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 repairing. It is completely free for anyone to use although it is focused on the battery fitter, jeweller or amateur watch repairer who has a little amount previous experience and would like to begin fixing watches. I am restricting my guide to Quartz watches just as this is a subject that is not covered well elsewhere and yet they are the bulk of watches you will be asked to repair. Mending mechanical and automated watches are covered in numerous places and books (i found out from this book 'Practical Watch Fixing' by Donald de Carle which is an old book but very excellent) but 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 the bulk of quartz watches.
In spite of this, there is decent cash to be made repairing quartz watches and it is much easier to discover too as there is less variation. The simple factor why repairing a quartz watch is easier is they have actually not altered much in the last 30 years while mechanical watches have actually been around for hundreds of years while the first Quartz Watch was produced in 1969.
To be an Excellent Watch Repairer you need experience so it is a lifetimes finding out to become qualified mechanical watch maker (horologist), while you can quickly expand your organization into fixing quartz watches with this online guide.
In this guide I assume you can open a watch back, change a bracelet and use fundamental tools properly. If not, then this guide might not be for you (if I get time in the future I will make a beginners assist too).
OBVIOUSLY you can't just begin turning screws ... there are a variety of things you will need to do (and get) in preparation. You will have better results, and a far more pleasurable experience if you take the time, effort, and expenditure to get most of the items noted below BEFORE starting. Remember that these are just the bare basics ... a major repair individual has hundreds of other specialized tools ... however we'll save that for another discussion. The bottom line is that preparation and having the best equipment is essential 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 might want to think about a watchbench made specially for fixing watches and a good fluorescent light which is simpler on the eyes. A watchbench has actually small constructed in drawers for all of the tools and parts you make sure to accumulate 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 technicians will put cork or linoleum on the surface area. These soft materials stop parts from bouncing away, and aren't hard adequate 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 tacked to the bottom. When a part is dropped and goes "over the edge", this dazzling device captures 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 main benefit for doing this is if you drop one of the parts, it will not 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 safeguard your watch from the tables hard surface area. To keep it from shifting, you might desire to think about taping it down with masking tape as well.
Screw-driver set
You WILL require a good set of watchmakers screwdrivers. This is a MUST. The sets discovered at the outlet store for dealing with eyeglasses and so on will trigger more difficulty than they deserve. They are not precision made and you will quickly damage or remove the highly refined screws discovered in many watches. The eager eye of a serious watch collector will select this up immediately; it interferes with the look of the watch therefore minimizing value of your watch. Locate and buy a set of watchmakers screwdrivers. Even a beginners set will be far better than anything Click to find out more you can discover at the dollar-store.
The proper 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 turns). Press down on the top of the screwdriver and rotate it in between your thumb and middle finger; turning the screw.