I have the technology!

JimInOz

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.

JimInOz

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.

UncleBuck

There are some beautiful old watchmakers desks in antique shops for $8-1200 US. I picked one up with a lathe and staking set for $750 but had to drive a few hundred miles. Vintage lights are also available quite reasonably, $100 US for an articulating......now as for the tools, Lord help us!

cicindela

I was going to pick up this watchmaker to install in my basement, but it turns out he was just a cheap Asian knockoff

Archer

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...

alam

good job 👍 and a beauty of a watch!! 🥰...can you share the details of your cleaning technique?

Archer

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

Archer

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

JimInOz

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......................