Watch Repair 101: Automatic Mainspring Hand Service

Removing and Reinstalling an automatic mainspring by hand.

Watch Repair Tools

As I have promised in a previous post, I'll show and explain all the basic watch repair tools and materials one has to have in order to properly service a watch. Most of the items featured here are Swiss Made as I believe in quality, although it can be rather expensive but the Swiss makes quality stuff especially those by Bergeon, A*F is also good by the way.

As a friend once told me, buy cheap buy twice. Because, when you buy cheap stuff, the day will come when it fails to function properly and you will think about buying better stuff. Hence, buying twice.

Alright, enough with the ranting, and lets start with the tools.

TOOLS

Loupe / Magnifier

The most important tool for the watch repairer, is the loupe or magnifier as some call it. Without this, you cannot do anything watch related at all as the parts are tiny, microscopic. The loupe enables you to see the parts properly, and repair it. 

The loupe I got was a 2-inch focus or approximately 5x. Buy a good quality loupe here as it involves your eyes. Cheap loupes tend to distort the image and makes your job worse. I bought a Bergeon No.2611 loupe, 2-inch focus.

Loupe

Screwdrivers

The next most important tool is screwdrivers. A watch movement is held together by screws, tiny ones. Therefore, screwdrivers are very important and its best to buy good quality ones too, especially the blades. Cheap blades tend to dull easily and chip. Furthermore, with cheap screwdrivers it runs the risk of marring the screw head. 

I bought rather good quality Chinese made ones, and I replaced the blades upon buying with good quality Swiss blades made by A*F. Common sizes are 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 mm. 

Screwdrivers

Tweezers

Another important tool is tweezers which are extensions of your hand. It enables you to pick up the tiny watch parts and reach into the narrow spaces to adjust the parts.

Good quality tweezers is a must, if you get the wrong quality tweezers they either can't pick up the parts or it will send it flying into oblivion. Dumont are the best, but pricey. I got a pair of them for general work. Pictured is a Vetus for finer parts, as I seldom use this, I bought Vetus which is more economically priced.

General sizes are #3 for general work, #5 for fine work, and a pair of brass tweezers for soft parts. 

Tweezers

Oiler

Oilers are tools for which you pick up the right amount of oil to lubricate the watch. Watch oilers are specially designed to pick up the correct amount of oil required to lubricate the watch. It only picks up a minuscule amount which is all the watch needs. 

Here, its best to buy a good quality oiler as its tip is shaped correctly (see inset of 2nd photo). I bought a Bergeon Fine oiler. 

Oiler 

Inset: Shape of oiler tip

Movement Holder

Another tool essential to repairing is the Movement Holder. This tool holds the watch movement while you disassemble or assemble it. Without this, you cannot repair a watch. 

Here, same goes buy good quality. Cheap ones can't hold the movement well, making your servicing a nightmare. 

I bought a Bergeon No. 4040 movement holder.

Movement Holder

Oil Cup

As its name denotes, an oil cup is a tool which holds the oils and greases used in servicing watches. We do not take the oil directly each time from the bottle as this will cause contamination of the stock oil. What we do is, we take a clean oiler and transfer a few drops of oil from the bottle to the oil cup for use. When oiling the watch, the oil is taken from the cup.

Here, you can buy cheap, it has no other function other than holding the oil. I bought an economy priced chinese made plastic oil cup with 3 wells. Note: Always keep the oil cup covered to prevent contamination of oil in the cups.

Oil Cup

Blower

A blower blows air. This tool is used to blow the dust off the watch when assembling and to dry parts after cleaning. It is also used to blow at the gears to test for freedom of movement. An indispensable tool, never blow a watch movement with your mouth. 

You can buy cheap here, as the cheap ones work as well as the expensive ones. Test the rubber, if its rather plastic then don't buy it as it'll crack later. Buy those with a natural rubber feel. 

Blower

Case Holder

This tool is used to hold the watch case steady while you open the caseback or close it. It comes in Aluminum as well as Wood. I prefer this aluminum one as its more sturdy and I can clamp it in my bench vise. 

I bought an economy priced but quality one made in India. 

Case Holder

Materials and Consumables

Finger Cots

Finger cots are mini gloves for your fingers. It prevents oils and dirt from our fingers landing in the watch during assembly stage. Put in on the fingers handling the watch movement.

These can be bought at the nearest chemist/ pharmacy shop.

Finger Cots

Lighter Fluid/ Naphtha

When overhauling a watch movement, all parts need to be cleaned. In professional shops, they have specialized cleaning solutions. But for hobbyists, it is sufficient to use the traditional method of hand cleaning with Naphtha or more commonly found is lighter fluid, the same stuff different names. 

Use in an open space with good ventilation. Wear full hand gloves, not finger cots. Clean parts using an artist brush.

Lighter fluid

Watch Oil 

This is a fine watch oil used to oil the train wheels and other fast moving parts in the watch requiring lubrication.

I bought Novostar B, Swiss Made. Another option is the pricier Moebius 9010.

Watch Oil

Watch Grease

In oiling watches, certain slow moving parts and high friction parts require not oil but grease as it is heavier and stays in place. This grease is also used in the keyless works, winding mechanism, and mainspring barrel as well as the mainspring. 

I bought Moebius 8300 as in Malaysia, it stays as a grease compared to 8200 which becomes a thick oil instead. (its too hot here)

Watch Grease

Silicone Grease

Silicone grease is used to grease the watch gaskets to ensure water tightness. Its used to grease the caseback gasket, crown gasket, bezel gasket, and pushers for chronograph.

I bought the good quality one made by Seiko.

Silicone Grease

Alright everyone, that's all for today. Will follow up soon with my overhauling project. Thanks for looking and stay tuned for more.

JEEP WATCH WORKS - CASE REFINISHING, RESTORATION & RELUMING SERVICES

Good day everyone, thanks for visiting my blog.

A latest announcement for everyone, our affiliated main site JEEP WATCH WORKS is now offering more services in addition to their main Modding Services.

The new services are:

1. Case & Bracelet refinishing by hand- restoring your watch case and bracelet to original standards and taking care of deep scratches. (Stainless Steel case only)
2. Hand Polishing of Case & Bracelet- removes surface scratches (will not remove deep scratches). (Stainless steel case only)
3. Dial & Hands reluming- Bringing back the GLOW to old dials.

Pricing in Ringgit Malaysia:

1. Case& Bracelet Refinishing: RM 45/=
2. Case or Bracelet Only Refinishing: RM 35/=
3. Hand polishing Case & Bracelet: RM 35/=
4. Hand Polishing Case or Bracelet only: RM 25/=
5. Dial & Hand Reluming: Please email JEEP WATCH WORKS

All prices inclusive of PosLaju within Malaysia.

For international customers please contact JEEP WATCH WORKS for shipping charges.

Thanks for looking.

Incoming.......Seiko Vintage 7006 for repair.....

Just put in an order for a vintage Seiko 7006 19 jewels watch. Its listed by the seller as running but needs servicing as its off the charts for its accuracy.

Cosmetically from the pictures it looks in good condition with original bracelet too, but i'll know more when it arrives. Can't wait !!!!!

Planning to fix it up as a project. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile some pics from the seller. And more pics once it arrives....

from: jamlama.blogspot.com

Grand Seiko- The Art of Watchmaking from Japan

A video on how Grand Seiko are made. Grand Seiko is the top of the line offering from Seiko, along with Credor. It features hand assembly and adjustments to standards even stricter than COSC with temperature compensation. Its still rather less known outside Japan but efforts has been made in recent years to promote Grand Seiko worldwide.

Watch Repair Tools and Consumables- Part 1

Its been a long time since I posted here, and I would like to extend a great thank you to all those who came back frequently as well as the new visitors. Do visit often as there will be updates as soon as possible. I'm very sorry that I was missing for so long as I have been very very busy with assignments and stuff......so yeah, wish me luck..... :)

Well, here's the first part of an installment about the different watch repair tools and consumables.

Yes, you heard correctly, WATCH REPAIR TOOLS, yup I'm officially diving in to the world of horology to the next level, watch repair. My complete tools and consumables arrived 2 weeks ago and now I have time to introduce and describe them one by one.

I'm planning on servicing my own SKX007 in this June holidays, yup, my trusty diver is gonna be my first guinea pig.....wish me luck..... Further on, I might be offering retail servicing too....will update ASAP...

Well, first things first, I'm still rather busy so I'm just gonna post the group shots of my tools and stuff first.....the detailed individual description will come in the following parts....stay tuned and do visit back.....best of all, SUBSCRIBE to keep updated....

Alright, Group Shot Time....

Tools Shot (Clockwise from left): Silicone Grease, Movement Holder, Oiler, Oil Cup, Grease, Loupe

Yeah, most of them are Swiss and Japanese stuff, cost me a fortune....but what the hey.....its gonna give me a lifetime of good service....nothing but the best !!

Plus, there's a saying, buy cheap buy twice.....

Stay tuned for individual descriptions in the following PART 2.....thanks for reading....

Aquadive - How its made: Dive Watch Case

A very informative video from Aquadive, a manufacturer of professional dive watches. It shows how a dive watch case is machined from a solid block of surgical grade stainless steel. Dive watches need solid cases to be able to maintain its structural integrity when used in professional diving where the pressure experienced at those depths are tremendous.

Rolex - The Rolex Metals

Rolex, the undeniable crown in the watch arena. A brand synonymous with luxury, prestige, money, class, achievement. Show the crown and almost everyone knows the brand. Its the epitome of perfect brand equity, positioning and recognition.

However, behind the brand stands an unparalleled tradition of innovation, and pushing new frontiers. Rolex has came up with new and improved metals to use in its watches, improving the accuracy, durability and the reliability for it to live up to the Rolex brand.

Here, we will list some of Rolex SA in house developed metals explaining the base metals in it and its properties.

Parachrom :

 An alloy of Niobium and Zirconium, fused together at 2400C  in a vacuum foundry. Its an immensely brittle metal and difficult to machine. Its main properties is that its totally non magnetic and will not be affected by magnets at all. Rolex has perfected the technique to turn it into hairsprings, the heart of the watch. Parachrom hairsprings are fitted in all new production Rolexes.

Rolesor:

A Rolex term for the combination of 904L steel and 18ct gold models.

Rolesium:

A Rolex term for the combination of 904L steel and 950 platinum models. First introduced in the Yacht Master II.

904L steel:

A special grade of stainless steel that is extremely hard, corrosion resistant and strong. Its difficult to machine and form, but it holds the polish well and is rather difficult to scratch.

Everose Gold:

An alloy of gold, namely rose gold developed in house by Rolex. This grade of rose gold is able to retain its rose color for eternity. Normal rose gold will lose its color if it contacts chlorine, but Everose Gold remains the same.

Cerachrom:

A ceramic material that is designed to offer everlasting beauty and functionality even in the extreme conditions. Its a combination of ceramic and gold or platinum. Exclusively used in bezel inserts.

Lunch time...@ RAW Pizza Steak Pasta

Alright today i'm going abit off topic, nothing related to horology, but what the hey???  Even a horology nut needs to eat right? Plus I brought my trusty SKX007 along, so here comes, a review of the place where I had a great lunch.

A friend recommended me this new place serving western food, and so on Thursday, we decided to mount a food tasting expedition to this new place. So on we go..........

This restaurant is run by two young men, which I can say is very capable, confident, friendly and open to improvements. Its truly remarkable that they have the endeavor to venture into the western food business, and best of all one of them is the In House chef and all food are prepared by him personally.

The first thing I notice when stepping in was the interior design of the restaurant, everything was functional, simple yet eclectic and chic. The floor was of simple screed cement but it mixes well with the overall look of the restaurant. The ambiance is great and conducive for business as well as a place to hang out and unwind.

As to service, the waiters and the two proprietors are very friendly, provide fast service, good conversationalists and are able to recommend the items available in their menu very well. The menu is well designed, well planned and looks very professional.

Food wise, everything is just GREAT. The presentation is very artistic, taste is Delicious, the pasta is cooked to perfection, and everything just blends in well providing an overall great experience. By the way, I ate the Pasta Bolognese. The house specialties are the hand made pizza, steak and pasta. Prices are affordable, especially for college students.If you love western cuisine, this is a place to try out.

At the end of the day for me, its a definite thumbs up and I'll return for more. Bank on me visiting this place in the near future. All the best !!!!

and.....some pictures to show.....

My Pasta Bolognese and my friend's Pasta Cabonara

My SKX007 also wants to eat pasta bolognese :D

and....also their Facebook page 

Facebook- RAW Pizza Steak Pasta

Address:

25, Jalan Austin Heights 8/4, Taman Mount Austin

Johor Bahru

Tel: +607-364 2433

Open Daily from 11am - 10.30pm

Jaquet Droz - Ateliers d'art New Website

Jaquet Droz, the renowned Swiss watch brand known for its Haute Horolgerie timepieces which are meticulously hand crafted in the Swiss valley of La Chaux-de-Fonds. All their timepieces combine high watchmaking and exemplary hand crafting using traditional techniques perfected over the centuries to produce one of a kind watches.

Now, in order to promote and preserve the heritage of handcrafting and traditional techniques such as The Art of Painting, Engraving, Grand Feu Enameling, and Paillonné enameling; Jaquet Dros has created a website dedicated to the artist and the art of decoration. Its the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d'art .

Do visit this website to gain an invaluable insight into never before seen art of decorations, and to be able to appreciate better the dedication and meticulousness of the artists in creating these works of art.

Jaquet Droz - Ateliers d'Art

Baselworld - Seiko - Seiko Premier Moonphase Kinetic Direct Drive

credit: ablogtowatch

Brand: Seiko

Model:  SRX008P1

Seiko has introduced a new Kinetic Direct Drive model at Baselworld 2015 this year. Its launched under the Premier line. It costs around RM 4000 above but its truly a remarkable watch with complications at this price range. It houses the Caliber 5D88, Kinetic Direct Drive.

The Kinetic Direct Drive movement is at the mid to high end range of the Seiko quartz movement hierarchy, nearer to the Spring Drive counterparts. The Kinetic Direct Drive improves from its Kinetic counterparts in its ability to be handwound to charge the battery. The Seiko Kinetic technology utilizes the automatic winding principle of a mechanical watch and in turn uses it to charge a capacitor. In normal Kinetic models, the only way to charge the capacitor is to wear or shake the watch. In the Kinetic Direct Drive model, in addition to the normal winding via the rotor, the user can wind and charge the capacitor through winding the crown. This model includes a power reserve indicator that shows in real time how much charge is remaining. Maximum power reserve for this model is at 1 month.

The Caliber 5D88 includes a date via a subdial at 3 oclock, day of the week, AM/PM indicator as expressed via a synchronized 24 hour hand in the subdial above 6 o'clock, as well as a moonphase indicator under 12 o'clock.

The dial is classy with Roman Numerals and a good mix of rose gold hands and silver highlights for the subdials, which makes it look formal, classy and at the same time unique, All the complications are adjusted via the crown in various positions. The moonphase is adjusted by a recessed pusher set at the left side of the case.

It has the usual characteristics of the Seiko Premier line with the dauphine hands, case shape and slightly protruding lug screws, paired with leather straps and deployant clasp as default. The case size of this model is at 40mm, with a thickness of approximate 13mm. The size is very suited as a dress and casual watch, although abit on the thick side. It comes with sapphire crystal as well as 100m water resistance.

Overall its a great looking watch, however availability in Malaysia is TBC.

Baselworld 2015 - Bulgari - Concept Watch 'Diagono Magnesium'

Latest updates from BaselWorld 2015, Bulgari has introduced a new concept watch, the Bulgari Diagono Magnesium.

watchpro.com

Its a hybrid between mechanical watch and digital technology, utilizing NFC. I term it, smart-mechanical watch. It features the Wrist Vault technology, where the owners personal data and identification is stored in an encrypted system in the watch. Hence it enables the watch to function as an electronic key, able to be used to unlock cars, make credit card payments wirelessly and transmit owner identification purposes.

It is still in the concept stage, no word has been given on the retail availability at this time.

Check out this Youtube video from the Bulgari Channel.




And also this video where Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin describes the concept and idea behind the Diagono Magnesium.

Hublot Magic Gold

Hublot, a watch manufacture in Switzerland known for its cutting edge design, innovative technology and striking designs has once again topped its achievements with the introduction of the new Big Bang Limited Edition 250 pieces in Magic Gold.

It can be said that the most iconic Hublot watch is the timeless Big Bang, which in its first introduction offered a unique combination of gold and rubber. Since then, it has reappeared in various combinations including titanium, ceramic and now Magic Gold.

Before we move into the new Big Bang Magic Gold, lets find out what IS Magic Gold.

 hublot.com, 2015

Magic Gold is an innovative new type of gold alloy invented  by Hublot scientists alongside the prestigious EPFL Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. After 3 years of research, they came up with a Gold Alloy, called Magic Gold which is the only Scratch Resistant gold in the world, at 1000 Vickers hardness.

Although its an alloy of Gold, it has been 'certified as 18 carats by the Central Office for Precious Metals Control'(hublot.com, 2015) Therefore, in all its form, it is considered as Gold.

Hublot is now able to manufacture and finish this material in house with the installation of a high tech foundry in its Nyons facility.

For further information, you can read the full article here:

http://www.hublot.com/en/news/hublot-unveils-the-big-bang-unico-full-magic-gold-the-world-s-only-scratch-resistant-gold-watch

My Favorite Brands

When it comes to watch brands, every one has their own preferences. To me, it is divided into two categories:

1) Brands which I like and can afford at the moment.

2) Brands which I like and maybe acquire in the future.

So lets take a look at my brands which goes into these two categories.....


1) Brands Affordable Now

• Seiko
• Orient
• Citizen
• Tissot

2) Brands For Future Acquisition

• Rolex
• Omega
• Patek Philippe
• Nomos
• Damasko
• Audemars Piguet

So what's your favorite brands??

How it all started......

Hi all, those who are reading this. Welcome to my new blog.

Here I will be going on about how I practically stumbled upon the fascinating world of watches or in the more regarded term Horology. It all started around 5 years ago when I was browsing through a watch shop here in Johor Bahru. 

I saw a Seiko 5 watch and it was going for around RM 200 if i'm not wrong, the sales person approached and said, " Hi, you want to buy watches isit ? This one good, no need change battery for ever." I was like, What??? never needing to change a battery? Then I asked the shop keeper, he took the watch out for me to look and showed me the movement seen through the exhibition casebacks found on Seiko 5. 

He said "You shake the watch and this thing ( the rotor) turns then your watch will work. If stop, then just shake again. " I was like, WOW. This is something new, and the price is almost the same as an entry level Seiko Quartz. However, I did not buy that watch at the time as RM200 was quite a fortune for me ( a secondary student at the time). What it did was pique my interest in watches. 

Then I went home and Googled about automatic watches. VOILA... a whole ton of information descended upon me. I was like, WOW, there's a whole different world of watches out there. There were, blogs, forums, websites wiki articles and pricelists which go to the extreme $$$$, all about one thing; Mechanical Watches. After a few days of reading and visiting sites, i was totally fascinated with the world of horology and the watches themselves, hence the decision for me to join the Malaysia Watch Forum and also Watchuseek.

Five years on, and 5 automatic watches later, here I am.... starting a blog on my journey into horology world and my future travels in this realm. Do stay tuned as I will update my blog on the latest info regarding watches and my ever expanding collection. hehehe, always on the prowl for the next acquisition.

By the way, for those who are interested, I am a great fan of Seiko watches, followed by Orient. I am a fan of Rolex, Omega, PP also Nomos. However, my collection currently only includes 4 Seiko and an Orient, as these are affordable, stylish and quality products. Maybe the Swiss might join in at a later stage when I have the ability to do so, however for now, its Seiko all the way !!!