Community Stories

Can you empathize? (finding small things)

Dan S
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I just spent the better part of an hour crawling around on the floor with a UV lamp looking for a vintage tritium pearl that I accidentally dropped. I am now intimately familiar with every piece of dust, lint, and other debris within a 5 foot radius.

Explaining the situation to Mrs. S was interesting.

Her: What are you doing?
Me: I dropped something.

20 minutes later.

Her: Are you still looking? Forget about it, you're obviously not going to find it.
Me: Well, it's worth more than $300, and they are really hard to come by.
Her: What is it?
Me: It's a luminous pearl for a vintage Rolex Submariner bezel.
Her: Ok, I'll help you look. How big is it?
Me: A millimeter or two.
Her: [incredulous stare]

15 minutes later, during which time she helped me look.

Me: I think I found it.
Her: That tiny thing? That's it? What you were looking for? Are you sure?
Me: [looking through a loupe] Yeah, that's it.
Her: I can't believe you found it. Let me take a photo so I can post this on Facebook. Nobody will ever believe this. Put your finger next to it so people can see how small it is.
Me: [complying] OK.
 
NGO1
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You are one lucky dude...
Where is that photo?
You can’t mention “photo” and no photo display. I’m sure it’s against forum's policy.
 
Dan S
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NGO1 ngo516
You are one lucky dude...
Where is that photo?
You can’t mention “photo” and no photo display. I’m sure it’s against forum's policy.

IMG_9589.jpeg
 
redpcar
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My wife has helped me many times. Usually a spring or a gear that "doink-d"
 
JwRosenthal
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My lady understands, we spent 2 hours on hands and knees looking for a diamond stud to no avail. Three weeks later I found it while cleaning the guest room- heard “tink” while vacuuming. I now take a magnet to the vacuum tank after I clean- shocking what I find in there.
 
ATWG
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Definitely been there. I lost a 50 end link for my GMT en route to my watchmaker. It fell out of the pouch in between the center console and drivers seat. Literally took me an hour in blistering July heat to find it. Not fun.
 
airansun
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8B430497-1E6B-443E-B110-1A6A2781EC31.jpeg


Oh, yeah, unfortunately. Been there, done that too many times in my life, but never for a lume pip (at least not yet).

My worst was a vintage fountain pen nib that flew out of my fingers while polishing it on a wheel. I did eventually find it, but cursed my stupidity the entire time I searched.

I’d have never admitted the value of the lume pip (or my nib) though.
 
kip595
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Not a watch - yet - but I also collect and restore antique/vintage firearms...well, one day I had a really cosmetically rough but mechanically solid Walther PP from WWII stripped down - not field stripped, but I mean every single bit and bob taken out and laid out on a diagram I had made to make sure every single piece of approximately a billion (well, 42 quickly seemed like a billion) was marked and could easily be matched to where it went once I had cleaned and worked over every single piece.

Immensely proud of my brilliant diagram idea, I stood up to take a break...immediately dumping my diagram-ed out loose parts all over the dark hardwood floor, because I had been resting the diagram on my legs.

7 hours and a LOT of cursing later, I had found all of the pieces. ::facepalm1::
 
JwRosenthal
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kip595 kip595
Immensely proud of my brilliant diagram idea, I stood up to take a break...immediately dumping my diagram-ed out loose parts all over the dark hardwood floor, because I had been resting the diagram on my legs.

Being the owner of 2 PP’s, a P1, P22 and a P99- I feel your pain.
 
Mad Dog
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I can empathize...last week the bezel click ball fell out of the case of my beloved Seiko 6309-7049 while I had the bezel off for cleaning. The click ball is about .5 mm in diameter. Luckily, I heard it hit the deck (a hardwood floor) and only had to search about a 4 square foot area. It took me about 30 minutes to locate it. The wife unit (MacGyverette) was loitering in the area near where I was searching...but didn’t ask any questions since I probably had one of those “don’t bother me” looks on my face.
 
Walrus
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One time I shot a spring bar on the floor changing a strap. My wife walked by and said “keep looking” that was the most help I’ve received thus far.
Edited:
 
Mad Dog
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I can empathize (again)...but this one doesn’t have a happy ending. Last summer, I decided that I wanted to disassemble the Omega clasp (for the leather band) that came with my modern Speedy Gonzales Moonwatch. I wanted to disassemble it “to see what it looked like inside”...there was nothing wrong with it. I decided to do it outside in our driveway with a small table since the weather was so nice. Disassembly was easy...activate the release and slide the door off. Wow! Look at those two ridiculously tiny springs in the troughs! That’s cool! Yeah...it’s all cool until you attempt to compress the springs in the troughs and then reassemble...both springs launched into orbit never to be seen or heard of again...I didn’t even get a visual of the launches or audio of the landings. I looked for days and days utilizing magnets...no joy. I ordered an entire new replacement clasp from Omega.

LATE ENTRY: The wife unit (MacGyverette) was involved with the SAR effort...for which I’m grateful. But she kept saying repeatedly, “So you took it apart just to see what it looked like inside!”
Edited:
 
Iceter
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When I’m working under the hood of a car and drop a small part, there is no sweeter sound than that of the part hitting the floor. If that automotive pachinko game stops before the part falls out, I know I’m in for a long, difficult search.
 
JwRosenthal
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Iceter Iceter
When I’m working under the hood of a car and drop a small part, there is no sweeter sound than that of the part hitting the floor. If that automotive pachinko game stops before the part falls out, I know I’m in for a long, difficult search.
I heard in my head exactly the sound you described and had the feeling in my stomach.

and I will add- plastic cap from an oil bottle into the valve cover....yeah....what happened to cans with spouts.
 
zwjk
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This is me every time I remove a strap/bracelet, and the spring bar goes flying into lala land ::facepalm1::
 
Concer
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Damn dude, have had the exactly same situation with my wife a month ago 😁
However, with the difference that two very curious little children and two cats "helped" me to look.
 
Marsimaxam
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I think we've all been there... maybe without the wife crawling on the floor.

Springbars, screws and pins... never a pearl.
 
donkii
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My wife never helps out when watches are involved 😁 and that's how I like it!
 
Gstp
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"Master watchmaker for 32 years, including 4 years spent on the floor"
A friendly man of the trade once introduced himself with this
 
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