William Samelius

William Samelius was one of the most significant watchmakers that we have ever seen, he was also my Grandfather's teacher. Samelius was referred to as The Dean of American Watchmakers, because he ran the Elgin Watch College for many years.

William Samelius took a special interest in my Grandfather because of his aptitude for watchmaking, and because of a funny story which I'll get to another time. But the point is that Samelius was a great teacher and made an impression on my Grandfather, Everett Sexton, that lasted a lifetime. My Grandfather would invoke the name of the master to make an impression on me. He would say when inspecting my work, for example, "Well I think you've done great, but Samelius would say you were too generous with the oil on the forth wheel."

When I learned how to do something, I was told how Samelius said to do it, from hand finishing the points of screwdrivers to lathe work. My Grandfather is gone now, but I feel very fortunate to have had this connection. Today, William Samelius is largely forgotten, even though he was once a household word.

I have lately exchanged some email with the decedents of the Samelius family. They have generously provided me with some information that I can put on line to inform about the master watchmaker. I'm not sure when I'll get to all that, but here are a couple of photos...

Find more about William Samelius here...