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  1. Paul_S Apr 18, 2014

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    I wondered if anyone could point me in the direction of one or two good books on the mechanics of watches? Not so much from the point of view of servicing or repairing but just a general appreciation of what the bits do :)

    Commute-friendly paperback would be ideal if such a book exists.

    Thanks!
     
  2. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Apr 18, 2014

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  3. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Apr 18, 2014

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  4. Paul_S Apr 18, 2014

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    Thanks - I hadn't spotted those threads. It looks like
    De Carle is a good place to start.
     
  5. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Apr 18, 2014

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  6. timeismoney Apr 18, 2014

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  7. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Apr 18, 2014

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    I have the book, and it's not really for a collector unless you are a real Daniels fan. He does go into a lot of detail that I can only imagine a collector would find pretty boring, unless you really have a keen interest in how to make tools for watchmaking...

    Cheers, Al
     
  8. Paul_S Apr 18, 2014

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    Thanks Al.

    That's certainly the kind of thing I had in mind but perhaps in a more condensed and, ahem, cheaper format :whistling:. But good to know all the same.
     
  9. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Apr 18, 2014

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    Textbooks are never cheap I'm afraid. Certainly DeCarle's books can be helpful in understanding some things, but they are generally geared towards repairs, so rather than spend the majority of time on the fundamentals, they talk about (old and in many cases obsolete) repair techniques.

    If you want to know the basics, this video actually does a very good job at helping people understand that a basic watch is simply a device for regulating the release of a spring...



    For more advanced things, DeCarle's "Complicated Watches and Their Repair" will show you some complications besides just simple automatics with date.

    Cheers, Al
     
  10. Stewart H Honorary NJ Resident Apr 18, 2014

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    I found this book really interesting and another one that is very informative, with nearly 300 illustrations (mostly line drawings) is The Chronograph, Its Mechanism and Repair by B. Humbert - but then, I'm into chronographs and am fascinated by how they work.