favourite tools

[canwdarose]

I've been working on my little collection of watches (Seiko 5106, ETA 536.121 in a Birk's branded diver, ETA 2783 in a Benrus, ETA 2789 running a really nice Mirexal dial/case, 1950's Wittnauer Automatic in the queue for an overhaul)) for about a year now and I've decided that Rodico, good tweezers, excellent screwdrivers, eye-glass mount loupe lens, and decent cleaning fluids and u-sonic machine - plus the all-important "large" turkey roasting bag - are my favorite tools.  I will get a real watch cleaning machine at some point, and a timer.  And probably progress to jewel and balance work in the not too distant future.

I've also discovered that the mechanics of precision work, mostly thanks to Mark's great videos and Martin's unbelievably good writing and photos in "adventuresinamatuerwatchfettling", are pretty accessible and moderately straightforward to learn.  So far, I've stuck to stripping, cleaning, lube and re-assembly, plus replacing worn or damaged parts, including crystals.

What I haven't been able to quickly understand is the sourcing of parts, cross referencing, sources of information (technical manuals), and how much experience and knowledge counts for knowing how to identify and source replacement parts.  Even mundane things like a cross reference between my Seiko 5106-8010 to the OEM replacement crystal number takes me an hour of checking on the internet, or deciding what the correct gasket/o-ring size for a watch case back is still a matter of fear and trepidation.

i hope that comes with experience and practice - but from my perspective, that is the hardest part of watch maintenance (I'm not going to claim I'm repairing) - identifying replacement parts for my old watches.  luckily, this site, forum and friendly community exists to help.  Thanks to everyone who asks and answers questions - your curiousity and skills feed my own and I appreciate the thoughtful, supportive, generous nature of forum users.

Attached is the 5106 - a 33 jewel marvel from Seiko.  A ton of parts, but they all serve a purpose - hacking seconds, instant/simultaneous day/date change, manual date change, automatic and manual wind, and every jewel supports a rotating shaft.

Happy New Year!

Bill