r/watchmaking

How many movments did you guys break before you could do a service right? I am 1/6 on movments at the moment, it is not looking promising for this hobby.

I’ve read the stem removal has potential for damaging the keyless works on the ETA2824-2. I’ve read you have to pull the stem fully out and use a flat head screw driver of 1 to 1.2 diameter to then push in very gently to remove the stem. I’ve not done this yet as a bit nervous. If the proper procedure is followed is it still possible to get issues ? Or if follow procedure exactly it will be safe ? Many thanks - just a bit nervous here 😀

Please forgive me if this has been asked a million times. And if so, please point me in the right direction for a thread that captures what I need… Thank you.

I’m looking to get into watchmaking. I’ve always had an interest in horology & own several watches of varying complexities, but I’d like to start tinkering and understanding more about the mechanics.

Ultimately my goal would be to be able to service my own watches. But before I go too deep down this path, I just want to tinker with some cheap movements & learn at my own pace.

I’ve seen kits online but they seem overpriced for what they are. Really I’d like to strip down an Asian movement and rebuild. I’m less concerned about building a watch and more interested in the servicing aspect.

What equipment should I look at to get started? What movements would you buy, and are there any “must have” tools that make life easier?

No budget limit really. I’d rather “buy once” than buy cheap and have to buy twice. I’d rather have the right tools than struggle to set hands or press crystals with the wrong equipment.

I do expect this to be a long term hobby of mine and so I’m happy to invest - but I don’t want to make a mess of an ETA movement on my first go - and I understand it’s going to take 1000s of hours of practice. So really I’m just looking to build a “beginners set” without paying a hyper inflated price online.

Thank you for your help on my watchmaking journey.

Put together a buying guide comparing the four movements that come up most in mod builds. Here's the TL;DR:

NH35A — 21,600 bph · +10/-15 s/day · $28–50 · Best for: beginners

Miyota 9015 — 28,800 bph · +/-10 s/day · $55–90 · Best for: intermediate builds

ETA 2824-2 — 28,800 bph · +/-4–12 s/day · $130–220 · Best for: premium/collector

Sellita SW200 — 28,800 bph · +/-5–12 s/day · $90–145 · Best for: Swiss quality without the ETA premium

All four have hacking and hand-winding. The jump from NH35 to Miyota 9015 is the most cost-effective accuracy upgrade. ETA vs Sellita is mostly a brand preference call — the movements are near-identical.

Full breakdown (origin, power reserve, jewel count, recommended skill level, where to buy) here:

👉 https://tokimodder.com/en/blog/guia-compra-movimientos-seiko-mod

What are you running in your current build?

I've applied and been scheduled for the dexterity test for the veterans watchmaking initiative in Odessa Delaware. If I do well on the test, I then attend the school for a couple of years and fulfill a long-term goal. It's a school for disabled veterans and it is highly regarded I've discovered. My issue is that I have a really difficult time working on the small parts because my hand shakes like an Bangladeshi space shuttle. Do any of you have any ideas about how I can cope with this? I can no longer lift anything heavy or above my collarbone. I'm a retired Chief Engineer Merchant Mariner and I have loved watches since I purchased a digital casio in 6th grade in the late 70's with my birthday and Christmas money. I think it was $32 plus tax at Radio Shack. I would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions about the shaking. I've tested the theory about coffee and or caffeinated beverages and it make no difference but maybe it will in conjunction with another practice. Thank you in advance, John

I personally would engrave my watch as long as it's not solid gold. I ask because I just engraved a 40,000 dollar Rose gold Vacheron Constantin, and couldn't help but think why would anyone engrave this watch.

Question- I ordered a Center wheel for a ETA6497 (ST36) using the part number from the ETA 6497 Technical Communication sheet.
The new wheel had much taller Feathers on the wheel pinion than the original wheel and would not allow the wheel to turn with the Train barrel in place. Plus the new Center Wheel pinion feathers did not match the teeth on the mainspring barrel.
I checked the part number I used to order the new center wheel to ensure it matched the one from the technical sheet. It was correct.
Then I spent an hour looking for a technical Communication sheet for the ST36 movement to see if the part number could be different and looking for the correct Center Wheel that would fix the problem . Mostly my searches came up wth escape wheels or replacements movements.
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

I wanted to share a follow-up to my post yesterday about the “broken” Horotec crystal press I purchased. First, thank you to everyone who reached out with supportive and understanding comments—I really appreciate the constructive input.
However, I was honestly quite disappointed to read some of the more dismissive responses suggesting that I should just “fix it myself” or that it wasn't a big deal.
To be clear, capability isn't the issue here. Like many of us, I am perfectly capable of fixing mechanical equipment. The actual point is that a brand-new, premium tool simply shouldn’t fail on its first use.
It’s disheartening to see a mindset within a community built on precision and craftsmanship that essentially excuses poor quality control. When we pay a premium for professional-grade gear, we are paying for the engineering and reliability that comes with the name. Normalizing the idea that a buyer should immediately have to repair brand-new equipment out of the box only lowers the bar for manufacturers.
We should be holding brands to a higher standard, not brushing off valid complaints. I raised this because I think it’s a conversation worth having, and I hope we can focus more on supporting each other and demanding the quality we pay for.

Hello everyone sorry for the inexperienced post but I'm 18 and I want to start watching making and I have a coupel hundred to spare into kits and whatnot.

It's just there's so many tutorials out here and so I wanted a bit of clearer guidance on what to do and what to buy and how to start.

I'll be documenting my process too which would be sorta fun but I just need to know how to start

Hi there looking to get into the hoppy of watchmaking and watch repair with the goal of being able to perform a basic service on my own watches one day. I found this cheap movement for $23 on amazon would it be a good one to grab 2 of them to try and disassemble and reassemble? I have have seen people recommend the ST36 but its double the price on amazon. any other tools you recommend i get over others let me know also i was planning to get some decent drivers, tweezers, and a movement holder/ parts tray.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TYW6D54/?coliid=I3M7RXAQV14TRY&colid=1K76HCY2VNFVR&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it