Chinese Watchmakers lathe?

I suppose as the Chinese were making clocks and the suchlike whilst we were still running around in animal skins, it's fair to assume they might be capable of making something like this? Mike

While I am certain that they are capable of making a decent WW pattern lathe, I suspect the market is not there to support such an endeavor.

Given that there are, maybe, two or three makers out there (or fewer) that are still making lathes suitable for watchmaking, I doubt very much that sales are rocking at a rate that would make this look like a sound business decision for anyone, to order a sea container full of WW lathe knockoff's.

Quality made goods still cost about the same, when made in China. If you have to choose between Swiss and Chinese, for similar prices, would you buy Chinese?

The Chinese make what is ordered, for the most part, they are not so much into building a product, just because it "might" sell.

Re: the comment on how long the Chinese have been making clocks. Likely is that they were using gear as seemingly crude as the turns that were the mainstay of the watch and clock industry for centuries. It takes little in the way of precision to make a between centers setup that will still produce quite adequate results.

Cheers Trevor Jones