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I’ve been considering purchasing a watch tool kit (not for watch repairs, more for strap adjustments etc) and am looking for recommendations. There seem to be plenty of cheap looking kits on eBay but the quality does not look great.
Has anyone found one that is reasonable quality?
I started off with the Bergeon 7812 tool kit, which has pretty much everything you need for bracelet fitting and battery changes. The quality of the tools is top notch. The set is quite expensive though.
^^^That's the one I was going to suggest but if you're on a budget this would suffice.
That’s what I started with. At circa £10 it pays for itself pretty quick.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thewatchbloke
There are loads of different retailers on Amazon selling more or less the same kit configurations, so I don’t know if they’re all pretty much from the same Far East factory, or if quality differs between them.
The tools aren’t great quality (the screwdrivers especially), but considering the price it’s pleasantly surprised me how well it has held up. The case back opener & knife work well enough, and the spring bar tool is ok, if a little rough around the edges. The tweezers aren’t nearly precise enough for movement work, but fine for most other uses.
The blue bracelet pin-pusher device in particular has fared well. It is prone to bending, but with care it has done the job well for lots of bracelets over the years (even the irritating Seiko pin/collar system, or the infernal TAG Heuer links). The slot in the end is handy for holding bracelets so that the little pin-punches (also supplied) can be used to carefully hammer stubborn pins in or out. Being plastic it also helps prevent marking bracelets.
For occasional strap changes & bracelet adjustments it will be fine. A pair of needle-nose pliers & small hammer also helps.
Over the years I moved-on and supplemented it with better quality tools, including Bergeon stuff (over time you’ll get a feel for what you really need, and where money is best spent), but for just strap & bracelet stuff I could have gotten by with the cheap kit. The Bergeon kit will be much better though, if you can stretch to it.
No matter what tools you go for, my advice is that (for simple strap & bracelet work) a successful outcome depends only maybe 10% on the quality of tools, and 90% on patience (lots of), good lighting, a suitable working surface, a comfortable working position, a bit of prior thought/research as to the best way of working, and care in taping-off areas to prevent unwanted scratching.
Fill your boots
https://www.hswalsh.com/categories/w...kers-tool-kits
I was surprised to see that Machine Mart offer a watch tool kit;
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/catego...tch+repair+kit
I can’t speak to the quality of it as I ve never tried it.
:eagerness:
My approach is to buy the tool when I need it and buy a decent quality one each time - and I normally line it up with my next Cousins order.
Strapcode has a decent kit
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByoT-vFg...d=vs9vg3pecxp5
I'd second Bergeon, its what we use here in the workshop. Buy each tool as you need it so its not such a big outlay. Having a good tool makes a hard job easy, and in particular with watches helps you not damage the watch or the strap fighting to do the job with a poorly made tool that'll slip and damage or break somthing. The Bergeons are actually very good value given how nicely made they are
Charlie
The Bregeon tools are top quality. Just buy what you need when you need it and buy the best once. Don't damage a costly watch with cheap Chinese tools, it's a false economy you'll regret.
By the way, I like tools.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...af1a5bddd7.jpg
£14 from Amazon
Seems ok. Their springbar tool seems decent, the tweezers all meet up accurately, feel fairly well made for the dosh.
The bracelet pin push thing (clear plastic thing) is a bit sketchy but works fine
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Looks pretty good, do you have a link for it? The one I got from Amazon was ok, but nothing special
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I have the same one. Bought as nice Xmas gift. Used a few times seems ok. Wasn’t convinced with the spring bar tweezers, didn’t seem that strong when using on the BB58 bracelet.Quote:
Originally Posted by notenoughwrists
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Am looking at buying a simple watch tool kit and wanted input on any suggestions given the least reply on this thread was a number of years ago. Don't want to spend a huge amount, £100 would be the maximum I would like to spend.
Have seen plenty of cheapish options on Amazon etc but thought it prudent to ask those who have far more experience than myself on this forum.
Quite a nice basic kit, should cover all you need.
https://www.hswalsh.com/product/watc...t-economy-ht96
I ended up with one of these. Pretty decent for not much money:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chstarina-1...s%2C564&sr=8-5
Thank you both for the suggestions, much appreciated.
I have a kit from Amazon, with similar tools to some of the others linked.
H&S 155pcs Watch Repair Tool Kit Strap Link Removal Adjustment Kit Back Case Remover Opener Removal Tool Spring Pin Bar Watchmaker Tools Kit https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BVG3J...ing=UTF8&psc=1
Seem reasonably well made, with the exception of the screwdriver blades, which I might upgrade.
R
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I've got the brown, leather, cased one from the image further up. Used it a couple of times for basic strap stuff and it has worked fine. Certainly I'd struggle to have done it without so it has already paid for itself. It clearly isn't the best quality but very adequate for the money.
Watching Wristwatch revival on youtube has made me quite interested in giving it ago, it doesn't look too hard if nothing is broken. I have access to better tools and ultrasonic cleaner at work and am very familiar with tiny screws so it might be a case of getting a few boot sale bits and giving it a go over the winter.
Magnification is clearly key and I imagine things like a mainspring winder kit, pinion remover, hands removers would make it so much easier but you've got to start somewhere. There was a review of a chinese main spring winder set on YT which is massively cheaper than the Bergeon one and seemed to work adequately. Not planning on replacing a balance staff just yet!