Do you want to know how to save yourself $6 dollars and a whole lot of extra work? Whenever you work on a watch be sure to examine every part as you disassemble the watch. I want to stress today to look at every part, not just the gears, but every part. Its easy to forget to look at parts that rarely break but 2 seconds spent now will save you 2 hours later on.
Check the condition of gear teeth, pinion leaves, pivots, jewels, screws, springs . . . everything!
Here is an example of something easily overlooked. You can often see stress in a screw, now, that will break when you reassemble the watch, or two weeks after the customer gets it. In this screw you can see a crack in the screw slot. If you look for this stuff now, you can save yourself the headache of performing the service over again later. This screw is a ratchet wheel screw. When it breaks, it is nearly impossible to get it out of the barrel arbor (there are your $6 saved). To get to the barrel arbor you will need to remove the barrel bridge, disassemble the barrel, re-clean components and reassemble. If it breaks in a couple of weeks you will have to de-case the watch and perform these tasks.
Now, you can’t always see which parts will break in the future, but thorough examination of every component of the watch will greatly reduce the problems missed.
I read this today in an article by David A. Christianson, CMW21:
In all this discussion, the term “watchmaker” means the man who repairs watches — not the man who works in a watch factory. The factory man need not know anything but his one limited subdivided portion of the watch. The watch repairer, on the other hand, must know how to make almost any part of any watch when necessary. This act justifies the apparently paradoxical statement that the man who repairs watches — and not the man who works in the watch factory — is a watchmaker. To say watchmaker for watch repairer is correct and in accord with trade usage.
From John J. Bowman, Chairman, Education Committee, Horological Institute of America.
Congratulations to Karla, comment number 57, who won the watch from orientalwatchsite.com. Thank you everyone for participating and special thanks to orientalwatchsite for providing the watch for the giveaway.
The winner was chosen by numbering each comment on the blog and each comment on facebook. There were a total of 101 entries and by using random.org entry number 57 was selected.
Congratulations!
Clearly, I spend way too much time on the computer every day, but it is a very useful tool. Let me tell you some of the ways I use this tool.
My computer is a communication device. When I encounter problems at the bench, I use my computer to learn from other watchmakers. I belong to AWCI’s on-line chapter, The Chronometer Club and the Yahoo group Holorlogy Matters. I also use my computer for e-mail.
My computer is a reference tool - and the Internet is an open book. I use the Internet to find contact information for many brands, and to keep up on industry news by following the blogs listed in the sidebar and with forums like Timezone. AWCI has lots of reference information available to members on their web page. Some brands also provide invaluable information via the Internet, like Omega for example which has an Extranet available to watchmakers which provides technical and parts information for most of their calibers. Other brands will send out a CD with information on it. You can’t have a modern shop without a computer these days.
My computer is also my office assistant. I place most of my parts orders using a custom database and faxing straight from my computer. I keep track of all my repairs in two separate databases, one with all the customer information in it and another with all the finances. The battery count in the sidebar pulls directly from one of these databases - providing realtime information as to my interruptions.
Of course, I also use my computer to maintain this blog, but I do this at home because it would be too much of a distraction at work. Computers can be a big distraction. I recommend checking your e-mail only 2 or 3 times a day while at the bench or you can get sucked in and become less productive. I check my e-mail first thing in the morning, at lunch, and towards the end of the day. This past week we were experiencing all kinds of computer problems at work; and my degree in Computer Science makes me the go-to guy for all things computer related. Needless to say I didn’t fix very many watches and for that reason today will be a computer-free day!
The kind folks at OrientalWatchSite are offering the following watch to a lucky Tick Talk Reader:
The watch is an automatic wristwatch with power reserve. You can check out more Men’s Watches by Orient Watch at Orientwatchsite.com.
Two ways to enter the contest - do both for two chances to win:
- Comment on this post.
- Comment on the contest note at our Facebook Fan Page - use the link in the sidebar to get to our Facebook Fan Page.
- Comment in both locations and you will be entered twice.
Winner will be selected at random. Contest ends June 14th at 12:00AM Mountain Daylight Time
I fired off the last post in a bit of a hurry. After thinking about it, and putting a few more days in at the bench I realized something important. It isn’t the skills at the bench that deteriorate in a week’s time, it is the mind. Thankfully, it would take a much longer respite for the skills to go rusty.
As I replaced a balance staff today, an activity I don’t have to do very often I realized that these skills stay with you. Coming back to the bench it was the routine and the concentration that had gone all buggy on me. A couple of more days at the bench and I have mostly settled back into my comfort zone and everything is going smoothly.
It must be difficult for someone to do this job part time or as a hobby because the routine is so important.
There is one thing about this profession — it is hands on! I was out of the shop for a week because of the birth of my third little boy. Mom & Baby are doing very well. My first day back was a little bit rough. It is amazing how taking just one week off can make you a little bit rusty. I would never want to take a month off because it would take a week to get back into it. Luckily I was back into my groove by the end of the day.
I think that the same is true for learning and that is why it is so important to keep taking classes and learning more and more about this profession.
Posting may be a little sporadic as we adapt to a little more chaos in our home over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for a contest coming up. It’s our biggest yet!
Every once in a while I come across a screw that just won’t turn. This happens more with older watches of course. This week it was a Rolex that I couldn’t get out of the case because both of the case screws appeared to be frozen in place. This was a different problem than usual because the case screws on a Rolex screw out (loose) against the case.
The first rule in breaking a frozen screw loose, is too make sure you are turning it the right way. In the case of the Rolex one of the screws had already been tightened down and didn’t need to be turned, when I tried to back it out a little bit to free it, it turned with ease. The other one really was frozen in place. Crown wheels, and sometimes ratchet wheels, and an occasional screw for a date wheel will often be reverse threaded, so it is important to know which way it needs to turn before trying to muscle it out — or you will definitely break it.
Once you have determined that the screw is stuck there are a few things to try.
- A bigger hammer (or screwdriver in this case). — if you can use a bigger screwdriver without damaging the surrounding bridge sometimes the extra torque will break the screw free.
- A hammer — tapping on the screwdriver while it is engaged with the screw can sometimes free up a screw
- Oil — Some machine oil, or some penetrating oil can be applied. A good penetrating oil will travel under the head and down around the threads providing some lubrication, or even helping break down the rust. Because of its negative implications I would never use WD-40. I use Kroil “the oil that creeps.” — This did the trick on the Rolex case screw for me this week.
Ultrasonic — the vibrations will cause some screws to free up.
- Heating / Cooling — the expansion and contraction of heating and cooling a part will often free a screw.
Always be careful not to damage anything around the screws.
On a modern caliber if the above fail you may have to purchase the part that contains the frozen screw. On vintage calibers you may have to drill out the screw and re-tap the hole for a larger screw thread.
I have had many questions form individuals wishing to study watchmaking about the kinds of math on which they may be tested for admission and will have to perform during their career. Here is some watchmaking math which I don’t intend to be a reference for useful equations, as I’m not going to give very much information, but I present them simply as examples one should be able to solve.
The formula for determining the theoretical length of a mainspring given the barrel diameter(R), barrel arbor daimeter(r) and the thickeness of the mainspring (e) 
A formula used for determining the gear configuration in a multiplying gear train. Given all but 1 value solve the equation: 
Really, folks this is about as difficult as it gets. It is basic algebra and ratios. You will of course be expected to be able to determine which formula is appropriate and which values represent which variables, as well as eliminate unnecessary information, given the information in a word problem, but this you will be taught.
Open up your dresser drawer and you probably have some watches that have been in there for 10, 15, or more years. They’re probably broken, or maybe they just need a new battery. But, why do we keep them? I definitely have some of them. That Casio has been broken for at least 10 years and has gone with me as I have moved houses at least 6 times.
As I listened to Living on Earth this week they had a segment about the 1000 watch project. From their web page we learn a little about their project:
With the advent of cell phones, wrist watches
are dying a slow death. But it is difficult (if not impossible) to throw out your
old wrist watch even if it is broken. Is that because when it was worn it was almost an integral part of the body? Does it represent an important moment in one’s life?
I hear this all the time: the younger generation aren’t wearing wristwatches. The fact is that the wristwatch is more convenient than the cell phone. Here are some reasons I think the wristwatch won’t go the way of the pocket watch:
- When you’re in a business meeting it is easier to steal a glance at your watch than at your cell phone without being noticed, or making someone feel that you have something more important to do.
- There are not very many accessories a man can wear. He can put on cuff links, a ring or two, maybe a simple chain around the neck, he could wear a tie-tac or a lapel pin, but the watch is the most common and most accepted form of personal expression for a man.
- They mark time.
That last one might seem obvious, but just as people have a hard time throwing away their old wrist watches, they will have a hard time giving them up all together. We seem to be attached to our watches. Why can’t I throw away the $2 digital watch I bought in Peru? or the silver dollar watch I purchased in middle school? or my high school track watch I received when I was a Senior in High School? These watches mark time. Times in our lives, events, occasions, and they are cherished.
The thousand watch project is trying to preserve one thousand wrist watches and their stories. You might enjoy Watch 499, Watch 470, Watch 482, Watch 411, or Watch 395
Dig deep in your dresser drawer and find a watch you haven’t worn in years. Tell me about it, and if you feel so inclined donate it to the 1000 watch project, even if the wrist watch isn’t disappearing into the past.
P.S. if your watch is as nice as Watch 499 you can donate it to me instead and I’ll donate something from my watch box to the 1000 watch project. If you would like to see everything that’s in my watch box you can check out my facebook album.
Here is an example of something easily overlooked. You can often see stress in a screw, now, that will break when you reassemble the watch, or two weeks after the customer gets it. In this screw you can see a crack in the screw slot. If you look for this stuff now, you can save yourself the headache of performing the service over again later. This screw is a ratchet wheel screw. When it breaks, it is nearly impossible to get it out of the barrel arbor (there are your $6 saved). To get to the barrel arbor you will need to remove the barrel bridge, disassemble the barrel, re-clean components and reassemble. If it breaks in a couple of weeks you will have to de-case the watch and perform these tasks.
