Wristwatch Revival Landeron 51 Zodiac-

ErichKeane · Dec 22, 2025

Hi all!

I watch Marshall knowing he's imperfect and a hobbyist,so forgive quite a bit in exchange for watching movements go together. His voice-over is a little silly of course, as he clearly knows what is going to happen, but IMO, its kinda nice narration.

This one, however, I was kind of appalled at quite a few things (not letting down the mainspring because he didnt 'know how'), a GIANT cat hair he let sit on the movement while he worked (which he admittedly removed/commented), forgetting a setting lever screw (I'm only a few dozen movements into my watch cleaning career, and already have a complex about that, and some generally sillier than usual commentary.

Anyway, link for anyone curious, go in with low expectations 😀

Duracuir1 · Dec 23, 2025

Entertaining. Watch looks good.

ErichKeane · Dec 23, 2025

Yep, new crystal plus relume did that a favor if you dont look too close at the case

smb88 · Dec 23, 2025

At least he's stopped skidding his screwdrivers all over the movements these days!

I like watching his videos with the same caveat as yourself

knowing he's imperfect and a hobbyist

ErichKeane · Dec 23, 2025

smb88
At least he's stopped skidding his screwdrivers all over the movements these days!

I like watching his videos with the same caveat as yourself

I'm the same, and can't say I would do any better on video... but his "lets YOLO taking the pallet fork off a wound movement!" was pretty rough to me. DEFINITELY someone who hasn't paid the price for that yet. Usually I can let stuff go, but this video was somewhat more egregious than usual.

Anyway something fun to watch all the same 😀

ErichKeane · Dec 23, 2025

Oh, another 'grinds my gears' 😀 I watched a ton of chronos being serviced on youtube before I did my handful of attempts. I was lead to believe the approach of "leave the eccentrics alone and everything will be fine!" was correct. I've yet to work on a chrono that I haven't had to adjust the eccentrics, and I'm 4 or 5 in 😀

Archer · Dec 23, 2025

ErichKeane
I'm the same, and can't say I would do any better on video... but his "lets YOLO taking the pallet fork off a wound movement!" was pretty rough to me. DEFINITELY someone who hasn't paid the price for that yet. Usually I can let stuff go, but this video was somewhat more egregious than usual.

Anyway something fun to watch all the same 😀

Okay, so your comment basically forced me to watch up to that point (actually to skip through to that point) and yikes. All he had to do was to do the slightest bit of looking and thinking to determine how to let down the spring (that space between your ears is the most important watchmaking tool you own). Generally you wind the watch a bit and you will see the click move so you know where it is. Yes on chronographs it might not be readily apparent since it's maybe covered up by other parts, but then you just keep removing chronograph parts until you find it.

If you really, seriously cannot find it, you can remove the pallet fork and let the spring down in a controlled manner - by braking the movement using a finger on the center wheel or something. Letting it run out of control like that in a state with no lubrication and lots of dirt in the jewels, is certainly not doing the movement any good. Having said that I don't think I've ever seen him even bother to check pivots for wear and replace worn parts, so it's possible he doesn't even know what to look for in that regard.

And I do wonder how much he gouged up the main plate digging that pallet fork bridge off with the screwdriver...dear god these videos are depressing. I beg anyone watching them to please not follow this guy for instructional purposes, because the list of bad habits is so long it would take me a week to write it all out...

Duracuir1 · Dec 23, 2025

Archer
Okay, so your comment basically forced me to watch up to that point (actually to skip through to that point) and yikes. All he had to do was to do the slightest bit of looking and thinking to determine how to let down the spring (that space between your ears is the most important watchmaking tool you own). Generally you wind the watch a bit and you will see the click move so you know where it is. Yes on chronographs it might not be readily apparent since it's maybe covered up by other parts, but then you just keep removing chronograph parts until you find it.

If you really, seriously cannot find it, you can remove the pallet fork and let the spring down in a controlled manner - by braking the movement using a finger on the center wheel or something. Letting it run out of control like that in a state with no lubrication and lots of dirt in the jewels, is certainly not doing the movement any good. Having said that I don't think I've ever seen him even bother to check pivots for wear and replace worn parts, so it's possible he doesn't even know what to look for in that regard.

And I do wonder how much he gouged up the main plate digging that pallet fork bridge off with the screwdriver...dear god these videos are depressing. I beg anyone watching them to please not follow this guy for instructional purposes, because the list of bad habits is so long it would take me a week to write it all out...

You guys know how I feel now when I watch cop shows. Enough with the cop shows. We need watchmaker shows.

Archer · Dec 23, 2025

Duracuir1
You guys know how I feel now when I watch cop shows. Enough with the cop shows. We need watchmaker shows.

I feel the same - rights don't seem to matter in cop dramas, and I think too many cops are watching those shows!

ErichKeane · Dec 23, 2025

Archer
Okay, so your comment basically forced me to watch up to that point (actually to skip through to that point) and yikes. All he had to do was to do the slightest bit of looking and thinking to determine how to let down the spring (that space between your ears is the most important watchmaking tool you own). Generally you wind the watch a bit and you will see the click move so you know where it is. Yes on chronographs it might not be readily apparent since it's maybe covered up by other parts, but then you just keep removing chronograph parts until you find it.

If you really, seriously cannot find it, you can remove the pallet fork and let the spring down in a controlled manner - by braking the movement using a finger on the center wheel or something. Letting it run out of control like that in a state with no lubrication and lots of dirt in the jewels, is certainly not doing the movement any good. Having said that I don't think I've ever seen him even bother to check pivots for wear and replace worn parts, so it's possible he doesn't even know what to look for in that regard.

And I do wonder how much he gouged up the main plate digging that pallet fork bridge off with the screwdriver...dear god these videos are depressing. I beg anyone watching them to please not follow this guy for instructional purposes, because the list of bad habits is so long it would take me a week to write it all out...

Thank you for taking the time to put exactly my thoughts into words 😁 I was saddened by his pallet fork bridge removal, but that is sorta par for the course on youtube videos? AND something it seems everyone does (using screwdrivers as wedges to remove stuck plates). I definitely am guilty of it, but try everything else i can first, not first.

He doesn't inspect pivots, he's very much a 'clean first and see how we did' kind of repair guy. He only checks pivots /replaces worn parts if the post-clean timegrapher isn't mediocre (he forgives... questionable results sometimes).

Duracuir1
You guys know how I feel now when I watch cop shows. Enough with the cop shows. We need watchmaker shows.

Tell me about it! I'm a computer guy (programmer + quite a few other things) and have to turn my ears off every time a computer is involved.

IF you all want a REAL watch heart-attack[0]:

That is one of my most entertaining electronics repair youtubers. He's bad at it, and doesn't know very much about electrical things (VERY self taught, barely even reads folks in his own comments self-taught 😁) but picks up some entertaining failures and has reasonable fault finding skills. That said, this attempt at the watch repair is particularly horrific. At least it is only a quartz fossil.

[0]: Honestly, the fact that I am posting this video is probably only because I'm REALLY mad at you guys for... something or other.

sheepdoll · Dec 23, 2025

I've given up spending time watching Marshall's vids. They do remain entertaining, but I have better things to do with my time.

At least most of the watch repair videos do not run the camera backwards. A few years back I started watching camera and lens repair vids, then noticed that for some reason, many of the 'found' items had left hand screws.

I have not checked, has anyone done a video on washing clothes? Where one can spend 10s of minutes if not hours watching them tumble about the machine, and the dryer?

goudaville · Dec 31, 2025

smb88
At least he's stopped skidding his screwdrivers all over the movements these days!

I like watching his videos with the same caveat as yourself

I appreciate that he's very clear that this is just a hobby for him, has gotten me interested in tinkering with watches for fun. or at the very least, learning the ins and outs of different movements.

funny side note, Marshall is a lead commentator on Magic the Gathering's Pro Tour.

Dan S · Dec 31, 2025

sheepdoll
I have not checked, has anyone done a video on washing clothes? Where one can spend 10s of minutes if not hours watching them tumble about the machine, and the dryer?

Like the Yule Log channel.

Archer · Dec 31, 2025

Dan S
Like the Yule Log channel.

Here it's called the fireplace channel - we also have the sunset channel.

Wristwatch Revival Landeron 51 Zodiac-

ErichKeane

Duracuir1

ErichKeane

smb88

ErichKeane

ErichKeane

Archer

Duracuir1

Archer

ErichKeane

sheepdoll

goudaville

Dan S

Archer

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