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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIn a June 2020 interview, Los Angeles watchmaker Josh Shapiro described a gradual move from hobbyist watchmaking to dial production and plans for a more integrated workshop. His account offers a snapshot of how he approached that goal: develop distinctive engine-turned dials, use a sourced movement for the Infinity Series, and work toward making more movement components himself. The interview records his plans and perspective at that time, not the workshop’s current production status.
How did Josh Shapiro become a watchmaker?
Shapiro told Erik Slaven that he grew up around his father’s and grandfather’s machine shop and was drawn to metalworking and machinery. He later worked as a teacher and school administrator. A poster for the Chronoswiss Opus caught his attention in a Los Angeles watch shop, prompting him to explore watchmaking and skeletonizing as a hobby.
He began by working on ETA 6498 movements and studied through the British Horological Institute’s distance-learning program. He completed much of the curriculum but, by his account, did not travel to Britain to take its exam. He had also read George Daniels’ Watchmaking. Over time, Shapiro found himself more interested in production, machining and dial-making than in building a career centered on watch servicing.
In the interview, he recalled spending roughly three years refining his dial-making skills before releasing professional work. He first made dials for other watchmakers and produced one-off custom watches, then developed the Infinity Series under his own name. Those are Shapiro’s recollections from 2020, not a current production timeline.
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What makes the Infinity dial distinctive?
Shapiro drew on traditional engine-turned patterns such as basket weave and barleycorn. He described his Infinity weave as nested basket weave: a smaller basket pattern is cut inside a larger one. The cuts, he said, were comparable in scale to a human hair. From normal viewing distance, the dial reads as a coherent pattern; magnification or macro photography reveals finer layers of detail.
In that conversation, Shapiro said his usual dials were silver, treated with a frosting technique to create a matte white finish. He also discussed experiments with rose gold, flame-blued steel and meteorite. The interview reported a limited run made with Collective Horology; it does not establish current availability or the details of any later editions.
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- [Waterproof] Water resistant to 30m (98FT) -suitable for daily water resistance, withstands splashes and light rain. Not for swimming, showering or diving
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What did “integrated manufacture” mean in Shapiro’s 2020 plans?
Vertical integration describes how much of a product’s work a maker performs within its own operation rather than sourcing from outside suppliers. It is not an all-or-nothing label: a watchmaker can make a dial or many movement parts in-house while relying on an external specialist for the movement or other components.
In 2020, Shapiro said the Infinity Series used a UWD movement produced by Lang & Heyne employees. He also said his workshop was developing a time-only movement, making a substantial portion of its components and using some vintage American movement parts for the remainder. He mentioned work on a tourbillon moon-phase project as well.
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These statements describe plans and arrangements as Shapiro presented them in the interview. The interview does not establish whether those projects were completed, which movements the company uses now, or its current sourcing and production arrangements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did Shapiro view American watchmaking?
Shapiro offered his own explanation of the decline of American watchmaking, pointing to tariffs, wartime movement of labor into other industries and the quartz crisis. Those comments are his interpretation in an interview, not an independent historical account establishing the relative causes.
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He expressed hope for a broader American industry with room for both higher-volume production and high-end independent makers. As he put it in Erik Slaven’s 2020 MONOCHROME interview: “What I hope is that American Watchmaking in twenty years will become what Germany and Japan are now.” That is an aspiration he voiced then, not a forecast or a description of the industry today.
Why the distinction between craft and integration matters
Shapiro’s story illustrates that a watch can combine several different kinds of work: distinctive dial-making, machining and assembly in a small workshop, and movement components or complete movements sourced from specialist makers. To understand a claim of integration, look for specifics about which parts are made in-house, which are sourced and what role those outside components play. In Shapiro’s 2020 account, the Infinity dial craft and the proposed movement work were separate parts of the picture.
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