mvonair 0 Posted June 17, 2012 Dear friends, i have some important questions, "defining" for my rep purchasing future, first of all, i am the happy owner of a few gens and recently got the "rep addicition", mainly wiht the help of your forum! so, now i have a small collection of PAM 390, AP T3, Omega PO, Breitling SO Heritage, TAG Carrera C16, Chopard MM varying from $200 to $500 my questions are what is the expected lifetime of my rep movements? what should i do if after a few months they stop working? should i have spare movements (and how)? will a local watch engineer be able to fix it? as i am an engineer (not on watches) and have a pretty good understanding on DIY works, should i invest in tools and spare parts of doing things myself? (and what does that mean in $$$) i see that most of you are experts but, is it fairly easy for someone who is not a watchmaker? is there a DIY "manual" that you, as more experienced, have already made and could advise? thnx MV Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onionbag 1 Posted June 17, 2012 Good questions mvonair, as an engineer myself I'd say that many of the basic things can be accomplished with a little practice. Movement repairs can be achieved, but there are reasons why a watchsmith trains and hones his skills over many, many years, not the least of which is the scale of the components involved and the handling techniques employed. Some people here through their own efforts have attained remarkable skills, but I'd say they have invested a lot of time and a not inconsiderable amount of money. I have some watch repair course videos and the Chicago school of watchmaking course in PDF format, I keep meaning to upload them to the cloud as a resource we can all reference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeavyKrush 16 Posted June 17, 2012 Also an engineer... When my first rep arrived I followed this... http://www.rwgboard.com/board/index.php?showtopic=17441&st=0 And needed this... http://www.amazon.com/Watch-Repair-Tool-Kit-Piece/dp/B004FWHOVC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1339931708&sr=8-8&keywords=Watch+tools On my second purchase I need the link tool in the kit to remove a few links from my wife's J12. I'm a big fan of having the right tool for the job. Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted June 17, 2012 Reps can last as long as an average gen if they're serviced regularly. Movement swaps are fairly simple to do (if I can do it, ANYONE can do it ), but actual movement servicing takes a bit more skill. It's something that can be learned, or alternatively you can find yourself a rep-friendly watchsmith and let them do the work for you Watch tools are available from the RWGshop - we don't make a profit on that stuff - it's just a service for the membership, so they're all high quality at wholesale prices. See the link in the sidebar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mvonair 0 Posted June 17, 2012 thank you all, what i actually want to do, is to be able to make a regular service myself, like lubricate, clean, lume if needed, and tight some screws (...very sexy description!!). if i can do these things by myself, i could work it out with some instructions...im not dreaming of disasembling a movement @onionbag. if you upload these videos and PDF will be great @greg. i will PM you for some further details on the tools. thnx MV Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted June 17, 2012 thank you all, what i actually want to do, is to be able to make a regular service myself, like lubricate, clean, lume if needed, and tight some screws (...very sexy description!!). if i can do these things by myself, i could work it out with some instructions...im not dreaming of disasembling a movement @onionbag. if you upload these videos and PDF will be great @greg. i will PM you for some further details on the tools. thnx MV Don't bother with the PM, mate, the shop ain't my baby, it's Col's. I suggest you just visit the shop website. It's linked from both the sidebar and title bar of the home page for future reference, but here's the link: http://shop.homage-watches-guide.com/ Note that Col is going to be away this week, so orders might ship a little slower than usual. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mvonair 0 Posted June 17, 2012 ha ha...PMed already (quick-hand!!) but thnx ill visit the link /MV Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UmpaHimself 222 Posted June 17, 2012 Good stuff to know. I ordered a A21j PO from Mary figuring if the movement ever goes bad I could just swap it out for an Swiss ETA or clone. I'm pretty sure they use the same case right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Member X 91 Posted June 17, 2012 Might be the same case but the dial will have different feet, the 21j hands won't fit the ETA/clone, and the stem will need changing too. With the added cost of the movement, it's easier just to buy a ETA/clone version Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mvonair 0 Posted June 20, 2012 hallo, im bringing this post back to life for one "detail" that is still not clear to me. so, besides the basic inspection works and also more advanced mods like lume and waterproof, can i actually also service the watch myself? like lubricate or any other things involved in a regular service? of course im not talking about movement damages that will need either a watchsmith or the "recycle bin" many thanks MV what i actually want to do, is to be able to make a regular service myself, like lubricate, clean, lume if needed, and tight some screws (...very sexy description!!). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10:10 Watch Repair 1 Posted June 20, 2012 hallo, im bringing this post back to life for one "detail" that is still not clear to me. so, besides the basic inspection works and also more advanced mods like lume and waterproof, can i actually also service the watch myself? Yes, and no. If you want to get some practice movements and tools and do a lot of reading, you will be qualified to take watches apart and not get them back together again. After a few broken watches, you will then probably be able to assemble. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jameslowe1 0 Posted June 20, 2012 hallo, im bringing this post back to life for one "detail" that is still not clear to me. so, besides the basic inspection works and also more advanced mods like lume and waterproof, can i actually also service the watch myself? Yes, and no. If you want to get some practice movements and tools and do a lot of reading, you will be qualified to take watches apart and not get them back together again. After a few broken watches, you will then probably be able to assemble. this is exactly the stage i'm at the moment. Disasembled a swiss eta 2836-2 and now strugling to get it back together. Hopefully i havent lost any parts, but something flew accross the room! I'm in much need of practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scorpion 0 Posted June 20, 2012 hallo, im bringing this post back to life for one "detail" that is still not clear to me. so, besides the basic inspection works and also more advanced mods like lume and waterproof, can i actually also service the watch myself? Yes, and no. If you want to get some practice movements and tools and do a lot of reading, you will be qualified to take watches apart and not get them back together again. After a few broken watches, you will then probably be able to assemble. this is exactly the stage i'm at the moment. Disasembled a swiss eta 2836-2 and now strugling to get it back together. Hopefully i havent lost any parts, but something flew accross the room! I'm in much need of practice. So a bit flew off - no big deal just pack the case with a big blob of grease then give it a good squirt of WD40 and it will be fine - maybe, its always worked on cars for me!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike 1108 0 Posted June 20, 2012 Go to the local Sears/Harbor Freight and pick up a magnet - you can use it to pick up the screws/parts from the carpet. They will be very small. I've found a few screws that way. While there, pick up tools to polish and shape cases (think small scale dremel tool and attachments - about $20). Get some ebay movements that aren't working for a few $$ and try to repair them. Total cost - depending on your tolerance for frustration - $100 - $200. Then PM cls or someone else that knows what they are doing and ship them the watch. Seriously, you need to be able to clean the old oil out of the jewel to do a good clean and service. A small bit of dirt will throw the watch off time or stop it altogether and aged oil will cause problems. You can do a service or repair, but it's a serious commitment to learn to do a proper service on a watch. But it could be great fun - it depends on your interest level. Amazon has some books on watch repair as well. Expect to spend $50 per book for anything worth reading. Enjoy the hobby. Give it a little time (ha-ha) and you'll find the right solution for you. Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10:10 Watch Repair 1 Posted June 20, 2012 Well I know at least JamesLowe1 is getting a basic repair book. It won't cover movement assembly much though. ETA.ch SwissLab is your friend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jameslowe1 0 Posted June 20, 2012 Well I know at least JamesLowe1 is getting a basic repair book. It won't cover movement assembly much though. ETA.ch SwissLab is your friend. he sure is. And he sure thanks you for it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mvonair 0 Posted June 21, 2012 ok guys...you gave me the answer...which is a clear "NO" (for me) though i would be excited to invest time on the above, unfortunately i dont have time for taking my hobby to the next level... on the other hand, i already looked for the tool offers form the forum store and i will start reading your threads in "waterproofing" which something i want to do for sure. it looks to me i have to find a "rep friendly" watchsmith and perhaps buy some spare movements for my reps, as well. btw, how often should i service my automatic and handwinded watches? and what does the service include? thnx btw, how often should i Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
