Rafael Delgado, Jewelry/Watch/Clock Repair Coach
Cafes: Rhinebeck, Montgomery--Fishkill???
Our repair coaches represent an incredibly talented group of craftspeople. And while some of our skilled fixers are actually hobbyists in their chosen arenas, others are accomplished professionals in the fields they fix in. Rafael Delgado is an excellent example of this latter kind of repair coach. For over 35 years, Rafael has been a highly respected manufacturer of high-quality watches and fine jewelry. He has worked for such prestigious houses as Hermes, Bergdorf Goodman, Bulgari, Kai Yin Lo, Saks Fifth Avenue and Angela Cummings. He also served as the Chanel Repair Center for over 30 years. As a result, he is an expert in all kinds of Chanel products as well as highly skilled at pearl and bead stringing (see above for a photo of him teaching another jewelry repair coach some tricks for faster pearl knotting at the recent Montgomery Repair Café).
Rafael also owns Watchpital Studios in the Village of Fishkill. His shop sells fine jewelry and 'Kit-Kat' clocks along with his very own watch line. Why is it called ‘Watchpital?’ Because Rafael also considers his shop a “watch hospital!” If you’re in Dutchess or adjoining counties Watchpital is a great place for you to bring your complex jewelry, watch or clock repairs that can’t be fixed within the time and confines of a café. We often get asked whether repair coaches can hand out business cards when they’re volunteering to fix at our repair cafes and our answer is a resounding yes! We love the natural synergy that springs up between repair shops and our cafes and we very much want to encourage repair over replace in every modality. We are passionate about growing the circular economy and that definitely includes supporting existing repair shops in our communities.
And speaking of passionate, one of the things Rafael REALLY wants to see is a repair café in Fishkill, but he could use some volunteers to help get it up and running. So if you are interested in helping start a Fishkill café, have a more complex jewelry, watch or clock repair question or if you want to see where Rafael may be next, feel free to email him at watchpital@msn.com. You can also catch him singing and playing acoustic guitar at Bert’s Hideaway on Wednesdays and once a month at Athena Greek Taverna, both in Fishkill.
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