Reply With QuoteAha, but you need a dial gauge to measure mechanical watches!
(After my cheapie Aldi digital ones failed at a inconvenient time I decided to replace mine with a non digital dial gauge, it's a pleasure to use).
On offer - not bad for a tenner https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conversion-...99EBYREW3MJZ5S
[image]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Wom5PcVLL._SL1500_.jpg[/image]
Aha, but you need a dial gauge to measure mechanical watches!
(After my cheapie Aldi digital ones failed at a inconvenient time I decided to replace mine with a non digital dial gauge, it's a pleasure to use).
Those dial gauge calipers can fail too. Get yourself one with a vernier scale on it just to be safe.Originally Posted by Jeremy67
You're not a man if you can't read a vernier scale properly!Those dial gauge calipers can fail too. Get yourself one with a vernier scale on it just to be safe.
Turns out you can get them for as little as £3 on amazon. I was blinded by the marketing of £40 to £10.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dirtygal-Di...rnier+calipers
You're not a WIS unless 'you just know' :-)
Never felt the need to own a pair of calipers, just typically googled the lug widths, case diameters and lug to lugs. Maybe should invest in a pair.
Dirt cheap - I've got a similar one (don't recall what I paid, but was definitely a fair bit more than that!
I think I'll buy one of those to keep in the garage!
M
F.T.F.A.
A word of warning, you get what you pay for.
I bought a cheap one and it was poor, it's been relegated to the garage for rough measurements only.
Expect to pay between £20-£30 and buy from somewhere reputable. If it packs up prematurely or starts to give erratic readings take it back. They're extremely useful tools to have but there's no pint buying the cheapest....buy cheap and buy twice.
Want to measure your watch (or anything) without the risk of scratching from the steel jaws? Put the item in a polythene bag, pinch the bag between the jaws and zero it, then take the measurement through the bag. Very useful technique when measuring very small items. Don`t forget to re-zero it afterwards.
As for an analogue vernier caliper, I`d struggle to use one thesedays and I much prefer the sped and convenience of the digital. However, when using a clock gauge (dial gauge) for the car work I`m the complete opposite and I'm only happy with a genuine analogue 'clock' gauge. Sometimes you can see what's really going on better with an analogue dial. checking run-out on brake discs is a good example. Looking at a flickering digital readout wouldn't be the same to me.
Horses for course, the beauty of the digital caliper is the ease with which metric can be converted to imperial, that's v. useful when using imperial feeler gauges in conjunction with the caliper, read my post on shortening stems to fit will know what I mean, the feeler gauge is used to measure the gap between the crown and the case (in thou") then the feeler is nipped between the caliper jaws to convert to metric.....simples!
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...highlight=stem
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 16th November 2017 at 13:15.
I do, the dial one lives in the house and the parts come to it, I have a vernier in the garage for day-to-day. The dial one is thou only but conversion to metric is easy, for most purposes 40thou = 1mm will do.Those dial gauge calipers can fail too. Get yourself one with a vernier scale on it just to be safe.
If all you want to do is measure the case diameters of your watches, go into the next Poundland you pass and buy a pair of plastic ones. I wouldn't use them for my engine rebuilds but they are perfect for measuring watch cases without any risk of inflicting damage!
Don’t waste your money, just measure 36mm out in a piece of paper, cut it out and take it with you when watch shopping. Anything bigger than the paper circle, according to most members here, looks ‘clown sized’, so if you’re seeking a positive incoming, walk away. Or be a grown up and buy what you want.
Maybe people should measure their wrists too.
Never understood point of measuring wrist circumference. Some may be wide and flat, some circular.
Good suggestion!
The older Rolex catalogues showed watches in actual size, I`ve got a few on my bookshelf. Carefully cutting one of these illustrations out, sticking it to the wrist, then closing one eye would give a very good impression of how the watch would look.
Seems like a good idea to me.....maybe they should've printed the catalogues with perforations to make it easier!
Paul ( Aided and abbeted by Mr Whisky)
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 16th November 2017 at 23:23.
Accidents can happen, I have a plastic one for measuring watches.
These calipers come in handy for measuring really big watch cases
!
(I’ve perched my Speedy on top for scale)
What's the accuracy on those?These calipers come in handy for measuring really big watch cases
!
(I’ve perched my Speedy on top for scale)
Surprisingly poor!
(Actually the clock is not that good considering it’s quartz)
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