New member from New Hampshire USA

[durant7]

I wanted to follow the forum rules.  To be honest, I am on the fence as to start the tool purchasing to see if this is a positive outlet.  I work on, maintain, fix vintage British and Porsche cars and have those tools.  But I also have all sorts of clocks and watches that do not run as they should.  And, in the winter, working on a watch can be an indoor, warm activity.  Appealing.  And, I just love mechanical things.  Typewriters, sewing machines and clocks and watches.  

I am a bit unsure if I should start with mantel clocks with BIG springs or more refined Swiss/Seiko movements.  

I have my first patient which I thought was a brilliant plan.  Until someone messed with my work area.  First lesson!  I can find nothing on it.  Swiss SEMCA Co. 7 jewel desk clock.  Nice and large to learn.  But step one, letting down the mainspring...I can't figure out how to do this given the "bridge" covers 80% of the clock works.  Cannot see the Pawl.  Figure some knowledge could be gained at this forum.  

[Nucejoe]

Welcome to the WRT forum.

[durant7]

Into again sometime later.  I have purchased tools and my first victim was a Seiko Quartz.  A simple 5Y31-8019.  The battery had leaked.  It belonged to my wife's grandfather and I kinda like the look.  It would run and then stop.  Sometimes for days it would run and stop.  Decided the best plan was to find a donor movement and transplant.  I did and at 6mm thick the hand replacement was tricky.  Yes, I bought a Bergeron hand tool but seems I need other sizes to do all three hands.  Done, wearing it.  A struggle but that was a month ago.   

Last night I started to play with a spare M Cell Timex, to practice to repair my College watch.  Take apart a junker first and...well...they are cheap.

My question.  These cheap thin Quartz watches....  After struggling to get 4 pinions back into the stamped, no jeweled plate Timex....it was not fun.  Practice for sure.  But not relaxing.  The wheels and pinions just flopped around making it extremely difficult to engage.  After 45 minutes of fiddling I got 1, then 2, then all four.  Not sure I found it rewarding.  It was certainly good practice of vision tools, Dumont tweezers and other new tools especially my patience.  I did get there which was encouraging.  

Are these cheap Quartz watches a good leading indicator of what I will experience with my first mechanical watch?  

I had a Seiko 7006 I was going to use as my first victim.  $40 on fleaBay.  My watch guy said I should not start with an automatic or DD complication.  So he got that job.  My next victim is a manual wind Carravelle with Japan movement.  $20 on fleaBay.  

As a newb, an old 60+ newb, I thought I would solicit any random input be it discouragement or encouragement.  

Thanks!