Future hobbyist, Seiko lover here!

[Birbdad]

Heya! Figured I might as well go and  join here now (As i'm sure i'll need the knowledge here in the future.) as after I post this message I will hit the buy button on amazon for a timegrapher 1000, 4x loupe, air blower and case back opening ball and i'll be able to get started on mission 1: Regulate my two 7s26 seikos that are running pretty nicely and test my 3rd one that's running terribly despite being  Only 7 years old or so. I'll probably over the next month or two acquire the stuff I need to disassemble, clean and service my watches then i might buy a cheap old swiss watch that runs and desperately needs a service and just tinker with it and see if i can get it running or do a full strip down and service of what I have, get them running in tip top shape.  I enjoy watches and this looks fun and the 7s26 movement is cheap enough if i really screw something up i can just buy a new movement or part out another old beater 7s26. Also sadly watchmakers seem to be going extinct, there don't really seem to be any around central texas anymore that anybody can recommend so if i'm into mechanical watches I might as well learn how to take care of them.

If anybody reads maybe i could get some very brief answers on a few questions about where to begin while you're here if you would be so kind!

1. What are the places to generally go for specific parts for movements if something has to be replaced? Some time ago I ordered a full replacement gasket set for my orange monster gen 1 and it was....surprisingly difficult to even find them and I had to order for 4 different places including ebay. I spent more on the shipping than the gaskets.

2. Are parts for common low cost swiss movements from the 50's 60's and 70's still easy to find at  wherever is the places to go for spare parts? My Orange monster had only been out of production for a few years and i had a hell of a time finding just gaskets for it and this was a very popular watch and gaskets are a part that should be regularly replaced!  Also are gaskets generally generic (As in you buy based on size.) or do you often have to buy gaskets specific to that model?

3. With cheapie watches like 7s26 seikos, do you generally service them when they need it or is it a good idea to do regular servicing so it never needs it?

Thanks and look forward to pestering you all with noob advice!

[grsnovi]

If you look under RESOURCES at the top of the forum page you'll see a series of country flags. Select the flag of your country (or of a close country) to find a list of links to suppliers. Most horological tool suppliers also sell parts.

Welcome to the forum!

[Birbdad]

6 hours ago, grsnovi said:

If you look under RESOURCES at the top of the forum page you'll see a series of country flags. Select the flag of your country (or of a close country) to find a list of links to suppliers. Most horological tool suppliers also sell parts.

Welcome to the forum!

Cool thanks!

[grsnovi]

In the USA, I've used:

• https://www.ofrei.com/
• https://www.jewelerssupplies.com/
• http://www.julesborel.com/
• https://www.esslinger.com/

...and Cousins in the UK: https://www.cousinsuk.com/

[Birbdad]

2 hours ago, grsnovi said:

In the USA, I've used:

• https://www.ofrei.com/
• https://www.jewelerssupplies.com/
• http://www.julesborel.com/
• https://www.esslinger.com/

...and Cousins in the UK: https://www.cousinsuk.com/

Sweet! Thanks so much. Really hope i can find anything i might need for this bellmatic.