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# What is the First Hand workshop?

First Hand is Hampden Watch's full-day, hands-on watchmaking experience, hosted at our Chicago headquarters. The day starts at 9:00 AM and usually finishes around 4:00 PM. Guided by third-generation CEO Joseph Wein, each participant assembles their own mechanical watch around a Swiss movement, learning the fundamentals of traditional movement design and fine assembly.


## What you'll do

- Set the dial and hands

- Regulate timing

- Case and test your engraved movement

- Celebrate your first tick with a toast

- Take home your finished Hampden mechanical watch

## What's included

Every First Hand session includes:

- Hands-on instruction in Hampden's Chicago workshop

- Your own 6498 Swiss movement

- Two dial options, chosen at the class

- A dual-strap set: premium leather plus a steel bracelet

- Personal engraving of your initials and assembly date

- Chef-catered lunch, beverages, and all tools

- A certificate of completion and a custom travel case

## Your engraved movement

Your movement is engraved with your initials and assembly date, visible through the sapphire exhibition caseback. It's a personal signature of craftsmanship and memory.

Every detail, from the handcrafted tools to the engraved caseback, is meant to show guests how a Hampden watch is put together. Four generations of the Wein family have made watches in Chicago since 1922, and the session is built around the same fundamentals: hands-on assembly, the story behind the parts, and a watch you finish yourself.

Learn more and reserve your seat: [First Hand: A Watchmaking Workshop by Hampden](https://hampdenwatch.com/products/first-hand-a-watchmaking-workshop-by-hampden)