Leaderboard

I brought one of those starter kits when I first started, I think I've replaced every tool since and thats less than 4 years. its a hard choice at the start, spend the money on decent tools or buy cheap while your deciding if this is for you.

These straps are like rocking horse manure and pretty unique. They must appear for sale occasionally - a leather one sold for $70 on eBay in February. You might be bale to get Steveostraps to make something (google him) from the old one.

2796 is for incabloc is 327 long 1855 non incabloc is 310 long But there is also a version for 26.5 that is 1856 that is 332 long All in my Ronda book . The 3880 i can't find under Omega. Found this and hope it can help out as the dimension on the collet is different. Maybe you can figure out which one you need by measuring . https://www.ebay.com/itm/Omega-balance-staff-26-5-26-5T1-26-5T2-26-5T3-100-axe-de-balancier-Unruhwelle-/201826585959

Assuming the staff in the wheel you got was the correct one, Correct dimemsioms being the main issue, the difference in pivot diameter 11.75 and 12 are not expected to produce beat error or problems of the sort, or even if we assume all the .05 mm difference in length is in section B, no fault is expected form that either. I think larger J forced into the wheel would have a roll in the wheel deformation, I am not sure though, perhaps experiences of Clockboy or OH comes to help and answer this. Inserting any linge 12 pivot into the jewels answers some questions, for instance you can see the pivot end coming out of the reverse side of the jewel or not and how far it sticks out. All staff sizes are available, further response coming in will help. Regards joe

Measure as best you can. I purchased a balance from Balancestaffs.com and it was the wrong size. Its not their fault though...these older movements are difficult to source parts for. I looked up on J Borel and BestFit MATSYS and they both say 100/594 balance staff, but I can't fine the dimensions. If the Ronda is easier for you to get, then go with the 2796.

I'm no expert, but glass and sapphire are difficult to polish, since they are pretty high up the Mohs hardness scale. The case on the other hand is not so hard, so you need to protect the case from any abrasives. The other issue is that you need to ensure the glass remains as optically perfect as you can, and if you have ever attempted to clean and service optical instruments, you will understand that this is not a trivial task. You are limited to polishing compounds that are even harder, than the glass and this probably means diamond pastes are the only way to polish them. You can purchase diamond pastes online if you want to experiment. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=diamond+paste+lapping+compound&_sop=15 You need to be aware that this will take a lot of elbow grease and patience too. If the scratches are particularly deep, then you may end up with obvious optical aberrations. Replacing the glass would be the easiest thing to do but replacements are not always available and when they are, they may be expensive and require specialist tools or adhesives to fit. If the watch is inexpensive and you want to experiment, then let us know how you get on.

I have been notified that the links to the PDF's of the 7750 walkthrough have been damaged. I have re-uploaded them to help all those wanting a copy ETA_7750_Service_Walkthrough_-_Assembly.pdf ETA_7750_Service_Walkthrough_-_Disassembly.pdf

Continuing on the theme of clocks and watches is Scotland, it might surprise some to learn that we have a long history of clock and watch making, that extended well in to the late 20th century, with Dundee's TImex factory being one obvious example. Casting the let a little further back in time, this might prove interesting to some of us who don't belong to the all to common current tl;dr mindset. https://ia802703.us.archive.org/22/items/oldscottishclock00smitrich/oldscottishclock00smitrich_bw.pdf https://archive.org/details/oldscottishclock00smitrich/page/n1

very nicelooking but I love my wooden one,...not comfortable in using a metal bench I guess, will make some noise using the drawers and it can give a cold feeling

At an antique mall in Springfield, Ohio.

It would depend upon how the strap attaches to the case. Based on what I can see, my hope would be that you can remove the caseback and then slide the band off with some kind of tongue and groove fitment. If that's the case, my inclination would be to 3D model a piece that would slide in as an adapter and can accept standard bands with springbars and then 3D print it. Once you have a design that works, send your design off to one of the places that can 3D print in metal to have them create a more attractive and durable long-term piece. A couple that does Youtube videos on making stuff called "Evan and Katlyn" went through this process in a series of videos a few months ago for making a custom folding knife. They have lots of guidance about the process in those videos. Good luck!

Dead right Vin been doing watches and clocks over 40 years still either making or buying tools as required, buildt mainspring remover based on the joe collins type and a dial foot soldering machine as they were needed. like you say start with the minimum

We are just the other side of Perth, so not too far away. The 404 is inspired by 404 errors (a geeky reference, to web servers, specifically 404 not found). I thought it a suitably low number to save me from going bankrupt immediately, although there is the obvious risk that since the price point is low, there is likely to be something seriously wrong, or failing that, I'll be tempted to buy a whole bunch, and I'm pretty sure my wife would object if I start filling the house with more "junk". Well at least they don't take up much space.

From experience I would say that this is 99% a non-telescopic spring bar. See this picture. http://blog.esslinger.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/single-shoulder-spring-bar.png Usually they are used in watches with holes drilled right through so they can be removed by pushing a pin in from the outside. However some watchmakers like them as once they are in, they won't come out... unless they are ripped or cut out. So the solution is to cut them out and replace with a normal spring bar. I would say I have to cut these bars out for maybe 1 in every 50 straps I change, so the issue does come up. However you need to be sure. Fixed bars would be very unusual on a watch of this style and age. Does the bar twist? If so then likely spring bar. But cut at your own risk as cutting bars on a case with fixed bars will screw up the case.

Looks like the type of thing you would find in a morgue.

the required tools may very for the type of watch you want to work on. vintage wind up, modern and battery driven, ( clocks etc.).. start with the bare minimum. vin

Hi Zeb Not in favour of kits as they come bundled with tools you may never use, Bergeon tools are great but if you are just starting out best not splash out on the expensive kit first, just get the basics good tweezers in several sizes and styles movement holders ,case openers etc and build up slowly but get the best you can afford and tailor to suit your needs. hope that helps.

View full YouTube video

Nice video Mark. I enjoyed the piece and quite. I found it easy for me to concentrate.

Another great vid. In my opinion the best Brietling Chrono ever produced.

Well gents a couple of weeks ago I jumped on a post about microscopes, at the time I had just ordered from AliExpress one of these, a 600x mag with built in screen etc etc. well it arrived and it’s great, it really is, the screen picture is very clear and the height of the screen and microscope are adjustable to the height where it is easy to manipulate hairsprings with tweezers in the vertical position. For jewel inspection etc you can lower it down to take advantage of that 600x mag and get a proper look at jewels and staffs etc etc. all in I’m very happy with this as it saves me having to have a laptop on the bench with leads etc getting in the way and also finding a program that works with the microscope. This one accepts a memory card and will take stills and 1080p HD video aswell all in one unit so it’s ideal. It’s light and as you can see quite compact, it’s powered by its own internal battery that has a 6 hour life before charging is required , a plug ( albeit a Euro 2 pin one ) and a usb lead is included for charging purposes. my only gripe is that you don’t seem to be able to turn off the led light when it’s switched on, but that is the only one so far. Well with the £40 and 3 week wait for it to arrive from China.

05 - What else ? : I'm a daredevil ... so I cliped the bezel off and on several times for a ultimate test. My "experimental" method worked perfectly and the rotating bezel is now almost NOS I procedeed the same way with my "Black Rallye" Kelton and the bezel is perfectly repaired. Thanks for reading and hope it helps.