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Hi Guys, Now that I've got my desk sorted and Christmas out of the way of and the kids are spending the day at their grandparents house I have finally got time to start the Timezone watch school level 1 course that I bought the kit for about 4 months ago ! It occurred to me that someone else out there might be considering doing the course themselves so I though I would post a 'journal' of my experience with the course and give people an insight in to what to expect. Here it goes........... Firstly I feel that I should get some moaning off my chest before I start with the interesting stuff at hand, The timezone watch school tool kits are sold / distributed by otto frei and if im being honest I feel that I received poor service from them on this occasion. firstly after waiting for 2 weeks for my kit to arrive i contacted otto frei to see what the hold up was and was informed that a movement holder that i ordered at the same time as my tool kit was out of stock so my entire order was being held back until this was in stock (another 2 weeks) eventually after some moaning they agreed to send my kit out and would send the movement out at a later date when it came back in stock (result!) Another week later my parcel arrived and upon checking the contents against the list of kit items i noticed that my tool kit was missing the dials and hands sets that should come with the kit.............another email was sent to otto frei and i was assured that the hands and dials would be sent out to me. Yet another week later and my dials / hands were delivered along with the movement holder that was originally out of stock, Awesome Right?.....WRONG, due to a mess up on otto frei's behalf instead of being billed for just the movement holder as i should of been otto decided to bill me for my complete original order again (almost $1000) To cut a long story short this left me having to postpone a work trip to France as i didn't have enough funds left in my account to pay for my airfare until otto frei released the funds back to me which took 48 hours! to this day even though i have called them several times and sent numerous emails and even asked my bank to contact them i have never received an apology for their immense mess up. Moaning over - Back to the course included in the course tool kit are the following items - however you can choose between a couple of different movements and either a loupe or optivisor version. Its also worth mentioning that the course itself along with access to the support forum is not included with the tool kits and must be purchased separate at a cost of $75 1 - ETA 2804-2 movement 1 - set of Bergeon screwdrivers with stand and spare blades 2 - Compartment parts trays 1 - movement cover 1 - bar of rodico 1 - Pithwood button 1 - Bergeon dust blower 1 - Bergeon 4040 movement holder 1 - #2 & #5 Dumont tweezers 1 - Optivisor with additional Optiloupe 1 - Box of Watch tissue 2 - Dials and Hand sets for movement 1 - Bundle of pegwood I also bought 1 - Case for movement with clear back 1 - Leather strap That's all for today but in the morning i will upload my progress with the course so far including some pictures. if you are interested in the course then you can find details here http://www.timezonewatchschool.com/WatchSchool/

No alternative to the TZ Watch School?? What about the totally free WRT Forum? All the help and guidance you could possibly want!!! :lolu:

Hello everyone: I have been restoring antique watches for about 13 years ,and am looking forward to gain more knowledge and contribute to this forum. http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/3310-watch-repair-and-restoration/

TIMEZONE WATCH SCHOOL LEVEL 1 PART 2 (MOTION WORKS & KEYLESS WORKS) Ok. Next to be tackled is the motion works, for this to be done I had to remove the motion works cover plate which was held in place by a single screw. with that removed my movement looked like this Next to be removed was the minute wheel which was easily lifted off and placed into the parts tray. The canon pinion and the canon pinion drive wheel was then removed and then needed to be separated from each other, I did this by placing them on to a piece of pith wood then holding the drive wheel down with a piece of peg wood and taking hold of the canon pinion with a pair of tweezers and gently twisting it until it came free from the wheel. Both parts were then placed into the parts tray for safe keeping leaving my movement looking like this..........getting there aren't we ? Whilst I was 'on a roll' I decided to tackle the keyless works, This was easily accessed by removing the keyless works cover plate which was held in place by a single screw but unfortunately whilst transferring this to the parts tray I managed to 'ping' it out of the tweezers and into the deep pile carpet (someone warned me about doing this and I thought 'it wont happen to me') so the next 10 minutes were spent on my hands and knees with my magnet trying to retrieve it, which eventually I did and transferred it to the parts tray. After a quick coffee break which was spent beating myself up over pinging the cover plate across the room it was time to remove the rest of the keyless works, but first I removed the last component of the date function (date corrector) and placed that with the rest of the calendar works in the parts tray. Next out was the set lever followed by the clutch return lever, switching lever, setting wheel, clutch and winding pinion with the stem. Hope your enjoying reading this as mush as im enjoying doing it and writing about it! More to follow

Hello All, I came across this and thought it might be useful to some. http://www.phfactor.net/wtf/ Maz

Hi Bob, thanks for the info. I've just looked on the back and they are the 7s26c movements, they work perfectly and just in case anybody is interested in the movement the seller on ebay was called sausagedogseiko - you can also find him here https://www.facebook.com/Sausagedogseiko thanks for all the great movement info, im already searching ebay lol.

Excellent progress, Rolo, please keep going, it is a great way to do a walkthrough and details at the same time in a journey through watchmaking! This is an excellent thread and idea. Nice Seiko movements, are they 7S26? What version? Just be careful when disassembling and assembling with the hairspring. It bends easily and then the movement will tick out of whack. Sometimes it will short or not with the timing going way off... BTW, you can get additional practice with the TZ course if you invest in a Unitas 6498 or ETA 6498/97 from ebay. The Unitas is the original ETA for those and are available in vintage pocket watches size 16, usually from SEARS. Look for vintage pocket watches with incabloc in that size and the small seconds at 6 oclock for the 6498. Most parts are interchangeable with the new -1 version regardless, but the main plate and the pallet bridge are not for the originals. Make sure the watch is working if you decide to do this. You need to maybe get an eye for the right movement/watch or research before you bid/buy. Cheers, Bob

TIMEZONE WATCH SCHOOL LEVEL 1 PART 1 (DATE DIAL FUNCTION REMOVAL) Ok so the kids are out, all the jobs I've been putting off all year have been done, the Mrs is sat reading a book and the house is silent (for once) so lets begin. Although the course was written with the ETA 2801 in mind the course kit has been supplied with several different movements over the years, this is mainly due to stocks of the original 2801 being used up and becoming hard to get hold of. Since then the ETA 2801-2, 6497-1, 6498-1 & the ETA 2804-2 have all been used as the 'school movements' I chose to use the 2804-2 as I was informed that once the date dial function and associated parts had been removed the movement should be almost exactly the same as the 2801-2 and therefore making it easier to follow along with the original course. Here is the ETA 2804-2 with the calendar works / date dale etc still in place. Every time Timezone use another movement for their course they add supplements to their website detailing any extra steps that need to be made in order to follow along with the course, my required supplement was this. My first job was to remove the screw that holds the jumper guard in place and for some reason (for a new movement) it was unusually stiff, however I soon had it removed and the screw along with the jumper guard were in the parts tray. Next job was to remove the jumper spring which I expected to be under a certain amount of tension (as its a spring right?) so with that in mind I held one end of it in place with a piece of peg wood to stop it pinging across the room (learnt this from Mark's videos) while I got hold of the other end of it with the tweezers and placed it in the parts tray. Then it was time to remove the date ring and the date drive wheel. The supplement doesn't give any instructions on how to remove the date dial so I carefully took hold of it with the tweezers (around the 3 o'clock position) and slowly tried lifting it up but it wouldn't come so I tried various other positions carefully around the dial but it wouldn't budge so at this point I put it down and went to make coffee. Upon my return I picked up the tweezers and once again tried to remove the dial (again at the 3 o'clock position) and this time it lifted straight off without any trouble quickly followed by the date drive wheel (what was that all about lol?) The last remaining part for the date function to be removed is the date corrector but the supplement image informs me that this is to be removed later when the set bridge is removed so for now I left it where it was. With the above all done and the hour wheel with washer placed on the movement for the photograph (these are supplied in a separate bag) my movement now looks likes this. More to follow shortly (5 year old wants me to build another huge Lego set) PS can someone tell me if the images are adjusting ok or if they are too big and need editing please?

Well, there is also the Seiko tutorial from Nicholas Hacko: http://www.clockmaker.com.au/diy_seiko_7s26/ But you don't get the depth of the TZ course... I had a lot of fun with that one though!

Hi rolo, Thank you for the review! It is good to see the different classes available out there how they keep and evolve. IMHO, It seems the TZ is getting cheap (or expensive depends on the point of view). A couple years back when I took the course, they sent me a whole box of pith buttons and a full box of compartment trays! What has not changed is the moody way they have to do business: Bob Frei is easily annoyed by customers when they don't "give" him their wallet and their personnel, including himself, overall customer service and shipping is rather iffy. Nevertheless, they know about watches (apparently) and stock stuff that is otherwise hard to get from other sources...but then that is their business (not the TZ course section of it, which I believe is an independent matter). If you look at the Ofrei page, it is hard to navigate, kind of a home brew stuff designed and updated by amateurs that never updated their original web page design skills learned years back...or never cared. Maybe, the real pros were fired a long time ago when that page was the standard for the internet...and it has become now home-maintained. A skill learned on the fly of what they could grasp from the original designers. Maybe, they sell so many Bergeon products and Swiss expensive parts that they don't care anymore and just want to enjoy the money they make...and the old one left by the real watchmakers in the family...who knows. The picture they leave with many a customer is kind of shaky at best...not a good image. Me as an example...mixed up feelings! Now, Borel (probably, or originally, some sort of partner, many miles away), is a different story but they don't stock everything... Anyway, you are doing a great job with this review and please, keep us posted with your progress and adventures while you journey through the watchmaking jungle and your ups and downs with ofrei, your jungle outfitter! :) BTW, is Machiel still the instructor? Make sure you read all the "conversations" with the students. Not only he gives advise but other students chip in and is very informative...and sometimes he can't give you a straight answer but you can complement it with the other posts. Sorry if I ranted a bit about this course...in the end, it is still the best course out there for the price, regardless its shortcomings which are mainly human. Cheers, Bob

To understand timing machines I've attached a link below true it shows a different timing machine but the results the graphical the numbers should all be the same as long as your machine has the same functions. Then the second link explains where some of the numbers come from, more of use if you got really obsessed with things. Then a attached file a PDF of a section of a manual for an ancient paper timing machine. It explains what the graphical displays look like where they come from how to interpret them. Then note interpretation of timing machine waveforms can be the same as interpretation of crystal ball reading. As I've accumulated a few manuals on timing machines you begin the wonder if the people doing the interpretation where perhaps on drugs at the time. So it's not always an exact science of what you're seeing. So don't expect black-and-white answers from the timing machine as the exact diagnostics without physically looking at the watch. http://www.witschi.com/assets/files/sheets/Test%20and%20measuring%20technology%20mechanical%20watches.pdf http://www.witschi.com/assets/files/sheets/Calculation%20of%20the%20values%20X-D-DVH-Di-Im-N.pdf Timing-Machine-Charts.PDF

If you have a woman in your life, check her handbag. They're good for plucking eyebrows!

Check the cellar where you keep your beer! :)

Wearing my 'new' Movado today. This arrived from the 'bay with a movement that was superglued together, but the dial's in great condition. The only useful bit of the movement was the setting lever spring, and the only thing missing from the donor movement was the setting lever spring. I love when that happens. Happy Christmas, all.

Hi Mike, Welcome to the forum. Just do a search, I believe you'll find lots of information accumulated on timegraphers. Also, check this out: http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/2037-video-how-to-regulate-a-watch-using-a-timegrapher-watch-repair-tutorials/?hl=timegrapher. I hope you find what you are looking for and enjoy our place. Cheers, Bob PS. I just edited with a better info.

Having equipped myself with a couple of Canon 70D bodies and lenses, I tested out using my old Pentax Super Takumar 52mm lens with x1, x2 & 3x converter rings for macro photography of watch faces and movements. The lens, plus x2 converter, seems very good indeed, but the problem has been finding the right height for accurate focussing as the tolerance is quite tight. Anyway, I spotted a £44 copy stand on eBay the other day and bought it (brand new) from a computer/electronics firm in Kent. It came this morning and, for the price, is very good, robust and well made. Picture enclosed. Watch pics to follow!

Just a quick post on some preliminary results. Picture 1 is of the face of my Elgin "Father Time" RR pocket watch - 52mm Super Takumar lens with a x2 converter ring. This was done hastily and the focus isn't quite sharp - my fault, not the lens! Picture 2 is part of the movement - Super Takumar 52mm lens with x3 converter. Shot in raw and processed with LightRoom.