Be careful what you wish for Mr T.

I started with a fishing tackle box and a modest collection of tools on the dining room table.

That was in 2011.




And before you know it, you end up here......................






I try not to think of the cost of my hobby now. I even point out to Mrs JiO when we're at the hardware, "Wow, look at those screwdrivers, $15 for a whole set, and there's 20 of them!".

That way she may think my set of VOH watchmakers must cost about the same. If she ever asks though.......

But then again, I don't ask her about the cost of shoes, handbags, dresses and hair stylists, so we are a happy couple.

 

Dude!!! Cool wall clock! Is there a story/more photos of that? Love the set up btw. I have a feeling it is way too easy to dive that deep into the hobby.

--Jake

 

Just for @Jwit, here's the story.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/anyone-want-a-clock.6852/#post-132223

 

I am actually looking for a desk of some sort to accomodate the tools and to used as a workbench.

However, I intend to go art deco!



Well, may have to find a cheaper option...


Latest adventure was to tackle the crown stem on one of my jumbos, which was loose. Caseback off, a turn of a screw and the stem was secured once again. Great feeling wearing that bumper now!

 

LoL !!!! That's the exact look on my face during a part of my conversation with a sales Rep at the Omega boutique last week.

 

Hello, my name is Al, and I'm a watchmaking tool addict. It has been 5 days since my last purchase...a $400+ tiny little bench vise...



that I use primarily to hold the Jacot tool.

Some of the larger tools are very expensive, such as a timing machine, pressure testing equipment, cleaning machines, lathes, polishing equipment, etc. But aside from those, the smaller items can be a killer on your bank account too. For example movement holders...you start off with one or two, and before you know it...



I probably have added a few since I took that photo, and many of these are in the $400 each cost area, in particular the specialty holders for the chronographs and for the co-axial movements. It's when you need a specific tool for a specific task on a specific movement that things can get out of hand. You have to decide when investing in the tool makes sense. For example I often have to replace worn ball bearings in the rotors of watches that use them, and often they are the Cal. 1120 or 2500.



Above you see the rotor, new bearing, and 2 tools. One is to unlock the ring that holds the bearing in the weight, and the other is to hold the underside of the bearing firm while you do the unlocking and locking of that ring. You place the bearing's teeth in that ring:



Use the other tool:



Remove the ring:



Remove the rotor:



Then insert the new bearing in the fixture and reverse all that:



Now sometimes it's easy enough that the little fixture isn't needed, but when that locking ring is really tight you need 3 hands to hold it all and install that ring again, and since time is money, the nearly $500 these 2 tools cost makes life much easier and saves me time. That doesn't mean that sometimes the costs are not hard to swallow...

I could give you many other similar examples, and that's why it's not just the big things, but all the little things too, that can pretty easily lead to a fully equipped modern shop running to $100k or more in tools.

Cheers, Al

 

Thank you for putting this into stark context. I just ordered some pegwood and a packet of watchmaker's condo..., eh, finger gloves. Came in a bit cheaper than your vise.

But again today I have dabbled in dis- and assembling an old watch. Really, really think it's a great hobby and it reminds me of some fantastic times spent on painting wargaming miniatures and playing with LEGO as a child

Here's what I bought:




Then:



and




So after cleaning the case, removing old crud from the crown stem and tube, polishing the glass and getting rid of the old strap:




The horrible pictures don't show it well, but my mucking about with the watch confirmed my assumptions: an unpolished, dead-honest watch that only needed a good clean. Good looking movement and original glass, pretty much perfect dial and hands. The horrible pictures and disgusting condition kept other buyers at bay, so got myself a nice cal. 564 for a rather modest outlay


EDIT:

Just noticed your question. Here's the tool... But keep silent about it, it's an industry secret:



Unused, preferably.

 

Wellcome to the AA (Al Archer version).

I have just bought another staking tool, just because I enjoyed fitting a balance staff and want to do that again!

But my main issue is probably that I bought some watches just because I one the movement and want to service them...

 

Every watchmaker I know has more than one staking set. My primary set is a K&D 18R inverto (an inverto set allows punches to be flipped and use as stumps) and it's a great set if you can find one in good condition and relatively complete. It has attachments for jewelling work as well:



But I have another staking set where the punches were all a bit on the rusty side - I have cleaned them up but I use the base for another very specific job on specific calibers - reaming the new pinion (bushing) on the rotors of the 55X, 56X, and 75X series Omegas. I have the reamer and holder mounted in this base pretty much permanently:







The tools for this are pushing $600, not counting the staking set base...but compared to doing it with a tapered cutting broach the result is vastly superior...

Anyway, I get a chuckle when I read people are going to buy the tools needed to service their own watches in order to save money.

Cheers, Al

 

My cost savings is in time spent tinkering as opposed to time spent in the local saloon or casino.
A nice set of tools is a bargain compared to bookie fees, dwi's, lawyers, etc.

 

Hey every morning I have to decide....spend the day at the bench or hookers and an 8 ball!

 

This is not unlike those who spend $80k+ on building a garage and outfitting it with a lift and lots of tools so they can save money by DIYing their simpler car repairs

(and I hope to join those ranks in the next year or two)

 

I have understood since quite a while that amateur watchmaking will never save me money!

 

I want to know if it's necessary to pre rinse the watches to remove the big chunks before putting them in the washer.

 

Depends who you ask. Some brands (well one that I know of) advocate a "pre-clean" of the assembled movement, but others don't. Rolex advocates removing the parts that would be damaged by cleaning solvents off the movement (hands and dials of course, but also things like date indicators) and then pre-cleaning the mostly assembled movement before full disassembly. The idea is that you can then perform some checks on the relatively clean movement as you disassemble it completely, and make corrections if needed. You then complete the disassembly, clean the movement again, and then proceed as normal. They say this is useful for things like correcting end shakes on wheels and adjusting the jewels at this stage, then it's all done for when you do the final assembly.

Omega does not advocate this procedure. In my view it can have it's advantages and drawbacks. Yes you can make some adjustments as you are taking the movement apart, which in theory might prevent you from having to clean a part again after making such as adjustment, but I keep my jewelling tools clean so there's really no need to clean after adjusting the height of a jewel. If after you adjust a jewel during disassembly, and you find the wheel that you just adjusted the jewels for needs replacing due to wear, then you may have to adjust the end shake again anyway for the new wheel. I also personally feel that seeing debris that might be inside the movement as I take it apart is part of diagnosing problems the movement might have, so washing it ahead of time can remove evidence of wear that may help in identifying/resolving a problem. I've tried both ways, but have decided that there's no significant benefit to pre-cleaning on a routine basis.

Now in extreme situations where a movement is incredibly dirty, there's a chance it might not come out of the cleaning machine perfect on the first go around, but then I simply clean it again as needed. I will sometimes wait to do the first clean on a movement where it's very dirty to a point where I'm ready to change my cleaning solutions, and then clean the movement, change the solutions with new, and then clean it again. This is more to save cleaning solutions than it is for other reasons. Due to the nature of the solutions (strong solvents) I try to maximize their life as much as I can, so for example I always clean automatic barrels out before putting them into the cleaning machine, to remove as much heavy grease (braking grease) as I can to help save the solutions as those shorten the life of solutions. I use alcohol and a Q-tip to do that...

Cheers, Al

 

I know what I'd choose

 

Might offer some insight into the health problems last year!

C'mon Jim, show us the garage!
I know that's where he keeps the heavy artillery.

 

I was actually just trying to make a funny dishwasher reference about pre rinsing. Sorry.

 

It's the same concept for pots and pans and watch movements, at least according to Rolex.

 

Jim, the tackle box is an excellent idea! I'm in the very beginning stages of watch toolery and I didn't even think about a tackle box...but I am currently utilizing my old leather flight case for watch tool storage (we switched to a paperless cockpit at Delta Air Lines so now we carry a small tablet with all of our charts and manuals). The wife unit (MacGyverette) doesn't like for me to leave my watch tools out so I keep them in my old leather flight case...which works OK but having all the partitions and compartments of a tackle box would be better.