Is there a 3 in 1 press available ?

[Neverenoughwatches]

3 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

@Knebo I do know of the Horia ones lovingly crafted by vestal virgins and QA’d by angels from unicorn horns. That’s what made me think of making them from delrin or maybe nylon.

I think Rich @Neverenoughwatches touched on something unintentionally, unless you are using a height adjustable desk or a proper watchmaker bench it is a struggle to see properly, hold the press, place the hands and operate the press all at once. The usual watchmaker conundrum of needing 3 hands for the job.

 

Tom

i just prefer to pick it up and fiddle with it and when I have time I likewise fit the hands to the movement. 

7 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

I do know of the Horia ones lovingly crafted by vestal virgins

I was sold on them as soon as I had read this far Tom.

12 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

There’s something to what you’re saying. When I’ve spoken to professional watchmakers over the phone (which I stopped doing a long time ago) to seek advice or inquire about spare parts, I’ve definitely gotten the feeling that they’re thinking, “Another idiot who thinks servicing watches is as easy as servicing cars.” Eventually, it becomes an “occupational hazard.”

That, in turn, reminds me of a female student I had a few years ago who was above-average attractive. Every time I came near her to show or explain something, she reacted as if I were a drunk, obnoxious man trying to hit on her. And trust me, as a teacher, if you’re not professional and on top of your game in the private education sector I work in, you’re out of the game in no time. At a later point, I discussed this student with my boss and explained that her attitude could become a problem in a future workplace. I said she reacts as if she were working as a bartender in a nightclub, surrounded by a bunch of drunk, horny guys trying to get her into bed. My boss raised an eyebrow, looked down at her CV, and noted that she had primarily worked as a bartender! Speaking of occupational hazards!

she has either had a bad experience or she thought far too much of herself.  Me being me I would have questioned her...giving her the opportunity to vent some issue that she was having...or me the opportunity to give her a reality check. I think there is nothing more ugly about a person that thinks they above everyone else in appearance..at that point I would have probably lost my job.

[tcolgate]

For what it is worth. The Favorite jeweling tool could be purchased in a set that included crystal dies, and also included a staking set (though it's not really accurate enough for real staking work). I have used mine for setting hands, and am not sure I'd bother with a separate hand setting tool. I don't have the crystal press bits in my set. In my very limited experience though I have needed a dedicated case back tool for cross threaded screw backs, and I'm not sure I'd want to use the dies that came with the favorite for heaver duty cases and bezel as they are all bakelite.

Hats off to favorite for giving it a try though, I found the below picture of the full set online and it is epic!

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 minutes ago, tcolgate said:

For what it is worth. The Favorite jeweling tool could be purchased in a set that included crystal dies, and also included a staking set (though it's not really accurate enough for real staking work). I have used mine for setting hands, and am not sure I'd bother with a separate hand setting tool. I don't have the crystal press bits in my set. In my very limited experience though I have needed a dedicated case back tool for cross threaded screw backs, and I'm not sure I'd want to use the dies that came with the favorite for heaver duty cases and bezel as they are all bakelite.

Hats off to favorite for giving it a try though, I found the below picture of the full set online and it is epic!

I passed up on one almost identical to this about a year ago, it looked bloody awesome...then i thought exactly what you said. A multifunction tool ....how good was it at multitasking each task. 

[Knebo]

21 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

@Knebo I do know of the Horia ones lovingly crafted by vestal virgins and QA’d by angels from unicorn horns. That’s what made me think of making them from delrin or maybe nylon.

Hahahah, yes, they are! But to keep costs down, I think Horia lets these vestal virgins work in a Chinese sweatshop. The unicorn horn is also from farmed unicorns that live under appalling conditions, according to animal rights activist. 

 

 

30 minutes ago, AndyGSi said:

These look like metal tips which is not what you want to be using

Yes indeed. These tips look like they love scratching highly polished hands. If you use metal tips, they need to be mirror polished (like the one on my vintage tool). Otherwise, delrin/nylon is safer.

[tcolgate]

2 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I passed up on one almost identical to this about a year ago, it looked bloody awesome...then i thought exactly what you said. A multifunction tool ....how good was it at multitasking each task. 

I think it'd actually be pretty good for classic acrylic crystals (the dies look very similar to the traditional robur ones), but given the pressure I needed when fitting some seiko crystals, I don't think it'd cope with that.
  The staking thing is a shame, since there's no eccentric adjustment, I don' tthink it's suitable for really fine work.
  I think ti's the case with a lot of these things that they'll do 80% of the job, and if that's all you need, then cool. But the moment you need the other 20%, you have to buy a while new tool anyway

[Neverenoughwatches]

48 minutes ago, tcolgate said:

I think it'd actually be pretty good for classic acrylic crystals (the dies look very similar to the traditional robur ones), but given the pressure I needed when fitting some seiko crystals, I don't think it'd cope with that.
  The staking thing is a shame, since there's no eccentric adjustment, I don' tthink it's suitable for really fine work.
  I think ti's the case with a lot of these things that they'll do 80% of the job, and if that's all you need, then cool. But the moment you need the other 20%, you have to buy a while new tool anyway

I do prefer dedicated tools, though I have a staking and jewelling combo that works fine for both types of work. Handy that the stakes can be hammered or pressed down with a lever.

[AndyGSi]

1 hour ago, tcolgate said:

but given the pressure I needed when fitting some seiko crystals,

Do you mean Crystals or Acrylics?

For Domed Acrylics you should be using one of these.

[SwissSeiko]

On 1/28/2025 at 3:48 AM, dancad said:

Even with experience, mistakes can still happen— I guess it's all part of the learning process. That's why I'm here: to gain knowledge and minimize those mistakes as much as possible. When it comes to fitting watch hands, do you prefer using a dedicated hand-setting tool or a press for the job?

Dan.

When I set hands I use a jeweling tool. Use the stumps and check the size against the canon pinion and hour wheel before placing the dial. It applies even pressure so the hands are installed parallel to the dial, and using a micrometer makes setting the depth very accurate. There's your 2-in-1 tool!