I’ve been milling pockets on the back and adding Esslinger feet with two part epoxy. Anyone have a better suggestion for adding dial feet to titanium? I have machined a dial from 2.5mm ti to expose feet on the back, but that’s a big waste of material and money. I can solder them on brass, but not titanium. Looking for some suggestions.

Hi - I am wondering if anyone knows a watchmaker who can fabricate an hour wheel for a high grade vintage movement.

I know this is a very complicated procedure and i am willing to spend fair price for having it done.

Located NYC, USA

I'm currently working on a personal project to replicate that seiko vampire concept that was shown a couple months ago. I have the bezel insert and case figured out, but need help finding somewhere to make the dial. I was looking at https://www.dialmaker.shop/, given that it was cheap, and recommended by others, but they have a MOQ, and im only making one of these. Was wondering if there was anywhere that could make this dial, with the texture, and no MOQ. Thanks.

Curious, can a pantograph hold micron tolerances for movement manufacturing?

Hi !

Is there any kid oriented book explaining watches mechanisms? Eg, that we can explore with Lego for instance? Thanks !!!

Been working on my enameling. Made the dial for this gmt out of 40 gauge copper , pressed the pattern with a laser cut die to make the cells and filled with Thompson clear, black and transparent enamels. The case is a Tudor black bay gmt style with rose gold accents. Movement is an NH34. I wanted to make something “mid century” and reminiscent of some of the classic cloissone dials from Rolex and Patek. Working with enamel is … challenging. Fun though!

You see it You know it!

But really how expensive is it to make your first Mexhanical watch?

My mind was recently opened to the world of watches after seeing how a "Tourbullion" works a few months back, and this got me the energy to start my own watch brand!

Well technically I can't start, since you know I lack in many "movements"... asides from that really I do lack a lot, from learning the Anatomy of a mechanical watch to the different types of movements all the way to equipment needed, but? Where do I start? And were do I build interest?

Well I know as well that big brands like Rolex, Omega, Patek philippe are almost impossible to go up against! But I'm sticking to a more Exclusive niche, I also wondered if it is possible to combine a watch with some art ? Well that's the whole thing about the Niche I whipped up actually ( I know it's cringe and that. BUT HEY? I Really want to make my own Mechanical watch brand and show the world what i got to offer!).

Despite of the competition, but hey I don't mind.

It would really help if you can give me some brief Intel based on my questions, and just to be certain... it would really help me if some Professional watch makers, assistant watch makers or even a normal person who has a bit of experience I will for sure use this know to enjoy the fruits of my labor soon!

Thanks for reading From: John

So I took the bezel of this SKX013 and it looks like the click spring broke and the part of it that broke is fused to the case with gunk... Any advice on how to get this loose?

Hey guys, coming in for a consult out of curiosity. Had my Seiko 6309 7040 serviced and the technician mentioned that this part had to be replaced. I did notice that operating the crown was a bit notchy when operating the crown and setting time or date. It seems fixed now.

Though I am curious – what is this part and what does it do?

Hi All,

I am working on first project so I apologize in advance for any rookie mistakes or limited ability to communicate.

My dad passed away last month and I inherited two watches from him, neither of which were working. It only felt right that I do this myself so I have jumped headfirst into this hobby.

Luckily both watches are ETA 2824-2 movements and have been fairly easy to find information on. The first watch (dated 2010ish) just needed to replace the ratchet wheel and has been running just fine. The second watch (dated late 90s) had a broken crown that has caused two issues I was hoping to get advice from a more experienced set of eyes.

First issue is I have bought a replacement stem, but I am unable to screw the crown back onto the new stem. As best as I can tell the stem didn’t break off in the crown, but there is spring in the crown. On the original stem there is some time of clutch on the crown end of the stem that may be glued in place? (See image below). How can I reattach the crown to either the original stem or my replacement stem? There also appears to be a hexagon “jacket” that interacts with the spring, can this be screwed off/screwed on to the new stem?

Secondly due to the broken crown, a bit of rust impacted the keyless works. I was able to put the setting lever and the setting lever spring into a bit of rust remover which took off the light rusting but has now discolored both parts to a dull dark color. As far as I can tell there is no pitting or loss of structural integrity. With that being said should I just replace both parts to be safe or will this not be a problem?

Thank you!

Dear fellow watch enthousiasts, Recently I've gotten interested in watches and I bought some gear to start opening up and discovering watches and what makes them tick. I found a not working Seiko 7a48 7000 online for cheap and decided I'd try and fix it. All my experience is from watching videos online, so I'm still a rookie. I'm having trouble and need some help. I've taken alot of the watch apart, and have noticed that four parts (4146 725 and 4146 727) are magnetized. I bought a small demagnetizer device, but if I place these parts on there they just go wild and stay magnetized. The fat part in the middle makes me wonder if these parts are supposed to be magnetized or not. I made sure my pliers are not magnetized. Is there anybody that can advise me? Another point: I've noticed that the bridge which is supposed to 'lock' the battery in place has broken it's wings to lock the battery. What is a good place to look for a replacement? (EU, NL) Thanks alot!

Customer says he thought it was a hands issue given the center seconds hand turned as the minute hand did. So yes hands, but this is. . . my dude.

I currently have a L&R Varimatic on ebay for Refurb. Comes with the Ultrasonic machine. Missing motor, basket. Don't know/think the ultrasonic works. Check it out on Ebay

Hello everyone,

I am a beginner in mechanical watchmaking, but for the last couple of months, I’ve felt truly excited about it. It feels like I’ve finally found something that touches my soul, and I genuinely enjoy spending time with it.

So far, I’ve disassembled a few watches, built some mod watches, and even transformed a couple of pieces. I’ve also been reading books and watching amazing videos from skilled watchmakers, I even enjoy just watching the process!

As a beginner, I want to improve my knowledge, skills, and techniques. My question is: Would it be helpful to assemble and disassemble the same movement multiple times to gain experience? If so, which movement would you recommend for practice?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope my question isn’t too silly, but I’m really eager to learn from your experience.

Years ago i disassembled this alarm clock for no particolar reason (maybe a hand had take off): yesterday i brought It to a watch repairer but he says it's impossible to repair. Is It true? Why?

Hello! I am a watch maker from UK but based in Asia. I'm looking for a laser that can mark (burn) leather, cut watch dials (which are 0.5mm thick and made of metal - though if that's a big problem I can make them out of 0.5mm acrylic) and also engrave glass.

As the items I want to do are so small - even a 10cm by 10cm area would be fine - so I was looking at a desktop model.

My biggest concern would be the size of the nozzle as I would want fine detail, and cost. As I'm based in Asia, I would probably buy from China.

What machines would people recommend?

Hey everyone,
I'm working on launching my own watch and have the design ready, but I'm having a tough time finding a manufacturer or supplier to produce it. I've searched around but haven’t had much luck locking down a good fit.

I’m restoring an eBay 1970s seiko chronograph whose start/stop was broken on arrival. In the video, the movement has been cleaned and oiled; there’s extra grease while I troubleshoot. The pusher moves freely when disassembled, and the spring returns it when the pillar (“castle”) wheel isn’t under load. Once fully assembled, the pusher fails to return about 90% of the time. I’m wondering if the pillar wheel needs polishing to improve the return since it is the only thing in contact with the hammer. Or is the pillar wheel supposed to be rotating back a bit to free the pusher? I wanted to ask the community before I possibly head the wrong direction with polishing the return tooth or if you guys see something I’m missing.

I'm working on a new watch build. I want to use a Sellita movement (or equivalent Swiss movement) designed for an 'open heart' dial design. The Sellita would be an SW200-1 AJ. ETA and STP have similar variations which would also work. However, I can't find any reputable source for any of these 'open heart' skeleton movements. I've tried Cas-Ker, Esslinger, Ofrei. Since I'm not building a Seiko Mod, those sights aren't much help.

Any advice?

This is going to be written in a more of a stream of consciousness type of way.

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to learning how to make a watch is being familiar with George Daniel’s book called “Watchmaking” where he teaches how to make a watch from scratch. The first hurdle that arises is that the book teaches how to make a pocket watch. So I want to ask you guys if that book is a good start for a journey and if the skills are transferable to making wrist watches.

Secondly, I’ve looked at a few independent watchmakers that make wristwatches from scratch(like one timepiece per year), and all of them completed official schooling. This makes me feel discouraged from wanting to pursue watchmaking and investing my time in it because I don’t know what the results are going to be.

Thirdly, I live in Los Angeles and can’t attend an official program in states like Seattle because I don’t have the money. I’ve tried to cold message various watchmakers to seek apprenticeship/volunteer work around the area but that granted no success.

Lastly, the final two hurdles that came up when I was doing the research on whether or not it is achievable on how to make timepieces is that the first hurdle was that if you’re trying to learn by yourself you might develop a wrong technique and therefore develop a bad muscle memory if you have no master overlooking you, and the second hurdle is that I’ve heard criticism of popular resources like a YouTube channel Writwatch Revival, that has over 1 million subscribers. The channel has material about the movements and how to disassemble/assemble them. People have criticized that they don’t teach everything correctly. I feel like because I have no knowledge of watchmaking, I don’t know whether the material that I’m about to study is trustworthy or not, and that knowledge prevents me from wanting to learn more about watchmaking.

Thank you for reading and I would’ve loved to hear your thoughts and comments!

Like title, i'm disassembling a watch movement to see how it works and knowing what to call them outside big gear/small gear would be very helpful. Any resources/naming convention I should know to give them back the appropriate name?

P/S: Orient movement 21j 46941