New to Watch Repair -- Little over a year in and still excited about it

[ooteenie]

Hello, 

I am relatively new to watch repair having started at the end of 2022. Over the last year I have worked on a number of movement, largely through disassembly, cleaning, and assembly with the hope of returning a movement to working order or to get one ticking. I have made several investments that were life changers such as a microscope (Amscope with camera) and an L&R watch cleaning machine and have worked to make my investments in quality tools vs. just the junk knockoffs.

I am generally working on less expensive but still quite nice movements. Most of what I work on I source from ebay and then what works well and looks presentable after my work I try to re-sell to an owner who I hope will make use of the watch that may have been neglected previously. My goal is to make my hobby self sustaining as much as I can, Ideally the amount I invest I can recovery, but I am not aiming for massive profits. 

My ultimate goal is to learn as much as possible so that I can become proficient enough to resuscitate  a movement with issues such as broken pivot, new jewels, bent hairsprings etc. I am also very interested in watch case restoration. As a trained inorganic chemist, electroplating is something I would love to take on. It is an art, but it is also an informed art where some knowledge of chemistry is likely to be very useful. That will come in time, now its all movement focused. 

[RichardHarris123]

Hello and welcome from Leeds, England. 

[CYCLOPS]

Hi and welcome, check out Rio-Grand for plating and anodizing related items and other stuff, they are a great source for product and info, I know you have probably already viewed plenty of videos......