Watchmaker Breaks Down Swiss vs Japanese Made Watches | WIRED 

When I was in Austria I found a whole TV channel dedicated to a guy making watches, saying nothing and with no music and 8 camera angles. It was really nice to watch in the evening.

I felt a very weird combination of fascination and boredom while watching this

What I like about brands such as seiko and orient is that you can purchase a well made, budget watch with its own brand movement. With Swiss watches you tend to have to jump many price brackets to get the same claim. Even some of the so called luxury brands just run decorated ETA movements.

Comparing a ~$250,- ETA movement to a ~$75,- Miyota seems unfair when you never mention the price difference of the movements themselves.

‘Hmm I understand how it all works now’ - No-one

Grand Seiko vs Rolex comparison would be interesting.

Comparing a $50 Miyota movement with a $250 eta

Can you imagine if your cat jumped on the table and knocked that entire parts tray to the floor.

Odd they didn't compare more... equitable movements. a Miyota 9015 would be a much better comparison to the 2824 in both price and quality

WIRED, you need James May to do this.

I can imagine accidentally inhaling one of those parts.

Keep in mind while watching this that some of his phrasing is very misleading. For example, when he says "the Japanese movement", he's referring to that specific Miyota caliber. Makes it sound like Japanese movements in general all share the same traits. Even Seiko's cheapest automatic movements wind in both directions. That's not something exclusive to the Swiss.

This is really cool, but... finger condoms

funny how his hat steals all the light he needs ^^

The incredible level of engineering involved in the wrist watch. Amazing.

The best thing I’ve watched on RU-vid for a very long time. I love my small watch collection,and you have given me a better understanding of their beating hearts !

20:20 Did you just remove the pallet fork bridge with power still on the watch? You naughty boy.

Now put them back together.

Wow. Just speechless at the production value and at how well done and helpful this is. Thank you!!!

17:00 seiko's magic lever brings bi directional winding to watches under $100

I need more of these kind of videos. Very nice to go through this in a leisurely pace.

I loved this so much. The ingenuity and precision of the engineering is inspiring, and Ryan Jewell is as articulate as he is skilled. Bravo!

Thank you for naming the parts, and showing the differences in construction. Fascinating !

I'd say that the most iconic Japanese movement out there (simply by volume) is the Seiko NH35A. That's a far more refined movement than the Miyota 8000-series.

Loved every second of it. Never would have thought the pieces in a watch were so tiny and there are way more pieces than just cogs, 3 arms and a spring! And it's nice to know jewels have more uses than just looking pretty. Keep it up with the breaking downs

Good video. I just wish he used comparable Japanese and Swiss movements. These movements are not comparable at all.

This guy has an excellent quality for narration and explanation. Because of this video my enthusiasm for watches in general has increased ten fold.

I’m impressed by this type of dedication to details … small details. Thanks for sharing.

Loving this new series! 😍 Please make a lot more deconstructed videos 😍

Brilliant!! Please continue with this series !! They are awesome! I really enjoyed the two episodes so far!

WOW!!!! What a video!!! I sat here completely captivated! I love the way you edit the two different views, and narrate with clear concise language... Thank you so much, for giving us a look, into the secret magical mystery world, of watchmaking! Utterly fascinating! You display such a vast amount of knowledge... and, at what appears to be such a young age! How did you become so knowledgeable, so early on? You have all my respect and admiration young man!!! My hat is off to you!

Fascinating video! I’ve been doing a lot of research about watches for over a year now, including a lot of time looking at simulations of how a mechanical movement works. I understand this pretty well by now, but watching you disassemble two different very well known movements has just been amazing. I really appreciate your doing this and explaining it so clearly. I cannot imagine anyone having the skills to handle these microscopic parts, being someone with all the eye hand coordination of a rhinoceros! 😩 thanks very much for this great information.👍

the swiss flag is square. kind regards, a swiss guy

This makes me want a mechanical watch now just because of the incredible intricacies of them. I knew they were complicated but wow that is insane.

I enjoy watching videos of watches getting serviced, but it can get a little tedious. Kudos to this guy for keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time

"while Japan isn't necessarily known for its watchmaking" C A S I O

Both are outstanding, could maybe be a better comparison but it's a fun video. I love the Japanese movements even more than Swiss, for example Grand Seiko's in-house movements like the Hi-beat Cal. 9SA5

Fascinating. I would like to see the video of him putting them all back together.

I took apart a watch once to fix a movement, and was so confused by all of the little pieces I couldn't put it back together. This is really a skilled trade.

Amazing video!! Thank you so much. Beautifully done, very interesting, and professional. I can see that you are an artist. The attention to detail in the production of the video is superb.

If you do another one of these, use movements of similar price range. You compared an economical Japanese movement to a high-end Swiss. Next time, make sure they’re in the same price bracket. That would make this a much more credible video.

Very entertaining, having worked in manufacturing I would find all the tooling and custom machines that made all those parts extremely interesting

It’s really amazing how small all this stuff is and so precise

This is why like browsing through RU-vid. I would never think of looking for this type of video, but I watched it right through and learned some things about mechanical watches.

13:23 - While it's true that the jewels are synthetic corundum, it is still accurate to call them rubies, because rubies _are_ corundum. So are sapphires. The only difference is the impurities that give the corundum its color. (in its pure form it's clear, which is why it can be used for watch faces as well.) Also, they aren't just used for friction reduction, they're also used for _wear_ reduction. The ratchet engages and disengages 250,000 times PER DAY, and watches are generally used for DECADES. Metal parts would wear-out in a few months at best in that scenario.

Got "The carpenter watch with the swiss movement is $825 and the japanese movement retails for $595". Everything else is lost on me.

This is incredible! Update more amazing contents in this series please!

This is by far one of the best show when addressing watches: the inside works is the very heart of it. (Outstanding PR ) A must see for every: Swiss watch buyer

For me is interesting part is the level of precision manufacturing on those small pieces he kept pulling out. And also I'm wondering if those pieces are assembled by a watchmaker by hand or is it like a factory process where all of this is automated.

This video should have added more commentary and analysis on the differences between the watches and how they tie in with the price difference. For example, how do the Swiss and Japanese come up with different solutions to the same problem and what are the pros and cons? Then, we could actually learn something useful.

Absolutely fascinating. My uncle is (was - retired) a watchmaker for Watches of Switzerland - a high end proprietor of watches. I wish I'd considered it seriously when I was younger.

Totally mesmerizing! Thanks so much for this video! I just got into the hobby, more as a enthusiast than a collector.

It's like the most intense game of Operation ever, watching him pull those little parts out with tweezers.

Hamilton still makes watches, but in Switzerland. I have one and I love it!!! Great brand.

8:51 That was like showing us watches' heart that still beats

Hamilton is still around though, they just moved to Switzerland and are part of the Swatch group. It's one of my favorite brands, I have 3 of them and they're great!

I love this. My brother got into trouble for 'deconstructing' a watch. He was 5 at the time. I sent this right off to him.

Seiko was founded in 1877.... Rolex in 1905... Just to give the people some perspective on what the narrator considers "not being known for their watchmaking" talking about Japan...

Outstanding video of the tear downs with clear explanations.

Loved the part at 23:30, especially the "people will wear something that is a reflection of themselves, is how they express themselves, by the watches they choose

GS springdrive is objectively the best movement in existence at the moment

Of course, Seiko automatics wind in both directions. I think most Miyota autos are only unidirectional.

It's amazing how reliable these things are with such tiny pieces

I love watches ...great description of internal parts. Thanks.

He cares about not getting finger oils on the components but he touched nearly every piece with his index finger with a big hole ripped in the latex protector.

My Brain at 2AM: Why don't we watch someone deconstruct a watch Me: Perfect!!

Autopsy of a Swiss Watch vs. Japanese Watch, and both served me very well for years. A Seiko 5 SNK789 vs. a Tissot Automatic. Both bought in Dubai, both loyal serving YEARS later. Pick your taste. My wife laid claim to the Seiko, and I busted the Tissot on an Engineering Job, both breathlessly amazing engineered watches... appreciate the workmanship of both, pick your heart, choose, and you can’t go wrong. A Walmart Timex in quartz movement is actually more dependable- these are for gentleman and ladies who appreciate complications and engineering, an art as well as a science. A Masterpiece on your arm, no matter the cost. Both are mentally overwhelming at the price. Enjoy your purchase, and the sweat, labor, and meticulous machining and hand design that went into making a modern marvel, both will serve you well, and has my total respect, admiration, and awe!

Loved this so much, i love watches and seeing this grows my appreciation for the craft

Mechanical watches came back because modern computer-based production techniques made it possible to produce highly accurate parts for a resonable price. Up to the 70s, every cogwheel had to be either made by hand or by automatic production techniques with more specification tolerance resulting in less accurate watches.

This is awesome!

Fantastic….interesting, fascinating, and it explains the odd stutter on my Miyota watch movement second hand….indirect drive. many thanks for this.

Such astounding engineering.. really fascinating. Who could put that thing together after disassembled like that?

I'm a huge fan of Seiko chronographs.... I collect 6139 calibres, these were incredibly good value back in their day. Now wearing a Sport 5, and cannot overstate the value for money of these mechanical movements.... Swiss cannot touch these for price to quality ratio. BTW, your watchmaker should really not be breathing on the open movements ...

9:20 VERY important step skipped here: Release all of the mainspring tension before removing any of the gear train bridges. Preferably, remove the pallet bridge first (after releasing mainspring tension) to make sure absolutely no energy is left in the mainspring.

This is a keeper. The best explanation. Note I am now learning this a hobby. After working as a doctor for 37 years , I needed a hobby . Something better than model cars or airplanes. Thank you my friend. You are very good

Thank you RU-vid for finally recommending a good vid and thank you watchmaker for the epic breakdown. I now am a fan of the art⌚️

6:41 " It's a yoke!!!" - Fernando Alonso

I read too quickly and thought the title said "Watchmaker Breaks Down Swiss Cheese". Oh well, this is interesting too.

just recently dis- and reassembled a broken miyota 821a (adjustment of the spring length was broken). Was quite a fun time without any prior experience with that movement :D

We need more of these!

"While Japan isn't necessarily known for its watchmaking" You are the frog in the well that knows nothing of the great ocean. lol

Good education.. I liked it because I am a mechanical watch lover !!!! I love both Swiss and Japan

I'm here because I was looking for exactly this sort of thing. I need this kind of thing in my life.

Fascinating to look at the precision parts inside of a watch...so very cool...!!!

imagine being halfway through a watch and suddenly sneezing

Very nicely paced disassembly and commentary. The ETA seems like a better movement than the Miyota but the difference in price seems disproportionate. The lack of a hacking mechanism and the use of a plastic gear in the Miyota would move most discerning buyers towards the Swiss movement. Also, the ETA 2824 has 4 (or 5?) different accuracy grades (timing stability in multiple positions). How would you rate the two movements in terms of reliability, maintainability, and repairability?

Great video, you should do a breakdown/deconstructed video on quartz, solar quartz, kinetic, and spring drive movements.

I’ve taken a few watches apart and put them back together, this is a great tutorial.

This was really cool please do more episodes!!

Such mechanism does exactly the same and less accurately than a 1mm chip with a tiny quartz crystal, it's amazing how much we have progressed, watchmaking is an acient art in a way.

Amazing video, I knew there was a lot that goes into these watches but I never truly knew until watching this video.

What a wonderful peek at this amazing skill. Many of us are so passionate about wristwatches.

“The acids in your skin permanently etch into the plating and finish” Me: sees hole in finger cot...

Why is the japanese movement cheaper than the swiss one if the swiss one uses fewer parts? Is it because of the additional automatic function of the swiss one?

A few years ago after owning many chinese made cheap automatic watches ive got my hands on a Omega Speedmaster reduced (automatic chronograph) and that changed my perception completely! These watches are mechanical marvels.. the 1141 clockwork is only 25,6mm in diameter and 3,6mm high… all assembled the „small“ speedy is looking like a Quarz watch but if you know what’s going on inside of that tiny case its just fascinating every time you look at it. Ok… they are expensive to buy and expensive to maintain (in my case 400€ every 5 years) but if you got a skilled watchmaker to service it, you have a watch for the rest of your days.

I really like this video. I'do electronics as a hobby and I solder less than a millimeter components sometime. I appreciate the mastery of doing such small scale parts. If it would be me, I would be shaking all other the screen. Seing mechanical watches that way made me realize that they are much more than their prices. There are some much really fine precision parts, it is astonishing for metal parts. I also have a question. This tweezers seems gold plated. But what kind of tweezers should watch mainteners use ? I can think of non magnetic ones, ceramic ones, ... What is the kind you use ?

FYI: Music at the start is Sunset Drive by Future Joust.

These watches are still gonna be telling time long after we’re dead that’s why I find them amazing

very cool video. learnt a lot. thanks for sharing. please continue to post videos like this.

Great video, as a learning amateur I really learnt a lot. many thanks.