What’s on your watchmaker's bench today?

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ErichKeane

·Dec 5, 2025

A cool little Venus 170, the last of my vintage Chronographs in my collection to work on. This one is making me doubt the sanity of Swiss watchmakers, and also very much hate them at the same time 😀

It has a single bridge for the escape wheel and pallet fork combined, and the '3/4' bridge is actually held down by ZERO screws that go through just it! Every screw that is used to hold it down goes through something else first.

 

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JimInOz

·Dec 5, 2025·Melbourne Australia

Nothing too exciting.

A 7N36 where a flat battery leaked and dissolved the film separator/insulator. I thought of making a new one.............🤔

But for the price of a Smashed Avocado on Sourdough toast, I just replaced the movement.

So with that out of the way I can move on to a more serious 7548 which is serviceable/repairable.

 

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vienna

·Dec 8, 2025

7548 here too😊
kind regards, Max

Edited: Dec 8, 2025

 

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ErichKeane

·Dec 9, 2025

First up was this really cool looking clear-case awesome blue dial jump hour! It arrived 'barely moving', it would run if you were moving it (even a little), but otherwise would stop after a minute or two. It was a Bumgartner 582 pin-pallet movement that was nicer than I expected. It was well-ish made and in good shape! Came out of the cleaning machine & off my bench running like a top!

Next up I have this Longines 342-based movement I tore down. Interesting in that it has a 360 degree rotor (you can see it in the bottom fo the parts tray). dial is ugly, but I'm hoping it ends up being a decent wearing watch at one point. It is a bizarrely complicated movement for a 3 hander, so I'm going to have fun getting this guy back together.

 

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JimInOz

·Dec 11, 2025·Melbourne Australia

Cleaning the micro rotor of the 7548 before I re-install it.

About the size of a grain of rice..

 

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noless

·Dec 11, 2025

3313 based speedmaster today, based on the F. Piguet 1185

this time i remembered to take a photo of the hand removal tool

it works like this

 

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JimInOz

·Dec 17, 2025·Melbourne Australia

Well, the 7N36 is finished.
Running well for what it is.

The dial still has some serious lume for a watch that's 20 years old!

(Photo taken in a dark room so it looks a bit dull).

The almost basket case 7548-700B is also coming along.

The bezel detent ball was missing, however the spring was still embedded in the hole with who knows how may years of crud holding it.
After some serious ultrasonic work, I had to reduce the height slightly so that the detent ball would sit on a flat coil, not an angled one.
So how do you grind a flat on the end of a spring that's 0.9mm in diameter?
🤔

Step 1, Take a bit of 0.6mm dia blued steel pivot wire, chuck in a pin vice, stone the exposed end to a point.
Step 2, Slip the spring over the pivot wire.
Step 3, Use a Ryobi rotary tool with a fine grinding wheel to take about 1.5mm off the angled end of the coil.

The pivot wire holds the spring so it's easy to judge how things are going.

I think it turned out quite well.

It's going to be 36ºC here tomorrow so my watch room may get a bit warm, so rather than dropping beads of perspiration all over my bench, I may take a break until Friday.

 

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G___

·Dec 17, 2025

This may not be the correct thread for a no-talent hack like myself (not a watchmaker).

Vintage Omega LadyMatic with a stubborn case back and a jewel of a tiny automatic movement (cal 661). Needed the old socket trick to get the case back off.

 

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30T2

·Dec 31, 2025

A new scope, local buy so tested before buying. Came with the camera, led and Barlow lens a Cadillac compared to my entry level amscope

 

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rendo

·Jan 1, 2026·faux legend

30T2

A new scope, local buy so tested before buying. Came with the camera, led and Barlow lens a Cadillac compared to my entry level amscope

I have the same exact setup but I used this adapter for the camera to get a wider angle. These stereo microscopes are great!

 

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rendo

·Jan 1, 2026·faux legend

This Enicar 160 tested out my amateur skills.

It started as a non-runner with a broken case screw and not enough endshake for the escape wheel pivot. Great motivation for me on the first day of a new year to see this one running well.

Edited: Jan 1, 2026

 

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ErichKeane

·Jan 1, 2026

One that just LEFT! Installed a white strap and runs fabulously:

Then, I have another project that my wife has shown LESS interest in wearing, but I'd already picked up. Movement has some rust, but I have a backup movement and most of the case parts (except the spacers that I actually NEED sadly).

Finally, a 342 Bumper that has a questionable dial, bad hands, and a rough case. Timegrapher results are bad, but if I get it running good, it might turn into an actual runner:

 

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30T2

·Jan 1, 2026

rendo

I have the same exact setup but I used this adapter for the camera to get a wider angle. These stereo microscopes are great!

I might give that a try but I already have the Barlow lens but I do like the stubby set-up you have. Mine is long so I it can find the range, not a twist.

 

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30T2

·Jan 1, 2026

rendo

I have the same exact setup but I used this adapter for the camera to get a wider angle. These stereo microscopes are great!

I think I found it on amazon, or at least very similar.

 

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rendo

·Jan 1, 2026·faux legend

30T2

I think I found it on amazon, or at least very similar.

I included the link in the “this” part of my message. I have the barlow lens but this adapter worked better for me. I hope you like it if you end up getting it.

 

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ErichKeane

·Jan 26, 2026

NOTE: This apparently I never clicked 'reply' on, so 'today here is a few weeks ago 😁


On my bench today is a 65 Jewel Wathlam! Not quite the Clinton 100 Jewel Century (or the 100 jewel version of this!), but definitely more than your common watch!

BUT once you get over the 21 jewels on the outside of the rotor (and seemingly a matching 21 on the other side!), you're left with a run-of-the-mill 23 jewel AS1580 on the inside.

 

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ErichKeane

·Jan 26, 2026

What is ACTUALLY on my bench today!

Someone on reddit sob-storied me and convinced me to take a look at their Hamilton Khaki Field. I ended up saying 'yes' with the promise that I am just as likely to destroy it as I am to fix it, but they were ok with that anyway. Posted in dramatic ordering:

NOTICE the little flakes of brass on the escape wheel, 1 of which is particularly well focused in this photo!

AND one of the drive train wheels! This was the worst, but there was another just as bad right next to it:

Where, you might ask, did all of the brass come from?

Yes, I saw that almost immediately, and should have guessed right away when I had the watch in my hand. Any guesses which movement it is?


(if you said ETA2824... you're right 😁 ).

 

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dsio

·Jan 26, 2026·Ash @ ΩF

ErichKeane

NOTE: This apparently I never clicked 'reply' on, so 'today here is a few weeks ago 😁


On my bench today is a 65 Jewel Wathlam! Not quite the Clinton 100 Jewel Century (or the 100 jewel version of this!), but definitely more than your common watch!

BUT once you get over the 21 jewels on the outside of the rotor (and seemingly a matching 21 on the other side!), you're left with a run-of-the-mill 23 jewel AS1580 on the inside.

I do love those, reminds me of that whole concept in the audio industry of PMPO that used to be commonly used in the 90s and 2000s to describe how many watts you can pump into $10 speakers before they vaporise

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_power#PMPO

 

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JimInOz

·Jan 27, 2026·Melbourne Australia

A couple of vintage Seikos. Passed to me not running.
The 6119-8040 (on the left) had been the victim of a re-dial and due to shit workmanship, the Seiko and "5" emblems came loose and got caught by the hands. It was also running like asthmatic turtle.

The 7019-6000 on the right was totally seized up. Both now running at about +4spd.

This was the canon pinion 7019.

And mounted on a needle for polishing.

Now all cleaned up.

Just a soak in Acetone, a clean in the Ultrasonic and it's be ready for the cleaning machins with all of the other parts.

 

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ErichKeane

·Jan 27, 2026

Ok, that watch winder is absurdly cool. Any hints as how someone would track one down?