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Hey all, Completely new beginner here, going through Mark's video course with a Unitas 6498 clone off ebay. I did search for this but didn't find it; so apologies if this has been asked already on the forum. I managed to dislodge the upper (? watchmaker side) incablock spring. I tried to get it back in, but it pinged into the ether on me. Not expecting the watch spirits to apport a replacement anytime soon, I ordered one and also some practice ones. My question is, for the Chinese 6498 clone, does the incabloc spring insert on the outside or the inside of the setting? I kept trying to get it into the outside of the setting which probably resulted in frustration and me squeezing the tweezers too tight and launching it. But then I watched a video from another thread that showed a KIF spring and it was inserted via the inside of the setting, so I was thinking maybe I was trying the wrong thing the whole time. I had read that disassembling was not required to put the spring in a Chinese clone, so please advise if I misunderstood. I also read about using some plastic wrap to avoid pinging the spring away, and I will definitely do this in the future for my practice ones when they come. Thanks for the help!

hi folks, total noob here... got a 6498 clone movement to start learning the watchmaking ropes... seller called it a 6498 and an m03, but I assume it's basically an st36... . anyhow, was testing the click during reassembly and the spring flew off to points unknown... so I was wondering if anyone knew where else I could get an st36 click spring in a reasonable amount of time? a Polish shop on ebay that sells the part ran out of them and an Italian shop that sells it is on vacation... original eta 6498 click springs don't look quite the same; so that route looks like a non-starter... advice appreciated...

All, After some exposure to the ETA/Unitas 6497/8 movements (from Mark's courses) - I have become interested in "making" (assembling) a few wristwatches using those movements. I would really like to find (or have made) a simple dial like this (attached) - except for a 6498. Not an exact copy - of course. But something with the same "vib" (light cream color with green lume markers). Does anyone know anyone that would make a one-off custom? Or has anyone seen something like this? Many thanks and kind regards, -Paul

I'd really appreciate your opinions on the following. I've just started the "Level 2: Maintenance Servicing" course on https://www.watchrepairlessons.com. Before this I have successfully serviced about a dozen Russian Vostok movements (2409, 2414, 2415) so my choice of movement for following the course is probably not critical as long as it is a manual movement without any complications. Anyway, I wish to follow along as closely as possible so I've decided to pick up the same kind of movement as used in the course. My idea is that once I'm finished with the course I will build my own watch around the movement like Mark Lovick shows in this video. Now, I can't make up my mind whether to buy a Chinese clone like the one in the image above available on cousinsuk.com (CODE: CHI3620M) and of course on eBay (I suppose) or... whether I should go with the above "Nastrix" movement found in a pocket watch on eBay. To me the "Nastrix" movement looks "more attractive" (I wonder what alloy that is?). I think it would look better inside my own watch as I have a glass case back in mind. I have negotiated the price to about £61 for the Nastrix which is quite a bit more than the £36 for the Chinese clone. The following info is from the ad on eBay, and from my mail correspondence with the seller: " (---)in pristine condition--never, ever used. BRAND NEW!(---) This has the highly reliable, full size ETA6497 movement. (---) Movement is approx. 36.70mm; that would be American size 8; 16 lignes. Case is 48.95mm approx. The movement is stamped "Nastrix Corp, Seventeen Unadjusted", and "17 Jewels SWISS". If you look inside this watch at the movement, you will find that it is a 17 jewel incablock made by "Nastrix." These were made by a man called Claude Wollman in Swizterland between 1970 and 1990. Arnex was the name of the manufacturer. Other good names which exist for these watches are Neiman Marcus, Kellner, La Cloche, Bucherer, and others. There is a good article on these watches which you can find on Google called "What is the value of an Arnex Pocket Watch." The article is not exactly clear about the cases. But the parts are Swiss and under a special treaty to keep US labor in the US they may have been assembled in the US Virgin Islands (St Croix.) A most convoluted history. " Really can't make up my mind so I'd really appreciate some input on this! Would the Nastrix be a as good as the Chinese clone, or is this a scam? I should mention that the seller has 100 % positive feedback.