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Newbie From Germany


stevo58

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Hi - allow me to introduce myself. I live in Germany (but am a US expat) and, living on the border with Switzerland (and actually working in Basel) I have spent a lot of time over the last 25 years looking in shop windows while my wife looks for shoes.

 

When I moved here, I was wearing a Timex Ironman. Eventually I saw an IWC Portofino and fell in love with it. Unfortunately it was way out of my price class. However, I started paying more attention to watches. Shortly afterwards, Nomos came out with the first Tangente, and I fell in love with that. Still out of my range. I muddled through the years with various watches, including a fairly nice Cito (minor German brand) with an ETA 2892 that I stupidly left in a restroom in Switzerland and never saw again.

 

Four years ago I finally bought my Tangente and thought I was set. But I also started acquiring other watches, especially Gruens (I grew up near Cincinnati). I have a handful of watches from the 50s/60s. And this year I was fortunate enough to buy an IWC Portuguese Chrono, which is pretty much the only chrono I would consider wearing and for my taste is about as close to a perfect watch as there is. It is most likely the only watch in this class I will ever own.

 

But I still have a fondness for these 'other' watches, including a 50s Lacorda I bought a few months ago. Lacorda is a French manufacturer. This one is in nearly perfect condition, I was the only person interested in it, and there was something about the dial I liked. Unfortunately it runs very fast.

 

Which brought me to Mark's video on regulating a watch (easy enough, as it turns out, and I have some basic watchmaking tools), which in turn brought me to this forum, which looks very interesting.

 

So there you go, and there I am, thank you for your kindness, and here's a picture of the little Lacorda. I'll know tomorrow how it's running, but I assume it will take a week or two to really get it right.

 

Steven

post-1592-0-49887800-1447758752_thumb.jp

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Hell from me and welcome to this friendly forum. I retired from watchmaking/clockmaking years ago. I'm more interested in clocks then watches but I still like to look around on here and see what people are doing. I hope you enjoy it here I'm sure many will be greeting you and if you need help just ask.

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Hell from me and welcome to this friendly forum. I retired from watchmaking/clockmaking years ago. I'm more interested in clocks then watches but I still like to look around on here and see what people are doing. I hope you enjoy it here I'm sure many will be greeting you and if you need help just ask.

I'm sorry that should have been hello.

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Hello and a warm welcome from me. That was an excellent introduction Steve, it's good to know what others are into. I do have some bad news however, this hobby is very addictive, so you had better start cleaning out some space to store your future acquisitions! ;) The Lacorda is a nice watch, not one I have heard of.

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Thanks for the welcome. Yes, I know this is addictive, I already have too many watches, and I have a compulsive gatherer personality, so I fear the worst.

I will pick up one of those inexpensive demagnetizers. I realize that I have to start learning to maintain my own watches, otherwise I will go broke at 200 Euros a pop for service every time I buy another 50 Euro, 50-year-old watch.

 

I have a Chinese Waving-Mao watch to practice on.

 

Steven

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I have a compulsive gatherer personality, so I fear the worst.

Welcome to the club Steven!,,,err, I mean to the forum.  :) Us gatherers of watches have a well defined personality....we gather!

 

In any case, I hope you enjoy our forum and the good people we share it with. Also, that we can contribute to get that beautiful Lacorda -- as well as others -- on time and to your liking. It IS a very nice watch! I'm particularly partial for sub seconds and simple, easy to read dials.

 

My recommendation, if you are set on learning about watchmaking, is to not only acquire good quality tools, but also to chose a "sacrifice" watch -- not from your collection if at all possible -- in good working condition and tinker with it (preferably Swiss and also a Japanese one as they are very common). Wait, that's TWO sacrifice watches!

 

The goal is to provide a full service and finish in a same or better than when you started. The catch: your work should not be detected...as if nobody had touched the watch, i.e. no scratches, dents, kinks, etc. not even when opening or closing the case. Special attention to fingerprints, use gloves, etc. Once you reach that level, you are almost ready for your own collection! We have plenty of advise and shared experience around so you can draw it in to your advantage and we are always "on your computer".

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

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Hi Steven and congratulations on choosing the best online watch forum!

 

You'll need an awful lot of self-control to resist the allure of watches now that the bug has bitten but judging from your choices so far you'll not regret many purchases.

 

Enjoy your watches and keep us posted with lots of pics.

 

John

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Thanks for the warm welcome, guys (seems to be primarily men interested in watches, my apologies to any ladies who may be present, I don't mean to exclude you).

 

The Lacorda is now running well, after two adjustments. The regulator is not at an extreme setting, so I think I am alright there.

 

I do have a question, which may belong in the tools forum, but I'll put it here anyway.

 

It seems I'm getting sucked into this. As I said, I have a very basic set of tools (of questionable quality). I was primarily interested in being able to get cases open, seeing what I was doing, and regulating without doing too much damage.

 

But I see that if I am going to continue down this road, I will have to disassemble, clean, lubricate, and reassemble movements.

 

I did a forum search for something like "recommended tools" but found nothing.

When assembling a toolset, how is this for a list?

 

- caseback openers (for screw and press-back cases)

- good quality screwdrivers

- movement cups or holder

- tweezers (steel? plastic? brass?)

- parts cups

- hand removal tool

- hand setting tool

- blower (? rubber bulb with tube - a tiny turkey baster, so to speak)

- oil /oilers (which oils are needed?)

- rubber gaskets and silicone

- loupe, 2.5x ?

 

How does this list look? Is it a good enough start?

 

Thanks for your time -

 

Steven

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Hello Steven,

I would say about tools you can never have enough buy what you can afford but remember cheap tools will not last. A good set of screwdrivers is a must I always bought bergeon screwdrivers, dumont tweezers and about 5 or 6 different eyeglasses of different strengths. A tool for the removing and fitting glasses. A timing machine. There are some good universal case openers about I'm sure the guys on here will help you out on that one. Watch movement vices you will need more than one The ones on here I've seen used look very good and expand to a good size as if they could hold pocket watch movements. I suppose it depends how far you want to go with the repairing of watches, you might need a good lathe, staking outfit. jewel setting tool, you most certainly need a very good cleaning machine and the cleaners and rinse, I used L & R

A good bench vice I found a must but don't forget I was a clockmaker as well as working with watches. I was lucky where I started off the workshop was already well equipped and I inherited everything, the clock and watch materials along were valued at over £4,000. Just enjoy your building of tools and don't forget you have such a thing as ebay and don't forget auction houses.

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So, today I went to our local flea market to pick up a couple of watches to practice on.

 

I got these two for quite a good price. I assumed the Omega was a fake, and the Omnikron didn't run.

 

Here's the Seamaster - I figured someone had done a plump job soldering new feet to the Omega dial and I would find some junk inside, perfect, I thought.

 

omega_front.jpg

 

There was also some very nice engraving on the back -

 

omega_back.jpg

 

But when I opened it, it turned out to be a beautiful 601 -

 

omega_mvmt.jpg

 

So I don't think I'll be practicing on this one. I'll have a pro do the movement, and I have to decide what to do about the dial and the case.

 

Anyway, there was the Omnikron, a brand I haven't heard of. It didn't seem to run. I figured since it was already broke, it would be perfect to practice on.

 

omnikron_front.jpg

 

As it turns out, it does run, and here's the movement, bad luck again:

 

omnikron_mvmt.jpg

 

and this looks too nice for me to mess with, so this one is going to my watchmaker this week.

Which doesn't leave me in any better spot. I still need to find some junk movements to practice on. But at least I have two (potentially) nice watches.

 

steven

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  • 3 weeks later...

The Omega is now at my watchmaker, being restored. In the end it will probably cost as much as just buying one in excellent condition, but where's the fun in that?

 

In the meantime I am learning to use tools and disassembling old pocket watch movements. I have learned, to my sorrow, that there is something called a 'cannon pinion' which doesn't just fall apart all by itself.

 

steven

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  • 2 months later...

The Omega is back, after -

 

- complete revision of the 601

- new dial (still not the correct one, but better than before)

- new crown

- new crystal

- replating

- new band.

 

Very happy how this turned out. Pretty happy with my watchmaker.

 

steven

post-1592-0-11318700-1455025477_thumb.jp

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Excellent results stevo! I love omegas and this one is a beauty. You chose your watchmaker well!

 

As a side note, I also learned the same lesson some time ago about my watches too: a cannon pinion -- or a whole watch for instance -- will not fall apart by itself, it needs a little help. Mainly, from me! :)

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

 

PS. Some of the wrong bits are turning up once in a while from their hiding place when I'm looking for the right ones!

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Thx. It actually looks better in the flesh than in that ridiculously enlarged photo.

 

I was never interested in Omegas. For me Omega meant diver's watches and Speedmasters, and that just isn't my style. I've always been a fan of IWC. I had been putting money aside for a Cal 88 or 89 IWC. I still am, as a matter of fact.

 

This one though opened my eyes to the 600/601/602 movements. I like handwound, dateless movements. These seem to be approaching the quality of the IWCs at only half the price. I discovered there are a lot of 60s Seamasters and Geneves with these movements that appeal to me. It helps that my 6-1/4"  girly-girl toothpick wrist doesn't look ridiculous wearing a 34mm watch. So, I'll probably pick up another Omega or two before I depart this grey earth.

 

steven

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