I am writing this online guide to hand down the 20+ years of experience, fixing watches, to others who would like to learn the art of watch fixing. It is totally free for anybody to utilize although it is targeted at the battery fitter, jeweller or amateur watch repairer who has a small quantity previous experience and wish to start healing watches. I am limiting my guide to Quartz views only as this is a topic that is not covered well somewhere else and yet they are most of watches you will be asked to repair. Fixing mechanical and automatic watches are covered in many locations and books (i discovered from this book 'Practical Watch Repairing' by Donald de Carle which is an old book however great) however to fix and fix these takes a lot more experience. This is why when fixing mechanical watches you can charge more money for repairing among these than you can charge for fixing the majority of quartz watches.
Regardless of this, there is good money to be made fixing quartz watches and it is simpler to learn too as there is less variation. The basic reason why fixing a quartz watch is much easier is they have not changed much in the last thirty years while mechanical watches have been around for hundreds of years while the very first Quartz Watch was produced in 1969.
To be a Good Watch Repairer you require experience so it is a life times learning to end up being proficient mechanical watch maker (horologist), while you can rapidly broaden your company into mending quartz watches with this online guide.
In this guide I presume you can open a watch back, adjust a bracelet and utilize fundamental tools correctly. If not, then this guide might not be for you (if I get time in the future I will make a novices guide too).
OBVIOUSLY you can't simply start turning screws ... there are a variety of things you will require to do (and get) in preparation. You will have much better outcomes, and a a lot more satisfying experience if you make the effort, effort, and expense to get the majority of the items listed below BEFORE beginning. Keep in mind that these are simply the bare fundamentals ... a serious repair work person has numerous other specialized tools ... but we'll conserve that for another discussion. The bottom line is that preparation and having the right devices is vital to success of any repair work job!.
Workspacerkspace with a tidy, flat surface. For gray and sons miami a beginner a kitchen area table will do just great, but as you end up being more major you might desire to consider a watchbench made specifically for repairing watches and an excellent fluorescent lamp which is much easier on the eyes. A watchbench has little integrated in drawers for all of the tools and parts you are sure to build up over time.
The style is tall, with a surface area that (when sitting) is close to the face so the repair individual doesn't need to downturn over when working. Some repairmen will put cork or linoleum on the surface area. These soft materials stop parts from bouncing away, and aren't hard sufficient to damage anything dropped on them. Some benches even have a slide out "parts catcher" that presses versus the belly when sitting. Mine is a wood frame with a loose piece of canvas added to the bottom. When a part is dropped and goes "over the edge", this brilliant gizmo catches it!
The majority of beginners will (as discussed above) start at a kitchen area table. A good idea for working at a table is to put down a fine piece of white material (like a plain white pillowcase or cheesecloth) to do your deal with. The main benefit for doing this is if you drop one of the parts, it will not bounce away and become lost. I recommend white since small screws (etc.) are simple to locate. This practice will likewise save your table from scratches, and safeguard your watch from the tables hard surface area. To keep it from shifting, you may desire to consider taping it down with masking tape too.
Screw-driver set
You WILL need an excellent set of watchmakers screwdrivers. This is a MUST. The sets found at the outlet store for working on spectacles etc. will trigger more trouble than they are worth. They are not accuracy made and you will easily harm or strip the extremely polished screws discovered in most watches. The keen eye of a severe watch collector will choose this up right away; it detracts from the appearance of the watch thus minimizing value of your watch. Find and purchase a set of watchmakers screwdrivers. Even a beginners set will be better than anything you can find at the dollar-store.
The appropriate way to hold it (Right Below) is to grip the screwdriver shaft in between the thumb and middle finger, with the index finger on the cupped end (which turns). Press down on the top of the screwdriver and swivel it between your thumb and middle finger; turning the screw.