I am composing 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 entirely totally free for anyone to utilize although it is focused on the battery fitter, jeweller or amateur watch repairer who has a percentage previous experience and would like to start healing watches. I am limiting my guide to Quartz watches only as this is a subject that is not covered well elsewhere and yet they are most of watches you will be asked to repair. Mending mechanical and automated watches are covered in numerous places and books (i gained from this book 'Practical Watch Fixing' by Donald de Carle which is an old book but great) but to repair and repair these takes a lot more experience. This is why when repairing 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 much easier to find out too as there is less variation. The easy reason that 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 competent 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 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 put in the time, effort, and cost to get most of the products 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 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 desire to think about a watchbench made specially for fixing watches and a good fluorescent light which is easier on the eyes. A watchbench has actually small integrated 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 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 contraption captures 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 white fabric (like a plain white pillowcase or cheesecloth) to do your deal with. 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 because small screws (etc.) are easy to find. This practice will also conserve your table from scratches, and safeguard your watch from the tables tough surface. To keep it from moving, you might want to consider taping it down with masking tape too.
Screw-driver set
You WILL need an excellent set of watchmakers screwdrivers. This is a MUST. The sets found at the outlet store for working on spectacles etc. will trigger more trouble than they deserve. They are not accuracy made and you will easily harm or strip the extremely polished screws discovered in most watches. The keen eye of a severe watch collector will choose this up right away; it detracts from the appearance of the watch thus minimizing value of your watch. Find and purchase a set of watchmakers screwdrivers. Even a beginners set will be better than anything you can find at the dollar-store.
The appropriate method to hold it (Right Below) is to grip the screwdriver shaft in between the thumb and middle finger, with Great site the index finger on the cupped end (which turns). Press down on the top of the screwdriver and rotate it between your thumb and middle finger; turning the screw.