I am writing this online guide to pass on the 20+ years of experience, fixing watches, to others who want to find out the art of watch fixing. It is completely complimentary for anybody to use although it is targeted at the battery fitter, jeweller or amateur watch repairer who has a little quantity previous experience and would like to start fixing watches. I am restricting my guide to Quartz watches just 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. Repairing mechanical and automatic watches are covered in lots of locations 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 repairing mechanical watches you can charge more cash for fixing one of these than you can charge for healing most of quartz watches.
Despite this, there is good cash to be made repairing quartz watches and it is much easier to discover too as there is less variation. The simple reason repairing a quartz watch is easier is they have actually not changed much in the last thirty years while mechanical watches have actually been around for hundreds of years while the very first Quartz Watch was produced in 1969.
To be a Great Watch Repairer you need experience so it is a life times discovering to become qualified mechanical watch maker (horologist), while you can rapidly expand your service into repairing quartz watches with this online guide.
In this guide I presume you can open a watch back, change a bracelet and use 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 far better outcomes, and a much more satisfying experience if you put in the time, effort, and cost 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 equipment 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 think about a watchbench made specially for repairing watches and a great fluorescent lamp which is easier on the eyes. A watchbench has actually small constructed in drawers for all of the tools and parts you are sure to collect in time.
The style 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 versus the tummy 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 fantastic gizmo catches it!
Most novices will (as mentioned above) start at a kitchen table. A great tip for operating at a table is to lay down a great piece of Go here 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 will not bounce away and become lost. I recommend white because small screws (etc.) are simple to locate. This practice will likewise conserve your table from scratches, and secure your watch from the tables difficult surface area. To keep it from shifting, you may wish to think about taping it down with masking tape also.
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 refined screws discovered in most watches. The eager eye of a major watch collector will choose this up immediately; it interferes with the appearance of the watch therefore lowering value of your watch. Locate and buy a set of watchmakers screwdrivers. Even a novices set will be much 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 between the thumb and middle finger, with the forefinger on the cupped end (which rotates). Press down on the top of the screwdriver and rotate it in between your thumb and middle finger; turning the screw.