|
Igor Bodin grew up in Odessa, Ukraine, a bustling, cosmopolitan
port on the back sea. His grandfather, Michele, was a watchmaker
and when Bodin was 10 years old he began to spend time in his
Grandfather's shop. When the watchmaker noticed young Igor was
interested in what he was doing, he gave the boy some clocks to
work on.
When Igor was fifteen, he enrolled in a school which taught
jewelry and watch making. He then attended the Russian Air Force
Academy and was assigned to an elite fighter squadron based in the
Bokonur region. Trained as what Bodin calls, "a flying commando",
he ended up flying the MIG 21 fighter planes during the border wars
with China during the 1960's.
After being discharged, Bodin worked in a jewelry factory where
he learned the art of hand engraving. In 1972 he married his
high-school sweetheart, Galina, and their son, Arthur, was born in
1973. Igor Bodin's next job was in a retail store where he restored
watches and did hand engraving. In the mid-1970's, Igor and his
family left the USSR. After several years in Europe, they received
their visas and emigrated to the United States.
In 1980, Bodin opened a service department in Hyde Park
Jewelers, a company that was known to carry a wide selection of the
world's finest timepieces. During the years that followed, Igor
traveled frequently to study at the finest timepiece institutions
in the world including Rolex, Ebel, Cartier, Tag Heuer, Baume Mercier and Breitling. In 2007, Igor spent a
month in Geneva, Switzerland, training at the renowned Patek
Philippe. Igor Bodin is recognized in the industry as being one of
the finest independent watchmakers in the United States. Several
articles about Igor have been written in Chronos, a magazine that
specializes in the finest and most luxurious goods and
services.
In 2000, after graduating from the University of Colorado School
of Business, Arthur Bodin joined his father in the shop. As a way
to address the rapid growth the facility had experienced over the
years, Arthur's primary objective was to develop a materials
inventory system and database. However, under the tutorage of his
father, Arthur also chose to pursue the family tradition and become
a watchmaker. Arthur took a similar path as his father and
travelled to study watch making with the finest manufacturers.
Arthur is a certified watchmaker for such brands as Breitling,
Cartier, Panerai, Omega and Rolex. Today, Arthur's time is mostly
spent at the bench, although he also very much enjoys speaking to
customers about their timepieces.
Over the last 30 years, the once tiny shop has grown into a
facility recognized, in the industry, as one of the finest
independent timepiece restoration centers in the United States. Hyde Park Watch Services is an official
authorized service center for Baume & Mercier, Breitling,
Cartier, Ebel, Omega, Panerai, Tag Heuer and Rolex. Additionally,
the facility is authorized by the manufacturer to perform service
on brands such as Patek Philippe, Movado, Concord,
Jaeger
Lecoultre, Corum, Piaget, as well as many others. The
shop services approximately 6,000 timepieces annually.
Since 2006, Igor and Arthur contribute to a monthly technical
column for Watch and Jewelry Review magazine. Additionally, Igor
and Arthur Bodin have been developing a "BODIN" timepiece. Each
hand-made timepiece will be unique and created from the finest
materials. They hope to further establish the Bodin name in the art
and science of watch making.
|
|