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Hi folks, New member from Australia. I have been following your forum for a couple of weeks and have really picked up some good tips. I really had a life long interest in watches, but started getting into repairs around 6 years ago. Before that I was the guy who was on the couch Christmas day fixing all the broken toys as I guess some of you were as well. I became a fan of Marks videos and really learnt a lot, like you I find them relaxing as he seems to employ minimum effort in what he does (read skill). Mark, you make a good instructor. I started with pocket watches and have steadily tried to better myself. Like all of you I sure have had my share of frustration...lost parts, breaking things etc, but like anything I guess, if you persist you will get better. What I really like though, is to repair old watches that belonged to fathers/uncles etc and see them being worn again. I have done many over the years. It really appeals to me and most people too, that these fine pieces of machinery are resurrected from the backs of drawers and do their original job again. People ask me what the cost is and I always say no charge as long as you wear it from time to time. Anyway on to the topic of this thread. I have recently (past two years) branched out a bit and started making watch bands. I found the ones on the internet either costly or poor quality. I use exotic skins, maybe a little pricey, but they go a really long way. There are many challenges to get a band right and I would be happy to pass on tips that seem to help me to any members. Crocodile is my favourite, it as tough as anything, but cuts like butter. The set up is straight forward and does not cost much. It takes me around 4 hours per band including the hand stitching. Here is a photo of some examples. The orange one (yes a bit out there, is ostrich and it has a soft kid backing), the dark ones are crocodile, and the brown is ostrich neck. I experimented a bit and changed the band on a chrome seiko hi-beat to a patchwork (eel, toad, sea snake, ostrich etc) one which my wife likes. Friends have them and wear them regularly and they seem to last well so far. So, glad to be aboard and looking forward to learning more.

It went up to Don and said, "Buenos dias - me llamo Ant-onio!"

Hello everyone my name is Richard and i'm from north wales in the Uk. I've been interested in watches ever since a young age and have been fascinated with manual/automatic movements. I came across this site after watching (mostly all) of marks videos, which encouraged me to buy some watch tools and replace a damaged crown (thread had stripped) on a Tag Aquaracer (after receiving some hefty quotations), ever since then i have been hooked. I have had a look through a few topics in the Forums and can see there is a wealth of knowledge on this site, and some really nice people, I can say that it is now 100% my favorite site. I have purchased this watch from ebay - for around £10 in the hope of taking it apart, servicing and regulating. The watch is gaining around 5 mins a day. Could anyone tell me where i can find information regarding the movement? Cheers Rich

I bought a set of Vetus tweezers from Cousins because I wanted to try different sizes and shapes. All needed a lot of dressing and none feel as good to use as my one Dumont set. If I had to choose between the Vetus set and the one Dumont, I'd go with Dumont every time. However, I'm liking the pics of the Erem above - nice review Don S

I use the method as mentioned here: http://www.clockmaker.com.au/diy_seiko_7s26/chapter7.html hasn't failed yet.

Thanks for the link Ciao

This is going to be very interesting! 3000 days to travel almost 3 billion miles. Can't wait for the images. Http://seeplutonow.com/ I wonder what other milestones will be reached in my lifetime?

Good morning and welcome to the forum Mike. I think your best bet would be a donor movement for parts or replacement, if you can find one. Is the extended pinion on the third wheel intact, or has it been broken off? I ask because it is not the first time someone has broken these and then removed the other components to allow the watch to still be used without the centre second hand. I'm sure if someone here has what you require, I'm sure they will get in touch with you. Best of luck! :)

No bad intentions intended...I'm just kinda stoked [ chuffed ? ] at my luck that day . It usually goes the other way . You and Will "come on down " to Hawaii Nei , I'll bail you out if you get into trouble .

Try here. http://www.phfactor.net/wtf/Incabloc%20By%20Factory%20Tech%20Sheets/

Does this help?

I got to use my new Erem brass tweezers last night and so far, I'm impressed. They're a little lighter and finer tipped than my Bergeons and the tips are flat - less pointy. I'm not sure if that's an advantage or a disadvantage. The tips are well aligned out of the package, which is good since learning to dress tweezers is still on my to do list. They felt very secure, no parts pinged on me and I was easily able to manipulate tiny parts comfortably. I'm still prefer the Bergeon 2AM tweezers, maybe because I'm just used to them, but I think the Erem tweezers are very, very good for the money. I'll probably pick up another pair. Bergeon in the front, Erem in the back The rest of the photos are all Erem. You can see the beveled chisel type of point they have.

If it was in my house, I would be giving it a kick in the petiole nodes!

All, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but it seemed the best choice. Please let me know if it belongs elsewhere. Those of you in Northern California might be interested to know that tarting in September and running until January 2016, the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco will host an exhibition titled "Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking". Details are available at http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/exhibitions/breguet I just finished reading John Biggs' "Marie Antoinette's Watch" and Breguet features prominently throughout. The book is a bit slow in places but the layman's explanations he makes of Breguet's accomplishments make the exhibition a must see for me...and I'm fortunate enough to live close by! Regards, Tom

I hope it remembers the number. :D

Bugger, I had the clock running waiting to see it arrive at zero and.............I fell asleep and missed it. :(

Well - it turned out OK. Initially my rivet was fouling the screw and the hammer but a bit of whittling sorted it out. Riveted in place... Just a bit of cleanup and it will be fine - functionally it works perfectly.

Being another 64+ here's how I position screws easily before tightening. I have a set of tweezers with a bend at the tip that allows me to hold screws vertically for positioning before tightening. My left arm/hand rests on the bench and this allows absolute stability when positioning the screws. If it is a deep hole, I just drop the screw in, and if it is shallow, I continue to hold it with the tweezers while screwing it in a couple of threads.