The "Doctor" is Always In!

What to Do If I Get Water in My Rolex? Condensation in Watch

I get this same call at least once a month.  The customer just noticed that his watch has suddenly “fogged up” after he (took a shower, went swimming, got caught in the rain, etc) Most of the time they say that the watch has been perfect for “years” and has never done this before.  They have been showering, swimming etc. with it on and now are a bit puzzled as.. Read More

Overhaul an ETA Model 2892

ETA designs and manufactures mechanical and automatic watches, watch movements  and is headquartered in Grenchen, Switzerland and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Swatch Group Ltd.  Although the company produces finished watches and movements, ETA specializes in the production of ébauche movements used both in watches of sister Swatch Group subsidiary brands and in the watches of competitors.  With the exception of hairsprings manufactured by sister company Nivarox, ETA maintains.. Read More

Watches with Radium on Dial and Hands “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 could.. Read More

Watches and Racing Watches Worn By Race Car Drivers

Cars and watches are a natural fit. Both are traditionally mechanical, and both are products of complex and precise engineering. The watch itself has played an integral role in early motor racing. Early race car drivers wore bulky stopwatches strapped to their wrists to time laps and calculate speeds. Later driving watches had angled dials for easy reading without taking a hand off the wheel. Rolex Daytona For many, the love of watches.. Read More

Overhaul a Rolex Model #3135 – Part 2

Today’s blog post will continue with the overhaul of a Rolex 3135 movement.  We will go over the reassembly process, oiling and buffing.  After the movement comes out of the cleaning machine, the parts are unpacked from the cleaning basket and the process starts.  I normally make a quick check to see if all the parts that went into the machine, are also there when it came out.  Sometimes parts.. Read More

Overhaul a Rolex Model #3135 Part 1

The last few blog posts were about the “tools of the watchmakers trade” and seemed to be well liked by my followers.  I had a few people ask me to to a series of how a watch is overhauled, step by step.  I thought this was a great idea, so today is Part 1 of “How to Overhaul a Rolex model #3135”. The first task in the overhaul process is.. Read More

Tools of the Watchmakers Trade – Part 3

In this 3rd part of my blog on the “tools of the watchmaking trade” I will show you some of the machines that I use everyday in the watch shop.  Lets get started with the heart and soul of my shop, my cleaning machine. Cleaning Machine I have been using the RM-90 German made cleaning machine for the past 10 years.  It is a true workhorse of my business. It.. Read More

Tools or the Watchmakers Trade – Part 2

This weeks blog post will continue showing you some of the tools and equipment that I use every day to repair your watch.  I was very surprised at the level of interest in last weeks post, I have had more questions and comments on that post than any blog post so far.  I am glad to see that everyone is interested in how your watch is repaired and how a.. Read More

Tools of the Watchmaking Trade – Part 1

Over the past few months I have had a number of customers ask me how I do my job, what tools do I use etc. I thought it might be interesting for my customers to see what my workshop looks like and all of the specialized tools that I use everyday. Workbench My workbench is 42 inches tall, 40 inches wide and 17 inches deep.  This is the standard working.. Read More

Is My Rolex Real or Fake? Part 2 | Identifying an Authentic Rolex

The generic watch market continues to grow and become more efficient, making counterfeit luxury timepieces more and more difficult to tell apart from their genuine counterparts.  Given the difference in value between replica Rolexes and the genuine article, any potential investor should know the tricks to tell the real from the fake.  Here’s a quick list of some of the ways to tell apart the genuine luxury watch and its.. Read More