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How to find watch parts?

tdfguy
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tdfguy New Member

tdfguy

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Hi All,

I am quite new to the watch repair world.  Aside from eBay, are there other online places were one might find parts specific to a watch movement.  I recently posted about a main plate in which I screwed up a gear post because a screw had broken off.  I would like to obtain a new main plate for the same watch (Montilier 60).  Is this a movement that is so old that I am dreaming?

Thanks in advance,

Don

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tdfguy New Member

tdfguy

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I have ordered from Cousins but so far as I know, they don't have movement main plates, right?  Same goes for the other recommendations.  I am really wondering if I am not clued into how others may be finding "hard to find" components of watch movements?!  Perhaps this is tribal knowledge that is mostly not shared?

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jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

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1 hour ago, tdfguy said:

I have ordered from Cousins but so far as I know, they don't have movement main plates, right?

Manufacturers didn't and don't make the main plate available as spare. That may or not make sense, but so it is. 

 

1 hour ago, tdfguy said:

 I am really wondering if I am not clued into how others may be finding "hard to find" components of watch movements?!

Have you considered that it can be that others either buy a donor watch (searching and waiting for as much is needed), or may never get the part alone. The other possibility is that skilled watchmaker make or adapt what is needed by themselves. 

 

1 hour ago, tdfguy said:

Perhaps this is tribal knowledge that is mostly not shared?

Surely not. There is no secret place for parts, everyone  can  make the same online searches with the same results. And for those that have parts to sell best and fastest way is online as well.

Nowadays more than before, if you bring a broken watch to a professional repairer, the answer will be that he can't repair it because can't get parts.

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LittleWatchShop Distinguished Member

LittleWatchShop

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1 hour ago, tdfguy said:

finding "hard to find" components

You must be patient.  Watch ebay daily for a donor.  It may take two days or two years, or maybe never,  Join NAWCC forum and ask there (I have had no luck there so far).

As @jdmsaid, you may have to adapt what you have, or ask a watchmaker to do it for you.

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jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

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27 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

Watch ebay daily for a donor.

No need to watch, just set a  new llisting notification (using an external website or app may be more efficient that Ebay itself). That, and bid sniping services, are serious buyer's best tools.

As it happens, watch repair is an hobby or profession that requires a great amount of patience, both at bench and not. But I guarantee that there will be always something on the bench waiting to be taken care of, while you're waiting for other parts or tools.

Edited by jdm
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mikepilk Distinguished Member

mikepilk

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2 hours ago, tdfguy said:

I have ordered from Cousins but so far as I know, they don't have movement main plates, right?  Same goes for the other recommendations.  I am really wondering if I am not clued into how others may be finding "hard to find" components of watch movements?!  Perhaps this is tribal knowledge that is mostly not shared?

" as far as I know" - so you haven't bothered to look ? You have to make some effort to find the more obscure parts !

Cousins do sell mainplates (just type "mainplates" in the search box), but not the one you want.

Finding a donor movement on ebay may be your best bet.

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mikepilk Distinguished Member

mikepilk

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1 hour ago, LittleWatchShop said:

Indeed!!  I weep daily over my Cyma 571 begging for a balance complete (or hoping to muster up enough courage to make an overcoil from my 571 planar hairspring that I bought).

Likewise - whilst trying to fix the overcoil on the hairspring of my Universal Geneve Cal  267, I released the tweezers too early and trashed the whole thing. Had to wait 2 years before I found another movement I could use the balance from.

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