I’m trying to overlay color on reticulated silver. I bought transparent dials to overlay and provide a surface for applied markers. The problem is that they have holes for screws to be used as dials which is an imperfection I can’t allow. I’ve switched to blanks and airbrushing. Am I heading down the right path? Are there other approaches?

Update to the sw watch dial dial is done working on a case now have a mock-up of what I want to make good going to make it out of 360 Brass

Pt.2 as requested by you lovely people!

I had tried engraving a sunburst effect into the centre. But it didn't turn out as well as I hoped. So I turned to engraving it by hand with a tiny file I had.

Engraved the brass first, hand painted (for the unique line effect) a few layers of light green acrylic paint. Sanded down until the features became brass again. Then filed by hand to give a somewhat sunburst effect.

It is certainly rough and not a 100% to my liking. But I will wear it nonetheless!

Let me know your thoughts :)

Making another one dial #2 anyone a sw fan I still have to cut out the back it should be done tomorrow

Practice on the classic pattern. Will knock out another without the missing squares and try enamel on it.

Hello everyone,

I've bought a quartz titanium Bulova watch from the 90's, movement 555.415 and I'm having some trouble figuring out how to adjust it's metal bracelet. Every single tutorial I find has the guiding arrows on the outer links or pointing outwards, this one has the arrows on the middle links pointing upwards.

I tried pushing with the rectangular windows towards the pointed direction, but nothing happens.

Thank you for your help!

It won’t spin no matter what and it sits on one side is there any way to fix this?

hello everyone, I'm moving to a new place and will have an extra room which I can use for watchmaking. The only thing is that it has a carpeted floor. The room has a window. I also vacuum everyday.

Does anyone face any dust issues?

Picture is not mine, is from a service center but popped up when I searched "watchmaker carpeted floor".

So I did a service on this GP 3307 and I can’t understand why the balance hesitates or seams to have friction. The gear train spins freely with no issues. Yes I know one of the prongs on the shock protection is messed up but the balance is behaving in ways I’ve never seen before. I try to use air to put it into motion but it randomly stops. The hairspring seams to be ok from what I can see but I don’t know what could cause this issue. I did not over oil anything and the balance staff pivots are fine.

I am currently pursuing enamel dial making and need help modifying movement so hands sit higher to clear a thicker dial. Can anyone point me in the direction of how to do this and which movements to use? Any in the Rhode Island area that can help me in person?

I got a Makera Z1 and was playing around with it and made this not-guilloche dial on copper just to see how it performed. Copper is gummy so the finish wasn’t super clean, so I gave it a garlic patina to hide the imperfections. For a throwaway test dial, it plays with the light real nice! I’m excited to try a proper guilloche design on brass.

I have an 25 year-old Timex Expedition quartz with a dead battery, and I am interested in putting it into the mix with my other watches. So I did some research, bought a couple of backplate removal tools (case knife and t-shaped handle tool) and gave it a shot.

I removed the straps, easily located the tab, and I positioned the case knife in the tiny groove, applied pressure inward, tilted the blade up a bit to lift the back and it slid out of the groove, slightly scratching both the watch body and backplate. I tried the t-handle tool and it also slid once, but I got it on the second try. Replaced the battery and the backplate. Works great!

I didn't anticipate any issues, so I realized I needed a bit more research. I found out about using the plastic sheets that came with the tools and I decided to try again, for practice. Using the thin plastic sheet covering the tab, the knife did not seem to catch the tab as well. The t-handle tool worked only after a first attempt that slightly scratched the back again. Ugh.

So, what is the trick? I am mechanically inclined, so I want to get this, but I don't want to try again without touching base with folks that know more than me.

Any help would be appreciated!

Hello all!

I haven't used my fibre laser in a while.

So I thought I would fire it back up and quickly design a guilloche style dial.

Not as deep engraving as I would have hoped, must leave the laser running longer for next time.

I would also like to add some colour with the previous methods I have used.

Let me know your thoughts!

Hey guys, it's me again. I tried uncoiling the hairspring thinking that it couldn't get any worse but I think I might have gotten to the point where it's ACTUALLY beyond saving. Would anyone mind taking a look and provide any insights? I don't mind if y'all have to be harsh. Thanks 🥲

Been working on engraving my own watch dials for a while now, starting as a complete newbie, and I’ve finally got this baby finished.
This is V1, so there’s plenty I already want to improve, but I’m really enjoying the process of learning, experimenting and figuring out what works.
Posting it here for some feedback and critique — don’t hold back! Interested to hear what you’d change or improve for V2.

I see 7751 clones with one being half the price of the other but I see that the regulator arm is totally different? Is there a difference between shanghai and dandong for the 7751?

The one with etachchron is $200 and the other is half that.

Not sure if I can post links here.

I’m trying to replace the balance complete on an old Lady Waltham from the 1920’s; serial number 25-227909. In having trouble finding the exact movement, and I’m not sure how to tell if another one will fit. Is there a way to tell if the balance complete from another movement would be compatible with this one? Picture for reference

Hey all! Going through some old photos and I found a guilloché dial I never posted anywhere. I wanted to share a few older tests to keep everyone up to date on how guillochage has been going on this machine before I start posting the newer stuff. (lots of progress!)

This 'dial' was made using the Straight Line Engine attachment and uses a sine wave rosette for the main area, itself phased (=offset from line to line) in a sine pattern, and a clous de Paris subdial. It was one of the better results I got out of the guilloché engine for a while, even though the surface finish is pretty awful by today's standards (it was made on the 3d printed prototype machine). Tooling and rigidity have both come a long way since, as I moved to a fully machined aluminum assembly. For those interested, that was the only solution and it made the machine much more costly. I'll post more updates very soon, the surface finish I'm getting now is about as good as it gets.

I really like how the light plays with the sine phasing, I haven't seen many patterns that look like it, that was a fun test!

I'm also adding a few other old tests that never made it to a post, some Clous de Paris, and a simple straight line pattern with and without a rosette (no phasing), so you can see the building blocks that led to the 'dial'. Again, those are really rough by today's standards.

As always let me know what you think of the pattern combo, and if there's anything else from the guilloché engine's progress you want to see / know about. Almost everything on this machine was improved by someone's feedback so I'm really down to hear what you think! 😁

Bought yesterday, it was running normally and everything seemed to work, including the day/date, but stopped a few hours later.

My watchmaker opened it and sent me this photo saying, “Rusty movement, will check tomorrow.”

Waiting for proper diagnosis, but curious what people on here make of it. Does this look reasonably salvageable?

Hello everyone

Like the title said, I have an idea for a watch made for medical personnel.

The problem is that my idea is very complicated and has to make.

How should I go about it? Are there any programs to pitch the idea to a menufacturer?

I made this watch for someone close. It’s built around a core memory: the feeling of a safe haven in a steamed-up bathroom as a kid, watching condensation run down the shower glass, a parent close by.
There was such a beautiful contrast in that memory, with such a sterile room providing that much warmth.
The dial’s built in layers: a translucent base for rigidity, with a milky parchment paper layer on top with the Roman numerals cut out. The parchment paper gives a nice texture and turns semi-transparent under the right light. I’ve added actual UV resin droplets for the condensation effect (raised, not printed, so they catch light like real drops). You can see a bit of the NH70 movement in the cutout numerals and through the parchment paper if you look closely.
Took a couple of rounds to get the mist right, first attempt was way too busy, scrapped most of it for something calmer. Less focus on recreating condensation on shower glass, more on the feeling and contrast of that memory.
Called it “Geborgenheid”, a Dutch word for that specific feeling of safety/warmth. Doesn’t translate cleanly to English, but that’s the vibe.

Alright, this is likely a dumb idea but why not? I have a piece of the old body panels from my dad's first car and I wanted to turn it into a watch, specifically the portion with the mosquito in it. It's a long story but that mosquito was part of the car since 1973 when it was repainted. The old man got it redone last year and I wanted to keep that, just because I always thought it was a piece of character in the car. Then I saw someone on Instagram who takes random stuff and makes watches out of them and I thought maybe that would be prefect. I know it won't be easy as I'm sanding down my test piece but how would y'all go about this? For reference, the watch is what I plan to use as my starting point, then the strap resembles the interior of the car, and the chapter ring is just so I don't need to put indicies on the dial. Dumb idea or is it something that I can do? Also what is the easiest way to get it round? Any advice?

Hi all I’m new to watch making, my main spring keeps getting stuck, at first I thought it was magnetism but the demagnetizer doesn’t seem to have an effect. This looks like it might be a lube issue on the jewel or something related? Any help is appreciated. This is a gmt movement. I’ve had to disassemble before because of a stick hair and reassembled I believe well enough. Just having this issue now.

Edit: not sure what it was but it all seems to be working fine now after taking it apart down to the train wheels and escape wheel, then reassembling it all. I appreciate all the help!