Books and diagrams?

[Andrewolf79]

Hi every one i've been buying a few books about watches , history of the different companies, movements and how they got to the fine tuning but i was wondering if any of you can suggest dedicated "manuals" for the individuals makes or movements.

With cars there are well detailed instruction, CD with plans and diagrams for tolerances or oils\greas to be used recommended by the manufacturer, codes for replacements and standard maintenance bits and bobs .. i was wondering is there such a thing in the watch world?

[Tmuir]

Not all movements, but a lot of them have parts / service sheets.

If you go to Cousins UK download section they have lots that can be downloaded.

https://www.cousinsuk.com/document/department/watch-movements

 

Some are nothing more than a sheet with pictures of parts with their part numbers, but others can give oiling information or dimensions.

In general there isn't a brand repair manual with some notable exceptions like Bulova Accutrons

[wls1971]

A good range of books to look out for are the " Esembl-o-graf" chronograph manuals they where produced in the 1940's so deal with mainly pre war chronograph movements they are the nearest thing to a Haynes car manual for watches they give step by step servicing instructions and oiling guides they are clearly illustrated and identify each part as you come to them they can be found on ebay.

 

 

[Vich]

Although it is not specific to any brand of watch a lot of us buy "Practical Watch Repairing by Donald de Carle".  Although it is an old publication, a lot of members work on older watches and find it contemporaneous, a lot of the guidance is still relevant for newer watches as well.

Watch Repair for Beginners by Harlod C. Kelly is also worth having.  Lastly the Cooksey Shugart books - Complete Prtice Guide to Watches is also useful and is updated yearly, there is quite a bit of info given especially for American types but Swiss and others are also covered.  If you are starting out you may find these worth having.

Cheers,

Vic

[Wesley881]

Hi @Andrewolf79 and welcome to the forum.

I recently acquired a copy of the U.S. Army Ordinance Maintenance manual for issued clocks, pocket watches and wrist watches (aka TM 9-1575 c.1945).  A digital copy can be viewed here:

https://archive.org/details/TM9-1575

It's very organized and is full off definitions, tool indexes and illustrations of various sub-assemblies, etc. While make/model specific, I found it very helpful in learning basic concepts and procedures. The tool lists are very comprehensive as well.  

Hope this helps,

C