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I am sure like most horologists I am forever reading horological books, web sites and searching YouTube for watch or clock repairs and technics used. However I also seem to find following these YouTube channels the most useful and informative. These are my favourite subscribed YouTube channels. Repivot22 Professional watch repairer who,s vids shows his repairs are excellent Look for his hairspring adjustment techniques which are well worth watching. Chronoglide Watchmaking Shows his techniques and also gives excellent advice. His latest vids such as how to handle small parts or how to make money as a horologist are well worth a watch. Nekkid Watchmaker This guys work on his watch cases and bracelets are excellent. Also some of his improvised repairs are good. JD Richard Really great vids on lathe work, on how to use vintage tools and repair techniques. His pocket watch repairs are excellent. Also is a active member of this forum. PS not a bad guitar player as well. Tommy Jobson An absolute must if you are interested in clocks. His work is absolutely superb and shows what can be achieved using skill and the correct equipment. He really does set a high bar to achieve. Richard Perrett Watchmaker This guy tends to repair high end watches with the occasional clock. The assembling vids I find interesting. This guy uses a ultrasonic machine for all of his work including watches which is frowned on by some. One of his vids he shows what liquids he uses and it does seem to work. Al Takatsch Great vids on clock repair especially assembly he also sometimes contributes on our site. Red Dead Restoration This shows the restoration of completely wrecked watches well worth subscribing. Watch Repair Channel This I am sure you all know is run my our Mark Lovett.Stumbling on one of his vids back in 2014 got me interested in becoming more competent in watch repair after many years of tinkering with clocks and watches. His vids are still IMO the best quality in presentation showing the assembly and servicing of basic to complex time piece’s. I still refer back to his vids. Not many new vids of late but I expect this is due to his very successful watch training course. Mr Lostinthisworld Only a couple of vids buts shows professional repair to Rolex bracelets.

Hi . I'd just like to politely introduce myself if I may. My name is Rich, I live in Yorkshire UK, Middle aged 2 left home children and good wife so all is great. 35 years as Joiner by trade. Recently became addicted to watch repair while attempting to fix acquired grandfather's watch. Surprised myself by fixing a very battered non working Russian Sekonda 50 years of not working. Very emotional moment I can tell you. This was about six months ago, and I have now disappeared down the rabbit hole of watch repair never to be seen again. Absolutely love collecting non working watches, even more so making them tick again. As with everything I do, I jump in feet first and have to learn everything at once. I also love collecting all the tools.

Hello, and thank you for accepting me into the fold. I have recently acquired a Hamilton Savitar II with a 505 movement. It was a non-runner though it would "power up" with the stem pulled and pushed in. The problem was it would run for about 10 seconds (+/-) and then stop. A new battery was installed and it still has this behavior of powering on, running for about 10 seconds and stopping. The mechanical side was checked for dirt in the gears, etc, but it doesn't appear to be mechanical in nature. I'm making an assumption that the battery is delivering power and the electrical input is ok but somewhere between receiving the electrical power and running the watch there's a 'failure to communicate' If anyone has an idea or can point me somewhere where I can dig into other ideas I would be hugely grateful Thanks in advance

Hi all First time properly joining a watch forum. I have an interest In watches and clocks and I am away to do the BHI distant learning course. I look forward to paying attention to the wealth of advice and knowledge available on this forum

Aw lovely story James and well done if this is your first repair. Shame about the wife's reaction, bit of a deflation I imagine. The fairer of our species tend to be a bit like this at times. Fairer ? maybe not a fair description to be fair. My son did a similar, I spent ages repairing and acquiring parts for my grandfather's watch that hadn't worked for 50 years. A well and truly rusted in solid stem that I had to grind out , a broken pivot on escape wheel and very unhappy crystal. I got quite emotional when the balance sprung to life and it ticked away for the first time in 50 years. All my first attempt at watch repair. I brought my 26 year old son into the room to witness my emotional joyous event, he rolled his eyes said oh yeah it's working cool and promptly left the room.

I have bad experience with one very like this . Surch on ebay for sewing machine motor and you see similarity. Goes to fast and very dificult to regulate slow. Much better with and old sewing machine motor f.ex Singer.

Sewing machine motore are quite often used to power lathes, and as far as I know pose no problems.

Um...this may be a dumb question...but, uh...is the hour hand on too tight/too far down? Face down, and with no dial washer, it would run fine. Dial up, the hour hand would drag, and then everything depends on the strength of the mainspring. Truly, I would check the balance out thoroughly first, but if it isn't that, then the hands would be my next thing.

Magic of Wheels is also a very interesting channel. I think it's based on Thailand, but his videos are commented in English. The video quality is great.

Model 27 back to life after a session at the "JerseyMo Vintage Timex Health Spa" .

I have them stored on my lap top along with a great deal of information. I believe they can also be found on google drive.

You do not need to fit the balance with the impulse jewel between the horns on the pallet fork. I don't know anyone who does that. Try setting the fork to one side or the other. Then bring the balance into position and drop the lower pivot into place, but rotated 90 degrees, so the impulse jewel is well outside the fork, in the direction you set it. Now carefully rotate the cock into position and get the upper pivot into it's hole.

....and have sent some of mine to Jarett at Unwind In Time. This is the first one he serviced....Hamilton Electric ‘Kraft Award’ Ventura 505, 1963 He's a class act and does fine work.

Nucejoe Thank you for your kind comments. I think that pallet adjustment will be light years away for me. I ordered my first tools on 17 December 2021. Youtube was my lesson forum until January 2022 when I opened my first watch. All the watches I purchased or practiced with, were like this one. In need of repair. Parts broken. As a novice, it's been a high, slow, learning curve. But ever so enjoyable.. And... today I actually felt that I archived the accolade accredited in this forum. I'm a 'Watch Enthusiast'. Woohoo! Regards to you, and all who have assisted. More update will follow when I carry on tomorrow. Youtube rules! Really looking forward to it. Ross

Hi What I doand hav little trouble is to align the fork to the out stde edge of the watch pick up the balance on the dangle and slip it in to the fork and then lower into the lower jewel, usually works but not always, just takes a steady hand and patience. I suppose we all have our own way of doing it.

Even cheap movement holders can be improved. This is a cheap movement holder which I modified by adding a spring washer and filing the jaws deeper. The spring washer maintains pressure even when there is slight movement of the plate, reducing incidents of pop outs. The deeper jaws grip the plate better. The only thing I haven't solved is how to grip plates with cutouts where the jaws are located.

Usually when you see wheels like this there is some form of intermediate plate in between the two. Looking at the parts list I could see what look like a plate but so much better if you can see a picture of the problem. Looking at the picture we can see there's a plate missing. Found a video or someone servicing one of these and I got your picture I think of you put the plate in the wheels will function better. https://youtu.be/UwU9cBMaDAA

Something doesn't look right. If you check some of the videos on YouTube, the 784 has another intermediate bridge and another wheel that engages the pinion of the escape wheel.

You can check which side is flat by looking at the light reflected off the surface.

I once had a piece of dust stuck in the hole jewel. Had to floss the hole jewel with a strand of hair, and benzine. The flat end of the cap jewel should be the oiled side, with the domed surface of the cap jewel facing outwards. If you flip the cap jewel the wrong way round, the domed face of the cap jewel can press down on the pivot and reduce the endshake.

Here is my m27 project. from trash to treasure,

The good thing is your vertical positions are all roughly similar, and the horizontal positions roughly similar. Did you measure before servicing? I would let the watch run for 24hr, then fully wind and then measure again. I have observed lower amplitudes just after servicing, which increase after 24hr of running. May be the lubricants haven’t fully distributed properly because my oiling techniques aren’t optimal yet etc. If this doesn’t help you have to manually check all pivots, free running of wheels, end shakes etc. Lower amplitudes in vertical positions are normal due to higher friction between pivots and jewels, but the amplitude shouldn’t be that different from the horizontal. Vertical positions tend to have more friction because the pivots of the wheels have to rest on both jewels, while the horizontal positions is mainly only one jewel, depending on face up or down. Also, I would demagnetize the movement just to be safe, and lower the beat error to below 0.5ms if possible.

This clock did not have the strike advance wire installed so I installed one. I felt like it needed a guide, so I printed one.

Perhaps Apple (actualy the Chinese factories to which production is contracted) is the largest maker of smart watches. These have nothing to do with the watch industry, as they are just consumers electronics, and even less with watchmaking.

I did my training and apprenticeship with H Samuels & qualified through the BHI. Ok that was 50 years ago but then, as now, the maxim was to never oil pallet pivots. I never have nor do I know anyone else who does & if you think about it there is no reason to, metal or jewelled.