I am writing this online guide to hand down the 20+ years of experience, fixing watches, to others who would like to find out the art of watch fixing. It is totally free for anybody to utilize although it is focused on the battery fitter, jeweller or amateur watch repairer who has a little quantity previous experience and wish to start healing watches. I am restricting my guide to Quartz watches just as this is a topic that is not covered well elsewhere and yet they are most of watches you will be asked to repair. Repairing mechanical and automatic watches are covered in lots of places and books (i gained from this book 'Practical Watch Fixing' by Donald de Carle which is an old book however very excellent) however to repair and repair these takes a lot more experience. This is why when fixing mechanical watches you can charge more money for fixing one of these than you can charge for mending most of quartz watches.
In spite of this, there is decent cash to be made repairing quartz watches and it is easier to find out too as there is less variation. The easy reason repairing a quartz watch is simpler is they have not altered much in the last 30 years while mechanical watches have actually been around for centuries while the first Quartz Watch was produced in 1969.
To be an Excellent Watch Repairer you require experience so it is a lifetimes finding out to become competent mechanical watch maker (horologist), while you can quickly expand your business into fixing quartz watches with this online guide.
In this guide I assume you can open a watch back, change a bracelet and use basic tools properly. If not, then this guide may not be for you (if I get time in the future I will make a newbies direct too).
OBVIOUSLY you can't just begin turning screws ... there are a number of things you will require to do (and get) in preparation. You will have far better results, and a far more pleasurable experience if you take the time, effort, and expenditure to get the majority of the products listed below BEFORE starting. Bear in mind that these are just the bare basics ... a major repair work individual has hundreds of other specialized tools ... however we'll save that for another conversation. The bottom line is that preparation and having the best devices is crucial to success of any repair task!.
Workspacerkspace with a clean, flat surface area. For a novice a kitchen table will do simply fine, however as you become more severe you may wish to consider a watchbench made specifically for fixing watches and a good fluorescent light which is easier on the eyes. A watchbench has actually small constructed in drawers for all of the tools and parts you make sure to collect Go to this site gradually.
The design is high, with a surface that (when sitting) is close to the face so the repair work person does not have to depression 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 adequate to damage 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 discussed above) begin 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 work on. The primary advantage for doing this is if you drop among the parts, it won't 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 secure your watch from the tables hard surface area. To keep it from shifting, you may wish to think about taping it down with masking tape as well.
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 precision made and you will easily harm or strip the extremely polished screws discovered in most watches. The eager eye of a serious watch collector will choose this up right 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.