The "It's Only A Matter Of Time" Story: Part I - The Search" Story

RGM Watch Company in Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania

It was an ordinary day.  Getting back in my car along Main Street in Mt. Joy after a visit to the RGM Watch Company at 801 Main St.  Made a visit today to see how some of the best watches in the world are developed and made.  My journey began a few weeks ago when I was cleaning out one of my file cabinets and discovered the envelope of watches that I had placed there a few years ago after the death of my dad.  Dad was the manager at Meiskey's Jewelry Store in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  He began his career shortly after graduating from high school when the store was located in the first block of  West Chestnut Street.  After a tour of duty in the Army during WWII, he went to school at Bowman's Technical School in Lancaster to learn watchmaking.  

Paul H. Woods at work at Meiskey's Jewelry Store.

He eventually became the manager of Meiskey's and on evenings and weekends, as a young boy, I would travel with him to Meiskey's to help him fill out requests for watch parts.  Loved spending the time with dad watching him repair watches that friends and neighbors, as well as customers, would give to him.  The basket on the top of the refrigerator at home was always filled with watches that were in need of fixing.  While going through the envelope of watches that were on the fridge when he died, I found an old pocket watch that had belonged to his father.  His father had died when he was 6 years old from an industrial accident and I never got a chance to know my grandfather.  Actually, dad barely got a chance to know his father either.  I opened the back of the watch to read the engraving inside the case and thought that sometime I may be able to learn something about the watch.  Well, a week or so after finding the pocket watch I was watching our local TV news station and found they were making a visit with Roland G. Murphy who is the owner of RGM Watch Company.  Roland was born in Baltimore, MD and attended a vocational school for carpentry and cabinetmaking.  During his senior year he worked a half day at the Danecker Clock Co. in Fallston, MD.  After graduating from high school he worked out of his parent's home making clock repairs.  From 1986-87 he studied watchmaking in Switzerland.  After returning to America he found his way to the Hamilton Watch Company.  

My grandfather's pocket watch

Eventually in 1992 he opened his own company in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania.  Lancaster is well known as the Garden Spot of America for its fertile farmland and Amish population who tills the rich soil while filling the local roads with horse-drawn buggies, but many may not know that it also is now home to the world renown RGM Watch Company.  After watching the TV segment on RGM Watches I pulled up their web site to learn about the company as well as send an email to Roland asking if I could make a visit to see and learn how they make their watches.  A quick return email provided me with a date and time for my visit.  As the time approached I became anxious as to how much I would understand about the technical part of watchmaking.  I have some mechanical skills since I taught metal, woodworking, drawing and graphic arts in high school, but I knew very little about the skills needed in the art of watchmaking.  The day of my trip I made my way to the RGM building on Main St. and began my journey into one of the most interesting and technical experiences I have ever taken.  Follow along tomorrow as I attempt to give you some insight into the close-tolerance art of American watchmaking.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.