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A journey in sorrow

Mattaphysics

By Mattaphysics
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Mattaphysics WRT Addict

Mattaphysics

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So hello all my name is Matt I've always admired and respected mechanical watches but now more so. So with a twinkle in my eye I decided to get into this interesting subject which I didn't fully understand and to my amazement us called horology, I would have figured chronology but of course that's already taken. Anyway I digress, I have of course researched and am waiting until I can compile the requisite tools which, again to my amazement, there are many. So I'm doing that and reading; waiting to purchase books which are interestingly old yet not outdated like DeCarle's and Fried's. I began over at watchuseek but I must say they seemed a bit snobbish and standoffish so I'm hoping my experience here will be a better one. I don't have a whole lot of money but poor people have hobbies too move just happens to be a champagne hobby on a beer budget, but we adapt and make due. We all have one thing in common... I hear that ticking sound and problems just melt away... It's the one sound that brings a sigh of relief. Anyway... Also Mark's channel on you tube is like literally a treasure trove and I should like one day to take his course. Thanks all and Happy ticking

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Mattaphysics WRT Addict

Mattaphysics

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Yes I've moved on because in this day and age there's always another place to go. And you've managed to reply about 47 hours and 50 minutes faster so the improvement is quite wonderful.

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Chopin Super WRT Addict

Chopin

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WUS can become a bit rough, yes, and it might take longer for replies because it's a HUGE forum with plenty of categories.

If you haven't done so already, I suggest you buy a cheap mechanical watch, grab yourself some basic tools (cheap will do as long as you're patient and careful and know what to pick) and start tinkering! :)

ecodec WRT Addict

ecodec

Posted
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Hi Matt, Welcome to this friendly and informative forum. I have used de Carles book for many years after some training from a Geneva trained watchmaker many years ago. I consider it the Bible for mechanical watches. Best regards, Mike.

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Mattaphysics WRT Addict

Mattaphysics

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You see my conundrum is I had a stauer 6 hand that I loved but the stem broke and I have no idea where my girlfriend put it and neither does she, I had a fossil 6 hand that I lost now the only 2 watches I have are an old quartz and my prized but fake breitling work an open heart, at 9, sun/moon @6 and 24hr @3 I have no idea what the movement is because it's unmarked, keeps the best time out of any watch I've owned though. Yes I've been looking into Chinese ones on eBay and I've found this shop that sells pre-owned Seiko and citizens that look older for $17 shipped they look good and authentic but you never can tell. Either way yeah I'm just so excited to get the tools and tinker around. I desperately want to get older American pocketwatches. A long with Mark's videos there's another fella, bunnspecial. Have you heard of him? He looks He's an amateur and it's quite tangential but he does have a few nuggets of knowledge.

oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

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Welcome to this friendly forum. We are all here to help each other. No matter what your questions are feel at home when posting. If you can provide photos that is always a big help.

Mattaphysics WRT Addict

Mattaphysics

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Well I was going to post a pic of the Breitling but I did so@the other place to get some help with it but my thread was closed and received a nasty bit of mail b/c of it being a fake and that is expressly forbidden on there so before I post pics of the fake breitling am I going to get into trouble for doing so?

frenchie Distinguished Member

frenchie

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Welcome Matt!

There is nothing in the guidelines prohibiting posting pictures of "fakes"... but it's probably better if you wait for the wisdom of a moderator

jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

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18 hours ago, Mattaphysics said:

waiting to purchase books which are interestingly old yet not outdated like DeCarle's and Fried's.

You're wrong there. These books are not outdated at all, because  proper techniques never change. 

8 hours ago, Mattaphysics said:

Well I was going to post a pic of the Breitling but I did so@the other place to get some help with it but my thread was closed and received a nasty bit of mail b/c of it being a fake and that is expressly forbidden on there so before I post pics of the fake breitling am I going to get into trouble for doing so?

My take. if you have a repair issue with a fake watch, post strictly limited to the needed detail. Otherwise post only to show others what are the details revealing counterfeiting.

Having an intelligent discussion on <anything> is one thing, encouraging parading illegal items is another.

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Mattaphysics WRT Addict

Mattaphysics

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Yeah I honestly found it, I used to work at a recycling center and thought it was real. Now that I actually have a working knowledge of watches and brands I understand it's a fake, it's actually quite interesting, the letters and the logo are magnets and I found this out when I decided to clean the dial and they went all over. I lost one of the letter "i"s and it took 2 hours to get all the letters unscrambled and back in order. But again like I said it keeps time better than any other watch I've owned which isn't saying much because I haven't owned many or any of great quality. The Fossil and the Stauer are tied for second if that gives you any idea of how ignorant of high quality watches I am. I don't have any present issues with it so I'll only post a pic if anyone is interested purely for curiosity and academic reasons I have no desire to sell it because I honestly like it a lot.

Mark Distinguished Member

Mark

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As far as posting pictures of replica watches are concerned, I have no problem with it BUT I am afraid we may be hitting a potential area where lawyers acting for the brand owners would take issue with their brand name being used in such a way on a public forum so I would prefer not to have potential problems and therefore would not really want pics of counterfeit watches being propagated via this forum.

Discussing repairs to Chinese movements is not a problem though.

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clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

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13 minutes ago, Mark said:

As far as posting pictures of replica watches are concerned, I have no problem with it BUT I am afraid we may be hitting a potential area where lawyers acting for the brand owners would take issue with their brand name being used in such a way on a public forum so I would prefer not to have potential problems and therefore would not really want pics of counterfeit watches being propagated via this forum.

Discussing repairs to Chinese movements is not a problem though.

Good point Mark. We just have to carful not to upset the big boys.

  • 2 weeks later...
azkid Watch Enthusiast

azkid

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Welcome! I know the feeling about champagne hobby on a beer budget. It is possible to get started with basic service without spending a complete fortune. Not easy but possible. :) Anyway best of luck. Seems like a good forum here with happy, friendly people (maybe it is the joy that comes from working on watches?) :)

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

anilv Distinguished Member

anilv

Posted
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Sorry.. supposed to edit the post above but exceeded the window!..

 

Absolute must have.

1. A good loupe (*).

2. A good set of tweezers (*).

3. A decent set of screwdrivers (*).

4. A caseback opener..ebay ones will be ok for the moment.

5. A can of zippo fluid to clean stuff.

6. A porcelain container to wash stuff in.

7. A quiet room with good light and no carpet.

8. Mainspring winder.

The above should be enough for basic servicing. For the items marked with (*), get good quality ones.

I've spent months at a time living out of hotel rooms and managed with the simple kit as above.

Beginner movements.. start with a working watch. This way if it doesn't work you know you did something wrong.  Seikos are good and cheap. Other swiss handwinds are good but stay away from pin-levers. Russian watches are OK too.

Avoid the 'kits' which seem to have everything in it.. better to buy good stuff bit by bit. Poor quality tools will only frustrate you.

Best tool of all? this website! Posting questions here will get fast responses.

Enjoy your hobby.

azkid Watch Enthusiast

azkid

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Some thoughts on budget...

Tweezers really matter. I got a Stella set and though low cost, wow, what a huge difference in usability versus what I originally tried to make do with. I did need to touch up the tips a bit.

I got a cheap set of China made screwdrivers and they seem fine more or less. The rolling sharpener device (another china special) made a big difference.

8. Mainspring winder.

Keep watching for used on eBay. They will still be expensive but under $100 if you are patient. I got a K&D set that way. And you can always practice on other stuff until you get the winder. That's what I had to do.

I skipped on Rodico for a long time. Really wished I hadn't waited. It has 101 uses I swear. That stuff is magic. And not expensive.

I use round screw-together pill containers for dust shields and parts holders as well as mini Tupperware and glass tumblers from the dollar store.

Cheap Chinese movement holders too.

I got a set of bergeron oilers cheap but surely any oilers would work.

Lubricant costs add up fast. Research a lot and carefully consider what a professional watchmaker needs versus a hobbyist who can check and service his/her watches every six months if need be.

"Beginner movements.. start with a working watch."

SO true.



Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

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