Everyone has probably heard that old joke “close only counts in Horseshoes and hand grenades”.  Well today we are going to show you some examples why “close” does not count when fixing a watch. I get lots of inquiries from customers that want to add new crystals, bezels, dials and hands to their old watch.  They go out and buy parts that “are supposed to fit” their particular case and.. Read More

When we Spring ahead and change our clocks for daylight savings time, it is a great time to change the batteries in our Smoke Detectors.  Another thing that we might want to consider is “is your watch ready for spring”? This is the time of year when I start to see watches come into the shop that are full of water or something goes wrong when the time changes. How.. Read More

On certain jobs I need to use an alcohol lamp in order to heat a part to be used with shellac. This is done when replacing a roller jewel or a pallet stone. I wrote a blog post a while back where I showed how to replace a roller jewel. Today we will talk about repairing a pallet stone. How to Replace a Roller Jewel The first problem that I.. Read More

Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door is a phrase attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson in the late nineteenth century. I was thinking about this phrase when I was working on 2 Rolex watches this month. One of the most popular models that I work on is the GMT and GMT 2.  While I was working on the newer model that uses a Rolex movement #3186,.. Read More

Since we are right in the middle of the Olympics in South Korea, I thought that it would be a good time for me to list my Top 3 favorite watches.  I have been a watchmaker since 1977 and have done 1000’s of repairs. I have worked on just about every good mechanical watch that I can think of, everything from a Bulova to a Rolex.  Like any technician, I.. Read More

One of the most important parts on any mechanical watch is a Cannon Pinion. The cannon pinion is the heart of the motion works. This piece is what translates the movement of the train wheels into the time keeping display on dial side.  It is attached to the center wheel by friction fit and it is the post that the minute hand is set on.         How to remove.. Read More

Watches have been a part of aviation since the first planes took to the skies.  Timing equipment and a trusty watch have always been one of the tools of a good pilot. From Charles Lindberg to today’s top pilots, lets take a look at watches and the world of air racing. Charles Lindbergh- Longines Hour Angle Aviation Watch   Hamilton is official timekeeper of the Red Bull Air Race World.. Read More

The Rolex Bubbleback 3131 watch was one of the first automatic watches produced in the 1930’s, as well as one of the earliest Rolex models manufactured.  While Rolex was not the first to create an automatic movement, the company patented its first successful self-winding wristwatch in 1932 and introduced the Bubbleback one year later.  Despite the well-known nickname, Rolex never officially called their Reference 3131 the “Bubbleback.”  It earned this.. Read More

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but sometimes we come across watches that make us want to gouge our own eyes out, or at least wonder what the designer was thinking. It’s just difficult to understand how something like these watches can make their way out of someone’s head to a drafting stage, into production, then to a display case and finally on to someone’s wrist. Someone along the.. Read More

Some of the early solar watches of the 1970s had innovative and unique designs to accommodate the array of photovoltaic solar cells needed to power them. In the 1990s, Citizen started to sell light-powered watches under the Eco-Drive series name. Since their introduction, solar devices have greatly improved their efficiency and thereby their capacity. Watchmakers have developed their technology such that solar-powered watches are now a major part of their range of watches.   Some.. Read More