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Despite my inadvertent attempts at self-sabotage, I managed to complete this project. Count me in for one of those signs!

I've been struggling with focus and maybe I have something here, a progression.

Here is my latest. A Tissot Seastar with a 2571 (US 2591 actually) automatic with day-date complications. Actually came in pieces (as pictured below) and I managed to complete a reassemble and source several parts needed. I will write up the restoration on another thread soon enough. Still need a thorough clean and lube service. The 37mm case is pretty large on my small wrist. 42mm lug to lug. With this movement and the dial-hands types I think this is a late 70s model. Really like the bezel...maybe a little Rolex-ish style wise? then after pix...

A lump hammer ?

Sine I started to use the stereo microscope rather than loupes and with a truck load of practice, I’m launching and breaking stuff far less frequently. I watched an excellent uTube vid on the use of the Bergeon auto oiler and decided ( correctly as it turned out) to get one. It’s certainly made this part of oiling far more measured, accurate and consistent for me. And, Yes, it was you! So thank you again!!

Surely the best quality Chinese tools are the ones branded Bergeon. Hat coat door

A dog might be OK but I suggest you lock cats out...

Wow, Karl, right on! I love the part about having some dude steal it lol. Then there is if you forget to charge your phone, if you drop it in a toilet, whatever. The urban folk legend saying that everything digital will be wiped out in the event of nuclear war or strong magnetic currents has been debunked I think. But sometimes I still to imagine a scenario like that. Then, I would have a large chunk of the timepieces in my area, to barter with and to underwrite radical moments with, synchronize critical actions; to plan the future. Doesn't that sound scary good? If I ever finish my courses here, I would be doubly valuable, could repair them too.

To those who answer with "I'll always have my phone with me", I have been known to produce some responses - "You'll always have A phone, but they go obsolete after a time, so don't get too attached." Also - "Not if you leave it on the bus, or some dude steals it while you're buying your smokes." And there's less to worry about when a thing is strapped to your wrist or chained to a garment. And then there's the bother of having to swipe and use my fingerprint to unlock the phone - just to check the time? I could just glance at my wrist. But a watch, while seeming less than a smart phone in some ways, is more than that in others. Let's be real: it's jewelry too. Functional. And mechanical ones don't cease functioning like smart devices do when updates to their operating systems are no longer supported. How many high-end watches have outlived their original owners? By many decades? A smart watch will never be a worthy heirloom, if it ever does become one. For those who inherit them, many analog watches become vessels for the memories of their owners. In marking the time, these watches become a part of our time here. They span our time, and help tell the story of that time to those who come after. Smart devices don't stir our emotions and touch our hearts the way fine watches do. And it is possible they may never be able to do so. And so the owners of fine old watches should have someone to turn to, if they need repair. So I will do whatever I can to inspire others in this. There are too too few of us, my friends.

Hi all, I took delivery of some new screwdrivers a few weeks ago, and although these are a Chinese brand (Kwong Yuen) I would highly rate them, may even prefer them to my Burgeon set. Nothing in this for me, just hope that someone who is looking can take advantage of this experience. Link here. As a side note I also have some auto oilers of the same brand and they also work well.

I bought the 16mp camera for my AmScope trinocular microscope, and I have to say, it's fantastic. While it is a luxury, I do post a lot of photos, and holding a loupe to my phone is less than ideal, and the ability to get close up video will be fun for the Accutron repairs I've been doing. Additionally, I bought the calibration slide to go with it, and the software lets me measure things to within a fraction of a mm. For example, trying to find the diameter and width of a flat case gasket when I don't have the original. It's just super cool and thought I'd share.

! Psychic!!! I have a whole conduit system on my "real" drawings, it flows watch cleaner in one pipe, vodka in Siamese twin pipe. The olives flow w/ the booze, no issues yet. Clever engineering on my part allows for the same agitator to shake watches and martinis, at the same time! Also, in these crude sketches I don't show the fireworks, the live bands or the motorized love seats.

Stick to one caliber of AS or ETA, buy the time you have collected five or ten used ones in need of repair, you have , 1- Spare parts, which saves you shipping costs plus the price of new spare. 2-You have several of the same parts A- To compare and notice one which might be partially damaged/ worn/ any fault. B-You can replace a part which you suspect with another one, " process of elimination" C-You might could make a good part out of two or several partially damaged ones. Choose the best case/ dial and hands to make you a good watch and have plenty good used spares. Examples; A balance complete with ruined hairspring and broken pivots, still have a good roller/table/jewel, perhaps a good balance rim. All parts had to be made, fitted , regulated to make watch, you have the ready made inventory of all parts, cheap. Tell us about your parts inventory and ask questions before you attack a movement. Thats how I did, so I hardly wait for a part to arrive, didn't pay shipping fees for each single spare. Some spare parts might no longer be available, no problem if you got ten used donor movement in inventory. Rgds

I need to take my foot of the accelerator here as I'm starting to get confused. This is where I'm at at the moment. 1. I've ordered a digital microscope Andonstar AD210 which should be with me next week 2. I've got a basket of goodies sitting to checkout with Cousins which includes all the important tools I need without going over the top in case I don't end up enjoying the hobby. What I lack is:- Skills, movement(s) to practice on and a decent bean to coffee machine!

it's not just your 1000 machine that has this feature it is almost every other timing machine in the existence. As far as I know all of the witschi's use one color for the graphical display. or basically wildcard displays are now relatively common even for a witschi the graphical display is still black for both lines. then personally I do think it's a good idea to be visually in beat before you're even on a timing machine. Especially with a movable stud because it's so easy to go past and hopelessly become lost as to where you are. then if you throw in people's rapid movements of going back and forth things get even more fun. At that point you definitely have to stop and visually go into beat as you'll never find it. that's an attitude at work we would never be able to tolerate. On a regular basis my boss gets obsessed with and on a regular basis we go too far. Yes the golden rule of don't please the timing machine is typically not listen to and yes you can really dig a deep hole if you're not careful and waste a heck of a lot of time trying to fix things when there were just fine the way they are even if they or not perfect there just fine.

The github link works although he is doing a refresh right now...will need another day to complete. I have the database in an excel spreadsheet. I think I can convert it to html and host it on my domain. But, if the github works, this would be a redundant effort.

There's power getting to the pallet, so either a ballance issue or you haven't got the impulse jewel on the correct side of the pallet. When the balance is reinstalled it should be able to move in both directions, if not the impulse jewel is on the wrong side of the pallet. Reinstall the balance and check it can move in both directions, blow it with a puffer.

Hi a little bit of history on the watch and also some pictures. From what you describe it may be a bit of floating debris. Bent tooth cracked tooth binding mainspring in the barrel, the list could go on , best approach is to dismantle again and inspect each bit as you put it together, did you remove/replace mainspring, ? Best guess mainspring binding as it only occurs when you wind it up again check it out, if you re placed/refitted mainspring did you use a winder or your hands.

LOL. Reminded me of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch ''First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.'

In other words: it is able to count to two - not more. It cannot tell which is left or right swing, in or out pallet jewel.

It is said that if you take a movement apart and put it back together often enough you end up with enough parts for two movements.

Meanwhile I doubt there is any mainspring barrel inside the movement. Could be a weight driven movement from a longcase…

Unfortunately the Weishi 1000 does not have this, both lines are the same colour. Once you get about 5-6ms out, they can wrap round and look like you are in beat. That's why I always do a visual check when assembling to make sure it's not too far out.

This is typical of a Timex movement... Where would you start? PS Again, not trashing Timex, just illustrating my previous point.

It kinda, sorta, looks, almost like what it pretends to be, but I've seen better reproductions. For example. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145216604291?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=7101533165274578&mkcid=2&itemid=145216604291&targetid=4585169652812023&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=412354547&mkgroupid=1305120599331881&rlsatarget=pla-4585169652812023&abcId=9300541&merchantid=87779&msclkid=b06d41843dcc192b07e4256cb967727e Now I have to be really clear here, am I in line to win a packing peanut or the seed of a subtropical legume? Its important, because I'm allergic to packing peanuts, they bring me out in a cold sweat every time I end up accidentally spilling them all over the floor.

I agree with all the advice above. I never buy movements with less than 15 jewels. I never buy a watch unless I can see good pics of the movement.

Just to echo much of the good advice above, and something I would do if I had my time over, I would go with working movements/watches as you are starting from a known reference point. You may pay a little more, but at least you will know if the watch you worked on is not working it is because you messed up and you are not left wondering if it was ever possible to get it working. Also, your chances of getting a winner are greatly improved and will reduce the risk of you throwing in the towel on you new hobby before you get started. A lot depends on if you want to wear the watch at the end of the day. Obviously this is the ultimate goal, but starting out you may be happy with ugly cases and dials etc and focus on learning to service/repair the movements. However, as @Galilea mentions, much of the watch is metal including the case and can be repaired or restored.... with one big exception, which is the dial. With very few exceptions every dial I have attempted to 'fix' or clean up has ended up worse than when I started. Therefore, if you are looking for a watch to wear, then you need to make the quality of the dial a big consideration. This can be easier said than done as a badly beaten up crystal can hide a mint dial, but it can equally hide an ugly dial. I ended up getting a job lot of 10 Citizen watches, which turned out to be Mumbai Specials. Now people are going to throw rocks at me for what comes next..... I was disappointed at first, mostly at myself for being suckered in. However, these were great for learning on, all 10 worked and were cheap enough that if I junked one it wasn't the end of the world. Although they were mixed up movements cobbled together from different watches all of the individual parts were genuine (except the dials and probably the hands) and I now dip into those watches from time to time to steal parts for my 'real' watches, so they worked out to be a good deal after all. Final point, pay attention to shipping costs, I've been caught out a few times. To illustrate my point, there is one seller now advertising watches for €0.99 but postage is €66.00. PS Avoid Timex when you are starting out! There are lots out there for good prices however!!!!! the movements are not made for easy servicing (riveted parts instead of screws, and most have all in one bridges etc.) and, therefore, very difficult for a learner to start out on. I don't mean to rubbish the brand and some people love them, but these are experienced watch people who have already amassed the experience needed to take on a Timex. I am sure if you asked them they would admit (through gritted teeth probably) that a standard movement is better for someone to learn/practice on than a Timex movement.

I also tend to avoid the lower jewel count watches. Many of these, including 7 jewel Oris, are pin pallet movements. They can be frustrating when trying to re-assemble or suffer from bad wear on non jewelled bridges. On the plus side they tend to go cheap, although not in all cases. Again, a pic of the movement will show you what you're getting.

BTW, thank you everyone for all your comments and help. Muchly appreciated!!!

You are a hopeless romantic, Karl. Unfortunately the younger generation doesn't see things our way. My nephew doesn't even own a watch. He says "Why would I want a tan line on my wrist?" I went to his new home recently and there isn't a single clock in his house. Things come and go but there will always be small enclaves of resistance. Take for instance the audio industry. When digital audio came along, there were heated dabates on digital vs analog. But nowadays, even the audiophiles have accepted digital audio. My nephew, the one who doesn't own a watch, is a sound engineer. But he doesn't own a CD player, turntable or even a radio. He gets everything online from Spotify and itunes. What about photography? Sure, there are diehard film photography fans but we can't deny the convenience of digital photos. How would this forum even exist without digital photos? Coming back to horology, most watch enthusiasts are ...ahem... seniors. If you take a poll of the members on this forum, I'm sure most of us are retirees or semi-retired. Most watchmakers I've seen are in the sixties, seventies and even eighties. I'm not sure of what the situation would be like in 20yrs time. Horology might become so exotic that only high-end, specialty shops exist. I attended a local watch fair here in Singapore last year, featuring local watch microbrands. It was supposed to bring together collectors, manufacturers, designers and watchmakers for networking. Sounds good, right? But I was sorely disappointed. Real watchmakers numbered about 10. The rest were pawnbrokers, modders, arty farty types who think that putting bling on a watch qualifies them as watchmakers. Is there hope for watchmaking? I'm not sure. I dropped by my mentor's one day introduction to watchmaking courses a couple of times and was surprised to see young people there. One group was from a tech company that organized it as a bonding activity for their engineers. I also know a watchmaker who organizes father/son bonding activities by building a diy clock kit together. Who knows? Young people are mostly money driven. If horology pays as well as investment banking, then there is definitely a future.

Check out the 404 club thread. Can't guarantee that a given watch is recoverable, but for the price of a cup of fancy coffee (plus shipping usually), it's hard to go wrong. If you're a bit picky, you can improve your odds. I tend to limit myself to watches with fully stainless steel cases and fully jeweled movements that don't look like they're full of rust.

Thanks for the heads up @Waggy

I'd buy it, but only because I was curious. It looks rather like somebody found a hand-crafted movement that they really liked - and they wanted to cram it into the first decent (and slightly more modern) case they came across, to both protect it and put it to use. And then discovered that the doggone pendulum hangs so low that it'll just sit on the bottom and not move. So they got out some wood gouges and carved a little trough for the pendulum to swing in. Then they got worried they'd forget how to work the clock so they pasted some hand-written instructions inside. But other than that, it looks okay Addendum: that movement looks really old, even on closer inspection of the pictures, but with limited clock knowledge I couldn't say how old. I still think the case is a bit newer, and very likely not originally made for this movement. It seems like an unhappy marriage. Poor thing.

In the beginning you don't have to be so careful, unless you are looking for specifics. There are a good many Seiko 5's and Russian Raketa, Poljot or Vostok fixer uppers to be had for less than a few cups of Starbucks coffee. The first few are for practice and I wouldn't expect a vintage restoration project. You'll be learning the basics like how much force is applied to snap off a screw head, where the most delicate parts of the movement are most vulnerable to a slipping screwdriver, how hard you have to squeeze to ping the smallest screw into the the heater vent and how long you are willing crawl on your hands and knees with a flashlight and magnet looking for parts. I've found limiting by brand or features and then sorting by the "ending soonest" will find a few gems among the garbage, but it's not an everyday thing either.

by the way is this an actual 6497 Swiss or a Chinese clone? New versus old etc. because yes it does make a minor difference. I will assume it's something newer the reason versus new versus old the newer ones the stud is mounted on something that can be moved and all you have to do is move it a little bit in one direction or the other to see if the lines get closer together. Then in moving it you'll probably move the regulator and then you'll have to touch up the regulator here is an image it talks about all of this

I guess you need to see the finished product.

Hopefully people will chip in, but the Seagull TY3600 is a clone of the Swiss 6497 movement, which is a pocket watch movement. It's larger that a wristwatch movement so easier to work on and is well priced at £37.50 plus VAT. Here's the link to the Cousins site and it's the 3rd from bottom. https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/3-hands-seagull

Print up enough of those signs for us, and you could make a tidy sum from it. Times come when we all need it.

Doc, you're just a poser mate

I can't think of a reason for oil to be on parts of pallet that don't come in contact with the escape teeth, so I let the escape teeth distribute oil where it does come in contact with the pallets. I just oil escape teeth a liitle and keep adding oil in small bits as I keep an eye on the amplitude, its the amplitude that tells me when to stop. Enough oil , man , it says. And when there is no extra oil, it can't migrate or aggregate where its not welcommed. Equal distribution of lubricants by the escapement itself , may take hour of running the movement. Some folks oil in reverse order, that is they oil the pallets and in small bits and let the pallets lubricat the escape teeth, then remove the fork, rinse it/ reinstall, its then the escape teeth that lubrictes the pallets. If you apply oil in small bits, you are unlikely to grosselly overlube.

let's see you left off the one that I saw the other day. We have a college teaching Rolex sponsored watch repair and their current method is to spin the escape wheel and with a big drop of oil bring it close to the spinning ACA will and yes it's a shame that you can't hear the concern in the tone of my voice of how stupid that method is. the concern I would have is as you're bringing your oiler with the oil if you happen to touch your oiler to this mini escape wheel will that be an issue? when I was in school method they were using was placing a drop on the exit stone of the fork on the impulse plane. Moving in the fork back and forth until five teeth go by. Then another drop another five teeth and one more drop. now it becomes interesting is if the oil does not go all the way around to the entry stone or even if it somehow doesn't transfer quite right you will see it on the timing machine as an escapement issue. Or of course if you don't lubricate at all as sometimes people show their timing machine and I'll ask what to do use and the last time a course somebody had not lubricated all. It's really amazing what lubrication does to the amplitude if you would just lubricate your escapement. then we have Omega in the attached PDF. When you look at their thoughts on escapement lubrication they're going extremely minimalistic. I believe once again the word about loss of amplitude. But there are also recommending and knowing people worked in Swatch group they do this replacing the escape wheel or the pallet fork or both if they're having any issue at all. But what they really want to see is your escape wheel having Lubrifar on it. Which I find amusing because typically watchmakers wash it off because they see the black substance on the escape wheel and they wash it off. Now for this discussion it would really be nice if we had some Lubrifar which we don't. yes at one time you get a kit to apply that to your own escape wheels and it probably cost more then well I bet she was expensive. That's because this is a substance of molybdenum disulfide mixed with oil which I believe is 9010. Seeing as how everyone on the group or almost everyone likes the wine about the high cost oil I can't imagine a spray can with that being the oil and the other dry high pressure lubricant costing well I suspect it must been extremely expensive. What I don't quite understand is if the Molly high-pressure lubricated is good why don't they mix just a little bit of it into the 9415 and that seems like it might be very very good. 8645_WI_40_rules for lubrication cousins.pdf

interesting? interesting as I haven't noticed that and I typically work on pocket watches that are low-frequency 18,000 and all he uses 9415. Then if you get really obsessed with it if you use too much of the grease you are supposed to lose amplitude but in my mind it depends upon the particular escapement. So basically where the escape wheel has impact it becomes super slippery that's good but if the sides of escape wheel and the pallet stone art to think the sides will be sticky and will hold things in place. This is why if you look at Omega's recommendation is super minimalistic because are concerned about that. Then as a reminder in this discussion you're dealing with a watch it is running at 36,000 BPH which is twice as fast as the normal watch and I've seen in other discussion groups where there always was a concern about lubricating the escapement because you're running twice as fast. so perhaps it's just telling us that if you're going to use 941 which is not recommended for higher frequency escapement's different time to time you should put some fresh oil in there just to keep it lubricated because you wouldn't want your escapement to wear out.

Update... so I tried using my staking set, but I didn't have a taper mouth closing bit that was just slightly smaller than the hour hand (I only have one of those anyhow in my set), but I think I was able to get it a little smaller by lightly using an older jewelers screwdriver that was junk and just lightly peening (or whatever you want to call it) a few spots on the top ridge of the hour hand where it goes over the hour wheel. This didn't make it overly tight, but possibly just enough. With magnification, it didn't look like anything really changed on the hour hand, but it does seem a little tighter now. I did this last night and the watch has been running all night and the hour and minute seem to stay lined up where they should. I'm sure there is a better method to doing this, and it might be a good idea for me to get a full set of those taper mouth closing bits so I have the right tool next time. Unfortunately, I bought mine at a garage sale for a steal a number of years ago and it has a mix/match of punches with it. I'm not sure if you can even buy just those punches separately, but I will take a look.