Nice work for your first video. Don't forget Watchmaking 101 rule.. use the right size screw driver. Those mainspring ratchet and crown wheel screws may have come out easier with proper size screw drivers. Hope you don't mind another tip.. I always make a small sketch on a note pad (like only a half inch concentric circle) noting the direction of the mainspring and how it attaches. Saves you from putting the mainspring back in upside down. With the mainspring in the right direction, there's only one way the arbor can go in and work. 👍 lol Looking forward to more videos from you!
Thanks for the tip! I actually did have the mainspring in the right way, but the barrel arbor was upside down - this then caused me to put the entire barrel back in upside down and had all kinds of problems. Definitely trying to work on the screwdriver selection, and will keep at it. Thanks for watching!
@@letslearnwatchmaking It took me ages to grasp this concept when i started as no one ever explained this to me and just kept on saying 'choose the right size screwdriver'... but correct size doesn't mean correcct width. It means that the blade of the screwdriver does not touch the bottom of the groove in the screw. The screw then acts as a vice against either side of the blade and it will not slip out when putting downward pressure on the screw. Hope it helps. Loved watching the vid :D
Thanks! It stresses me out enough to where I'll be investing in a set of mainspring winders, but going to hold off as long as I can. Thanks for watching!
Nice job. It blows my mind thinking about the thought processes, trials and errors to invision all the necessary grooves, moves and counter moves it would take to build a complete working watch during the invention phase of the original watch/watches.
I enjoyed you video of the $3 Elgin. I would suggest a couple of larger screwdrivers as you seemed in danger of slipping with smaller ones; also a more robust tweezer helps to avoid the more spring way events. I too have got the arbor around the wrong way. Well done, keep going.
Thanks for the feedback, I do have a relatively complete set of screwdrivers, but find myself reaching for smaller ones all the time. I think using the largest possible screwdriver would definitely help with slipping and stability in general. Thanks for the tip!
Nice repair I love old mechanical watches no time for modern planet polluting junk I detest them mechanical watches are pure art not battery junk .retired mechanical engineer.👍
I actually like this video. You don't have any fancy equipment. It seems like you are a novice or maybe even an intermediate and don't have the funds to buy the equipment or simply don't want to because what you've been doing has been working just fine. You remind me of myself in building fishing rods.
Thanks, you're spot on with all of this. I'm still an extreme novice, having tinkered with a dozen or so movements so far. I have quite a few hobbies, and I always use the cheapest tools until I know what works and what doesn't. After that, I'll upgrade what doesn't 😅. I'm going to continue with this basic setup until it doesn't work! Thanks for watching!
That's a Grade 485 from around 1932, in case anyone was wondering. Elgin serial numbers are easy to look up on the Pocket Watch Database. I Have a very similar Elgin grade 417 that belonged to my great grandfather. Thanks for the Video.
Thanks for adding this! I had meant to include the grade in the description, and yes the Pocket Watch Database is an amazing resource, especially when it comes to the older Elgin watches.
It does kind of resemble that, but if it is, it has formed into more of a paste over time. Either way it was good to get all of that cleaned out. Thanks for watching!
Old, dried up grease. They used organic lubricants way back then. New synthetic oils & greases usually evaporate mostly over years & leave much less residue.
I enjoyed watching your first watchmaking video. Believe it or not, by documenting your errors along the way, you sort democratize watchmaking a bit. As I see mistakes made, identified a no d corrected, it m as kk es the whole process seem more accessible to those of us us who haven't dipped our toes in yet.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video Kerry! I will definitely keep this in mind for future videos. I did have everything recorded, though I was already worried about the video being too long. As I smooth things out it should be easier to balance the overall project with real world do's and don'ts so people can learn from my mistakes. My goal with this channel is to keep things beginner focused since I'm still very new to this as well. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Just found your video, Nice job ! I been slowly buying tools for watch repair too I feel your pain. I have no lubes yet so I every thing I work on sits in parts waiting for the day I get my oils and grease.
Yeah lack of tools is tough, but it has still been a blast so far! I hope the lubricants arrive quickly, the assembly is a really fun part of it! Thanks for watching!
Great work on that Elgin movement and the service on that watch.. for maybe what appears to be a long time due...! Also, your great narrative of the work in process, in a calm and deliberate manner. So glad you found the dial setting screws..Phew..!! Dial looks great with your little clean up. The new crystal really makes it.. Really like your work..........kudos
I believe a lot was animal based, and it certainly could have been. I also didn't see any watchmaker markings inside the case indicating a service, so there is a chance that it never was, and this was the original (and completely solidified) lubrication. Thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed!
Well done. Just a piece of advise if I may, get yourself some wider tweezers. These ones are way too sharp. They will scratch the movement and ping screws and smaller parts. I would also not use the rubber mat you're using, it too bouncy which make it seem like the camera is shaking and they will bounce part right onto the floor. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the advice, similarly to the screwdrivers, I find myself falling back to smaller/sharper is better, when it really just makes things less stable. Please bear with me for the next couple of videos as I'm filming them simultaneously, but I do have a pair of brass tweezers that I will be using for the majority of work moving forward. A lot of the bouncing and shaking of the camera is due to me just figuring all of this out. I had recorded the first half or so in a way that I had to crop and edit the position to keep things centered on the screen. I have since figured out a slightly bigger setup. A nice bergeon mat is on the list, but prioritizing a few other things first. Thanks for watching!!
Thanks my friend, that is a very big statement! Marshall has been a huge inspiration for not only my interest in the hobby but also in how I think the ideal video format is for this. I'm working to improve both watchmaking and the video process, so maybe one day I'll be at his standard! Thanks so much!
I love the long adjustment lever for regulation that many vintage watches have. SO much better than the way it is done on most modern watches. (looking, especially, at you seiko with your crappy nh35/38 adjuster)...
Yes, I worked on a decent amount of the lubrication off camera under magnification. Once I have a decent enough microscope to film that I can include it in future videos, but for now I'll need to work with what I have. Thanks!!
This was my first real hit, they also didn't have it out. I had specifically asked if they had any, and would take any that weren't working too. They checked their storage room, and I walked out with 4 decent ones for 12 bucks total. Keep an eye out and definitely ask! Thanks for watching!
I'm glad you're here! I'm a subscriber and patron of Wristwatch Revival as well. I'm currently on more restorations and other aspects of watchmaking that interest me, more videos to come! Thanks for watching!
Very good restoration. I have an old Elgin automatic, (maybe from the 70's or 80's) that belonged to my grandfather. It probably has never been serviced. Unfortunately, it looks like the only way to access the movement is to remove the crystal. The case is a single piece.
Thanks for the comment! I'm in the same boat with 2 watches I picked up on eBay. I tried a cheapo crystal remover from Amazon and it failed almost immediately, luckily not damaging anything but the tool itself. Going to save up for something better, hopefully that does the trick!
@@letslearnwatchmaking After watching several watch restoration videos online, I dug out my grandfather's watch and was hoping to peek at the movement. No dice. Toying with the idea of getting into the hobby. I do love fixing things.
I have a couple of Longines Admiral 1200 automatics that I think come apart through the dial as well that I'd like to get into. I've been wearing one that is a little erratic, sometimes it runs OK sometimes it will be fast or slow 5-10 minutes in a day so I suspect there is some debris inside.
Awesome, I'm sure it will! Take it slowly, and if something feels off, stop and investigate before securing any screws. Good luck, and thanks for watching!
This video was excellent! I am not a camera expert and in reading the comments you got some camera tips but I watch a lot of watchmaking videos and you did just fine with the video part. Recording the process is a completely separate task which I will admit keeps me from putting out any content. Kudos for not only the watchmaking but for capturing it for viewers. I subscribed and look forward to watching more of your work. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement! Recording with even half decent lighting was difficult, but not too horrible. You should definitely give it a try, it alsp helps quite a bit more with assembly than pictures do. More videos will be coming soon, and as I get more recorded I plan on working on several while waiting on parts for others. Thanks for watching!!
It's too bad elgin isn't what it used to be, I have a couple that I bought when I first started getting into watches, like a lot of new young watch enthusiasts, I was more focused on the fashionable aspect instead of the beauty of what watches are all about and the beauty of a mechanical/automatic watch. These 2 have fake diamonds and fake gold plating that makes your wrist green, and being cheap quartz, the second hand often looks misaligned. They were 74 dollars and 110 dollars for really not good quality. Thankful that I now have a couple actually pretty good quality watches now, I have a Casio Duro Marlin with a Pepsi bezel and a leather strap, and an old 14k gold Jaeger LeCoultre powermatic from the early 50s that my grandfather gave me. Still runs surprisingly well after 60+ years. I wear it almost daily, such a beautiful watch.
That's really unfortunate, I've noticed a quality difference with some of the newer Elgins too, even with the mechanical ones. I especially like how solid the bridge screws are on the older movements and was thrown off quite a bit when working on a newer one where it seemed like the majority of the parts were just stamped metal. Your collection seems to be growing quickly, and now have at least one really nice family heirloom piece, I'm jealous! Thanks for sharing your experience!
@@letslearnwatchmaking Yeah, It would be wonderful to see Elgin get back to their roots someday. and thanks! The next thing that's probably being added to my collection is the mint dial Tissot prx, love that watch, and I can't wait to have it
A friend of mine has has 2 Tissots and they're both gorgeous, and run really well. Unfortunately Elgin closed its doors in the mid 60s, so what we have is what we have. They do still have a ton of gems, and their movements are perfect for beginners like myself.
Really fun to watch this restoration of a vintage watch. I have an old vintage automatic Longines watch which was given to me when I was 15 years old. I am now 84 and contemplating passing it along to a great grandson soon. How much do you think it may cost to have it overhauled? Just a rough approximation will do. Thank you.
on the numerous small sized elgin movements I've worked on and slipped with a driver the hairspring usual comes out fine, but i can remember vividly at least 9 times from my early days where i didn't take the balance out and end up snapping a pivot on the balance arbor, you'd have thought id remember to take the balance out after the first couple but apparently not.
While watching your video and thinking about the gunk everywhere, wondering if some diy person dipped the watch in vegetable oil which over not to much time would gunk up. Thanks for the interesting video and for all the commenters there are so many people with helpful tips. I have lots of watches that I someday hope to find the time to to service if not repair, and hopefully not damage in the process.
If you ever have one of the small screws fall on to your carpet like I did you can get it back with a high powered magnet saved me from finding or buying a new one nice job on the watch
Nice tutorial sir, I enjoyed it, thanks for sharing your work with us it helps watching others work on movements, your camera skills are awesome too. 👍😉👏👏
Thank you! I'm working on a couple other watches at the moment, currently waiting on a few things to arrive before I can finish them, and the lighting will hopefully be even better.
Given this was just pretty much a dollar watch movement (deep Great Depression, afterall) and it's nominally 7 jewels, I'mma guess that someone dropped the watch back when and shattered all the jewels, and the brass pivots are replacements for all the fragments. It's a wonder and a mercy that the balance jewel didn't shatter too.
A couple of viewers had chimed in on this to help me out with the count. The pallet fork has 2 jewels, the impulse jewel on the bottom of the balance wheel is another. Those, plus the balance pivots (top and bottom) and their caps gives us the 7. Thanks for watching, more to come soon!
Yeah they are, this was my first real hit after visiting quite a few. Luckily this place is only a few minutes from my work and seems to get a couple in every month or 2. Hopefully it keeps up. Thanks for watching!!
Unfortunately it's not for sale at this time, but I might set something up at some point to sell the ones I restore. Thanks for the interest and for watching!
Well done Mate! When counting jewels we start with the balance wheel pivot jewels (4), then also count the roller jewel (1) and the pallet fork jewels (2) to add up to the 7 you mentioned. Another tip to more consistently oil cap jewels is to use bigger tweezers, where you can file a tiny groove horizontally into the tip. That prevents them from moving and you can lay em down on a soft coushion, so they dont flip when letting go of the tweezers. When grabbing the wheels with your tweezers try grabbing them by the „spokes“, like you did with the centre wheel, it‘s a tad safer. Nice work when lining up the bridges!! Thats a sub from my side! Keep it up.
Thanks so much my friend! I eventually learned how to count the jewels, not realizing right away that the pallet fork jewels and impulse jewel count too. The tip about some modified tweezers is some fantastic advice, I'll definitely be doing this. Next purchase will be some tiny files. Thanks again!!
It was made around 1932 (you can find a lot of info from the serial number), and probably wasn't much more than $3-5 dollars at the time, $3 being the equivalent of around $65 in 2023
