20th Anniversary of Atelier Orologiaio

<div class="contentBox-content"> We’ve been watchmakers since we were kids!! </div> This motto, coined by my children, fills me with pride and makes me feel like a lucky father. When the time came for them to decide their paths in life, both Giulio and Stefano chose to continue the journey started by their grandfather Giulio Cesare and strengthened by me, their father (and now grandfather), Armando. Three generations, then, connected by the red thread of a shared passion—a family story, the Piana family, watchmakers in Milan. The story I want to tell begins with Giulio Cesare, born in Turin in 1912. Following his father, a military man, he found himself in Naples at a very young age, where he met Teresa, the woman of his life. Long before marrying her (at the age of 20), he had taught himself to repair clocks and pendulums for friends and relatives. His success encouraged him to turn this passion into his life's work. His wife Teresa, an energetic and enterprising woman, played a key role in the family business. (I remember her as a demanding yet affectionate mother who helped me organize my days between study, play, and work.) In the late 1930s, drawn by the lure of the North, we left Naples and moved to Milan. The beginning was anything but easy for my father. Among the various watchmaking workshops he collaborated with during those first Milanese years, I fondly recall the one belonging to Tranquillo Galvani, located on Corso di Porta Romana. It was there that my young father learned so much at a very high level. (This was the same workshop later frequented by Adriano Celentano when he still aspired to be a watchmaker!) I was about 10 years old (I was born in Naples in 1933) when I began to take an interest in watches. I have vivid memories of that time. In the summer, in Cantalupo di Parabiago, the flies were relentless. Back then, we had to improvise everything. So, my father fashioned a fly swatter using a newspaper cut into strips and attached to a wooden stick. He entrusted me with the "important task" that would allow him to work in peace: standing behind him, I had to wave the stick to create a rustling sound that would keep the flies away. I waved and waved, fully immersed in my role. But at the same time, I was fascinated by what my father was doing. Watching him dismantle a broken and stopped clock, only to see it work again at the end of the process, seemed like a real miracle to my child's mind. As I waved the stick, I bombarded my father with questions, asking every "why" that crossed my curious mind during his various steps. I still remember the thrill I felt when the balance wheel was reassembled and the clock came back to life, ticking away time. Was that when the imprinting happened? <img style="width: 100%;" alt="Laboratory on Via Meravigli, Milan" dir="ltr" src="https://www.orologiaio.net/images/uploads/blog/Blog/Via_Meravigli.jpeg"> After the war, we returned to Milan. In 1950, my father started an important new collaboration and soon specialized in the manufacturing of watch dials' backplates. Given that nothing was lightly discarded back then, the field of refurbishing and renewing old dials was very fruitful, and Giulio Cesare Piana made a name for himself. For about fifteen years, he worked with the most renowned watchmaking workshops and suppliers across Italy, while continuing to repair watches for Milan’s best stores. <img style="width: 100%;" alt="" src="https://www.orologiaio.net/images/uploads/blog/Storia_del_negozio/Teresa_stampa_quadranti.jpeg"> The photo above shows the workshop on Via Meravigli in Milan. On the left, my mother Teresa is printing dials. I also lent a hand in my free time away from school. Since my passion for watches was never overshadowed by other interests, I eventually enrolled in the Galileo Galilei Watchmaking School in Milan, during the era of the legendary Professor Barzaghi. To reward my enthusiasm, my father fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams by gifting me a super-complete FIVM watchmaking lathe. With it, we could tackle countless projects, such as reconstructing parts of watches that had become nearly impossible to find. I still use and cherish that lathe to this day. <img style="width: 100%;" alt="" src="https://www.orologiaio.net/images/uploads/blog/Storia_del_negozio/Orologiaio_Corso_Magenta.jpg">Unfortunately, my father passed away prematurely at just 55 years old. For some years, as his health declined, he had stopped producing watch dials. Meanwhile, I had other ideas. In 1964, I opened a small repair shop in the heart of Corso Magenta (photo on the left), where I stayed for thirty years. Eventually, after earning a diploma in gemology, I transformed it into "The Little Jewelry Store on Corso." In 1965, I got married, and soon after, Giulio and Stefano were born. From an early age, they showed great curiosity for mechanisms and gadgets, always taking things apart to see "what was inside." I couldn't have wished for more. Day by day, and quite naturally, I nurtured their passion. Giulio, after attending ITIS, graduated from the CAPAC Watchmaking School in Milan. He formed such a strong bond of respect and trust with Professor De Toma that when the professor decided to close his workshop, he offered all his equipment to his talented student. With great pride, Giulio acquired it, enriching our already well-stocked workshop. <img style="width: 100%;" alt="" src="https://www.orologiaio.net/images/uploads/blog/Storia_del_negozio/Giulio_pendoleria.jpeg"> Giulio, with the experience gained from his beloved professor, developed a passion for pendulum clocks. Today, he is a highly sought-after restorer by antique dealers, museums, and high-level collectors. The photo above shows Giulio in our workshop, restoring a pendulum clock. <img style="width: 100%;" alt="" src="https://www.orologiaio.net/images/uploads/blog/Storia_del_negozio/D7C_0208.JPG">Starting from simple brass rods and plates, he has crafted several small pendulum clocks. The latest, a particularly important one, is displayed in our store for the admiration of true connoisseurs (photo on the left). Meanwhile, Stefano (with the same educational background) prefers to focus on wristwatches and pocket watches. He is also an expert in restoring dials, even those deemed irreparable by other professionals in the field. Examples of his meticulous work are featured on the website www.restauroquadranti.com. From a young age, my sons have been interested in all the details, secrets, and tricks of my trade. Now that they are grown and Masters of the Craft themselves, I feel close to them, united by our shared, fortunate passion. Armando Piana

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