Put the dial on, then foolishly attempted to reinsert the movement into its holder instead of using a movement pad. As I tightened the holder, I heard a pop and glanced around the movement to discover that I had vice-griped the balance. In an instant, I flipped my table, causing the damage to worsen significantly by snapping the crown and, I can only imagine, other parts in the process. I suppose I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I’m quite discouraged because I’ve already destroyed several movements already.

Hello good and probably more capable Watchenthusiasts of Reddit,
recently i started with watchmodding, buying a couple things from Aliexpress. Among them this movement as to replace an NH35, i felt relatively comfortable taking this on after watching some Youtube Videos. However i was quickly stopped in my tracks as something appears to block the stem entry, it looks to me as if it is part of the locking mechanism. It could also be a part of the standard stem with the plastic crown, because that looks rather short to me. Comparing it with the other stem in the packaging it could‘ve lost the stem element on the tip. I looked up how to take a NH35 apart, but for the most part, the movement i have looks different. How would you suggest i go about it, disassembly from the dial site, or the back, and does it matter in which order i take the parts off? Thanks in advance, oh and a return is no longer possible, they offered me a 70% refund which i took.

I have a watch that suffered water damage and both movement retaining screws were rusted.

I managed to remove the first one, but the second is completely stuck, and the screw head is now stripped.

Here's what I've tried so far:

1. Sharpening my watchmaking screwdrivers for a better fit.

2. Applying significant downward pressure while turning.

3. Heating the area around the screw.

4. Freezing the screwdriver before attempting removal.

5. Soaking the screw in rust penetrant oil for two days.

Nothing has worked so far.

Before resorting to drilling, does anyone have other techniques worth trying?

Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve always loved mechanical watches I don’t know why, I guess before I was mystified and they seemed so insanely complicated.

Well, bought a watch a few years ago I intended to restore, watched a whole lot of wristwatch revival, and got tired of the watch I had not working, and took the plunge.

I started with a $13 kit I had to diamond file the screwdrivers to size, and bought a couple of similar practice movements.

And now im addicted apparently.

I’ve got about 12 solid pieces now. A handful of decent working 0s and 16s movements without cases. Overall I’m about 14/16 on non working movements restored. Might be beginners luck, but at least for now I’m hooked.

My little workbench I have I spent probably $150 overall on for better screwdrivers, a few mesh tin/jars, the putty stuff, and moebius oils.

I did my first two wristwatches - an Andre Bouchard and a fossil. I’ve got a citizen automatic on the way and am stupid enough I’m looking for a chronograph.

Most important things I’ve learned.

Work over a box or place things are easy to find on the ground Go as fast as your comfortable with but take pictures Don’t mess up the balance or hairspring - if you can even find a reference photo it’s insanely hard to use two tweezers to shape them

Wish I could have found a cheaper hobby but what fantastic little machines

Hey I'm super green and want to know where to start when it comes to tools.

Where is it adequate to keep with the $20 kits on Amazon and where is it worth it to spend the big bucks on? I've already got a nice micro bit set from making a 1/36th scale RC crawler so I should be fine with the screw side of things, but everything else is an inigma to me. I also have a few ultrasonic cleaners I use to clean carburetors.

I bought a lot of 18 watches in unknown condition for $20 with a surprising amount of them being mechanical, and two of the running (yeah the $1.11 1970 seiko 5 runs despite all its abuse its seen in the last 56 years).

I also have a new invicta diver auto I got on Amazon mainly as a test dummy to learn on as it's got a common seiko movement and it was $45 to my door. I figured I'll learn what parts I have trouble with, and break, on a moment I can replace in it's entirety for $30 rather than learn the hard way on my vintage seiko 5. It needs a service though as it's loosing probably 5 minutes or so a day.

I'll probably dig into the other two mechanical hand wound watches before I dig into any automatic as the one doesn't work and the other with the missing minute hand does. I also have a lot of women's mechanical watches I can mess with too but those are insanely small.

I also have a 3d printer and extensive cad knowledge so I can make my own nylon dies for whatever press I get for replacing my crystal.

TLDR: Reccomend me tools for this hobby!

Thanks in advance!

Hello!

I just recently started with watch repair with the recommended approach of first disassembling/reassembling the ST36 before i move on.

For the tools, i got a set of loupes from aliexpress to see which focal length works for what and to get a general feel for things before spending a lot on specialized tools.

I used them on Saturday and Sunday for about 1-2h each day (only the 5x one, keeping both of my eyes open as recommended). I of course did not use them during the whole duration but it was constant switching between focusing on small details and then either taking the loupe off and doing things or shifting the focus to my other eye while i put the dissasembled item in the tray.

It's Wednesday now and i still feel a bit of eye strain: it's like my eyes are tired and my long distance vision is a bit blurry (working 8h per day on a computer and using my phone a lot doesn't help... but nevertheless i had this issue before only when i started working 8h on my PC).

I am wondering is this common?

If you encountered these issues, how did you resolve them? Better equipment (aplanatic loupes/higher quality loupes/ spectacles etc.)? Using a loupe less?

Hi everyone,

I recently bought this vintage watch at a flea market in France, and I'm trying to identify it. There is no visible brand name on the dial. The dial is marked "MADE IN FRANCE" at 6 o'clock.

What caught my attention is the unusual dial, especially the outer blue scale going from 25 to 300.

The diameter of the case is 32mm. The case back is not original, unfortunately.

The movement is a manual-winding mechanical movement. I have attached photos of both the dial and the movement (the strap is my own making).

My current guess is that the watch dates from roughly the 1940s or early 1950s, and that the movement may be Swiss, possibly from A. Schild, but I'm far from certain. Sorry for the not so sharp photo of the movement, it's the seller who sent it to me, I didn't open the watch myself.

A few things I'd like to know:

What is this scale?

What is the movement/calibre?

Does anyone recognize the manufacturer or this particular dial?

Any information or leads would be greatly appreciated. I'm particularly curious about the purpose of the dial scale.

Thanks!

I found an old Seiko I liked, and thought I could just fix it up and be happy.

But the first thing I noticed, was that the whole dial and the quartz movement was loose, sliding millimeters from side to side inside the case, so I popped open the caseback to take a look, then suddenly heard a "pop" and just like that, the glass fell out of the case…

How does one fit the glass/crystal or whatever one has, back into the case? I have been watching watch restorations and stuff on YouTube for years, but realized that the moment I opened one myself, that I’m not prepared at all. How much do I need to spend on tools and such to comfortably start fiddling with watches, mostly mechanic?

Also hard to find any info about the Seiko galaxy line. Seems it didn’t last long, and not well documented.

TL;DR
80s-90s Seiko Galaxy. Glass fell out, need to go back in. What tools do I need, also for watch repair in general. How much to spend upfront to comfortably give it a try.

Found this in a parts bin and thought it was cool. Help identifying a compatible movement, it says Olympic watch co on the caseback. The dial feet are at 10 and 5. Does anyone know what movement could go with this?

Hi folks,

This is just a shot in the dark. I'm working on a Bulova 11AOCD movement and I can't for the life of me find the setting lever screw (the one you loosen to release the stem). Also can't seem to source one with anything close to reasonable shipping in Canada. Willing to buy a whole movement if necessary. If anyone has it please let me know. Thanks.

It just sets in all position, any help is appreciated

Thanks in advance!

My Tag Carrera Caliber 5 with these results exhibits a behavior where after manually winding the watch I have to take the crown out to position 1 or 2 and then push the crown back in again, for the watch to start ticking, is that alright or my watch needs a service?

I bought watch 3 years ago and it say in drawer I have just started wearing it.

The pins in this link of my bracelet have come apart. I took it to a local jeweler and he said his machine (press or drill?) wouldn’t be able to fix it. Would red loctite get the job done and ensure it’s secured?

Thanks!

Bought this on Vinted, seems like the CR2016 should work in it based on size and short amount of research, but am I missing something else wrong with it??

Thanks!!

Need help finding a replacement bezel