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Clive

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I have just joined this group and based on the videos and comments I am really excited to be part of it.

I retired from full time work about 18 mths ago and have been filling my time with lots of cycling and also tinkering with watches. I help a local charity, all the watches they get are sent to my mother (80) who puts new batteries in them , if they work then they are sold at the charity stores as well as on Ebay for some of the better watches. I get the ones that need more than a battery and have quite a selection of movements that I have used to replace faulty units and provide more watches to the charity. I have more recently started to fix movements a little. Most recently I have been given a watch in pieces  (movement is an ETA 940 111). I have replaced the minute wheel as it had teeth missing and now I am ready to put the dial and hands on. One problem I have is that its a 2 stage stem i.e you pull out a little to get the date to move and then pull out further to get the time adjusted. My challenge is that when the stem is pulled out to adjust the time, at no point does the date move on and so I am at a loss how I determine the tipping point for the date. Is there a known /recommended way of doing this or do I put the hands on and then wait for the date to change and then adjust the hands accordingly?

I really want to get into more mechanical fixes, but lack proper cleaning tools. I have experimented with lighted fuel and then orange degreaser, but they aren't great. my next purchase is going to have to be a cleaner I think. I have tried stripping down a few mechanical watches and have rebuilt a few of them successfully, but I still need more practice. 

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    • These are all American movements (with the exception of the "Rubis"), and are all almost certainly "negative set" which means the stem is part of the case. So it's normal that they are all missing- they are with their cases. You will need male square bench keys to wind/disarm them. Vintagewatchstraps has a great writeup on the different systems. But basically, any American "x" size movement will fit any case for that size, possibly with some adjusting of the stem position. With Swiss movements, there is some interchangeability between calibers, usually within the same maker's range, but not really overall- there are thousands of different stems out there.
    • Hi, I'm very new to watchmaking and this is my first time posting here.  I've bought a lot of 10 vintage pocket watches size 0s from e-bay and just got them today.  Most of the balance wheels sprung quite freely and thus seemed like a worthy endeavor as a first batch for exploration.  I've just realized that none of them have any winding stems. Is there any way I could source appropriate winding stems for the movements? There seems to be assortments of various stems selling in bulk on aliexpress, but would any of them fit?  I've read on other threads that some people lathe their own stems (which is waaaay out of my current skill set, which is pretty much nil). Others say that you 'just have to try a few and see if they fit'. I would much appreciate any advice for this matter. Thanks!
    • Nice work.  In the last year, I have been servicing Accutron 218s.  I have the official Accutron hoder that provides electrical contact to the movement.  It is a pretty clever design.  There is a cut in the ring of the holder (shaped like a "C").  When in relaxed state, the holder is slightly smaller than the watch movement.  You spread the cut slightly and drop the movement in and release.  Very clean.  I have made 3D versions of this setup.  Have not explored using it generally for other movements.
    • Double Oooooo   Removal tool? Dreamed of one of these. However, Kalle on Chronoglide showed everyone my system with the pegwood. Worked a treat. Felt so chuffed to be mentioned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTFrXjiyGKc 46:40 for the wheel removal. Mentions me at 50:00 and does the removal with the pegwood. Felt like my 15 minutes of fame.  
    • Sirius. Thank you for helping others with that information. This is why this forum is so good.
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