I am writing this online guide to hand down the 20+ years of experience, repairing watches, to others who would like to learn the art of watch fixing. It is totally totally free for anyone to utilize although it is aimed at the battery fitter, jeweller or amateur watch repairer who has a small quantity previous experience and wish to start mending watches. I am limiting my guide to Quartz watches just as this is a topic that is not covered well somewhere else and yet they are the majority of watches you will be asked to repair. Fixing mechanical and automatic watches are covered in lots of locations and books (i discovered from this book 'Practical Watch Repairing' by Donald de Carle which is an old book however excellent) however to repair 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 repairing most of quartz watches.
Regardless of this, there is decent money to be made fixing quartz watches and it is simpler to learn too as there is less variation. The basic reason that 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 centuries 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 need to do (and get) in preparation. You will have much better outcomes, and a much more satisfying experience if you make the effort, effort, and expense to get the majority of the items noted below BEFORE starting. Keep in mind that these are simply the bare essentials ... a severe repair individual has numerous other specialized tools ... but we'll conserve that for another discussion. The bottom line is that preparation and having the ideal equipment is vital to success of any repair job!.
Workspacerkspace with a tidy, flat surface. For a newbie a kitchen area table will do simply fine, but as you end up being more serious you might want to think about a watchbench made specially for fixing watches and a great fluorescent lamp which is simpler on the eyes. A watchbench has little built in drawers for all of the tools and parts you make certain to build up with 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 slump over when working. Some service technicians will put cork or linoleum on the surface. These soft products stop parts from bouncing away, and aren't hard sufficient to harm anything dropped on them. Some benches even have a slide out "parts catcher" that presses against the stubborn 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 device catches it!
A lot of beginners will (as mentioned above) start at a kitchen area table. An excellent suggestion for operating at a table is to put down a great piece of white fabric (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 because 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 might 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 department shop for working on spectacles etc. will trigger more trouble than they deserve. They are not accuracy made and you will easily harm or strip the extremely polished screws discovered in most watches. The eager eye of a severe watch collector will choose this up right Click here! away; it interferes with the appearance of the watch thus minimizing value of your watch. Find and purchase a set of watchmakers screwdrivers. Even a novices set will be better than anything you can find at the dollar-store.
The correct way to hold it (Right Listed 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 in between your thumb and middle finger; turning the screw.