I don't have a clue about watchmaking but for some reason I found this quite therapeutic to watch, great story and history about this actual Watch too.
https://youtu.be/la2ztR5askE
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That was very enjoyable, thank you.
presumably (because I know nothing -sadly- about watch repair) the damage to the rotor (and the over greased mainspring) were signs that someone not exactly skilled in the art had been in there previously.. I’m guessing someone pulled/levered the auto winding bridge out by the rotor?
Yes you could be right about the rotor, I liked the fact he wanted to leave all the scratches on the Bracelet that were made by his grandfather wearing it, I bet that watch means a lot to him sentimentality.Originally Posted by adzman808
I streamed the video onto my TV, it made for better watching with all those tiny intricate parts.
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Just skimmed through this, nice photography but some of the guys techniques had me cringing! Generally applied too much oil when lubricating, which is a common problem. When he used the micro-steller tool he did that completely the wrong way, the balance MUST be supported using tweezers when doing this otherwise there's very real risk of breaking the balance staff, couldn't believe it when he did this.
These U tube videos are informative and entertaining but all too often the techniques being used show the wrong way to do things. It takes time to produce these videos and it could be argued that a busy repairer would put that time to better use repairing watches!
As for the microsteller adjustment, what he omitted to state is how important it is to move the one at the opposite side of the balance by exactly the same amount otherwise the poise of the balance will be affected, this is where the skill comes in. I've done this adjustment on a Rolex I owned and it's nowhere near as easy as it looks, even doing it properly incurs a risk of damaging the balance pivots. Omega co-axials use a similar design with small screws on the balance rim that have to be screwed in or out to adjust the rate. Definitely in the 'don't try this at home' category.
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Thanks for posting that. Really enjoyed. He’s pretty handy with his tweezers! It’s good to see that all the originality was maintained. That’s why I won’t send an old Rolex back to them just in case I get a new one back!
Learning to use tweezers, rodico and pegwood is a large part of watch repairing, tweezers must have the ends dressed correctly but developing the right 'feel' is essential. For most of my work I use the same set of tweezers, they've been re-dressed many times over the years but I`d hate to have to replace them, they become an extension of the fingers. Resting the wrists on the bench is the key to handling small parts, once the your wrists are stable and supported its not difficult to do. Rodico is a godsend, especially for really small screws, the purists may scorn it but I use it frequently, far better than having tiny screws fly out of the tweezers.
As for replacing parts, I doubt whether this guy has access to Rolex replacement parts! If parts can be sourced it makes good sense to replace anything that's worn if it will compromise the running of the watch. Mainspring barrels and rotor bearings are the usual culprits, especially if the watch hasn`t been serviced often during its life. Anything cosmetic such as a bezel or hands should be kept original if that's what the owner likes, I sometimes think this trend has developed because owners think that's what they should like!
He did replace the mainspring that appeared to be a Rolex part, but he may have just been lucky sourcing one or had one laying around. I suppose it's quite a risk servicing a 20k Watch without having access to Rolex parts should anything go wrong, but maybe the customer knew this beforehand.
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Mainsprings are available for most watches, produced by the Swiss company GR, although the range is now shrinking and some springs are no longer available. Rolex is quite a common one so the springs will continue to be available. My only concern thesedays is whether GR outsource the manufacture thesedays, the packaging style changed a couple of years back and that always makes me suspicious.
On an automatic watch that's several years old it's quite common to find wear to the spring barrel walls, especially if the owner has been very active or if the watch has been stored on a winder that's kept it in a full state of wind. Hand-wounds fare much better but eventually the hole in the centre wears around the arbour and the barrel teeth don't engage the great wheel at the correct angle. In extreme cases the barrel contacts the mainplate or barrel bridge which reduces the power transmitted to the train wheels. The watch will run but amplitude will be reduced.
They don't tell you this when making U tube videos!
Thank you, I was wondering how a free sprung balance only had one screw!
Just to show my ignorance for the forum's pleasure... Wouldn't it be prudent to screw all the screws in as far as they'll go, then uniformly screw them out to active the desired rate? Otherwise one is assuming that they'll all equally adjusted to begin with.. adding an equal (say) 1/4 turn to each screw is fine in theory, but if one screw was further in or out to start off with then an equal adjustment isn't what's needed
You have to assume that the balance is poised correctly to start with. This can be verified by checking the positional agreement. If the positional variation is out the screws do need adjusting relative to each other and that becomes really quite involved.
Regulating a free sprung balance is a skilled job, not something I've got much experience with. I`ve done it a few times but I can`t claim to be an expert, that's another reason why I don`t work on Rolex or co-axial Omegas.
Fascinating stuff. However many times the workings are described and explained, I’ll still never understand. That’s part of the interest in mechanical watches for me.
The downside of this video was the amount of metal on metal action!! He’s obviously skilled but it still makes me cringe seeing spring bars removed and fitted with zero case protection. (Obviously less of an issue for a watch that has had proper use over the years.)
It reminds me the first time I went to my artisan watchmaker in the East of the country. He'd serviced my wife's old Rolex Precision. We'd made an appointment about the date and time. When I arrived, I noticed that the watch was still in in parts. He: "I figured that you would like to see how I re-assemble the watch. Get yourself a coffee and a biscuit. Pull up a chair and watch!" Amazing job.
This guy doesn't collect watches, he collects watchmakers' tools! That was a completely new world for me, I can tell you.
Very interesting as my own 1970 vintage GMT-Master 1675 was fully serviced by Stephen Hale in June 2022 after initially dropping off the watch to their Central London office in November 2020. I was prepared for the long wait rather than pay a premium for the express service.
Watch was not quite right after the service but was remedied by SH and returned relatively quickly. This was my second Rolex bought s/h in June 2002 and was previously serviced in 2005. Very pleased with how SH refurbished the few dents in the folded links bracelet; dents now fully removed. Watch is a full set and with its original dial quite sought after. I do not wear it for fear of it being spotted by Rolex thieves (they work in small gangs) who have been active in my locality and are even more active in London.
BW
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
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