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Old 20 February 2020, 11:53 PM   #1
Randomgary
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Self service watches.

Hi all,

I have absolutely no dreams of dismantling an expensive timepiece but I'm finding myself watching hours of watch dissasembling and servicing on youtube.

Here's the challenge. I get obsessive with new hobbies. Shooting, archery, golf, car modification, pc gaming..........
I dont want to get into something else that will see me spending too much money.

Anyone know of any companies that run experience days of dis and reassembly? I'm UK based near London

If I go down the self learning route what recommendations do you have for

Inexpensive auto Watches with easily to source parts

Tool kits that will be proficient to do a decent job (I understand you get what you pay for with tools like this)

Cheers, G
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Old 21 February 2020, 11:32 AM   #2
DCheeta
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Hey G,

My watch obsession has taken that path as of late. When buying and collecting started to become all about wait lists and investment value I lost my taste for it. I attended all of the watchmaking courses offered by the Horological Society of New York here in NYC (which are just basic courses but are great for fundamentals and tool handling). I also constantly read books and watch videos and online courses.

I sold off a lot of my Swiss collection and started picking up tools. I started by buying some Chinese clones of ETA 6497 and 2824 movements and taking them apart and reassembling them. Then I bought cases, hands and dials and started assembling my own watches.

Now I mostly enjoy buying vintage Seikos and servicing/restoring them. The movements and parts are plentiful and the community is robust enough that you can find help for almost any problem.

I don’t know what courses are available in the UK, but I’m sure there are some and the UK members here can point you in the right direction.

I must stress that I only do it as a personal hobby. Real watchmakers have my utmost respect and I would never pretend to be one!
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Old 21 February 2020, 11:30 PM   #3
enjoythemusic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomgary View Post
Anyone know of any companies that run experience days of dis and reassembly? I'm UK based near London
Hmmm, MANY years ago i recall classes... Call up a few service centers, they may know.
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Old 22 February 2020, 04:58 AM   #4
77T
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I think the first thing is to learn how to use the teensy-weensy tools.

I can’t suggest a nearby demo center but here are some online resources for self-learning.


https://www.timezonewatchschool.com/WatchSchool/


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