Newbie

[marksk]

Hi everyone. My name is Mark, I am a retired computer technology guy. I was good at what I did, I had university positions, was a 'visitor' at a famous lab, then started companies. I love tinkering, building things, I've taken cars apart, as well as a piano or two, fixed them, put them back together.  I got hooked on watch videos, took Mark's Courses 1 and 2, bought some tools and stuff, an inexpensive movement to follow Course 2 -- I should have bought a better one, it had flaws which made it hard for a beginner. I have a old Elgin pocket watch, it was a gift at a school event years ago, case not great, but keeps decent time -- although I never use it -- I took that apart, cleaned it and put it together, it works!

I had trouble with both watches: The inexpensive ST36 had a different train bridge setup than in Mark's course, that caused me a big headache. Also, the shock jewel holder was too fragile, and being a beginner, I made a mess. Such is life.

The Elgin was much easier to work on, and better made, and larger, but I slipped and let the hairspring slide too much in my first attempt at taking it out, the roller plate jewel is set too much on one side now, so the beat is not good, but amplitude is up, and I've regulated it to be pretty accurate. My old Rolex keeps virtually perfect time, I can use it (or my phone)  as a day to day check -- plus the ipad watch tuner program for a quick check.

I've bought a couple of old pocket watches, cheap and fun and beautiful, I was going to take one or both of them apart, they were very cheap (listed as "running, but no idea for how long or if they keep decent time") but both are lovely and with a quick regulation, they keep excellent time and I do not want to practice on them. I will look for non working watches so I do not feel guilty about ruining something lovely. I have gotten so much better using the tools and knowing what to do in just a few weeks, this is fun.

Mark

 

[Nucejoe]

Hi Mark welcome to the forum.

[watchweasol]

Hello Mark anf welcome to the forum

[JohnR725]

for newbies I usually like to recommend the Chinese clones of the Swiss pocket watch movements. Which I think Mark might use it in his first course? then preferably a new movement that's working. Plus the bonus of having a timing machine would be nice to verify that it is working. Then when you disassemble and practice putting it back together then back of a timing machine and see how you did. Often times newbies start with broken stuff which ads in the complication of it's not running in the first place and you have no idea why and you just try and get your feet wet figure out what the heck you're doing it makes things too complicated. if you start with a new running watch and upon reassembly it's not running then it makes it a lot easier to narrow down the problem was the person reassembling versus some other problem that you just didn't find. It cuts down on the frustrations of where the problem could be.

[KarlvonKoln]

Welcome from another relative-newcomer!  Feel free to post pics of the timepieces too.  I will likely stare mostly at the pocket watches, but the Rolex sounds cool too.  Pröst!

[marksk]

Hi folks and thanks for the welcome.

Yes, Mark L does use an ST36 Chinese clone of the ETA movement in the course. I bought one, hard for me to find, long delays in getting them in from China right now. What I got was new, someone had one in stock, it was almost exactly what Mark used in the course, but the train bridge was made in two parts,  which should have made it easier. But it confused me, and the pivot on the escape wheel snapped somewhere along with me taking off the part of the bridge used solely for that wheel. Also, the shock jewel mount was not put in right when they built it, when I touched it to take it out, it went flying...I found it, but I could see why it was not put in right: The top of the balance wheel where it goes was too tight for the mount to fit. So I played with this watch, took it apart, put it back together as much as I could. Did not seem they oiled it either when they made it. My old working Elgin was much more fun. I am looking now for non-working pocket watches -- a little bigger for a beginner like me -- and many to choose from. And I won't ruin a working watch

 

 

Check the photo, the top one is my old 'door prize' elgin, beat up case, but movement works pretty well after cleaning. The bottom two are recent purchases, the silver one is really nice, all three are regulated.

[oldhippy]

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum.

[clockboy]

Welcome Mark, enjoy the forum.