someone rings up and tells us their name I will remember making their watch or at least something about it or them.

What do you believe is the true value of owning a handmade, luxury watch like a Harold Pinchbeck timepiece?

You will hardly ever see someone else with one on.

How do you test the accuracy and durability of each timepiece before it leaves the workshop?

We have 2 machines for testing pressure and time keeping/beat rate/amplitude, but all watches are checked by Paul or myself as well as put on a winder to check the watches in multiple positions. We also often wear the watch for an afternoon or so and check the strap feels right as they are all hand made and feel different.

What is the most challenging part of designing and assembling a luxury watch by hand?

Dust!

Are there any specific tools or equipment that are essential for your work as a watchmaker?

Tweezers, screwdrivers, case opener, vernier gauge, glass press, bezel remover, polisher, I could go on as I use a lot.

Can you explain how the Swiss movement is integrated into each of our watches and why it’s important for quality?

The Swiss have mastered mass production of automatic movements. With so many parts in each movement we have to accept that for the money they are the best value we can provide and have to try to make everything else in our watches as local as we can.

What do you hope people will say about Harold Pinchbeck in 5 or 10 years’ time?

They will be saying that they are so glad they brought a one of our watches.