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Best movements for practice?


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Since all watches work in similar ways .I would tell you to get a few Russian movements.  Learn the ins and outs on something you don't mind breaking. I am in no way trying to diminish them but non working ones can be bought all day long for about one dollar a piece.

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Start with an old pocket watch many are very much alike to a watch movement just bigger. Learn what the parts are called, strip it right down and put it all back together, do this many times so you can do it in your sleep. This will help you in using you eyeglass, tweezers and watchmakers screwdrivers. Don’t get hold of any fusee pocket watch movements they are completely different. When you have achieved all with your pocket watch move to a simple Gents watch, just the movement, no calendar and certainly not an automatic.  

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Seiko 70xx series is a very nice watch to start with IMHO, because they do not have tiny springs that use to ping to the orbit to never been found again, and they are very very simple. Also there are many relatively cheap watches on sale, so you can buy some to repair and some donors if needed. Many of these movement parts are common to all the series, including the balance motion wheels, balance and pallet.

I would recomend the 7005 or 7025 movements, they are automatic and have date calendar, but they are really simple and there are a lot of information on the web, including the official technical guide and videos of how to disassembly and assembly them.

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I started out with Vostok calibre 2409 w/o complications. You can get them on eBay for next to nothing. Get "a bag of them" and you'll have plenty of spare parts and will practice a lot of disassembling in the process. If you do start out with this movement you will likely find my "Vostok 2409 Service Walkthrough" useful. The Vostok movements are IMO the best bang for the buck! BTW, just heard from Mark on YT that he's about to review some Vostok Amphibians, and I can't wait for it! The modern-day Amphibians house the Vostok calibres 2415 and 2416 but they are identical to the 2409 but add automatic winding.

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Anyway, a great and affordable way to learn about watch repair is to enrol on watchrepairlessons.com. The course movement is a pocket watch movement, Unitas calibre 6498 (base movement in many Panerais). The fact that all parts are about 25 % larger than in wristwatch movements makes it easier to handle when you're new. However, a good option for the course is the Unitas calibre 6325, and incidentally, I just recently serviced one of those!

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14 hours ago, Mazboy said:

I'm a complete newbie and want to learn how to dismantle and re-build watches, specifically Seiko's. 

If you like Seiko then that's what you should learn and do. Myself and many others did that without too many problems. Gradual, slow practice is common sense but it's not mandatory if the person has regular dexterity. If you want that and the associated benefit then consinder enrolling in the course by our Host Mark Lovick. 

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  • 7 months later...

My plan with this hobby is to fix up the watches I have in my collection, and sell off most of them (I'm a one watch kinda guy most of the time). The proceeds will hopefully be enough to pay for the tools I've purchased, and more watches with which to do the same.

In preparation for this phase, I'm trying to track down and familiarize myself with the lay of the land re: where to find "runs and stops" watches. It may be a function of the times, but Craigslist is a total bust. Cheap quartz jewelry only. eBay seems like the prices are really high and the quality somehow lower (or maybe I'm not using good search terms). There's an antique mall I know of that seems like it might bear fruit, but that's not really an option these days. Where or what sorts of places are good for finding neglected watches to fix up? I guess more specifically online places since, you know, the end of the world.

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What tools do you have? If import charges to your country don,t exceed items value, Mumbay special is a good start and buying two of the same caliber smart. There are some pieces there in like new condition with original dial plate, which at end can join your collection.

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Hi  Probably ebay will still remain the best supplier  look under the heading "spares or repair" there are usually a few cheap casualties to be picked up,   Tools can also be picked up, its just a question of keep on looking.  Aliexpress  is another source of tools  , Chinese copies of mainline tools but as other members state they are usually adequate for the job. in fact I have two myself and have found them to be ok.

If just starting out look for the Russian makes on ebay  Raketa or Wostock (Vostock) usually picked up for a pound or two so no great loss in case of a mishap,   good luck    cheers.

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I'm this guy (interesting preview photo...): 

The only tool I have at this exact moment is a camera with a macro lens. My Esslinger shipment arrives Monday according to tracking info, but other things will likely not get here until mid-May. I've ordered everything that should be needed for servicing an otherwise functional watch. "Runs and stops" seems like my ideal description. Tools to truly fix things will hopefully be acquired as the need arises and funds are made available through the sale of projects as I go.

I have a handful of watches in my collection. All run or run and stop, and I believe all simply need a service (one or two might be in need of greater intervention). I intend to sell them off as I go to fund the tool purchase and the purchase of more watches. For the most part, the fun for me is in the restoration process, though I'm sure I'll come across keepers from time to time. 

12 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

Mumbay special is a good start and buying two of the same caliber smart. There are some pieces there in like new condition with original dial plate, which at end can join your collection.

Is this a vendor, or are you referring to the frankenwatches?

I guess I'll keep digging around on eBay. I may just need to dig around a bit to figure out the lay of the land a bit better to get an idea for search terms and the like....

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Mumbay specials refer to Indian supplied watches on ebay Which are usually a franken watch  many of them are cobbled together from several watches to make one   so the one you get is usually a hybrid of many parts, as long as you dont pay mer than a few bucks they are ok to play with or a source of parts.

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I couldn't have introduced Mumnay special better. There are some new or in like new condition ones as well. I guess India bought the know-how from ST and the like,so you get a new watch for about the price of a spare balance complete.

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Try looking on German eBay.... 'eBay.de'

What I have found is that the algorithm that eBay uses doesn't translate what you are searching for in your country to the German language, or most other languages, so try checking out French eBay, Italian etc,

So if you go to German eBay for example and type in 'gebrauchte Uhren' which means used watches, you'll see a lot more than you will in your country, even though they will be advertised as being sold 'worldwide'. Even if they are not, still ask if they would consider delivering to you. I ask in German, using Google translate and 99% of the time they will. I find the German eBay sellers some of the most friendly and accommodating in eBay land. 

If you type in 'uhrmacher' which means watchmaker and 'Gerbracht' in the left hand column, meaning 'used', you'll see pretty much anything watchmaker related, from lathes, tools, parts, spring, staffs etc. 

Most of my quality used tools have come from Germany and Switzerland through this method, at a much smaller price than in Britain and in fact I sometimes buy from Germany, sell in Britain the same tool and still make money.

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Ooh... I've read something to that effect elsewhere, but that's a good idea. My German is poor, but with enough hand gestures I can get by. :-) My best friends are a German couple, so they're always available for a quick translation if I get stuck. Heading that way now.

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@Jon That was a fantastic suggestion, if for no other reason than the dramatically increased variety from what I'm used to seeing. I've been tooling around the .de and .ch eBays the last few nights, and it looks like there's a significant amount of crossover between the two domains. How do you deal with that? Is it a matter of filtering down to a specific country? Are sellers cross listing auctions? Is eBay combining search results across borders? What do you (or any other Europeans) know about this exactly?

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21 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

@Jon That was a fantastic suggestion, if for no other reason than the dramatically increased variety from what I'm used to seeing. I've been tooling around the .de and .ch eBays the last few nights, and it looks like there's a significant amount of crossover between the two domains. How do you deal with that? Is it a matter of filtering down to a specific country? Are sellers cross listing auctions? Is eBay combining search results across borders? What do you (or any other Europeans) know about this exactly?

I think it's some kind of glitch on eBay's part. I go on the specific eBay site and look for what I want in their language

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@Jon That's what I did. Mein Deutsch spricht ist haesslich, aber funktional mit neue Woerter fuer Uhren. I essentially opened up both sites, entered the same terms and filters, and surprisingly there were a number of watches coming up in both result sets. I noticed there's a column on the right below the main description stating, for instance, "from Germany" (translating). There is a filter that allows me to limit results to Switzerland/Germany, Europe, worldwide, etc., and I'm wondering if that might clean things up a bit without throwing too much away. I'll have to experiment...

@jdrichard Ooh... Interesting. I'll look into that. What search terms are you using?

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16 hours ago, jdrichard said:

Go on Etsy and you will find watch movements of the same type in large batches. This is what I did and picked up 50 Russian watches.


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I second this..you can buy quite a few movements  for little  money..I have noticed a few things however. As far as raketa goes. The 2609 movements  I got were worn out.but the 2609ha movements  have for the most part been more serviceable. They have the added bonus of having a moveable  hairspring  stud.so setting  beat error  is a breeze. Day  only on slava movements  the day/date versions are a real  rube goldberg  contraption. Used vostok  2209s tend to run better  that 2409 .but I like the 2214/2234  the best.they usually  have a moveable  stud while the 2209 may or may not.

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[mention=5148]Jon[/mention] That's what I did. Mein Deutsch spricht ist haesslich, aber funktional mit neue Woerter fuer Uhren. I essentially opened up both sites, entered the same terms and filters, and surprisingly there were a number of watches coming up in both result sets. I noticed there's a column on the right below the main description stating, for instance, "from Germany" (translating). There is a filter that allows me to limit results to Switzerland/Germany, Europe, worldwide, etc., and I'm wondering if that might clean things up a bit without throwing too much away. I'll have to experiment...
[mention=1704]jdrichard[/mention] Ooh... Interesting. I'll look into that. What search terms are you using?

Used watches or repair watches


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You'll notice in this discussion that something was overlooked? That would be joining the national Association of watch and clock collectors? Several reasons it gets overlooked is that the website doesn't really sell itself and the associations primarily in the US.

As the subject here is buying and selling I'm going to skip over all the other good reasons or bad of why you join the Association only cover one aspect and that is the Mart?

The Mart is a publication that's the buying and selling magazine of the Association. But it is also what they call the buying and selling at the meetings? There are chapters primarily across the US. Depending upon the size the chapter location etc. they typically will have monthly meetings. Then several chapters may come together for a multi-chapter meeting a couple times a year. Usually once a year in a particular region is a regional meeting. Then the national's meeting once a year. All of these will have a  Mart. That would range from one table to literally hundreds of tables of horological stuff.

EBay unfortunately Has cut into the Mart but if I think about all the stuff I've purchased at a Mart it's a sizable part of what I have. So it's definitely something you should think about.

Then typically you can attend the chapter meeting a couple of times before they want you to join the national Association. It used to be the regional meetings national meeting you had to be a member of the national Association to go. But a lot of these are now being open to the public. So for instance chapter 21 at the second link is the regional page. Looks like they moved the regional late in October to avoid the plague versus others that had to cancel there's. Plus it's open to the public.Unfortunately a regional in October isn't going to help with your immediate needs. But you definitely want to mark your calendar and go because you never know what you're going to find. Then in the meantime you might reach out to a chapter.

https://nawcc.org/index.php/chapter-information/find-a-chapter-near-you

http://www.nawcc21.com/

http://www.nawcc21.com/regional/

https://nawcc.org/index.php

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  • 7 months later...

I am at the very beginning of the road in terms of watch repair.   To put that in perspective, I have opened and adjusted the mainspring tension of a Seiko automatic and that's about it.  Hey, I was elated when the error on the Timegrapher got smaller . . .so I am very easily entertained.

I have a small collection of American (Clinton, Elgin, Waltham, Bulova) and Japanese (Seiko) watches that I hope to service one day.  I have just purchased Mark's repair video series, and I see that his advice in the FAQs is to start practice with a pocket watch movement, the Seagull 3620.   Is there any disadvantage to starting with something else?  A broken Timex automatic for instance, or a Franken-Seiko off eBay?  I thought it might be useful to practice on a movement that is similar to something I actually own.    Of course there is also the "get both" route . . .which is probably where most of you all wind up anyway.  Any hints though on the first watch you all started out with?  Mistakes to avoid?  Also, if you think I am overthinking this -- just get out the newbie stick and bash away.

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  • jdm changed the title to Best movements for practice?
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  • 1 month later...

A good start is an old AS or Lagendorf manual movement without date 9 to 11 1/2 ligne pretty well made and as common as hell in any charity shop. Rotary, Lanco and 100s of generics, get one with incabloc, after mastering that you can move onto auto's with date and finally Chronographs, Alarm Watches and so on.

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