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Here is my cat "Lew" helping me adjust a pocket watch and adding a hair to places one should never be.

I have a Levin lathe that was missing a handle - that was today's little project and I thought I'd post some photos. The blank is small, .220" dia and less than an inch long. I turned the press fit section in big lathe then switch to a Pultra and did the balance by hand with a graver. Fun work, sort of like wood turning. The one I made is on the right, obviously not identical, but good enough for an eyeball job

Many oils have suggested shelf life of 6 years when they are bought new. Then again it is suggested that watches should be serviced every 6 years so. My question is: If a watch is serviced with a brand new oils... OR ...With oils that are near their recommended shelf life Could one expect there to be a significant difference in the performance of the watch? I mean, in theory, the oils are either 6 or 12 years old at the time of the next service. Let’s assume that the oils have been properly stored

i use an endoscope.

How can I get angry at a cute guy like him!

Swatch v Cousins. Swatch Appeal against Bern Court decision. View this email in your browser Swatch. A Watch Company that Wastes Time... “Forum Running” is a term that describes an attempt to avoid legal action threatened in one Court, by dragging it to another that has no real reason to deal with it. It is a rather unlawful practice that is sometimes used by big companies to frighten off smaller opponents by wasting their time and money. When the Judge in Bern dismissed Swatch’s claim against Cousins, he made it tolerably clear that Forum Running was not going to be allowed in his Court. Wasting time and money in the hope Cousins will go away seems to be one of Swatch’s tactics, and the fact that they have now, as we expected, appealed against the Bern Court ruling seems to demonstrate that they still haven’t learned that Cousins will not be frightened off, and will see this through to the end. What particularly demonstrates the time wasting nature of the appeal is that the Bern decision was based on a ruling from the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, and it is this very same body that the appeal has been made to. Our Swiss lawyers are currently studying the details of the appeal, which arrived with them recently, however, it seems on first reading that Swatch are trying to argue, amongst other things, that the Supreme Court has it wrong, and needs to change its practice. It’s hard to say what the consequences of that would be for the Swiss legal system. The appeal process is likely to run for less than ten months. For now, Cousins is still here, still not frightened, and still fighting. Some companies like to waste time, Cousins likes to save time ….. along with the independent repair industry that keeps it ticking. Kind Regards Anthony Cousins Managing Director, Cousins Material House Ltd.

Gleaves has this... https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=Z2xlYXZlYW5kY28uY29tfHRlY2huaWNhbHxneDoxYjE5YWRmMGQwMjNmM2Fi Good luck!

It has a snap off case back. That means you have to pry it open. Do you have a case back knife ? You could also use a knife with a thin (but durable) blade that isn't sharp or pointy so that you won't damage the case. Look for a small slot/space somewhere along the case back as that is where you should insert the knife. Unfortunately not all watches have that... You can also try to use a rubber ball and rotate it around a bit to free it from potential gunk and afterwards pry it open but that won't always help.

What did you use? Was it mild steel. That looks very good and a good reason to put your lathes to use.

Good Job!

Properly stored to me means in a full (or a near full as possible) glass container (does not react with additives) with a tight lid, stored upside down (oil acts as a further seal for lid), in a warm fridge (ie not near freezing), in the dark (like the can Mb supply their oils in). I would then be happy with 10-12 year old oil, otherwise 6 years seems fine. Synthetic oils will keep their condition longer than ordinary mineral oils. High levels of light, heat, air or moisture will increase oxidation and degradation. Metal containers can 'use up' the additives for rust prevention etc.

start with the case back openers. for wrist and pocket watches. then crystal removers. then study - up on their use. look for high quality tools, not chineze copys, no hurry, enjoy ! vin

You are at the right place at the right time. This forum has a great group of people who love to help and teach people like us who are just starting in this exciting world of the watch repairing hobby.

To be honest I'm an amateur. Only serviced a few watches so far. Almost all of my tools are cheap (each costs a few $) but they do the job just fine especially if you are careful and patient. If you worry about the costs you can just start cheap like me and see if it satisfies your needs. It'll take some time to get all of the things that you need but you can get there in no time.

case back opening tools (for snap off and screw down case backs) case holders (not always needed but they come in handy; I have a plastic one to not scratch the case) movement holders (very important; usually come in pair of 2s, smaller and larger; mine are cheap and can be used on both sides so 4 sizes in total) a good set of screwdrivers (very important to get a stone or something to sharpen them or a screwdriver sharpener) hand removing tool (again I have a cheap one but it does the job just fine; there is also the 2 hand lever version but I prefer the special tool) good loupe or magnification (one of those digital microscopes might come in handy) a watchmaker's mat good light source hand fitting tool (you can use tweezers here I guess... as long as they are not sharp or pointy; I use the sides...) a good set of tweezers spring bar removing/installing tools (various types exist) a watch crystal press (if you want to replace crystals that is; there is also a claw tool that can be used but only in some cases) a digital double digit pair of good calipers (for measuring and stuff) an air blowing tool (not sure what it's called; use this to blow off debris from parts; human breath should NOT be used to do this) polywatch or various other acrylic crystal polishing substances (they say tooth paste works just as well) a cushion watch/case/movement holder (can come in handy sometimes) good oils and lubricants oiling tools (a couple of variants exist) watch part cleaning substances (in case they're dirty or rusty) This is all I can think of for now...

Only insofar as they are both Roskopf-style pin lever movements... same basic layout but lots of detail differences. Have a look at them here: http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?13&ranfft&2&2uswk&Baumgartner_34 http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?13&ranfft&2&2uswk&Brac_37

The Clickspring YouTube channel recently started a series of videos about recreating the Antikythera mechanism. It should be good: