WORKING -- BRUCE BLACKMAN

HE IS:

Keeping track of time

A BOYHOOD INCLINATION

The number “57” must be Bruce Blackman’s favorite number. Not only has

he been working for that amount of time, he opened his own jewelry shop

in 1957.

The 70-year-old owner of Blackman Ltd. Jewelers in Newport Beach seems

to have as many titles as the queen of England dispenses to her court.

Blackman is a master watchmaker, diamond setter, gemologist and hand

engraver -- just to mention a few.

His career began when he was 13 at a shop in Altadena owned by a Swiss

craftsman. The owner noticed Blackman was good with his hands and offered

him an apprenticeship.

“It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this so long,” Blackman said.

“Even with my higher education in this same field, I’m still learning my

profession today.”

RUNNING HIS OWN SHOW

After receiving a master watchmaker’s certificate from Bradley

University and a degree in business administration from USC, Blackman

opened his store across from the Cannery in 1957.

Two years later, he moved his store to Lido Village on Via Oporto,

known for its quaint shops and brick walkways. Blackman went there

because he thought there was something missing.

Fashioned after jewelry stores of the past, Blackman wanted to put a

clock in front of his store. He got his wish from the city and erected a

16-foot working clock built on the East Coast and rescued from a trash

pile. Still standing today, the clock, which has dual faces, has become a

village landmark.

“It’s been shot by magazines and one guy even took it apart and sized

the movements of the clock,” he said. “The clocks in front of shops were

just the way things were in the old days. I wanted to have that here

too.”

A SLIGHT EUROPEAN FLAVOR

Blackman’s store has a friendly ambience and a European flavor to it.

Mainly decorated with fancy jewelry and antiques, there are clocks on the

walls that have been collected from around the world. There are nautical

clocks covered in brass. Another is a lobster with the face of the clock

on its back. Yet another is a Meisei, a foreign brand that has the

numbers four and eight knocked out.

Six employees, all who have mastered the art of jewelry and watch

repair, sit in the back of the shop and shave and sculpt people’s

precious valuables.

Blackman does have magnifying glasses but his eyes are still sharp. He

tools with a watch with the precision of a surgeon. He nimbly fiddles

with the hands and places the winding crown on the watch that is small as

a pin head.

“You need good eye sight, dexterity and intelligence,” he said. “My

eyes haven’t failed yet, and my mind still works.”

NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE

Blackman doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. He works five days a

week but he’s not always needed at the shop. In his free time, he

travels, golfs and sails. The lure of making his customers happy is

enough for him to continue working.

“I have board meetings in the shower every day and no one has fired me

yet,” he said jokingly. “I have plenty of time to play. Besides, there is

really no aspect of my job that isn’t fun. Not everyone can say that.”

-- Greg Risling