The newest member

[swiss2k]

Hello everybody!

My name is Dmitrii, I am 33 years old, and I am from Zurich, Switzerland.

Recently I have started my long-time passion of watchmaking. Although I have done a lot of nerve-racking things in my life, watchmaking takes the lead at testing my ability to resist throwing everything at a wall to smithereens. The journey started when I bought my first broken Omega Seamaster Cosmic, the plan was simple, find the defect, repair and service the watch. After a month I had about 5 watches, disassembled and waiting for parts (thank God my wife does not know how many I have).

Now back to the first Omega. I really wanted to make my first build perfect, everything new, everything as the manual says and bla-bla-bla... Well guess what? Parts don’t fit!

So yes, this is how I ended up here.

Thank you!

Edited September 27, 2022 by swiss2k
Simple update

[oldhippy]

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

We all look forward to your contributions and continued involvement. 

[Nucejoe]

Welcome to the WRT forum.

[watchweasol]

hello and welcome to th forum.   plenty of help and advice to be had from members.

[Neverenoughwatches]

6 hours ago, swiss2k said:

Although I have done a lot of nerve-racking things in my life, watchmaking takes the lead at testing my ability to resist throwing everything at a wall to smithereens. 

Haha. Maybe not the kind of approach to have, you desperately need to get this out of your system, if you are even thinking this way and ok maybe not acting this way then you are going to struggle with watch repair. Things have to remain calm and relaxed in your head at all times as it will effect your work without you even realising it. As with everything our decision making is based entirely on our mood and emotion at that particular moment. Favourable positive decisions and outcomes are the products of a serine mind. And before you ask no i am not religious in any way, just smart, logical and experienced in life. If you feel something rising in you head because the repair is not going well then back off for a while and grab a cuppa. I myself have a wicked temper, over the years have i learnt to control it, not easy sometimes but more than worth the effort and much better than the negative outcome.  Oh by the way welcome swiss2k, this is a great helpful friendly forum. I actually rate it the best watch repair forum in the world obviously  as i am member,  a few of the other members are ok too, sort of

Edited September 27, 2022 by Neverenoughwatches

[KarlvonKoln]

Welcome to our little group!  I also can say I have encountered a few watches in my time that tested my patience.  And I tend to have a rather mild temper.  All I can think of to say is: be prepared.  Some watches can be difficult.
I always try to remind customers up front that some repairs take time and must not be rushed.  More mistakes happen when we hurry.  I try to take a break when I begin to feel rushed or frustrated.
I also try to prepare in other ways.  One of the most aggravating things that can happen is when a click spring, in the process of being removed for cleaning, goes "ping" and shoots away so quickly that you have no idea where it went.  So, I now place the movement in a clear plastic bag when removing them, and I have stocked up on a large variety of click springs of all kinds.  I have done the same with screws, because they can go missing too.  I have lots of screws.  I have learned that if the part is small, and cheap enough, it is good to have many in stock, because they are often the things which go missing most.
That really is all I can advise: go slow at first, do not rush.  And be as prepared as you can be for what may happen.  That, and some very good screwdrivers and very good tweezers solve a lot of problems up front.

Edited September 27, 2022 by KarlvonKoln

[Neverenoughwatches]

17 minutes ago, KarlvonKoln said:

Welcome to our little group!  I also can say I have encountered a few watches in my time that tested my patience.  And I tend to have a rather mild temper.  All I can think of to say is: be prepared.  Some watches can be difficult.
I always try to remind customers up front that some repairs take time and must not be rushed.  More mistakes happen when we hurry.  I try to take a break when I begin to feel rushed or frustrated.
I also try to prepare in other ways.  One of the most aggravating things that can happen is when a click spring, in the process of being removed for cleaning, goes "ping" and shoots away so quickly that you have no idea where it went.  So, I now place the movement in a clear plastic bag when removing them, and I have stocked up on a large variety of click springs of all kinds.  I have done the same with screws, because they can go missing too.  I have lots of screws.  I have learned that if the part is small, and cheap enough, it is good to have many in stock, because they are often the things which go missing most.
That really is all I can advise: go slow at first, do not rush.  And be as prepared as you can be for what may happen.  That, and some very good screwdrivers and very good tweezers solve a lot of problems up front.

Perfect advice from Karl. Within a month of starting i realised as Karl has said that i needed some stock behind me to backup any losses or breakages i would eventually encounter. And yes tweezers and screwdrivers you should choose of good quality and learn to dress  and shape them accurately. It does make a huge difference to driver slippage and tweezer pingage.

[swiss2k]

Thank you all for the warm welcome, kind words and advice!