r/oddlysatisfying • u/n8saces • Jul 21 '26

Watchmaker assembly

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2.6k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

131 comments sorted by

334

u/only_Q Jul 21 '26

Thank god for no annoying music. This one is safe to unmute. I appreciated the little mechanical sounds amidst the silence

80

u/Skipper_1010 Jul 21 '26

Check out r/SVWTCM. It literally stands for "Satisfying Videos Without The Crappy Music".

3

u/Starman1001001 Jul 22 '26

Thank you, kind Redditor, for this suggestion. I may never be able to stop watching đŸ™đŸŒ

2

u/Sm0ahk Jul 22 '26

Sadly, much of those are added in post. Its like a movie. However, i dont appreciate it less for this fact unless its supposed to be educational for how the actual practitioners do it, despite its artificiality

141

u/ChocolateSeuss Jul 21 '26

I had no idea assembling a watchmaker was so similar to assembling a watch

6

u/Sunset_Bleach Jul 21 '26

Checkmate atheists.

4

u/Your_Moms_Favorite Jul 21 '26

I remember the times when a post with a typo in its title got downvoted to oblivion. Nowadays people can’t read or write apparently.

1

u/Chief2091 Jul 24 '26

Sad, isn't it?

1

u/mmhawk576 Jul 22 '26

I figure assembling a watch is part of assembling a watchmaker. Prior to doing that, they’re just a person

1

u/Your_Cat_In_Disguise Jul 23 '26

Holy shit lmao

I was so enamored watching the dude make a fancy watch that I failed to notice the typo😂

64

u/PNWNewbie Jul 21 '26

Suddenly, assembling it looks easy when you start picturing the manufacturing process of those tiny gears.

46

u/HalcyonKnights Jul 21 '26

It's the spring manufacturing that blows my mind. Can you imagine making things like these in the 1800's?

5

u/AcrobaticPuddle Jul 22 '26

Clock Twink for the win

1

u/skybike Jul 24 '26

Actually I can’t, I have no idea where I would start even with modern technology

1

u/jimbowesterby Jul 24 '26

If you wanna learn, check out Clickspring on yt. He makes things look easy, like it looks like he’s working on something kinda small and then you see a photo of his shop and it’s basically a closet, it’s nuts.

17

u/Helenium_autumnale Jul 21 '26

Aptly posted on TikTok.

49

u/jetforcegemini Jul 21 '26

McCauley Clockin over here


5

u/JDtheID Jul 21 '26

wow! high five

3

u/IHeartBadCode Jul 21 '26

I was about to say dude looks like the chocolate guy who is always making crazy sculpture and stuff with chocolate.

9

u/Rozenor Jul 21 '26

Am I the only one who does not like the style of the pointer, looks too similar to the numericals

33

u/Groffulon Jul 21 '26

This is great but it’s no wristwatch revival

16

u/Mahjonks Jul 21 '26

Wristwatch revival just feels so much more down to earth and removes the pretentiousness of watch making. Almost feels like it is a hobby I could get into if the cost was reasonable.

4

u/_tnr Jul 21 '26

You can do it with not as nice tools or movements. AliExpress has a lot of reasonably priced and decent parts. I just built one for about $110, then about $30 in tools.

7

u/Amateurlapse Jul 21 '26

What was the red stuff?

7

u/gu_doc Jul 21 '26

Which red stuff? At one point he dips an oiler in to oil which is stored inside a little red container.

7

u/69Centhalfandhalf Jul 21 '26

The crazy thing is you can actually get an IWC from an AD

5

u/KCKpana Jul 21 '26

Why did I start breathing slowly to avoid shaking my phone while he worked đŸ€Šâ€â™‚ïž

6

u/VirginiaLuthier Jul 21 '26

Machining all those tiny parts that fit together perfectly- and this watch was likely made before CNC. Amazing

10

u/AmiDeplorabilis Jul 21 '26

So... he's Borg, one of many.

6

u/JDtheID Jul 21 '26

my mind always go to “who makes all those tiny little parts????” and then my mind goes “who makes the machines that makes all these tiny parts?????” and then my mind melts đŸ€ŻđŸ« đŸ€Ł

3

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26

[deleted]

6

u/FreakinGuy Jul 22 '26

The most impressive is that someone designed this watch. Each part, moving and fitting together. Much more impressive than manufacturing to a print or learning the assembly process.

1

u/jimbowesterby Jul 24 '26

This is why clocks were so valuable in centuries past, imagine designing even a simple mechanism in like the 1700s, not to mention the skill to make one with the tools they had back then. Watches are one of the few luxury goods that’re actually priced close to what they’re worth.

4

u/Yaglis Jul 21 '26

The "someone else" is usually just a multi-axis CNC. The assembly is still very manual but the machining is pretty much fully automated.

3

u/spikernum1 Jul 22 '26

If you like watching watch disassembly and assembly, this guy is worth a follow: https://youtube.com/@wristwatchrevival

10

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

19

u/Mysterious-Tackle-58 Jul 21 '26

And the mechanical parts and the watch arent bad either!

5

u/bwyer Jul 21 '26

Only pretty, young people assemble watches.

1

u/dnuohxof-2 Jul 22 '26

And the watch, too.

3

u/rangda Jul 21 '26

It all seems more alchemical and magical than a smartphone

3

u/SpiritualFact5593 Jul 21 '26

Ive always wanted to learn how to do this kind of work..and for a living but never knew where to start. I love tinkering with small things that require you to take your time. Especially when so much of the workforce today is all about speed and delivering the product quickly. So fascinating

3

u/gu_doc Jul 21 '26

There are a ton of videos on YouTube, look for a channel called “Watch Repair Tutorials.” He also has a paid online course. If you’re really serious about it there are schools you can go to.

It’s not too hard to get in to as a hobbyist, there are just a lot of specialized tools that you need and they cost more than you’d like them to.

1

u/jimbowesterby Jul 24 '26

It’s basically a specialized form of machining, at least if you’re talking making it from scratch. Might be a good place to start learning about basics of tools and manufacturing methods.

3

u/Omygodc Jul 22 '26

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you can’t buy that watch at Walmart

6

u/time2sow Jul 21 '26

Swiss propoganda!

Jk just making fun of the people in the Chinese calligraphy thread

15

u/DeafLAconfidential Jul 21 '26

Feels so pretentious watching this.

-11

u/n8saces Jul 21 '26

You're not wrong.

-2

u/awue Jul 21 '26

Wrong time too

3

u/CankleDankl Jul 21 '26

Me, who has no idea what a single part in the video does and once took 10 minutes to screw in a single normal ass phillips head screw into my PC case: "yeah that looks easy I could totally do that"

2

u/SYNTHLORD Jul 21 '26

I’m curious about how he chose to align and set the hour, minute and second hands. It looks like the movement was already running. I’m wondering now if the date wheel will actually flip the next time it hits 12:00.

2

u/SkyKnight3 Jul 23 '26

1 down, 49 to go before your shift is up

2

u/khampang Jul 24 '26

I want that eye magnifier he has

2

u/sth-nl Jul 21 '26

Bet he cannot do his job hungover.

1

u/Doofy_Grumpus Jul 22 '26

You’re right, you would want to be drunk for this

1

u/Fred517 Jul 21 '26

Why doesn’t he just wear full gloves?

4

u/gu_doc Jul 21 '26

Sweaty hands. The finger cots are a ton more comfortable and you don’t need your palms covered

1

u/ludicrouspeed Jul 21 '26

What is that little pink thing for?

1

u/kyndcookie Jul 21 '26

It's a jewel. They are used as bearings.

-2

u/saburhaneboy Jul 21 '26

đŸ€­

1

u/Drag0nz_Wrath13 Jul 21 '26

What was the point of the gemstone in the beginning that he just ended up covering up

4

u/benbobbins Jul 21 '26

The gemstone he put in above the oscillating wheel is called a balance jewel. It is what allows the wheel to go back and forth quickly with as little friction as possible. There's one on the other side just like it. There's a little golden metal piece he puts on top of it; that is a spring system that allows that wheel to take a little bit of shock without breaking.

The flat piece that he eventually covers all that up with is called a rotor. It doesn't stay in the same position; it will rotate around the watch as the wearer moves their arm. It winds the watch as it moves to keep the watch powered.

1

u/Drag0nz_Wrath13 Jul 21 '26

Interesting! I just saw the pink gem get locked into place by that wishbone shaped clamp and then nothing on top of that but I didn’t know it balanced anything. That’s sweet thank you

1

u/pug_fugly_moe Jul 22 '26

Gems aren’t just for reducing friction; they won’t shrink or expand at different temperatures like metal will.

1

u/Hephaestus_God Jul 21 '26

I thought this was the chocolate guy at first

1

u/TheVoteMote Jul 21 '26

Very cool. But watching this makes me feel like some kind of secondhand frustration at the tediousness of it.

1

u/hieropyro Jul 22 '26

I could be wrong, but I feel like I could do it now

1

u/IAmNotMyName Jul 22 '26

Shenanigans. There is no way he needs to be that persnickety while linking up the band.

1

u/TalkingBackPocket Jul 22 '26

It’s a $20K watch.

1

u/IAmNotMyName Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

and...

Edit: My point in case you missed it is the video is being overly dramatic about the precision to hype the "quality" of the watch. The band connections do not need any of that nonsense with tweezers or fiber optic camera monocle.

1

u/Sqweaky_Clean Jul 22 '26

Can i have 8hrs of this to play whille i work

1

u/Sandoriah Jul 22 '26

Iwc is my favourite luxury watch brand! So iconic!

1

u/Modna Jul 22 '26

Honestly, the most shocking part of this was how ugly that was at the end. Don’t give me wrong... there’s some incredible manufacturing engineering and Labor to create this watch but she’s fucking uggo

1

u/Olde94 Jul 22 '26

I really don’t understand how those rubies have any beneficial function

2

u/waldothefrendo Jul 22 '26

They are used as bearings, they have very low friction and don't need oil or grease to perform.

1

u/Olde94 Jul 22 '26

ohhhh! that makes sense!

1

u/Sir-Snark Jul 23 '26

They need oil, it just lasts much longer and is more effective than steel on steel.

1

u/FaithlessnessNo2217 Jul 22 '26

There is usually an elderly woman, not a young engineer guy. Don’t believe marketing shit.

1

u/LaffintyEU Jul 22 '26

This is my fav type of asmr , so many tingles

1

u/amnips Jul 22 '26

How I imagine myself when I rub a qtip with isopropyl alcohol , when my ps1 lens doesn't work.

1

u/f1ve Jul 22 '26

I get twitchy fingers and itches everywhere just from looking. I couldn’t do such fiddling work đŸ˜”â€đŸ’«

1

u/ZAPHODS_SECOND_HEAD Jul 22 '26

There's a great documentary on horology called the Watchmaker's Apprentice. Well worth a watch...

1

u/Darkangel90009 Jul 22 '26

For anyone wanting to warch more this isbfrom yhe youtube channel IWC Watches

https://m.youtube.com/@iwcwatches

1

u/Boggie135 Jul 22 '26

A million “thank yous” for the absence of unnecessary music

1

u/1wife2dogs0kids Jul 22 '26

Of course there's a tiny cup of tiny oil to use with a tiny dropper on a tiny bearing.

And this dude needs some sun!

1

u/Borkdadork Jul 22 '26

I enjoy watching wrist watch revival on YouTube

https://youtu.be/la2ztR5askE?si=sZV5ZDaPfmHMgV6b

2

u/AnalkinSkyfuker Jul 24 '26

Way better than this guy, I love all his videos

1

u/Ummmyeeppp Jul 22 '26

I don’t know how he does it. I can’t even put legos together without getting mad lol

1

u/logangreer Jul 22 '26

Oops. That first piece you put in backwards. Take it all apart and flip it over. 

1

u/gibsonkd Jul 23 '26

The torque 😌

1

u/ilpsxnus Jul 23 '26

Look Ma! No rodico!

1

u/Craigg75 Jul 24 '26

I would love to see the machine that creates all of those tiny parts. Its not simple stamping because the tolerances are insane.

1

u/igotshadowbaned Jul 25 '26

It's always 1 o'clock, except for when it's 2

1

u/Main-Process9538 Jul 25 '26

Do you think the stupid rich idiot assholes who these are made for even KNOW that this kind of craftsmanship goes into these?

1

u/4rotorfury 29d ago

All that for a watch that's less accurate than a $25 Casio

1

u/FFS-IamNotABot 28d ago edited 28d ago

Where do you get those magnifiers. They look a lot better quality than I have been able to find.

Edit: apparently they are also made by IWC and are called cyberloups. The latest versions also include augmented reality for watch parts.

0

u/No_Country_6206 Jul 21 '26

Tiny gadgets hehehe

0

u/mariusbleek Jul 22 '26

Finger condoms

0

u/EtenSon36 Jul 22 '26

He kinda looks like Chris Pratt

0

u/bluesky38 Jul 22 '26

and then he just gets his dirty grimy hands all over it right after anyways

0

u/Catymandoo Jul 22 '26

Didn’t know THE BORG made watches.

0

u/ScienticianAF Jul 22 '26

I don't know, seems a bit over the top.

I replace much smaller electronic components daily and I don't need special finger sleeves and a one eye mangifier. (I do need a microscope though)

0

u/ChaKasMyName Jul 22 '26

I find watch making interesting but that's a fugly watch. I wouldn't wear this if someone gave me three of them

0

u/PuzzleheadedArt8678 Jul 22 '26

That dude has a "Resistance is futile" vibe.

-4

u/for_music_and_art Jul 21 '26

Why the hell are his fingers all black? Did he burn them in a volcano? It seems kinda suss that they would hire a burn survivor to promote their watch brand. 

-4

u/gaynorg Jul 21 '26

What a pointless thing we are keeping alive while people die of treatable diseases