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Where to find a good general purpose kit

mseamaster
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JimInOz JimInOz
You have a huge selection of suppliers in the EU.

Boley for starters.

And don't be too focussed on Bergeon, there are other brands just as good (some better) than the Bergeon brand.
Horotec for example, produce good quality tools at more reasonable price points. There's also AF Switzerland and I'm sure many others.

Be aware that many items are produced in the same factories and simply branded with a name.

I envy you for the range of options you have in the EU.

Thanks for the links. However it seems we should both envy people in Switzerland and not EU 馃榾

Boley seems to be only for Dealers. On their registration page they say they want company name and names of two suppliers to verify things.

The other two, I will check later, but Switzerland is not in EU, so I will still have to pay VAT(and possibly import tax too).
 
rendo
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Just because Esslinger or Cousins carries a type of tool doesn't mean it is high quality. Instead of looking for a kit, I would make a list of what you want to do, and do a research on the recommended tools for those tasks. As an example, the 5700 clone is great for hobbyists for a case opener. It is inexpensive, but you probably won't find it in a kit.

You want to avoid damaging watches with cheap tools and also save money in the long run. If you want more reading on what pros use, take a look at these threads: https://omegaforums.net/search/2627...=1&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=52&c[user][0]=2441
 
mseamaster
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rendo rendo
Just because Esslinger or Cousins carries a type of tool doesn't mean it is high quality. Instead of looking for a kit, I would make a list of what you want to do, and do a research on the recommended tools for those tasks. As an example, the 5700 clone is great for hobbyists for a case opener. It is inexpensive, but you probably won't find it in a kit.

You want to avoid damaging watches with cheap tools and also save money in the long run. If you want more reading on what pros use, take a look at these threads: https://omegaforums.net/search/2627...=1&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=52&c[user][0]=2441
Where can I find a high quality 5700 clone?
It seems most are made of bad materials/etc. I looked it up on Amazon/AliExpress.
 
rendo
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I got this one on eBay a while ago: https://www.ebay.com/itm/185462733039

You might be able to find it for cheaper, especially on AliExpress.

Keep in mind that a $5 rubber ball works most of the time, depending on what type of watches you want to work on.
 
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mseamaster
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I found a similar one from Vevor(the chinese vendor?) shipped from France. I guess I will order one.

What about vintage Omega watches though? I assume I need a different opener for them. Will a rubber ball do?
 
rendo
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The rubber ball has worked for me on most vintage watches including Omegas. For the couple cases that it didn't work on, I used the 5700 clone.
 
mseamaster
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rendo rendo
The rubber ball has worked for me on most vintage watches including Omegas. For the couple cases that it didn't work on, I used the 5700 clone.
I am specifically interested in 131.019. It's not a screwback, correct? I will get a rubber ball anyway. I tried looking for videos on YouTube, but they either show screwbacks and use a press like 5700 or they don't show the opening process.
 
rendo
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The 131.019 seems to have a snap-on case back that you can open with a case knife.
 
mseamaster
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rendo rendo
The 131.019 seems to have a snap-on case back that you can open with a case knife.
Are there different types of case knives? Is the quality important like it's for screwdrivers and presses for screwbacks? I don't want to risk scratching it.
 
rendo
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Quality knives are not that expensive, but I bet you could do fine with a noname knife as well. You should use the knife as a wedge by inserting it between the case back and the case, and avoid prying off the case back. Some case backs have a small gap to make things easier. See the following photo and simple guide from Esslinger:

https://blog.esslinger.com/how-to-open-a-snap-off-case-back/
snapoff_photo1.jpg

I should add that I'm just a hobbyist, not an expert. Please be careful and do not cut yourself.
 
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