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Hi All, I started this forum over 10 years ago and never intended for it to me a 'for profit' concern. Since then, I launched an online course and I draw funds from that business in order to fund this website. There is also a little bit of funding from Google ads but I don't rely on it because they keep changing the goalposts. The forum costs a few hundred pounds per month to run and Im comfortably managing it. Why a few hundred pounds? I am OCD about backups and not relying on a single company to host those backups, I use amazon S3 to backup hourly and daily, I also use Digital Ocean. I use a separate mail service to handle the serious amounts of emails sent from the site, I am on here most days admin'ing and updating the site or servers/applying security patches and the like - its not a big deal, I enjoy it. In short - you might not see me a lot posting (for my sanity as it's addictive (same on all my social media)) but I certainly do a lot behind the scenes. I can't control my mortality and so there's always that - but other than that, I'm damn committed to this site as I am committed to my commercial site watchfix.com which supports this site. I have no interest in shutting down, selling or otherwise changing this sites format. Having said that, if anyone wants to consider taking on moderation tasks to help (in particular, making sure people post in the correct place and moderating new members posts) that would be very helpful. (Only members who have been active for more than a year please). Finally, thanks very much for your support and kind words - I truly appreciate that. This forum has to be one of the friendliest I am part of - a massive refreshment after reading some of the Facebook groups I'm part of - except mine FB group - that's also great with great people

A big thank you Mark for clearing all this up. We all appreciate you and the work you put into the running of this forum. If I can be of anymore help to you and this forum just ask. I love it on here as well.

Hi Neverenoughwatches, Yep from what I have seen now I'd say you were probably right, the veneer really doesn't like damp. I got lucky with the new bubble - it split the veneer, so I injected some glue and clamped it overnight. See pic for results. Not perfect but I think this is as good as I am going to get it.

A better solution than having a list that will be compromised for spam would be to have a contact email. In other words an emergency email or even for that matter as separate website for emergency use as opposed to we all list out our names and emails and get spammed to death as there would be almost no way to protect that from bad people.

The K&D (Levin made the same style too, probably others as well) are a clever design and work well when you get used to them. The only issue is if you wind the spring so that the tongue goes in, there's a really good chance it slips futher and then comes out the next slot, usually breaking off. Best to size it so you can fit it in the barrel with the tongue sticking out.

Ha ha, once knew a Scotsman who dropped a penny, it hit him on the back of the head as he bent over to catch it.. Remember the value is only the upper limit - for you 'cost-conscious' cultures, you can still go as low as you want

My Arnex pocket watch dial is toast but has a very nice Peseux 7050 in it. I have the same thought to one day build a wristwatch with this movement!

No that has never been the intention John, why give up something that ticks all the boxes ? all its about is having a backup plan. The inactive site will just sit there as a back until needed, where members reside, a bit like a safe house. Start another group John thats is the whole idea behind it. we all know it can't be matched for valued members and content. I dont know about anyone else but i certainly wouldn't want to take something like this on even if i was capable. That doesn't alter the fact that it wont always be here, we've all stated and understood this right from the beginning of the thread. The facts are, we love the site as it is and dont want to leave , it wont be here one day, nobody knows what day that might be, we want to retain what is possible for when that day comes. I honestly cant make it any simpler than that. Anyway I'm pooped , I've had a shitty day and my bloody toilet is making a loud dripping noise inside it and thats gonna keep me awake all night,so in the words of Kalle Slapp " its hammer time " catch you laters peeps.

There is no real alternative to this wonderful site, John is 100% correct in his summation. Tom

The problem is there are no good Solutions. What we really need is a backup for Mark. In other words somebody willing to step up and take his job if for some unknown reason he is unable to continue. Not really an inactive site because if you have an inactive site then why don't we just have an active site instead of run by Mark run by a group? Yes this is the problem with this discussion do we want to take this away from Mark and start our own group? As I said there are no good Solutions and unfortunately with the Internet is everything goes away sooner or later including discussion groups they never last forever. The problem would be even if you collected everyone's email address what would you do if the group was gone? As far as websites go they're insanely cheap to make and set up and have especially if all its only purpose is a place to go in an emergency where it would have a emergency email address to reach out or updates could be posted in case of an emergency. Kind of like a civil emergency you're supposed to go someplace this would be our civil emergency website just in case the unthinkable happens. Otherwise somebody sets up an email address for emergencies you can contact us here. Oh I have a question at least for the people in the UK that are so incredibly concerned about reaching out and contacting each other why don't you just form a physical group that gets together from time to time?

I know Omega snap on backs are usually tight (I have several), but this is ridiculously so. I have never come across a watch with such a tight case back. It shouldn't take so much effort with the tool I am using to get the back off.

I think maybe we're all a bit dim @ManSkirtBrew 99% of the time I'm working with the 0.5X Barlow, so mags from 3.5X to 22.5X. When I need a close up of a pivot or jewel, I take the Barlow out, and even put in the 2X Barlow, but it's a nuisance. So like you, I had that D'oh moment, why don't I just use 20X eyepieces (WF20X/10). They take seconds to change, and you keep the working distance. The only downsides are lower field of view, and less brightness.

Would password protection on the spreadsheet do it ?

Anyway, new machines are designed to fail after 5 years.

Great idea - but can access to this thread or the list be restricted to member only somehow? Or move it to a new category linked from here, and make that category members only? At the moment the list - with all the real names & contact info - is totally unprotected and accessible to any spambot or other malicious webscapers, which is rather worrying. (Just tried it with a different browser & via proxy in the US - this thread and the list are fully public, at present).

I've been programming, building electronics for, repairing and retrofitting machine tools and industrial automation systems for over 40 years now. I could have retired, but I always have work queued up - and I still enjoy it; also building electronics, robots and animatronics (among other things) as hobbies. There is a vast range of work in machine tool / robotics / industrial automation field, and not all that many really good people, who fully understand the electronics and software side, rather than having been forced in to it from the mechanical side & struggling with anything to do with electronics or software. I can't help with the qualifications side - things have changed too much over the years, & I started my business before I left school. At the time I was getting criticised and even penalised by teachers for spending too much time on the school "computer" (a massive early programmable calculator, really) because computers & programming were a waste of time, according to them! One big problem I am aware of is that a lot of university courses have little to no correlation to real-world industrial machines and equipment - most of the equipment in the field that needs work is old! You have to be an enthusiast and study older system and techniques; it's no good knowing the state of the art electronics & software inside out when you are more likely to be working on a 50 year old machine than a brand new one. The oldest machine I routinely work on was made in 1911; many are from the 1950s - 80s. New machines tend to be under warranties or service contracts, so only the makers agents ever touch them - it's the older gear that gets sold on after it's showing its age and really needs actual engineers!

Excellent advice! Mainspring winders are generally a nightmare. In order to be absolutely sure that they work, they must be adapted for specific calibres. Sure, you can build up a collection of winders over time, but it's expensive and time-consuming and you still can't be sure that any of the ones you have in your collection will fit. When I was new, I considered buying Bergeon's large universal set because I thought it would cover all situations, but that's not the case. The risks of hand winding a mainspring are often exaggerated. With the right technique and training, the risks are not much greater than with a winder. Moreover, if the spring has a T-shaped bridle, you may not even get it into the barrel. Here is an excellent description by a professional how to hand wind: Yes, a well-established practice among professional repairers is to always replace the spring even when it is in good condition. Personally, I think it is an unnecessary cost because modern springs last a very long time. Some fatigue occurs over time but if you are unsure, you can always test the power reserve. It is also an unnecessary risk to replace a spring if it is still in good condition. If an original spring is not available, it is not certain that the alloy in a generic spring corresponds to the properties of the original spring. This seems to be particularly true for some Japanese movements, especially Seiko and Orient. For any Swiss movement, I'd say the risk is non-existent.

There is a tool to straighten this, but it will cost you 50x this wheel.

You have a very low chance of straightening this, it should be made of hardened steel, which is very brittle. Maybe you could ask for a refund from the place where you bought it? If you go ahead and try to straighten it and it breaks then nobody will refund you.

Lol i know Scott, I'm just bantering. It was Spectre6000 and AndyHull's brain child, so some of the originality should to be kept in place from their first posts. What you say Andy ?

Only 6 people have voted.... need more votes before we can update the 404 club price limits

Mark, thanks for the reassurance and clarification. I have set up a simple spreadsheet which people can add their information if they wish. Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X60bMOpA12nOhLt_bYMz8cusMrBlUHn9dWfY1GCt2x8/edit?usp=sharing 100% voluntary, share as much or little information as you want and respect he privacy of others.

I agree, game changer. I watched Alex's video as well. Another thing to consider is the adjustability of chair to bench and the head of the scope so that at max height is not above your eye level. I got the trinocular port for the camera but did not get a good enough camera and have not figured out how to run it though my laptop to make videos or just take stills through the scope, yet. Get a couple of elbow pads, these are inexpensive and have sticky back, but I don't have them stuck down and can move them around.

When you think about it (as a watch addict) and how much you spend on a typical watch, anything less than about $15 is dirt cheap these days. I mean, that might honestly just be the tax you pay on a watch. You can barely even get a used part off of ebay delivered for that much. In fact, $15 seems like about what a new crystal or a used setting lever would cost to have delivered. I think anything under that would essentially be a, "Holy cow, I got this watch for nothing!" scenario.

Absolutely WW , i know you speak for us all when you say this. So Mark, Old hippy, other moderators, the pros and the old timers, yes you especially WW. The ones that always help us out with advice, give up their time for us and never ask for anything in return. Cheers me dears.

I have to add my thanks to @Mark for all he does here and his other site. It was Marks YouTube channel which got me into the track of the possibilities of repairing my own watches and servicing them. If I can help out at all as a moderator I volunteer wholeheartedly. Tom

Walked by my local jeweler today and asked if I could dig around in his old watch case, and picked this guy up (along with a cool vintage compass and a Seiko kinetic5M62). My girlfriend's son asked if he could borrow one of my pocket watches for prom, so I thought if I can get this guy running it'd be a nice prom gift. Non-running. Felt like the balance was overbanked, but it turns out the train was jammed solid. Looks like it was just dried lubricant gluing the 3rd wheel in place, because it's clean as a whistle otherwise. Parts are in the ultrasonic right now.

Just come back form a 2 week holiday. Bride had a wonderful time. Day two. Full blown tooth ache which had been on/off for two flaming month. Ever tried to concentrate on making repairs when a tooth ache is attacking? Sorted today. Call me gummy! So glad to read Mark's posting, and to note the comments. The members who are active may be few, but we do have, and give access to a large community out there. Mark reigns. Some of the greatest names we see on the web give homage. Individuals and companies acknowledge Mark. So pleased to be part of the learning circle of WRT.

Looks great Michael, just the combination of a damp cloth and iron perplexed me . Steam will swell the veneer and soften any adhesive underneath. Its amazing what you can do with a little glue, filler and refinishing, good job matey

Hello and welcome to the forum attached a bit of reading for you TZIllustratedGlossary.pdf

Hi from your description it’s only when the bridge is tightened down. Which would lead one to think the bridge is warped in some way binding the arbour.

Hi Mike I had a tissot like that abugger to get off and on . Tighter than a crabs botty.

Thank you for your welcomes, and thank you for the glossary - very interesting and useful. I hope I may be able to contribute to discussions soon, but that is a load of information to trawl through to see what has been discussed previously...

Except for large pocket watches, this is all I use. I have made some custom arbors (easy to do on a lathe) for them in certain cases. Yup. It has happened to me. I just slow down when close to the end of the wind.

I've printed the 3D design from another post on this site and had good results with it.

At least some pictures will be needed. If the movement was in my hands, I would tell the reason. But it is You hands

I would not Mike, I have only done a few quartz battery changes on Omegas, yes they were tight and difficult to get on and off. However that is part of their quality so reducing that would not be good even if it makes it easier for you. just my tuppence Tom

Doesn’t really work for this, really it needs to be an invite only platform with good moderation. Full disclosure I spent a fair amount of my career as an IT/Network security consultant and am very touchy about what I may release on ‘tinterwebs. Tom

I can't tell whether or not some stem is stuck in the crown, I think so though. If the crown is stainless steel you could try alum to disolve the stem of try drilling it out. If all else fails, buy a new crown.

Totally Andy's brilliant idea. I just started the thread. For what my opinion is worth, the number should be quite low. That's the point of it. It's as much about the hunt as the act of servicing/repairing the watches. I don't have too much of an opinion on currency, but £ has a slight edge since that's what it started with. This is a global forum, so the majority of people will be converting values no matter what. I don't know if there are any currency traders here, but if there's any currency that's especially stable or some other attribute that would benefit the game, that could be amusing. Maybe one that's super volatile? Qualification is heavily influenced by what wacky things some currency is doing on a given day (though usually that means shrinkage). We could go for something super obscure like the Chilean Peso or something just for giggles (though it might make conversion difficult). A lot of currencies are indexed to the US$, which would ease some of the conversion friction for some people. Just spitballing. My vote in the poll would be for £ inflation adjusted to £4.04 ca. 2020. I'm ticking those boxes, but I'm not sure about the 6.99. Is that £, or another currency? Source?

K&D

It’s definitely a field that is not understood but is probably now the most important in manufacturing with the huge amount of automation and robotics being applied. Tom

Yes exactly scott, i managed to make it run perfectly true and then reintroduced some calculated wobble using a special formula that i created myself .

I could only improve it, its still not perfect, the slight bit of wobble left seems to add to the agitation.

Nice! I have lately been buying up a handful of Arnex pieces on eBay because it is often obvious even without photos that they house a fine Unitas 6498. And many of the 1970s cases and "old timey themed" dials are irredeemably ugly so they are a cheap way to pickup great movements to power custom wristwatch projects. All of the ones I've bought were in like new condition, barely used assuming they were bought as graduation or retirement gifts in the 70s or 80s.

Thanks for the advice! This is the ending shape that kept the collet in the middle of the pivot throughout the sweep of the adjuster. Ended with a gain of 30-40 amplitude, +15s/d and <1ms BE. Very happy with the result.

More than enough. Here's mine at the height I work at. I think the working distance with the included 0.5x Barlow lens is about 9". So yes, that halves the magnification. The full story is the objective lens goes from 0.7x to 4.5x. The eyepieces are 10x, giving you the advertised magnification of 7x-45x. However the working distance is unacceptably short, so it comes with an 0.5x Barlow lens, reducing the magnification range to 3.5x-22.5x, but giving you a good working distance. What I did was buy a pair of Extreme Widefield 20x Eyepieces for when I need more magnification. You keep your high working distance, but get your 45x magnification back, at the cost of some width of field.

Finally got one.

Yep, we learned in school that some movements could go backwards after a hard shock. The wall around the hole in the stator where the rotor fits can get very thin. We tried to get one to go backwards messing with the stator but I don't think anyone was successful.