My name is Graham Leach

[Gramham]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Graham Leach and I am just starting out with Horology.  I've had quartz and mechanical watches all my life (who hasn't?).  I have a tiny collection of low end watches, nothing special really, just pieces I found intriguing over my life.  

While in hotel quarantine I discovered the YouTube world of watchmaking.  After some reflection and encouragement from my wife, I thought watchmaking might be a nice thing to try.

But I worry a bit about  the following:

A) The cost of equipment
B)  The space requirements
C) My fading visual acuity
D) My fading mechanical ability
E) My failing memory 

I guess one of the first steps while seeing if I "have the stuff" for this hobby is to join a club, lurk, listen and stay in "receiver mode" for a while.

You may wonder about my chosen username (Gramham).  Here's the backstory:  My name has been mis-pronounced this way in Asia since I came here, so I chose that relatively unique variation as my username because the normal names I use were already taken, and the username system does not allow for spaces, dashes, underscores, etc...

While I was signing up, I also noticed that the signup form has a small flaw where the Display Name (should your initial suggestion be rejected) goes into a mode that makes any further suggestions nearly impossible.  This is because when in "fault mode" the Display Name input form transforms into white characters on a white background.

This is a JavaScript/CSS/logic/programming error that's quick to fix.  What the JavaScript does is check the suggested Display Name against a regular expression as well as the list of existing users.  If an illegal character (or existing username) is found, an error message is issued (this appears below the input box) and the background color of the input box text is changed from its default color to white to help the user to quickly locate the input field where a change is needed.  in 99% of cases the text color on forms is black, so making a form white works quite well.  In this edge case, the white text in a white input field makes signup more than a little tricky.

Anyways, if people want to know more about me they can type my name (Graham Leach) into Google or LinkedIn, or go to www.graham-leach.com

Nice meeting you all!

g.

----

[Gramham]

I did a little investigating and I believe that the fix is to have (in the case of a JS validation error) the element as so:

# e1Input_username {
    background: rgb( var(--theme-page_background) );
}

This makes the background of the offending field a darker blue rather than white.

The only task that remains now is to locate the JS code that performs the validation, and change it appropriately.

 

[Klassiker]

Hello Graham, welcome to the forum! You might want to re-post your software suggestion in the correct section, or PM Mark Lovick directly so it gets noticed. You sound like a useful guy to have around!

[Nucejoe]

Welcome to the WRT forum.

 

[watchweasol]

Hello Graham and welcome to the forum . If you are at this point just poking your toe in the world of Horolgy start slowly get your basic tools, loupe's tweezers  and a cheap working watch. If you then feel this is for you then expand but again do not rush in with expensive tooling  but get as needs require and accumulate tools ang gear over time but most of all enjoy the experience.  attached is a little reading for you

TZIllustratedGlossary.pdf 1612608791_ToolsfortheHobbyist (2) (1).pdf

[Gramham]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:53 PM, Klassiker said:

Hello Graham, welcome to the forum! You might want to re-post your software suggestion in the correct section, or PM Mark Lovick directly so it gets noticed. You sound like a useful guy to have around!

Hello @Klassiker

Thank you for your kind words.  I have reached out to @Markregarding this issue, so he's aware of it now.

I certainly do hope to be a useful guy to have around when you consider what the alternative is!  Hahaha!  Anyways, I've been reading like mad and have some ideas about where to situate myself within this ecosystem, surrounded as I am with experts on all sides!

g.

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On 7/30/2022 at 5:38 PM, watchweasol said:

Hello Graham and welcome to the forum . If you are at this point just poking your toe in the world of Horolgy start slowly get your basic tools, loupe's tweezers  and a cheap working watch. If you then feel this is for you then expand but again do not rush in with expensive tooling  but get as needs require and accumulate tools ang gear over time but most of all enjoy the experience.  attached is a little reading for you

TZIllustratedGlossary.pdf 4.2 MB · 1 download 1612608791_ToolsfortheHobbyist (2) (1).pdf 371.51 kB · 1 download

Hello @watchweasel,

I'd like to thank you very much for the resources.  You are most kind!

g.
----

On 7/30/2022 at 5:38 PM, watchweasol said:

Hello Graham and welcome to the forum . If you are at this point just poking your toe in the world of Horolgy start slowly get your basic tools, loupe's tweezers  and a cheap working watch. If you then feel this is for you then expand but again do not rush in with expensive tooling  but get as needs require and accumulate tools ang gear over time but most of all enjoy the experience.  attached is a little reading for you

TZIllustratedGlossary.pdf 4.2 MB · 2 downloads 1612608791_ToolsfortheHobbyist (2) (1).pdf 371.51 kB · 2 downloads

Hello @watchweasel,

I have had a look at the list prepared by Dr. Laffitte.  It's very clear and easy to understand, but the items listed are sometimes unavailable (see attached image).

I run a sourcing company in Hong Kong that's been active in China for over 20 years.  Maybe that's a place I can start making a contribution as I get started with watchmaking myself?  I am already sourcing items from China every day, and of course I am assembling my own Horological supplies directly from there.  For example, the WeiShi 1900 I received the other day was purchased from a supplier located about 90 minutes away from me by car.  I could go visit them physically if I wanted.  Maybe a video tour, once the quarantine restrictions have been lifted, would be fun. 

I think assembling a "Watchmaker's Basics Kit" of essential supplies wouldn't be that hard.  To make it affordable, I could offer it on a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) basis so people can get the supplies they need right away, but pay for them over a few months or even a year.  I already have eCommerce and global fulfillment capabilities, and I can offer a warranty and customer support.

This might be a little thing I can do that fits in my current skill set that is useful to people, and helps to offset the costs of buying all the gear (and time pieces) needed to get going with Horology, which I am really enjoying right now...and it make the Accountant happier to see that it's not just going to be a cash drain, but actually might become a small-time side hustle.

What do you think of the above idea?

g.
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Edited August 6, 2022 by Gramham

[watchweasol]

HI Graham  In principal it sounds a good idea, but to be effective it needs a web site or put on ebay.  This forum deals mainly with the aspect of watch repair, collecting etc with a no selling rule.  Any posts offering goods for sale are removed by the Moderators. But having said that members can contact you via PMs if they require details.          good luck with it all       cheers

[Gramham]

13 hours ago, watchweasol said:

HI Graham  In principal it sounds a good idea, but to be effective it needs a web site or put on ebay.  This forum deals mainly with the aspect of watch repair, collecting etc with a no selling rule.  Any posts offering goods for sale are removed by the Moderators. But having said that members can contact you via PMs if they require details.          good luck with it all       cheers

Hello @watchweasol,

Yes, the last thing I want to do is run afoul of any community rules, especially as I am so new!

For sure, I'll be setting something up.  I've spent hours scouring sourcing for my own setup, and I want to save other the time and hassle as well as hopefully subsidize this hobby a little bit as the bills are already starting to pile up! 

I have already registered a domain that will mostly be focused on supplying newcomers with the hard goods and consumables they need to get up and running with watchmaking.  Once the website is ready for review by more experienced watchmakers, I'll ask for permission to post the URL and *if* I get the green light then hopefully some of the more senior members will take a moment to have a look and tell me what they think.

g.
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[HectorLooi]

While you are it, you can source for a watchmakers bench. My Sifu got a China made bench at a real bargain. It even came with blower and vacuum pens ( no air compressor, of course )

[oldhippy]

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

We all look forward to your contributions and continued involvement. 

[watchweasol]

Hi Graham  look forward to the results and the site. I am sure a single source /one stop shop will be well received by all.

[Gramham]

On 8/8/2022 at 1:59 PM, HectorLooi said:

While you are it, you can source for a watchmakers bench. My Sifu got a China made bench at a real bargain. It even came with blower and vacuum pens ( no air compressor, of course )

Hello @HectorLooi,

Interesting challenge...

1)  Was it a full-size or desktop? 
(My guess is full-size, but want to make sure)
(Would a desktop version be better to start with?  My guess is it would have better commercial prospects)

2)  Do you have a photo? 
(My guess is no because you probably would have included it)

3)  What was it made of?
(My guess is wood)

4)  Did it arrive knocked-down or assembled?
(I have no guess here)

5)  What did he pay?
(I have no guess here)

 

Here's some examples I've come across in my reading thus far:

 

 

 

[HectorLooi]

Hi @Graham

It's a full height workbench. He told me it cost around SGD $1000. Let me see if can find a photo of it.

Found it after scrolling through 3000 photos. 

[dadistic]

That is a really nice bench! And it has fixtures for air, too?

My currency converter says that's about $750 USD. WOW.

Unfortunately, the shipping to here would probably double the price

This is what I can get for about the same money. It's Horotec MSA 24.071.

 

Cheers!

Edited August 10, 2022 by dadistic

[HectorLooi]

I just checked with my mentor, the cost plus shipping to Singapore was SGD $1500+. Still cheaper by a wide margin.

PS: Came with the LED light too.

[Nibbler]

Graham, looks like you have a leg up on a lot of us here if these are your only worries about watchmaking:

But I worry a bit about  the following:
A) The cost of equipment
B)  The space requirements
C) My fading visual acuity
D) My fading mechanical ability
E) My failing memory 

[Neverenoughwatches]

12 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

Hi @Graham

It's a full height workbench. He told me it cost around SGD $1000. Let me see if can find a photo of it.

Found it after scrolling through 3000 photos. 

Hmm. Time to get my bench joiner head on, me thinks .  

1 hour ago, Nibbler said:

Graham, looks like you have a leg up on a lot of us here if these are your only worries about watchmaking:

But I worry a bit about  the following:
A) The cost of equipment
B)  The space requirements
C) My fading visual acuity
D) My fading mechanical ability
E) My failing memory 

Lol. This makes me want to take up the hobby of sleeping, the only requirement is a bed. In fact not even a bed, i can do it anywhere there is a 6x3 foot space.

[watchweasol]

Hi  why not the DIY approach, its not rocket science. I built my own bench from my neighbours redundant kitchen units and had enough left to build a table top unit which I use in doors during the winter the out door workshop gets pretty cold and the old hands seize up. Both are fully functionable with drawers etc. total cost £0   time taken a week and a half.     pics supplied if you are interested.  As with most things there are ways and means of achieving an aim.