The first task in watch adjusting to positions is aligning the two horizontal rates: dial up and dial down. In our “Dial Up, Dial Down” series, we’ve explored some of… Read more »
Vintage wristwatches often have “tension ring crystals,” also known as “armored crystals.” These are domed acrylic crystals with a small, beveled ring—usually gold or silver in color—at the base. The… Read more »
When checking a watch on a timing machine, we want to see stable rates: a set of parallel lines, not wavy curves. A watch might be too slow or too… Read more »
The prior post in this series described how to remove a friction-fit balance staff. Friction-fit staffs are quick and easy to work with, so naturally, the world being what it… Read more »
I’m often asked about which watches are “nice watches,” and I usually say that any watch someone is willing to take care of is a nice watch. I have more… Read more »
I’m often asked for advice about buying pocket watches as gifts, and it usually looks like this. Someone who doesn’t know anything about watches has a son or spouse… Read more »
Most tasks in watchmaking are much harder than they sound on the Internet, but a few are pretty easy. When describing my Elgin 313, I mentioned that restoring the enamel… Read more »
There’s a lot of weird watchmaking stuff on the Internet—present blog excepted, naturally. It’s great to find so much instructional information, but some people aren’t being good role models for… Read more »
Amplitude is the name of the watch-adjusting game. We need that balance wheel to swing if we hope to adjust the watch to keep good time in several positions. As… Read more »
Balance staffs come in two flavors: friction-fit and riveted. The friction-fit design is much better in nearly all respects, so naturally it is uncommon. Such is the fickle quality of… Read more »