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DDean
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DDean New Member

DDean

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So a funny thing happened one night when I couldn't sleep, and was browsing around YouTube.  For reasons that I have never understood, YouTube kept suggesting watch restoration videos.  I guess I'd been pegged as someone looking for something calming late and night, and it's algorithm thought watch repair/restoration would be a good thing for me.

I fully confess that as first I was somewhat resistant.  In as much as my "day job" is in the technology sector, I find myself routinely offended by the predictive algorithms in social media and frequently find myself consciously doing things contrary to the suggestions made just to be unique and frankly "not a sheep".  Once upon a time, many, many moons ago, I did work for a jeweler, and did a few rudimentary things with watches (changing batteries, straps, light surface cleaning, and occasional swipe with a polishing cloth) before my education took me in different directions.  But I don't think that there's any way for YouTube to have figured that out, at the time this all happened, I hadn't thought about watches, much less worn one for years.  I'm relatively confident that folks here have all battled with the reasons that love mechanical things in the face of the digital/electronic devices that we are surrounded with.

I guess it goes without saying that at some point my resolve broke and I clicked on one of those suggested videos, and actually found what I was looking for.  The video was calming and did actually help me clear my mind and drift off.  That pattern continued for a while, I'd find myself being sleepless and wandering around YouTube, and eventually would click on a watch restoration video.  At some point, I stopped wandering and just started going directly to the topic when I was in that sleepless boat.  That started to transform into me seeking out the content when it wasn't 2 AM and I couldn't sleep.

Eventually I remembered that once upon a time, I used to like watches, and likely still had several tucked away in the back of drawers, and sent me off to find them to dig them out and start wearing them.  I don't know how much time passed, but eventually I started to feel that I wanted to try myself and found myself gathering basic tools and signing up for Mark L's online courses.  Parallel to that I found myself going down the pathway of building my own NH35 based watch from parts available online.  That's another rabbit hole. 

At the end of the day, I think I'm hooked.  I've always been technical, I've always enjoyed mechanical systems and the opportunity to learn and grow.  This new found hobby, and it is just a hobby for me, scratches all those things and likely more I haven't figure out yet

Right now, I'm still working with the 6497 movement suggested for Mark's courses, but will one day get beyond that, and hopefully one day will have something contribute here.

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DDean New Member

DDean

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Hello to everyone!

19 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Hello and welcome from Leeds, England.  Photos of your watches? 

The one that I have photos of at the moment is the NH35 build that I made a month or so ago and took a couple of pics for a review of the parts I wrote.  The rest (not that a couple of older Seikos, one whose brand I don't even remember, and an old Gruen (sp?) pocket watch are any great shakes) will have to wait for their close-ups.  I've been sort of planning to try working on the pocket watch when I feel that my proficiency is high enough. It's not an heirloom or anything, I just don't want to cause more problems than I solve, and it already has a stem that comes out if pulled (what I know so far suggests that this might just be a loose setting lever, but I haven't opened it and am trying to resist guessing as I suspect there are other issues with it as well.)

I did consider putting up a shot of my half re-assembled 6497, in the movement holder, but figured that the new guy shouldn't be snarky so I just stuck to the pics of the custom build (two on the leather strap and one on a bracelet)

IMG_5664.jpg

IMG_5659.jpg

IMG_5685a.jpg

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