Jump to content

Recommended Pocket Watch Starter Tools

LukeShoe
 Share

Recommended Posts

LukeShoe New Member

LukeShoe

Posted
Posted

Hello!  I am a noob and this is my first time posting on this forum.

 

I have been watching Wristwatch Revival on YouTube for quite a while now and have found the videos quite fascinating.  As a result, I have decided to try my hand at disassembling and cleaning a mechanical movement.  In one of the videos, it was recommended to start on pocket watches since things are a little larger to work with but represent the same idea and process for cleaning and repair.

 

I will start with a cheap China pocket watch from Amazon to disassemble & reassemble a few times to get my feet wet and hone my hand-eye coordination but after that, I want to move to cleaning one I got on eBay (see below).  It's in decent shape, so I would eventually like to use that one for my Sunday morning attire at church and the occasional wedding.

 

With all of that said, what size screwdrivers do I need?  I assume they can have larger tips than a wristwatch size but what does that translate to?  I am on a bit of a budget and so I don't want to buy a $200+ set to see if I enjoy doing this.  I have noticed that a lot of people are saying that Bergeon is the best but is there a cheaper brand with a hardened tip set or even just 2 (?) sizes (for now) of screwdriver that would do the job?  Also, tweezers.  Any top two recommendations with pocket watch size parts in mind?

 

Does a movement manual, if there is such a thing, have a list of tool sizes needed?

 

*I do have some very basic tool kit that my daughter got me from Amazon for Christmas to nudge me into giving this a try so I realize that screwdrivers and tweezers are not the only tools needed but these are the ones I don't have.

 

Has anyone ever worked with this movement before?

 

Is there a pocket watch forum/channel/store you recommend?

 

THANK YOU for your time and any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

 

My pocket watch looks very close to this one (dial text is slightly different).  Turn your volume down, the video has loud music in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-S_wym7jYFk

 

From what I can tell, (I opened the back cover to look) this is the Molnija 3602 Movement

https://17jewels.info/movements/m/molnija/molnija-3602/

rjenkinsgb WRT Addict

rjenkinsgb

Posted
Posted

You can get a Bergeon 30081-p05 screwdriver set for around £40 new if you search suppliers; that's the one I got and I'd highly recommend it! It's far better that the cheaper ones I tried before.

It has six sizes, from 0.8 to 1.6mm & should cover most normal watches as well as pocket watches.

I've also added a 0.6mm from the same series, for some very small wristwatch movements.

 

Bonefixer WRT Addict

Bonefixer

Posted
Posted

As a relative newbie myself I’d recommend this:

Decent tweezers - as soon as I upgraded my £10 set of 7 tweezers for a single pair of Dumont’s my parts stopped pinging, and I was suddenly able to do everything much more effectively. 
 

Screwdrivers - my first set were a midrange set from Amazon - 0.8 - 2.5mm. They were fine, about £50. 
 

You can keep spending and spending on more tools. But don’t skimp on the basics. 

  • Like 1
VWatchie Distinguished Member

VWatchie

Posted
Posted (edited)
22 hours ago, LukeShoe said:

I will start with a cheap China pocket watch from Amazon

If you can link to it we could have a look and give you our opinions!

EDIT:

Sorry, missed the link. I'd recommend a Unitas 6497 or a Chinese clone Seagull TY3600. When you start out you want Incabloc anti-shock springs as they are the easiest to handle. Quite often you can find genuine Unitas movements for not much money on eBay in pocket watches. For example: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2332490.m570.l1313&_nkw=196326170759&_sacat=0 

Also, if you later want to design your own watch around a Unitas 6497 you find tons of options, cases, hands, dials, on eBay.

Edited by VWatchie
  • Like 1

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • way2wyrd
      No images showing

      By way2wyrd · Posted

      Web sites are cheap. Message board are easy. Hosting both is less than 100 usd a year and small advertising would cover most of that.  In the discord group we did some 15 min poc and threw up a couple of different message boards on a domain i host.   The real value is the data / information / hive mind While I'm a rank amateur in watch repair the information and assistance on this board is invaluable. The members on here are friendly, entertaining and a wealth of knowledge This is what needs to be preserved  --Jeff
    • ChrisInOz
      No images showing

      By ChrisInOz · Posted

      The post below contains the link. If you don't already have a discord account it will take you to the registration screen.  Registration is free.   https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/31653-mark/?do=findComment&comment=279066
    • luiazazrambo
      WWW Eterna sucked me in.

      By luiazazrambo · Posted

      HWGIKE#57 Valex FEF 190 15 jewels Swiss lever full service and repair This one was waiting for a balance staff replacement in my cabinet parts and case cleaned up with a new balance staff and a 4th wheel as the original 4th wheel had a broken pivot for the off center second hand. I never attempted a balance staff replacement before however I received a Bergeon Molfres (i was hunting it for about 2 years) and with the help of it I managed to remove the old staff and riveted the new one in. It also received a new MS, crystal and the hole for the MS arbor was also tightened. With the new MS now it has an acceptable performance meaning that the amplitude goes up to 280 fully wound, has an acceptable beat error and I have the two nice lines but only dial up, dial down is not as nice and I could not figure out as why. I have the two lines but the amplitude is dropping to around 230 and the lines are a bit hairy. Both dial up and dial down the lines just go up and down without seemingly any pattern. I cleaned the movement two times, and then a 3rd time pegged out the main plate and train bridge holes but made no change. Both the HS collet and the roller table was too lose on the new staff... I did not count how many times I took the balance cock off to sort out the HS collet, the roller table and the beat error, somebody before me also shortened the HS by pushing it out a bit and it seems every time somebody is messing with the end of the HS the protruding bit is most of the time twisted bent etc. This one was probably one of the most challenging repair and service. I might take the new MS out and clean it lubricate it as I just pushed the new one in to the barrel from the retaining ring. Plus started to re-read the theory of the escapement and how to analyse the graph on the timing machine: Greiner Chronografic Record manual. I am also thinking to put the watch on a 24 hour long run with the eTimer SW it once helped me to figure out what was wrong with a watch. There is an interesting part of the Greiner record manual talking about the pallets and the end shake of the balance and pallet staff. Maybe this is my issue? Who could that possibly identify? After a few years now I am still without a clue how could watchmakers make parts I can only see with my microscope or how could/can they carry out complicated services impossible to do.. real magic..... .... ..... before I sent this post while the pics were uploading I had an idea, i was browsing the possible outcomes on the timing machine I had one for magnetism..... so I demagnetized the movement and it is not hairy now.... two really nice lines 0.2 ms beat error still a bit wavy, but a lot lot better..... argh....  
    • Nucejoe
      Hello from Cypress, CA

      By Nucejoe · Posted

      Hi there, welcome here.  
    • JohnR725
      No images showing

      By JohnR725 · Posted

      yes the advertising revenue should generate money. The question is how much money? Then as far as the cost of the website goes that's relatively easy to determine? all you would have to do to grasp costs and profitability would be to go to the link below and you can actually get a website for free try it out for free I believe you get no advertising initially. They also talk about that they'll help you out they have marketing tools and some sort of paid subscription or something. So I guess were shopping for a whatever just ask them what would a maybe could use this one as an example in other words it's going to look basically identical to this is going to have advertising a paid subscriptions what's it going to cost? After all they want to sell or give us a message board like this they should bill answer the questions as they're the people who did the software for this. Yes they really said you can have a free discussion group at least to start. https://invisioncommunity.com/ I was curious about the monthly supporter thing where exactly do we find that on this message board? A quick search I'm not finding it so obviously I'm not looking in the right place?
×
×
  • Create New...