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Casing Tools

LiamB
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LiamB Member

LiamB

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Hello everyone,  

For awhile now I have been working on and designing my own watches. I am getting closer to having all the parts made for me and have started to think about assembly.  
I have been working on watches for a number of years now and I always thought little about the process of casing the watch up. It was just the final step. However now that I will be hopefully assembling a lot more watches I have begun to think more about the process and the tools that could make this process easier and ensure I have a professional final product. 
Some of the tools I have considered buying, 

- A vacuum tool for cleaning the inside of the case 

- A hand press for fitting hands  

- Plier style spring bar tool 

- Stem Cutter   

-Wooden tipped tweezers (handling the hands) 

I already own a case press and a variety of other tools. Does any one want to give me some thoughts about these tools or what you might recommend? The goal is to speed up assembly, assure no dust gets in the case and not mark up any components during assembly. I plan on spending around 3000 pounds. ($5000 CAD dollars)  

Cheers, 

Liam Branch 

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jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

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12 hours ago, LiamB said:

he goal is to speed up assembly, assure no dust gets in the case and not mark up any components during assembly.

For that you need a clean room, that is, air filtering, double doors, etc. There are compromises one can take if done in an home shop, e.g. carpets to attract most of the fibers in, portable filters, etc, maybe statically charged devices to attract dust, or other tricks.

For common casing tools see

 

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VWatchie Distinguished Member

VWatchie

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Not sure what you're up to, but it sounds like you're putting together your own watch, or watches, perhaps for sale? By "parts" I imagine you mean case, crystal, strap/bracelet, spring bars, movement, dial, and hands? It happens that I "build" my own watches but just for my personal use and enjoyment. The mentioned tools will be helpful but I think that a vacuum tool might be an overkill. A good blower should do just fine. This video could possibly be helpful.

 

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AshF WRT Addict

AshF

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I recently got some new tools.  Here are my thoughts...

Plier style spring bar tool:  These really comes into their own when used on bracelets.  I've always found it difficult to remove spring bars when the curved ends are tightly fit against the case and there is no play to retract one end of the springbar and rest it against the case while attempting the other end.  The tool lets you move both at the same time.  It is tricky to get the hang of though and requires practice.  Once you've mastered it, it's a cinch.  For straps I still use the trusty 6767.

Wooden tipped tweezers:  I couldn't help myself buying these, I'm a sucker for tweezers.  Being extremely soft, they give you the confidence that you will not mark the hands.  I also use them for dials, date rings etc.  The are however clumsy (or is that me?) and don't give you the full control of a normal set of tweezers.  For sub second hands I use a jewel picker which is much quicker and give more control.

Some links

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/boxwood-tipped-dumont

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/cousins-swiss-style1

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/jewel-picker-upper-with-silicone-tips

 

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