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The watch that started me down this crazy path of watch repair was a Rado Voyager. I was never a fan of mechanical watches until very recently. Quartz watches were more of my thing. When Seiko AGS and Citizen Eco-drive came out, I though, "Great! Now I'll never need to change another battery!" Haha. How wrong was I. I acquired this Rado Voyager when my Citizen Eco-drive was in the workshop. It ran great. Accurate to about 1 minute a week. But everytime it rains, then crystal would fog up. And it rains a lot in Singapore. I brought it to several watch repairers who said it wouldn't be worth the value of the watch. That irked me. So I got a sapphire crystal and a new gasket online and proceeded to repair it myself. When I pressed the setting lever to release the winding stem, the whole lever disappeared. I turned to Mark's videos on YouTube and was finally able to fix the keyless works. But not after suffering days of anguish. And that got me hooked. There was so much that I didn't know about that thing on my wrist. I have spent more on watch repair tools and materials than the total value of my watches. I have even bought a Seitz jewelling set, a staking set and a watchmaker's lathe. It's an addiction! BEWARE!

I know the feeling! It started all for me after attending a yard sale and a woman was selling her father's items. She had a bag full of watches and a couple of watch boxes. At the time I didnt know anything about the value of the watches and neither did she for that matter so offered her $10 for the lot. They were all mechanical; some working and some not. I turned to YouTube and discovered that some of these can actually be worth money and moreover could be fixed. Inhad already owned an Omega Seamaster 300 that got roughly 14 years ago, so loved watches from the get go but now I have taken this to a whole new level! I had bought be a FireKing watch kit that contained a few cheaply made tools, devoured as much watch repair info as possible and here we are! This summer will be a year since this madness took over and in that time I have , acquired a few more watches and toys.

Hi all ,here is another source of technical guides http://guides.mccawcompany.com/ hope this helps somebody

Nice story! Your warning comes too late for me I'm afraid.

Have a laugh at this.

My interest in timepieces started with my grandmother telling me that one day I would get my grandfather's pocket watch. Here is the pocket watch along with my two watches that were my fathers. Waltham - Benrus - Ernest Borel.

Some good news.Plasma extracted from blood of healed coronavirus patients' is showing good preventive properties.Nearly 8 thousand patients who have recovered and released from hospitals here are now donating blood for plasma extraction.

Yes, once you get the bug it seems impossible to get rid of it...

I remember that stuff from primary school days. Here is another funny one. Don't ask how I find these.

Reminds me of IZAL we had to use at school who ever came up with IZAL was a sadist I bet that hasn't sold out yet.

Its getting that expensive Bergeon may start producing it.

One of the great things about collecting and repairing is that feeling of taking a bunch of parts and making a working watch again. This restore begins with a scrap pile of cases from a former Timex repair center. I chose a late 1960's Marlin case that is missing the stem tube. So to the parts stash and one issue resolved. Off it than goes to get a bath in cleaning solution , polished, new crystal added along with correct case back. Next I service a used #24 movement also from the same lot the cases came with and the assembly begins. Since the hands are chromed, I just use an old eraser pencil to bring back their shine. The sweep comes from NOS stock. Grease the stem tube, set lever, insert a NOS stem\crown, snap on the case back and there ya go. Will give this one a wear to test its time keeping.

Toilet paper,what toilet paper ??????????

A friend sent this today. Cats are just amazing creatures. When they're being good!

In my experience Weishi machines detect beat rate accurately. If is says, as it happens here, 18,000 and way fast (more than 1,000 s/day) that it means the next auto rate of 19,800 (10% faster) is not applicable. Assume the algorithm threshold to decide rate is at midpoint, that is 4320 secs a day, or 72 minutes, that is not credible for a mov.t running slow.

Sorry, that was the wrong decision. The idea is that this section collect completed, detailed project that are to be used or just browsed by other needing help. Instead the aptly named section "Watch Repairs Help & Advice" is exactly where such topics should go.

Missing from your photographs is the stem we really need a picture of the stem. Excluding important components is not helpful for proper answers. Then I'm attaching a tech sheet unfortunately it's not for your watch it's here so were all on the same page for terminology. It is one of my amusing things I find in horology is terminology. Depending upon where you are and age of whatever you're looking at parts will have differing names for the same part. It would also been helpful to have a much closer detailed photographs so I snipped out sections out in your photograph. Looking at the right-hand image the detent which I would call it or the setting lever appears to be that it's associated screw has been unscrewed. This would allow you to remove the stem. We can see that the stem is missing and that the sliding pinion Is in the setting position. The setting lever jumper is holding everything in place where it should be. Then on the left-hand image it appears to be that the detent/setting lever screw is firmly in place. This is a very bad place to be if you're trying to remove a stem or inserting a stem. I'm not saying you can't do it it just wouldn't be good. Then because the setting lever jumper is broken the sliding pinion appears to be not quite where it should be. But this gives us an opportunity? It is really fuzzy but it appears to be that part of your stem is still in place the square part? A lot of this will depend upon the watch, if you attempt to release the power by holding on to the ratchet wheel screw sometimes it will break off. Another common method is to remove the balance wheel. Then the bridge holding the pallet fork in and be very careful when removing the pallet fork that you don't drop it back in the spinning train. There is no problem with letting the gear train spin down providing nothing is blocking when it's spinning. Unfortunately your options of safely removing the power without a stem does not give you a lot of choices. ETA 6497-2 Technical Communication.pdf

Toilet paper has been hard to get in Australia for about 3 weeks. I've got enough for about another 5 days, but being I help to look after 9 Datacentres if I get desperate I've been given permission to raid our data centre emergency stock. This week they set limits on how much alcohol you could buy, so of course as soon as they did that people are now trying to hoard alcohol here, but its ok I have beaten the hoarders at their own game. I just went to my 'brew fridge and grabbed a 5 liter demijohn of mead that I prepared just for this occasion some 18 or 20 months ago and bottled it. I've got another demijohn to do too, but I've run out of corks. I also brew beer occasionally from scratch using all grain and just picked up the supplies for when I'm on holidays in 1 1/2 weeks time to make 20 litres of Irish Red Ale. I ferment it slow at low temperatures so from start to drinking is about 3 months which will put us in the middle of winter which will be the perfect time for some red ale.

pretty sure yours is as watchweasol has said, they are a pain at times to stay in place, well done with the hairspring, i started on timex watches so i know your trepidation. straightening a hand is reasonably straightforward, again just take your time.

There should be no reason why the winding stem can't be fitted, regardless of the broken setting lever spring. The way to let down the spring you are suggesting, for someone new to watchmaking seems like a recipe for disaster

Hi It seems like now you well and truly in the mire and one in Its hard to get out. There will be more tools more parts more watches, oils and grease, followed d by more of the same. Rest assured once the assylum door has shut you will find you are not alone, Cheers

No problem getting eggs here, I'm surrounded by farms, getting fresh veg too. I only live about 200 yards from our little village shop which is quite well stocked. One of the parish councilors has set up a system, you can phone him and he will do shopping for you and he leaves it at your door, he phones you first, you leave the money out side. My brother-in-law lives about 6 miles from me, he has offered to shop for me and bring it over. Still got plenty of booze in so I'm all right.

Balaton... I don’t know if you’re still having trouble restarting your Luch after setting it, but I may have something to offer. I’m now wearing another 3055 (the watchmaker was unable to diagnose the glitch with the previous one), and this one was also difficult to restart after setting it. I noticed that it would start if I pressed in firmly on the crown, thus applying pressure to the little switch that opens the battery circuit when you pull out the crown. I finally opened the watch, and found that by rotating the battery clip a bit, current would be restored and the watch would start. It’s running dependably now. Hope this helps! Gryf

7009 Definitely no hand wind and pressing the crown will quick set the day.

Today, I'm wearing my Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Aviation Sea Diver. Love this watch!

That is a lot of crud! What was this guy?! A mud brick maker?

They are all so cute. I want them all.

If the hairspring is let out to its maximum, the only thing is a weaker mainspring.

Works perfectly. All jars and 2 sets of baskets. Paid 150€ on ebay

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but Isopropyl alcohol is like trying to find unicorn poo at this present time, as it goes to make hand sanitiser. The price has gone from £5 to £6 a litre to about £50 to £100! This virus has brought out the worst in some people who want to make a fast buck. Be wary of anyone who is selling it too cheap, as this is probably not IPA and you'll only get a bottle of water, then find the ebay account has closed...