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Hector, Thanks for the comment. Upon closer inspection I see the date jumper maintaining plate does indeed cover and holds a few of the teeth. See photo. I enjoyed a weeks vacation in Singapore many years ago. Had a great time. I started my venture into watch repair at age 80, by changing batteries on my daughters watches. Regards to all, Dave

I don't see why anyone would make a cheap Chinese clone of a cheap Chinese tool. The 'cheap' ones look just like the one on Cousins.

I’ve seen at least one picture of someone holding an old chrono in their palm and using it as a stopwatch with only the top strap in place, similar to the string/strap/ribbon/fob you would have on a stopwatch or pocket watch. If you only planned on using it as a timer and didn’t want to wear it, removing the bottom lugs would make it easier to pocket.

Interesting problem here is they all looked the same. Any that I've ever seen including if somebody takes the back off there are all identical circuit boards are identical everything is identical. In the case of the 1000 machine the only differences I've seen have been different markings on the case in other words different people selling. Plus there's some minor software variations is a slight difference in how the screen looks and others are some bonus numbers when it's doing the graphical display of telling you what the rate is and at least one variation has the ability to change the gain control but otherwise visually they all look the same. So the problem becomes if they all look identical which one is the legitimate one in which one is not? How do we know that cousins a selling the legitimate one versus the counterfeit one if there even is a counterfeit one? Conceivably maybe if there are counterfeit which side suspicious of maybe they're all purchasing from the same source. So then basically it comes back down to can you get your money back if you're unhappy. As far as warranties go what warranty? True on the back of the 1900 users manual there is a name of a company and a link to a website that no longer functions the company does seem to exist in China but it doesn't list the product on their website The ones I always get nervous of but for the most part I've had success is the tiny Chinese Amazons selling on eBay where if you look at the other products are selling its everything in the universe including your timing machine. But for the most part with things I've ordered from them even that's worked out mostly. Shipping issues can affect all everything. I was trying to think of my bad experiences with the? I can't quite remember all my bad experiences and they typically were watch products there are other things. The little Amazons I have the feeling they toss everything a box and somebody goes the post office and just dumps at a big box and if it doesn't make it into the box doesn't show up in shipping and then when you pester them about that at some point time the refund your money. Because they really have no idea what happened to the product and they really don't care. It's back to finding somebody or purchasing of where you get some sort out if there's a problem you get your money back Then as others have mentioned always look at the reviews. I ordered something I can't quite remember what it is now and it was supposed to be in the US somebody had complained about shipping. So I figured out it was based on the names they had it wasn't really in the US probably it probably came from China and didn't show up for tracking for an entire week I guess was lost in the warehouse that extends from California all the way to China and at material. Which is basically what somebody said in the review and it was some weird shipping company before they handed off to the US mail. Which in itself presents a problem because stuff coming from California tends to be much slower than stuff coming from other places.

I have one of these. It runs very true, the spindle traverse lever on mine has a small amount of binding, but it doesn't affect its accuracy. I bought it because I wanted a sensitive drill, and this was much cheaper. I didn't get the XY table with mine, but I did purchase the crown holder/hand tube tightener. If you don't have a dedicated space for your lathe, this would be a great solution for drilling since its much faster to setup. But if you have a lathe and tailstock, drilling a crown out would be more precise in a lathe. I plan to use mine for perlage application mostly. I ended up getting mine on sale on AliX for about $50, with the jacobs chuck. I do wish the speed control was mounted on the press, instead of being inline on the power adapter.

I use makeup brushes. The one I've been using the longest is still is perfect condition, very soft, and doesn't shed. I think any brand will do. I stole mine from my wife.

Recent bad experience with Ali, Evri driver lost my parcel and neither them or the seller wanted to know, Ali themselves weren't particularly helpful either. Buy in this country and you have more chance of sorting out any issues

Is this your first USCM.. H ? I wouldn't expect the cleaning difference between 37khz and 40ish khs to be that great. High 40s maybe, Elma will know why they chose 37khs... optimum cleaning without damage probably . My experience of cheap usm is...I bought a medium sized one, that would be about 2 litres of water, for around 50 quid 3 years ago. It has a heating function and two khz levels of sonic cleaning. This served me very well, but i wanted something smaller, more portable to sit a bit closer to my bench. So I bought an 800 ml option for about the same price but without the two extra functions. It lasted about ten watch cleans then the transducer fell off the tank, I sent it back to Amazon for a refund. I'm now back to using my first one after making a modification to it, its now perfect for what I want and cleans, as far as i can tell, very well.

The infernal 2824/2836 keyless was what got me started in horology. My favorite watch at that time was fogging up whenever it rained. I took it to several watchmakers who said it wasn't worth the value of the watch. So I decided to fix it myself. To cut a long story short, I fouled up the keyless and fell into this rabbit hole. And I still haven't been able to crawl out after more than 10 years. If you look carefully around the date wheel, the are a few small projections from the calendar plate that cover some of the teeth of the date ring. This prevents the date ring from lifting off.

Don't forget that most of the alleged "Swiss" made tools are actually made in China, then sent to Switzerland for QC and packing, that under Swiss rules allows them to be listed as made in Switzerland. The main difference is the QC aspect, Swiss QC is much better than Chinese QC. You will probably find items that pass Swiss QC get shipped to the Swiss customer for boxing and those that fail Swiss QC get sold via a Chinese supplier in a Chinese box. The unanswerable question is how far away from Swiss Quality is the Chinese version. And is the difference enough to matter.

thank you!

Sure, no problem! Binder1-combined-intro-and-lesson-1.pdf

When it comes to replacing clock springs measure the height from inside the barrel to the edge to were the barrel cap fits and the inside diameter, you do not need the strength. If it is not a hook and eye end then you need to mention the fitting you need. Some springs have an end loop.

Have you checked the chime mainspring? If it has 'set' it has become old and tired, losing its 'springiness'. Be careful how you remove it from the barrel (I recommend a spring winder) and see what the diameter of the released spring is. It should be about 2½ times the diameter of the barrel. If it's much smaller, you may need to replace it.

Thanks very much for the tutorial, Chaps

I used a cheap China made ultrasonic cleaner in my clinic for many years and it worked perfectly. When it comes to ultrasonic cleaners, do not get those fancy touch screens, membrane switch, digital display types. Get one with a manual timer, like a toaster oven. Ultrasonic cleaning solutions are rather strange. It is designed to creep along surfaces and into small cracks and loosen dirt. Any solution that drips down the sides of your machine will creep under the machine, into chassis screw holes, under front panel stickers, into holes for the LEDs, etc. The solution destroys circuit boards. The solution will creep into the manual timer and destroy them too, but manual timers are cheap, circuit boards are not. I used to help a friend who has a dental supply company. And I used to repair a lot of ultrasonic cleaners for him, including Elma. Most of them were damaged by ultrasonic solution getting into places where it isn't supposed to go. Elmas are generally ok. They don't seem to survive solution damage any better than cheaper units. But when they spoil, the repair charges are eye-watering. Elma also doesn't give their distributors very much support like in the areas of technical training. I would advise you to get a cheap China unit. For the price of an Elma, you could buy 5 China units.

Got one of these about 18 months ago which is 40kHz and heated. Although i haven't cleaned many watches since I've had it, I've never had any problems. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B098PDM4RV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 To add that it's been used quite a few time on constant heating for days to dissolve stems and still runs fine.

Yes I’m sure you’re right. I’ve bought cheap movements/cases/dials etc from Ali Xpress to practice on with no issues; but for something a bit more expensive that is going to have to last a while I’m more skeptical.

O Hallmark is either 1913 or 1938 as there's very little difference between them. Can't quite make out the first letter of what I presume is the makers mark ?WT Edit I'd lean towards 1913

the problem would be how can you tell which one is the cheap imitation if it exists it and which one is the real one? They basically all look the same. obviously as others have pointed out the best prices order out of country as it comes from China in order for Chinese supplier. If you're concerned about issues then you just order from somebody in the UK who has a return policy. That would either be Amazon or eBay. But for both of these you do want to make sure that it's actually in the UK although from Amazon it might not be an issue for a return policy. We look at eBay some of the sellers are a UK or claim to be UK sellers but it's coming from China and others claim to have it in the UK as I said if you're worried about or concern just make sure they have a return policy if you're unhappy.

This is a small Silver French Timepiece I expect the duration to be 8 days. It has a platform escapement. The dial has roman numerals and the hands are in the style called spade. The marks are a bit strange to me the lion represents Birmingham but I do not know the others it is possible the marks mean it's imported, if you or someone who knows more about hallmarks could unlock those it will give the exact date of the case. These small clocks are normally from the late 1800's into the 1900's. As it only works on its side it makes me think the balance staff is causing problems such as it could be broken, chipped or a problem with a jewel or just lack of oil, I can only say this from what you say. If I could see the movement I would be able to tell you more. In good condition these clocks can sell from around £800 upwards so look after it. I have just noticed a tiny chip in the dial just above 3 that might change the value a little.

You have the the loose hook in the wrong way Chris. Look again at Nev's book page and the part I circled. The piece should follow the same curve as the spring and the long edge of the bevel would be against the barrel wall to hook into the ledge. It must have just caught and held while full tension was applied then slipped over the ledge when the springs tension dropped when unwinding. The fold also needs straightening out,flattening a bit more and cutting back. Too much interference with the barrel wall as it is, looks like its stopping the hook engaing properly. Needs tidying up. Yes that is a repair Chris. I should say ...that one is. Dont worry about it Chris, I'm as bad with photos, the forum has seen me in my underpants more than once Ps I hope thats your camera thats playing up, because if the barrel actually looks like that then the movement has much bigger problems to deal with

Try Amazon as a little cheaper and currently can be returned until 31st Jan. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weishi-Timegrapher-NO-1900-Machine-Multifunction/dp/B0178B9DYM?crid=P4ZUY8673NC0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d_7TmJBSDEPiwoRr1UuVqx4MZ7UoR_Q2KgWtTDfacV0vVvaBI-vk7-WjfJwAHBYK.cRN0xfLbDD_5H_kUADoqjmenhJDMU2Ujsl1XCwx3m4U&dib_tag=se&keywords=Weishi+1900&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1734073730&sprefix=weishi+1900%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-1

Maybe you’re not comfortable with ordering from China but I’ve found the best pricing for the same items from AliExpress. All my watch tools/parts has been from them and I bought a few machine DRO’s that have been faultless. example: I just found this on AliExpress: AU$439.75 | Weishi NO. 1900 Timegrapher Mechanical Watch Timing Tester Machine Multifunction Auto Calibration Timer Machine https://a.aliexpress.com/_mL7o5oL

Cheers @mbwatch, I didn't think about changing the whole end piece with the jewel attached. Oops, jewelliing set, Google it.

This actually can be replaced without any complicated jeweling tools. Waltham and Elgin and other American companies made these watches to be very quickly and frequently repaired, so the jewels are housed in brass settings which are then screwed down. All you need to do is find a donor, or a replacement for those jewels on ebay. A "parts or repair" 1894 movement will have the jewel you need, and it is also possible to search for new old stock or jewel lots for Waltham 16 size (or whatever size this happens to be). It is MUCH easier than replacing jewels on an old Swiss watch. The same goes for the balance complete - find a donor on ebay that is advertised as having a good balance and you may get a lot of the way there. Now, note that there is likely a serial number scratched onto the balance wheel that matches the serial of the movement plates. It is nice to keep these together and matched so keep your broken balance around until you are ready to invest in a staking set and learn to replace the staff. Then reunite your serial stamped parts. I find working on American pocket watches extremely rewarding, and if you like it, you'l end up collecting a lot of interesting purpose-made tools. Also, familiarize yourself with daveswatchparts.com - He stocks a lot of parts for American movements, and even if something is not listed on his website there is a good chance he has it and can get you exactly what you need. Oh one other thing about the jewels - after removing the screws, you can just gently push them out with pegwood. The whole brass setting will slide out. While it is firmly fit, it won't be "friction" fit such that it takes force and a special tool to remove. Pegwood will do, and there are also vintage brass "jewel pusher" tools which are sort of a star shaped thing with multiple sizes of brass nubs designed to push on the settings without cracking the jewels.

Both frank and never have valid points, so insert the stem but don't push on it. Instead grab the crown tube with stout tweezers or small long nosed pliers and bend from there.

Hiya, what i was meaning " if the stem starts to give it will probably break " stems are hard, much harder than the brass tube. Hard tending to break quickly upon bending... reaching their short yield point. The brass tube has more flexibility so would bend more readily, its much more likely that the tube is bent not the stem. But frank has brought up a valid point that an empty tube could be distorted .

No, the tube will bend beyond the stem thread, where it connects to the crown body. Frank

I picked this up on Sunday and changed the crystal and cleaned up the dial with rodico and tuned it up to get it working, even the chronograph. Now I am dying to get it on the wrist but the lugs are missing! Looks completely original. Not sure if art deco or the 40s but the Landeron48 was made from 1937 to 1970s so either way this just blows me away...

Just because it's not in the book Every stone has a statue inside it's up to the sculptor to find it .