Watches: The History of Time,: The Complete Guide to Servicing And Repairing Your Timepiece

The wristwatch is a mechanical marvel. Over the years, Swiss watchmakers have spent generations trying to perfect the art of watch making. Each part moves in harmony with another while staying within the confines of the hour, minute and second. No doubt, mastering the art requires both skill and patience. On the other hand, sometimes wristwatches come with intricate and gossamer designs that require a steady and focused hand to assemble. That being, a wrist watch is a conundrum of tiny machines each one more precisely made than the other. It is thus; unfathomable for an average watch user to understand how the wrist watch operates. That is precisely the reason why this book has been written.
A watch, especially one that has survived the tests of time starts to undergo problems; the watch face sometimes gets blurry from water vapors that slip into the case, other times, a worn out gear can slow down the movement of a hand and in worst case scenarios, the motor driving the watch expires. It can catch dirt in the small gaps and the glass might lose its clarity over time, this makes the watch look sloppy, and that in turn translates to the wearer’s personality.
For such reasons, this DIY book was written to help amateurs in cleaning and oiling their watches. As a horologist has a class of his own and has to make a statement every time he flashes his wrist, it becomes imperative that he knows a thing or two about the watch repair and maintenance. This book provides a complete step by step procedure on watch servicing and watch repairing. Attached with it is a dictionary for all those unfamiliar with the different parts of a watch as well. The parts have been named and their location within a watch has been identified as well.
Before going into it you should be aware that watch cleaning solutions and naphtha, used in this book for watch cleaning, can be very dangerous and one should follow the important safety information provided with the product being used.
Afterward, chapter one talks about setting up a workspace and the different types of watch repair tools that are required before one decides to do some watch service. The parts have to be bought beforehand and it is advised that a novice should start off on a cheap watch brought for the purpose of watch repairing and practice on it for a while, to get the hang of it before trying what you have learned from the book on your expensive watch.
Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 discusses how wrist watch repair is done, the watch is opened up first, and with which tool, each part should be delicately pulled out of the watch. Different watches require a different techniques of opening them which is mentioned in this chapter. With practice one learns to pull out, separate the delicate parts of the watch successfully. It talks about how different parts of the pocket watch and a wrist watch must be removed. Starting with the movement of the watch. It is easier in some watches and harder in another. You will learn each scenarios of all the watch parts removal and the different ways to remove them in different watches. It is a lot like undergoing a major operation; steady hands and focus are key for successful watch repairing. After completing these chapters you should have in front of yourself a fully disassembled watch.
Chapter 4 discusses the different parts of the watch should be cleaned and how to oil watch. The oil should always be used in small quantities, preferably with an oil dropper that is specifically made for watches. This chapter also discusses the reassembly of a watch. The watch should be put together in the opposite way it was opened up, meaning the parts removed last should be put in first. That is how you get a clean watch that you can use for years on end.
Wrist watch repair is a very technical job, so it is advised that practice should be done on a cheap useless watch, and not a luxury, expensive watch or a family heirloom.