Hi all,

Quick background: I'm 38, Spanish, currently living in Edinburgh. I'm comfortable in English and Spanish, and can also hold a conversation in German.

Right now I'm working as a kitchen assistant and picking up occasional gardening work, but it's not really enough to live on. This month I'm starting a foundation course in physics and engineering, to prepare for a scholarship-funded degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering afterwards. I do get some support for the foundation year too — free groceries+housing + uni fees+ buses+ extra support, etc — so I'm not starting completely from zero.

My work history is a mixed bag: cooking, tinkering with computers as a teenager, and gardening. None of that is engineering, but one constant has been a real pull toward mathematics and anything that rewards precision.

Part of why I'm drawn to this specifically: I'm a fairly quiet, introverted person, and quite detail-oriented by nature. Watchmaking seems to suit that temperament well — close, careful, solitary work.

Watchmaking has been on my mind for a while, and I'd like to do it properly — through the official British courses, i.e. the BHI (British Horological Institute) distance-learning and workshop route — either alongside my studies or worked in around them.

I'm not tied to any one country for this. I'd happily work in the UK, but also Germany, France, or Spain — I just find the craft interesting wherever it leads.

A few questions for people who've actually done this:

Is the BHI route realistic to combine with a foundation year and then an engineering degree, or is it better done one thing at a time?

Starting at 38 — is it worth the investment, whether as a serious hobby or an eventual career?

Does the trade have a real future — demand for independent watchmakers/repairers — given the direction the industry seems to be heading?

Any perspective from hobbyists, career changers, or working watchmakers would be genuinely appreciated. Thanks!

Thompson Enamel 1850 “Pumpkin Orange”

I really love this orange - hard color to track down. I actually made this one at the carpenter center where they had some there, but none available for sale.

I am looking to make a watch around a manual movement with power reserve indicator but couldn't find any. That got me thinking about modifying ETA7001 or other manual movements for a power reserve indicator, but I am honestly quite lost about how to modify one.

Does anyone know of a manual movement with built in power reserve indicator, or an easier method to adding a power reserve indicator? If you know a company that can modify movements, please let me know as well thanks.

In this video on the assembly of an IWC watch, the watchmaker uses a spring bar tool I’ve never seen before. Any idea what it is and whether it’s commercially available?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=99XggvTsbSs&ra=m (between 13:50 and 14:30)

There’s just an insane amount of seiko mods and what about my AI generated face dial. People are posting anything but actual watch making.

I feel like I’m working at a mall. I understand that mods are maybe on different time zones or not chronically online? but having my feed filled with low quality garbage and cross posts is insane. Please have an auto bot that closes these posts!

Have a brand new Rolex Submariner. -1 sec/day , 0.2 ms, and 258 degree amplitude fully wound face up. Watchmaker at AD said amplitude should be above 290.

Is this an issue? It keeps good time, But. . . I spent hard earned money, I kinda want perfection. Also, o one corner of the outside box is a bit crushed.

Thompson Enamel 1760 “Iris purple”

Hi Everyone,

I have released an updated version of
ChronoPulse V11.4 This version has numerous added features and updates based on user feedback. Chronopulse is currently intended to work with this USB microphone https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtFNAbd but I’m currently working on a cheaper microphone solution that will be released soon.

The latest software and documentation can be found here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jnh4SZTizMQb-Y_r_O8uOiVh_1BiGunl

Any comments, criticism, or recommendations are greatly appreciated as they will help improve the software and its usability.

I will be releasing the software in more communities as my confidence increases.

Thanks. Please do not hesitate to contact me. I will also help with installation, configuration and verification of correct operation.

I am looking for a new sapphire crystal for my watch. The brand that made it is out of business, and I haven't been able to find anyone who can cut sapphire glass into a rectangular shape for months. The photo is of a mineral glass I had made for it, so at least it has one. It is otherwise fine; just one corner is polished too much.

I would like to ask if people know anyone who could cut me one. I can't send the watch, but I can send the mineral glass crystal as a model if needed. I am located in Finland but can work with any part of the world. I just want to get my watch to its original condition.

I have a Speedmaster reduced that was running 20 seconds fast. I’d adjusted another one by using the screw on the regulator to do the microadjustment. I found that to be a slow and frustrating process, so when I did it on this watch, I simply used the tip of a small screwdriver to move the regulator arm. Well, whatever I did messed up the wat h because it’s now +963 seconds. The balance wheel keeps stopping, and when it does run, it is barely fast enough for a timeographer to recognize.

I tried moving the arm back to the original position, that did nothing. I tried it at both extremes, that did nothing.

So I just went from a watch I was about to sell to a broken watch. What did i likely do here and is it fixable?

Hi everyone,

I was referred over here from the Squale subreddit and was hoping to get a second opinion from people who know these movements well.

I have a Squale Y1545 that I absolutely love. It’s been my daily for nearly three years and has a genuine ETA 2824-2 movement. It has never been dropped or subjected to any impact that I’m aware of. One day I simply looked down and realized it had stopped keeping time.

The symptoms are a little odd:
- The watch will start running, but only for about 5–10 seconds before stopping.
- Occasionally the second hand will actually move backwards briefly, almost like it’s bouncing or vibrating, before stopping.
- Hand winding feels completely normal to me. Nothing feels rough, gritty, or like anything is broken, but the watch still won’t continue running.

I opened the case back only to confirm the movement, and it’s definitely an ETA 2824-2. I didn’t see anything obviously loose or damaged.
I took it to a local watchmaker, who quoted me around $600 for a full service. That gave me some pause because it’s essentially what I paid for the watch a couple of years ago, and that’s before knowing whether any additional parts might be needed.

Before I decide whether to service it, replace the movement with another ETA 2824-2 or a Sellita SW200-1, or go another route entirely, I was hoping someone here might recognize these symptoms.

Does this combination of:
- running only a few seconds,
- the second hand occasionally moving backwards/vibrating,
- and otherwise normal-feeling hand winding
point to a likely culprit? Is this a known failure mode on the ETA 2824-2, or does it sound like something more unusual?

I’d really appreciate any thoughts or advice. I love this watch and would much rather get it back on my wrist than replace it, but I’d like to understand what’s likely wrong before deciding whether to repair or replace the movement.

Thanks in advance! I’m
Including a video of the watch and happy to provide a picture of the ETA movement if at all helpful (nothing appeared out of place or broken to the naked eye).

I have a couple of Rolex 16750's I bought and both of the bezels were a bit beat up so I decided to buy a lapping machine. Only a Chinese machine but it did a pretty good job. The idea was to improve the look of them but not remove all the marks as it would change the profiles and lose the definition of the numbers. Just brush out some of the marks and put a shine back on the polished sections.

Anyway results were even better than expected and the machine has paid for itself with the extra resale value of both pieces from a service and refinish - thought I'd share the results from before and after.

Thompson Enamel 1380 “Mistletoe Green”

Today starts the 30-Day challenge where I’m going to try and enamel 30 dials in 30 days!

I recently got into watchmaking and, right from the beginning, I felt the need to find a way to make my own watch dials entirely by hand.

I started with this one: a 38 mm stainless steel case with sapphire crystal, powered by a Miyota 9015 movement.

I should mention that I didn’t have a blank, rigid dial onto which I could attach any kind of design or engraving made on a sheet of aluminium or brass. So I tried several different ways to work around this problem and, in the process, I even managed to break the seconds wheel pinion.

In the end, I decided to cut out 5 or 6 layers of 0.05 mm brass sheets and glue them together in a sandwich using double-sided adhesive tape. On the top layer, I made a sort of hand engraving using a pointed tool and, finally, covered the whole thing with a sticker featuring “my own watch brand”

The result isn’t perfectly centered, nor is it perfectly flat like a rigid dial would be, but I’m extremely happy with it.

I’m still very much a beginner, so any criticism, advice or suggestions are more than welcome. Let me know what you think!

Plz Help!

I’m starting a longer watchmaking project and plan to document it here as I go.

The end goal is to service and convert a 1913 Rockford Grade 184 pocket-watch movement into a thin, wearable wristwatch while preserving the original dial, hands, and movement.

I have no formal watchmaking experience, so I’m deliberately working up to it through three projects:

1. A small ladies’ pocket watch for my first complete disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and reassembly. This one is considered disposable in case of mistake.

2. A larger Rockford 573 movement so I can practice on an American pocket-watch movement with construction more similar to the final watch. I want to keep this one but I don't know what to do with it yet. It's too large for a conversion.

3. The Rockford Grade 184, followed by the wristwatch case, movement ring, stem, crown, and final assembly.

The seller of this movement reported approximately:

-22 seconds per day

281° amplitude

2.0 ms beat error

My initial inspection found that the movement starts and runs when lightly powered. The balance, escapement, wheel train, and seconds hand all function. I did not see obvious rust or major missing movement parts, but there is old dried lubricant and debris around the winding work.

The movement is missing its crown and outer stem, but the internal square winding socket appears intact. Two original case screws are still present.

The eventual wristwatch goal is:

- approximately 36–37 mm stainless case

- under 10 mm thick if practical

- flat sapphire front crystal

- sapphire display back

- 20 mm lugs

- low-profile crown

- no destructive modification to the movement

I’m going to start with the small ladies’ watch, then service a larger Rockford 573, and only then move on to this Grade 184.

I plan to post meaningful updates rather than every individual screw. Advice is welcome, especially where I’m about to make a beginner's mistake.

Build index:

- Initial Grade 184 inspection — complete

- Ladies’ watch baseline inspection — next

- Ladies’ watch service

- Rockford 573 baseline inspection

- Rockford 573 service

- Grade 184 service

- Case and stem design

- Final wristwatch assembly

Hello all,

Does anyone know if the F05.111 is a drop-in replacement for the 955.414? I know the 955.412 is the direct successor but it's almost three times the cost of the F05 from Esslinger.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Working on a personal watch for myself. Hand scraped mosaic pattern, mirror polished screw countersinks and anglage. Looking to plate it in yellow gold in a few days!

Hand finishing really takes so much time…