What's your favourite YouTube watch repair channel?

[rossjackson01]

Kalle tends to use these videos as a teaching platform, as he is passionately interested in passing on knowledge to others. I think that members of his staff do the cleaning and rebuilds.

Chronoglide, Alex Hamilton - Watch Repair Tutorials, Mark Lovick's - Watch fix, specialise in the teaching of basics and gaining of knowledge. Knowing and understanding problems, and the reasons for those problems, allows us mere mortals to advance. And for me personally, I am grateful so much to further my knowledge. It does help my skills as I know what I need to practice. 

I learn the methods of assembly from many great sources. They disassemble and assemble in a way that I can understand and learn from. However the tutoring of problems and their solutions by Kalle, Mark and Alex, allows me to follow in assembler's footsteps.

Great hobby

Ross

 

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

6 minutes ago, rossjackson01 said:

Kalle tends to use these videos as a teaching platform, as he is passionately interested in passing on knowledge to others. I think that members of his staff do the cleaning and rebuilds.

Chronoglide, Alex Hamilton - Watch Repair Tutorials, Mark Lovick's - Watch fix, specialise in the teaching of basics and gaining of knowledge. Knowing and understanding problems, and the reasons for those problems, allows us mere mortals to advance. And for me personally, I am grateful so much to further my knowledge. It does help my skills as I know what I need to practice. 

I learn the methods of assembly from many great sources. They disassemble and assemble in a way that I can understand and learn from. However the tutoring of problems and their solutions by Kalle, Mark and Alex, allows me to follow in assembler's footsteps.

Great hobby

Ross

 

 

The internet has given us so much in the way of learning. Being able to compare pick and choose different techniques and theories from so many professionals and amateurs. Imagine trying to learn from books only by yourself with no teacher, it must be been very difficult. 

[rossjackson01]

9 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

The internet has given us so much in the way of learning. Being able to compare pick and choose different techniques and theories from so many professionals and amateurs. Imagine trying to learn from books only by yourself with no teacher, it must be been very difficult. 

Have to agree. I bought my one and only book in my first week, Resold it two weeks later. never having got passed page 8. Being dyslexic, I could not understand the written word to my mental picture. Mike of 'My Retro Watches' opened the world to me. His Seiko 6309 'give away' session gave me guidance. He also told me about Mark. Been on the learning curve ever since.

As you say, It is very hard being on your own, no one to physically talk to, to spend time chatting. Hence my preoccupation with this forum. The guidance given is so good, friendly and directional.

Good innit?

Edited May 13, 2023 by rossjackson01

[Neverenoughwatches]

28 minutes ago, rossjackson01 said:

Have to agree. I bought my one and only book in my first week, Resold it two weeks later. never having got passed page 8. Being dyslexic, I could not understand the written word to my mental picture. Mike of 'My Retro Watches' opened the world to me. His Seiko 6309 'give away' session gave me guidance. He also told me about Mark. Been on the learning curve ever since.

As you say, It is very hard being on your own, no one to physically talk to, to spend time chatting. Hence my preoccupation with this forum. The guidance given is so good, friendly and directional.

Good innit?

Many of us would be lost without it. I wonder where we would all go if our forum ever closed up shop for any reason. Maybe we should have a meeting place set up.

[VWatchie]

On 5/11/2023 at 7:56 AM, Klassiker said:

Please post an instructional video of your own!

Not very instructional, but at least it shows how I move the burnisher.

 

[nickelsilver]

54 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

Not very instructional, but at least it shows how I move the burnisher.

 

Excellent. Proper stroke and speed. Only vid I've seen that I would point out as good technique .

[VWatchie]

36 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

Excellent. Proper stroke and speed. Only vid I've seen that I would point out as good technique .

Thanks! Very, very happy to hear that, and perhaps more useful then than I would have thought! 

[Knebo]

On 5/11/2023 at 12:27 PM, VWatchie said:

I wish I had the time and resources for that. I'm not an expert at using the Jacot tool, but I get results satisfactory enough that I may try to make a video about it someday, maybe...

For now, I would suggest:

• Watch as many YT videos about it as possible. A few are good, others are decent, and many others are not that impressive.
• Read as much as possible about it here on WRT (Google "site:watchrepairtalk.com jacot tool"). For example, read the (long) thread "Jacot tool and pivot file burnisher question". Some posts are very informative (and some are less so).
• Get a Jacot tool in as good a condition as possible. Don't try to mix and match badly worn and cheap parts. It's my impression that the Steiner brand is some of "the best".
• If the Jacot tool doesn't come with a bow to drive it, get an extendable key ring with yoyo function and cord (avoid the types where the cord is coated with plastic as they tend to slip in my experience).

This is what my extendable key ring with the yoyo function looks like

• Get a vice to hold the Jacot tool.
• Get a good burnisher. I use the Bergeon 2933G Burnisher (Left Hand). If you are right-handed as I am that is what you need (it sounds contradictory, I know!). The cheaper Vallorbe is better suited for pocket watches.
• Get a Seitz jewel gauge, or some other method to determine the pivot size. Be careful not to measure small pivots (< 0.12mm) in a micrometre as it risks denting the pivot.
• Get a good quality eye loupe to see what you are doing while burnishing. I use a Bergeon ARY, Right Eye Clip On, I believe with x5 magnification.
• Don't forget to oil the pivot (thin oil) when in the pivot bed before burnishing, and remember to thoroughly clean the pivot (Rodico works well) before inspecting it under strong magnification (preferably a 40X stereo microscope). When done, the wheel should of course be properly recleaned.
• Finally. Practice, practice, practice!

For what it's worth, I made this short video where I operate my Jacot tool:

Great post! Thanks! 

[Bonefixer]

Late to this discussion but here’s my two cents…

Wristwatch Revival is good. First one I stumbled across. He may not be a pro, but that’s his whole thing. He gives the impression that anyone can do it, and is clearly learning as he goes. His later videos show far more competence. 
 

French Watch Collector similar, but probably more competent. Does a lot of chronographs. 
 

I like Kalle at chronoglide, but I really wish he’d get to the point sometimes. 
 

Nekkid Watchmaker is my favourite. From my part of the world so there’s a connection there, seems highly skilled especially with cases, but always humble. I take the points about his oiling - I’ll take more notice. 

[Nucejoe]

 I like Mark's vids, his calm voice is relaxing as you learn so you do learn.

 Some guys talk as though world war 3 & 4 & 5 have started all at once.

 

 

[Knebo]

1 hour ago, Bonefixer said:

Wristwatch Revival is good. First one I stumbled across. He may not be a pro, but that’s his whole thing. He gives the impression that anyone can do it, and is clearly learning as he goes. His later videos show far more competence. 

Wristwatch Revival is very nice as entertainment and he does lots of things very well. But one has to be very careful if you want to learn from it. Sometimes he makes mistakes, realizes it and then talks about the learning from it -that's great! But I also saw him make some big mistakes that he didn't realize -- not so good for learners.

 

1 hour ago, Bonefixer said:

I like Kalle at chronoglide, but I really wish he’d get to the point sometimes. 

... and I wish he's show some assembly and oiling! Most of the time it's just disassembly. Some theory, which is usually very useful. And fault finding, which is very good and often under-represented in other channels.

 

1 hour ago, Bonefixer said:

French Watch Collector similar, but probably more competent. Does a lot of chronographs. 

I agree. He's pretty good. I'm just irritated by the amount of oil he puts on the floor and lid of mainspring barrels. But I don't want to start a lubrication debate here 

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, Nucejoe said:

I like Mark's vids, his calm voice is relaxing as you learn so you do learn.

I couldn't agree more! Some other YouTubers (won't mention any names) talk so much it feels like my ears are bleeding.

In this respect, @Mark is the King—no unnecessary babbling about this or that. If you are fully focused when watching his videos, there is a ton to learn.

[Knebo]

VintageWatchServices on youtube is also very good when it comes to technique. He's a real professional.

But, his talking may not be for everyone...

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, Knebo said:

Wristwatch Revival is very nice as entertainment and he does lots of things very well.

I agree but he is one of those people who never takes a break from talking which in the end becomes almost unbearable and I can't stand him putting all the parts on the work mat. How the hell does he manage to avoid the parts disappearing? If you then look at his (and Nekkid Watchmaker's) lubrication technique, I for one will not be happy and probably neither will the owner of the watch a week or a few months later. When he then cleans the oiler in the Rodico which is so dirty that it is more black than green, I'm out. Need I point out that Moebius 9415 needs to be stirred before use? 

 

9 minutes ago, Knebo said:

VintageWatchServices on youtube is also very good when it comes to technique. He's a real professional.

But, his talking may not be for everyone...

I'm afraid I can't agree.

Perhaps I should have named this thread "What's your-favourite love to hate YouTube watch repair channel" 

[SwissSeiko]

I think someone with the following and income of Wristwatch Revival should be at least 99% accurate in things they do. He makes a lot of mistakes, he does correct a lot of them, some of them are just missed. Its stated on his Patreon page, he makes $6,700 per video, just from patreon. At that rate, I think it should be more accurate work, nicer movements, and more in depth. He does a lot of junk no name things, and I cant help but think "wow, he spent $15 on ebay, cleaned and lubricated it, and made $6,700". I guess that's just life. He is more entertainment value than instructional. And yes, I am jealous he makes that money, doing the same thing I do, but at a lower level.

To add to this topic, I really enjoy watching Kirk Rich Dial Co restorations. A lot goes into dial restoration, and there aren't many channels showing it. I wanted to get into dial restoration as well, but after watching them, I don't think its financially feasibly.

[tomh207]

56 minutes ago, SwissSeiko said:

I think someone with the following and income of Wristwatch Revival should be at least 99% accurate in things they do. He makes a lot of mistakes, he does correct a lot of them, some of them are just missed. Its stated on his Patreon page, he makes $6,700 per video, just from patreon. At that rate, I think it should be more accurate work, nicer movements, and more in depth. He does a lot of junk no name things, and I cant help but think "wow, he spent $15 on ebay, cleaned and lubricated it, and made $6,700". I guess that's just life. He is more entertainment value than instructional. And yes, I am jealous he makes that money, doing the same thing I do, but at a lower level.

Thing about Marshall is he is not just about watches, he has been a successful content creator around a d&d type card desktop game. A lot of his followers come from there. He is a member here BTW though doesn’t interact much these days. So he is a successful entertainer/commentator who now also dabbles in watches with mainly high end tools and selling tools and lubricants.

 

Also mentioned was Stian from Vintage Watch Services, also a member here. I believe he has completed courses with the BHI which is more than most of us here have done.

 

glass houses and stones and all that.

what I have learned about watchmaking is there are a myriad of ways to accomplish an outcome, mostly what is right or wrong is a matter of opinion.

 

Tom

[SwissSeiko]

2 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

Thing about Marshall is he is not just about watches, he has been a successful content creator around a d&d type card desktop game. A lot of his followers come from there. He is a member here BTW though doesn’t interact much these days. So he is a successful entertainer/commentator who now also dabbles in watches with mainly high end tools and selling tools and lubricants.

Tom

I totally get that. Its me being jealous after all! He is a great content creator, and I need to look at it like that, and not as a watchmaker. And honestly, I like watching his videos. They are very, very well done.

[mbwatch]

Just wish certain youtubers with enormous audiences would stop telling that audience to go and buy pocket watches to get started, when really meaning a modern, working ST36. And every week several more people show up on reddit subs asking what to do with a trashed cylinder escapement or American Waltham or Elgin they don't have the tools to work with, or worse - their family's heirloom railroad watch.

5 hours ago, Bonefixer said:

French Watch Collector similar, but probably more competent. Does a lot of chronographs. 

I did watch many of his early videos but stopped because they lacked variety. It was mainly just straightforward service of high end brands and rarely any challenging repairs or tooling explanations of more interest to me. More interesting than seeing a clean Daytona go from +8s / 260° to cleaner and +1s / 295° after service.

[VWatchie]

55 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

what I have learned about watchmaking is there are a myriad of ways to accomplish an outcome, mostly what is right or wrong is a matter of opinion.

How we accomplish something varies greatly. What matters is the outcome. Whether a watch works well or not after a service and for a long time - many years - is not a matter of opinion. It is an objective fact. If the method is right so will be the outcome and vice versa.

I never criticise the way someone goes about servicing and repairing as long as the outcome is correct. What I find difficult to cope with is sloppiness, such as dirty and poorly maintained tools, poor oiling techniques, slipping and wrong size screwdrivers, disorder, and so on because it will ultimately affect the watch and its owner and are not the traits of a serious repairer. That is, a serious repairer who cares more about the watch, the customer, and the craftsmanship than he or she cares about the number of likes, the money, and/or the fame.

As I said, how we accomplish something varies greatly. This can be seen in any complex discipline from musicians to mathematicians. For example, my number one violin hero is Itzhak Perlman. He is partly paralyzed and his technique is in some ways awkward as a result, but he is in my opinion one of the greatest musicians who ever walked the earth. The most talented people (watch repairers included) are masters of improvisation and thinking out of the box. I wish I were in that category, but I'm not.

I don't demand perfection from anyone, myself included, but I expect a reasonable level of knowledge and experience when someone has the intention to teach. Granted, many of the YouTube channels can and should be thought of as entertainment and marketing, but to an unsuspecting beginner, the bad things that sometimes, not always, manifest could be perceived as gospel, and it is already hard to become a decent repairer as it is. Yes, I know, beginners are not my responsibility but I am a teacher (although not in watch repair) and see it as a great responsibility and privilege.

This said we can always learn something from just about anyone. I know I do all the time.

[Knebo]

7 hours ago, VWatchie said:

nd I can't stand him putting all the parts on the work mat. How the hell does he manage to avoid the parts disappearing

Hahaha, I've wondered the same thing! And he's not the only one doing that. If they keep all the parts, I'm just impressed.

 

7 hours ago, VWatchie said:

When he then cleans the oiler in the Rodico which is so dirty that it is more black than green, I'm out.

Yes, dirty benches are a big no-go.

 

7 hours ago, SwissSeiko said:

To add to this topic, I really enjoy watching Kirk Rich Dial Co restorations. A lot goes into dial restoration, and there aren't many channels showing it. I wanted to get into dial restoration as well, but after watching them, I don't think its financially feasibly.

Funnily, I just stumbled upon their channel just this week. To be honest, I found it horrible. It's not a restoration, but basically making a new dial. Hardly anything of the original dial is left at the end. And if you look closely, they are not great reproductions. The printing is consistently too thick. I saw a video of a Omega Constellation pie pan dial (which, in my opinion, was still quite nice as it was) and the "restoration" visibly softened the edges of the "pie pan" from sharp to rounded. It didn't look original at all at the end.

Well, that's my rant for today. 

 

 

4 hours ago, VWatchie said:

I don't demand perfection from anyone, myself included, but I expect a reasonable level of knowledge and experience when someone has the intention to teach. Granted, many of the YouTube channels can and should be thought of as entertainment and marketing, but to an unsuspecting beginner, the bad things that sometimes, not always, manifest could be perceived as gospel, and it is already hard to become a decent repairer as it is. Yes, I know, beginners are not my responsibility but I am a teacher (although not in watch repair) and see it as a great responsibility and privilege.

6 hours ago, SwissSeiko said:

I totally get that. Its me being jealous after all! He is a great content creator, and I need to look at it like that, and not as a watchmaker. And honestly, I like watching his videos. They are very, very well done.

Indeed, for the unsuspecting beginner it is very hard to distinguish channels with a "teaching" function from those that are just "entertainment". But we also can't expect those Youtubers in the entertainment category to permanently tell everyone not to take them seriously. I'm sure if you were to watch every video chronologically, it would be clear that they're also just learning and are not pretending to teach. At least for Wristwatch Revival / Marshall. 

 

 

5 hours ago, mbwatch said:

Just wish certain youtubers with enormous audiences would stop telling that audience to go and buy pocket watches to get started, when really meaning a modern, working ST36. And every week several more people show up on reddit subs asking what to do with a trashed cylinder escapement or American Waltham or Elgin they don't have the tools to work with, or worse - their family's heirloom railroad watch.

 Hahaha, that's definitely true!!

 

6 hours ago, mbwatch said:

 

11 hours ago, Bonefixer said:

French Watch Collector similar, but probably more competent. Does a lot of chronographs. 

I did watch many of his early videos but stopped because they lacked variety. It was mainly just straightforward service of high end brands and rarely any challenging repairs or tooling explanations of more interest to me. More interesting than seeing a clean Daytona go from +8s / 260° to cleaner and +1s / 295° after service.

Yes, absolutely, that's also my observation and disappointment for that channel.

[rehajm]

I like all those mentioned and pull something different from each. My wife enjoys Kalle and Stian so we watch together and I’m in less trouble when the Esslinger and Cousins deliveries show up

[mbwatch]

1 hour ago, rehajm said:

we watch together

Living the dream.

[gpraceman]

I watch several channels.  These are a few.

• Weekend Watch Repair
• Vintage Watch Services
• My Retro Watches
• Red Dead Restoration
• Saving Time - He also makes custom watch bands, which is interesting to watch
• Wristwatch Revival
• Nekkid Watchmaker - Love his case rehabs

I do like the videos where they keep their mistakes in and discuss them so I can also learn from them.  Even then, I do recognize that they are not perfect and some of their technique can be lacking.  I do appreciate the comments on here pointing out some of those issues.

Someone commented about Marshall laying out the parts on his work mat.  I just watched one of his videos where he was unloading the mainspring from the barrel and the end hit the parts, scattering them.  He didn't notice at the time that one screw was missing and he never found it.  Personally, I'd rather put them straight into a parts tray.

Edited September 13, 2024 by gpraceman

[Nucejoe]

Do any of 

58 minutes ago, gpraceman said:

       . Weekend Watch Repair

• Vintage Watch Services
• My Retro Watches
• Red Dead Restoration
• Saving Time - He also makes custom watch bands, which is interesting to watch
• Wristwatch Revival
• Nekkid Watchmaker - Love his case rehabs

 

 Do these guys have a forum?     How do they answer  your questions?     Phone Call ?    Email? 

 I have seen over and again newbies  here, whose terminology is unfamiliar to us ,so have to ask what they mean. 

 On WRT we are familiar with terminologies Mark's student learn & use, understand ends & outs of the issue theyr talking about, and Mark is within reach here through PM or on open forum. 

Must admit, we don't win a watch here, don't get to advertize ,,, .   lol

Rgds

 

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

20 hours ago, Bonefixer said:

Late to this discussion but here’s my two cents…

Wristwatch Revival is good. First one I stumbled across. He may not be a pro, but that’s his whole thing. He gives the impression that anyone can do it, and is clearly learning as he goes. His later videos show far more competence. 
 

French Watch Collector similar, but probably more competent. Does a lot of chronographs. 
 

I like Kalle at chronoglide, but I really wish he’d get to the point sometimes. 
 

Nekkid Watchmaker is my favourite. From my part of the world so there’s a connection there, seems highly skilled especially with cases, but always humble. I take the points about his oiling - I’ll take more notice. 

Kalle provides a lot of information, not a lot of practical. He shows us taking a watch apart we rarely see anything put back together.  I would like to see a lot more theory put into practice. Joe i really like, very entertaining.  My favourite at the moment is saving time, thoroughly enjoy watching this guy. He takes apart and puts back together, plenty of history among his info and he involves other folk to help in his restorations. The Bond Gruen video i particularly liked. 

1 hour ago, Nucejoe said:

Do any of 

 Do these guys have a forum?     How do they answer  your questions?     Phone Call ?    Email? 

 I have seen over and again newbies  here, whose terminology is unfamiliar to us ,so have to ask what they mean. 

 On WRT we are familiar with terminologies Mark's student learn & use, understand ends & outs of the issue theyr talking about, and Mark is within reach here through PM or on open forum. 

Must admit, we don't win a watch here, don't get to advertize ,,, .   lol

Rgds

 

 

You can post question on their videos Joe, some will answer. Mike - Retro watches has his own facebook group also is one of Mark's admin staff for his watch repair group. Thoroughly nice bloke , spoke with him a few times.

16 hours ago, SwissSeiko said:

I think someone with the following and income of Wristwatch Revival should be at least 99% accurate in things they do. He makes a lot of mistakes, he does correct a lot of them, some of them are just missed. Its stated on his Patreon page, he makes $6,700 per video, just from patreon. At that rate, I think it should be more accurate work, nicer movements, and more in depth. He does a lot of junk no name things, and I cant help but think "wow, he spent $15 on ebay, cleaned and lubricated it, and made $6,700". I guess that's just life. He is more entertainment value than instructional. And yes, I am jealous he makes that money, doing the same thing I do, but at a lower level.

To add to this topic, I really enjoy watching Kirk Rich Dial Co restorations. A lot goes into dial restoration, and there aren't many channels showing it. I wanted to get into dial restoration as well, but after watching them, I don't think its financially feasibly.

Completely agree , i stopped watching marshall shortly after i started. I think he edits a lot to make his content look more professional, i figure all about the money.  His work is sloppy,  lots of throwing parts around, tbh quite poor technique, i felt i had to unsubscribe from his channel

15 hours ago, SwissSeiko said:

I totally get that. Its me being jealous after all! He is a great content creator, and I need to look at it like that, and not as a watchmaker. And honestly, I like watching his videos. They are very, very well done.

Jealousy is a negative emotion matey and isn't worth the mindspace, its about reviewing something honestly and expecting to watch honest content.

Edited September 13, 2024 by Neverenoughwatches