Can I book a private workshop?

Yes. Hampden runs private First Hand watchmaking workshops for groups of six, the same size as a standard session, at our Chicago headquarters. They suit families, groups of collectors, and companies who want to spend a day of watchmaking together rather than share a bench with strangers.

Booking the session privately reserves all six seats for your group. Everything else runs as it does on a public date: each guest builds and personalizes their own Swiss mechanical watch, with one instructor for every two guests and Hampden CEO Joseph Wein guiding the day.

Private and corporate sessions are arranged by request and subject to availability, since they take a full day at the bench and dates fill through the year.

How to inquire

Email hello@hampdenwatch.com with your preferred dates and the number of people in your group. We reply within one to two business days with the dates we can hold and what the next step looks like.

For what a session covers, see what is the First Hand workshop. For location, schedule, and travel details, see how do I plan my visit to the workshop. Deposit and rescheduling terms are the same as for a public session and are set out in the workshop deposit and reschedule policy.

Updated on: 21/08/2026