Zzyzx Atelier
Zzyzx Atelier is the passion project of Daniel Neal, a Sacramento-based artist and horologist. Atelier is defined as an artist's or designer's studio or workroom. Zzyzx was a name created in 1944 by Curtis Howe Springer to market his utopian health center located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The now-defunct Zzyzx health center is now owned by the State of California and operated as the Desert Studies Center. It has served as the home base for a generation of biologists, ecologists, geologists, and archaeologists to perform fieldwork in the Mojave Desert.
Mr. Neal first visited Zzyzx in 2010 to study the bats and insects of the Mojave Desert. By naming his atelier after Zzyzx, Mr. Neal honors the many amazing nights he has spent at the Desert Studies Center with friends and colleagues. Working late into the night, folks collaborated, shared solutions, and supported each other. In the same spirit of collaboration and open-source information, Mr. Neal has worked with others to overcome some of the technical challenges involved in producing custom watch parts using a combination of traditional skills and modern innovations. The Zzyzx Atelier is intended as a way to showcase some of the custom watch parts Mr. Neal has designed and manufactured, as well as to share information about his processes and techniques so that others can find similar success in their projects.
Acknowledgements:
Craig B.
Marty B.
Josh P.
Renee N.
Sue N.
Chris R.
Dave W.