Had a bit of fun with a Q&Q watch

Yes, I am aware that the foil is still on, it's supposed to be a gift, so I've left all the tags and foils in place)

Hey, I’m needing a career change and I’ve ultimately found watchmaking is something that works really well for me. I went ahead and applied to the Rolex Watch Training Center, but I know it’s quite a long shot to get in. Should I apply to NAIOSW as well? Would it hurt my chances of getting in to RWTC?

Quartz movements do not require jewel bearings because the gears are operating relaxed and the motor torque is very small.

On the other hand, spring driven movements operate under constant stress from the main spring, that is why they need jewel bearings.

My question is, are there spring driven movements where power is separated from hands gears? I mean, one set of gears connects the main spring with the escapement wheel, while another set of gears, driven by the escapement wheel, propels the hands. In such solution the escapement wheel would behave like the stepper motor of a quartz movement.

Are there such designs?

This is phase one of cleaning and lubricating.

I successfully disassembled it !! Which is already a win since one of the springs decided to take off and fly... (but it was found!!)

I have Hexane and IPA, but I was thinking about using some lemon juice or WD40 before that?
Also there is some on the backside of the dial.

Suggestions??

Is this blue/green looking residue near the 1-2 o’clock a clear sign of a battery that has leaked? Watch is stated to be in running condition but am hesitant to buy because of this.

Pretty much the title. I am getting into watch making/repair... I am in the process of buying a bunch of tools, screwdrivers, tweezers, magnification etc.... I just want a movement I can work on/practice on. I stumbled upon this bulova 1955 watch.... less than 20usd... I think it looks pretty cool as well if I can get it working. Please let me know what you think.. Is this a good deal and is it a good beginner project?

Hello guys, i would need help in finding out which mechanism is this. Thank you!

My grandfather gifted me his watch and as I was removing the strap to place a new battery, I realised that it is quite rusty. What are my options to bring out the beauty from this bad boy?

Hi all, I've just recently started appreciating watches, and would love to make my own piece as a hobby/personal project. Any direction to point me to, to get started?

I finally assembled this today after working on the idea for a while and wanting to move past the “traditional” mod builds.

It uses a Crazy Hours / jumping-hour movement, so the hour hand jumps to the next hour even though the numbers are intentionally scattered around the dial. The minute hand works normally.

I designed the dial myself with my own brand “logo” and added a little handwritten “crazy hours” detail using my own handwriting because why not lol.

The case is 40 mm polished steel, with a textured denim strap. My gf assembled it under my guidance as I fractured my hand and simply couldn’t wait until I get the cast off. Seeing the whole thing actually working after staring at digital mockups for so long was pretty damn satisfying ngl.

I know the dial is VERY busy and definitely won’t be everyone’s thing, but that was kind of the point.
Curious what you guys think, especially about the hands and strap. Would you keep them as they are, or go with something different?

Hello, fellow watchmakers,
I am an amateur who was really inspired by the mechanisms in a mechanical watch, and I wanted to make one on my own. I made this watch (link attached below) based on this website's guide. Along with this, I followed the NIHS standards for the gear trains and worked to make my other parts compatible with them (currently there are 13 parts; it is still bare-bones). However, when I tried to simulate the watch's operation using my input parameters (such as spring constants and damping), SolidWorks Motion Analysis simply failed, even at lower time steps, without error after crossing the first second mark. I strongly believe it is due to the size factor of the parts; the impact-based contact fails. If you know of any software I could use as an alternative to SolidWorks Motion Analysis to simulate, please do let me know.

All animations are slowed down
Swiss Escapement - failed at the 4-second mark

Going Train - failed at the 1.2-second mark

Also, if you have any suggestions on where I could learn more about watchmaking and manufacturing, please let me know. Many thanks :)

Doesn’t look too shabby for £1, scrap leather & some elbow grease. The leather has a higher level of friction which grips the watch case a lot better. Second photo is of the old slippery plastic leather.

I am looking at making a thin .1mm copper date overlay disc to go over the date disc on the sw330 gmt. Would that extra weight likely cause issues? The date disc itself is aluminum.

if you think it would cause an issue could i thin the aluminum date disc before i adhere the copper overlay?

Hi Everyone,

Not sure if this is the right sub for this (please let me know if it’s not). A bunch of years ago I was given a watchmakers lathe thats lived in a box on my shelf. It is definitely incomplete, i think there are a bunch of pieces missing from the headstock like bearings etc at the bare minimum, and it has no collets or anything to hold a piece. (not pictured is the motor and foot pedal, i do have those too.)

My question is this something that can be restored or will it be prohibitively expensive to do that. I am not a watchmaker or jeweller but I’d love to repair/ restore it if it wont bankrupt me.

Thanks in advance if you have any insight!

I got a nice E. Quartier & Fils pocket watch (movement number 3!) and it has this unusual escapement. Does anyone know about it?

During the adjustment of the beat error on this freshly services movement I unfortunately slipped and bend the hairspring - not repairable.

So I then searched for spare parts on this caliber 06 but there are almost none. Since this movement is based on the peseux 200 I actually found a balance assembly and ordered it. But the balance staff is too long so it gets squeezed by the capstones - in fact so long, that shimming it doesnt work either because it needs more than a millimeter play upward to even swing. I was wondering if I could maybe change the haursprings from the peseux balance to the gp one but the gp spring is blued and the peseux one isnt. I also don't have a staking set yet, so I can't just swap them and see what happens.

Maybe one of you guys has an idea on how to fix this or even has a replacement for the balance itself from the cal 06. I really really want this watch to work again. Before the slip it read 290° Amplitude and had +/- 2 seconds a day.

Just a bit overkill and gaudy but at least I'll know it's mine

Thanks to the mods for the OK to post this.

I built a free 3D bench where you take a vintage Omega movement apart and put it back together, screw by screw, as an animation. I made it to learn the parts.

It covers calibre's 565, 564, 861, 321 and 1040. Each step shows the right tool, every part carries its Omega part number, and some calibre's include the oiling steps.

It's free, with no sign-up and no ads. It works on a phone or tablet but plays best on a Desktop.

It's new and still in beta. What's wrong, what feels off, and which calibre's should come next?

https://watchbreaker.com/bench?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=watchmaking

Hi everyone. I'm making my own dial for a project. The material I'm using is aluminum with paint that is damaged, but not flaking as far as I can tell. Is there any clear lacquer, or something you can recommend to treat it with so it's preserved?

Hi folks, im new to watchmaking hence , pls go easy on me. Is there any tips on how to align so many pivots to the bridge, ive been trying for past hour. 😭

It holds the 4th wheel and cannon pinion down, and it was a pain to remove. I pulled it off and put it back on so I don't lose it.

Is it there to prevent the cannon pinion from lifting off? Or so you don't put the seconds hand on too far? Or did my seconds hand break a piece off?

What is the purpose of it? 2824 movement

Went to the Wessex branch meeting of the BHI last week and saw an excellent talk from Owen Gilchrist on the Aegler Watch company, their movement development, work with Rolex and eventual purchase by the same.

It featured live demonstrations and great discussion on these and other movements/watch companies. Plus stories about George Daniels and other master watchmakers.

Also very interesting chat about Smiths watches, not least the debate on whether it was Smiths or Rolex that made it to Everest’s summit first.

Hello everyone. I am recently thinking about getting an automatic oiler, specifically the Bergeon 2718a. I want to oil cap jewels with it only. Normal Incabloc jewels are easy, but I absolutely hate the non shock protected Balance jewels, since they are a real pain to oil properly. But I don't work on these too often. My question: I have the chance to get an unused and original packaged one with a spare tip for 55€. Should I take the deal? I think it's more of a "want" thing than a necessity. But I think it could be worth it since the small balance screws, holding the cap jewels in place are prone to break if I have to assemble and disassemble it 2-3 times if I fuck up the assembly process and displace the oil. And if just one movement doesn't break which it otherwise would have, could be worth that price. But I am really torn. What do you guys think?