The "Doctor" is Always In!

How to: Put a watch in beat

Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to bring customers and readers “behind the curtain.” We’re going to show you how things work, why they work and why we do the things we do while repairing watches. This week, we are going to look at how to put a watch in beat. With the power released, if the watch is in beat the pallet fork will be centered.. Read More

Watch myths, part 2: Watches and windmills

This week we are going to go over the myth of how the power reserve on an automatic watch works. Is the power reserve that I read about on the internet correct? The 38-40 plus hour power reserve that you read about in chat rooms or in other places on the internet is often misleading. The power reserve on an automatic watch is going to depend on the quality of.. Read More

Some Myths About Watches, Part I

This blog post may be controversial, but it is from my humble opinion from my experience as a watchmaker for the past 44 years and after repairing about 30,000 watches.   If someone can give me a valid scientific explanation of why I am wrong, I would be glad to hear it.  I was asked a question recently about the idea that if you lay your Rolex on a counter, stem.. Read More

Problematic Watch Parts that Always Break

In the course of a week, a large variety of watches can come into the shop all with their own unique problems. However, some of the same problems often occur. Let’s take a look at some of the most problematic watch parts that seem to be breaking constantly. Offset Cannon Pinion I have never understood the idea of the offset cannon pinion. A standard cannon pinion works great and has.. Read More

How to Repair a Rolex Submariner Buckle

I have been asked many times if I could repair a flip over deployment clasp on a Rolex band. Until recently, I was not able to make this repair. I just found the needed pin assembly from one of my suppliers to finally solve this problem. I have shown below some before and after pictures of this clasp and the pin that needs to be replaced. If anyone needs this.. Read More

How to Set Your Rolex Watch

In this blog space, we normally look at interesting watches or take a deep dive at some of the intricacies of different watches. This week, we’re going to keep it simple. We’re going to talk about the proper way to set wind and set a Rolex watch, with some helpful step-by-step instructions. To start the process, first remove the watch from your wrist. Do not wear your watch while you.. Read More

Glowing Watches and “The Radium Girls”

Many old vintage watches—especially military watches—have gold or white-ish colored paint on their hands or the numbers on their dials. This paint could potentially be made of a phosphorescent compound mixed with radium. This compound would cause the hands/numbers to glow in the dark. This type of mixture was often chosen over others because of the superiority of its glow and longevity. Unlike any other glow-in-the-dark paints, the radium-mixed paint.. Read More

A Rook at Rolex’s Rare Watches, the Tru-Beat

Most individuals within the watch collecting community will associate a ticking seconds hand with a battery powered quartz movement, but there’s also a less common mechanical complication that also ticks – deadbeat seconds. During a five-year period in the 1950s, Rolex actually manufactured a mechanical watch with this ticking seconds hand called the “Tru-Beat.” The complication worked similar to older pendulum clocks that made use of anchor escapements; essentially, the.. Read More

The Best and Worst of 2020

2020 was a great, but different, year at the Watch Shop. I thought to start off the new year, I should go over a few of the highs and the lows that happened in 2020.   I had the opportunity to work on some beautiful watches and also had quite a few “basket cases” show up at the shop. The last year was a good one for my blog posts… Read More

What are Chronographs and Chronometers?

In the watch world, there are many different styles, brands and types of timepieces. This week, we’re going to look at chronograph and chronometers. The chronograph translated literally means “time writer” — a mix of the Greek word “chromos,” meaning time and “graph,” meaning writing. A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand. It can be started, stopped and.. Read More