August 2000 Timepieces/News Make Your Own Time New kits from Austria contain everything needed to make a fine watch Many watch aficionados welcome the chance to look inside their fine timepieces. As self-taught “experts,” they know what makes a fine watch tick. Now, they and anyone else can make their own timepiece tick. Ronald Oppenheimer, president of Optimum Momentum and a retailer with two watch stores, distributes Austrian-made watch kits that allow the buyer to make a fine automatic, manual or quartz watch. The top-of-the-line “Watchmaker” kits each feature a Swiss ETA movement, two dials, two leather straps and all the tools and extra parts needed to complete a watch. Six models offer choices of round or square cases, clear case backs and different buckles. When completed, the watches can be displayed in a fine wood case that’s included in the price, which ranges from $595 to $2,250. Quartz watch kits, called “Clockbox,” feature assembled quartz movements and all tools and parts needed to create a working watch. The 11 styles are under $100 each. A third category, called “Timeset,” comprises mechanical watch kits designed for the private-label, incentive or corporate gift market. The dial, case back and presentation box can be customized with a minimum order of 50. Optimum Momentum LLC, Chatham, NJ; (800) 882-7977 or (212) 472-8350. – by Michael Thompson “Technicum” kit is in the top-of-the-line “Watchmaker” series.