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Mechanical Watch: Exploded View

(fellerts.no)
1168 points fellerts | 1 comments | 22 Jun 25 14:56 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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thom ◴[22 Jun 25 16:52 UTC] No.44348344[source]▶
Part of me wants to believe this is sacrilege: these are incredible machines, and the magic is in not just seeing _how_ they work, but that they continue to work reliably for decades, and when they don't it's magic seeing them fixed somewhere like https://www.youtube.com/@WristwatchRevival. But also... this is incredibly cool! As kids, my brother used to do these little resin sculptures, putting in sand shells and little plans to it'd look like the bottom of the sea. I tried repeatedly to get into the same hobby but I was always too impatient so my designs would end up with fingerprints all over them before they'd properly set.
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aDyslecticCrow ◴[22 Jun 25 18:29 UTC] No.44349148[source]▶
Pocket watches are sold in antique shops by the price of their weight in brass. Finding one that is complete but needs a cleaning and new oil to spring to life is relatively easy.

There are 10x more pocket watches than owners interested. Theyre incredible machines... but their greatest use is practice materials for aspiring watch repair technicians.

They're expensive to repair because few people have the skills and tools. The demand is so low. (I have two)

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polishdude20 ◴[22 Jun 25 18:59 UTC] No.44349394[source]▶
How does one get started in this? I'd love to have this as a hobby!
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1. KaiserPro ◴[23 Jun 25 11:00 UTC] No.44354390{3}[source]▶
You can get started for <£100 or even <£30 if you are careful

You will need a set of flat headed screwdrivers. These are 80% of the tools you'll be using.

If you are approaching middle age, you'll need some magnification. I dont like loupes (those lenses you hold to the eye), and the visor mounted magnifiers are also not that good for me. I got a second hand long armed stereo 10x microscope for £30 which is perfect for me. You might just want a big old magnifying glass.

You might want a movement holder, again you can get super cheap ones, but second hand ones are better (because the shit ones are thrown away). they are basically specialized vices, or tiny little buckets(those are custom to each movement though.)

Next, start off with pocket watches, they are much bigger and more forgiving, and also cheaper.

In the uk: H samual, Thos russel are good brands to look for anything £20 or less.

For america: waltham/elgin (they often have broken balance though so watch out ) Eglins and Walthams look a lot more pretty, and have a better standard of finishing than the english counterparts.