Practical Elementary Training

Practical Elementary Training

When a watch comes to you for repairs it is already cased as a general rule, so that your first step in making the necessary alterations or replacements will be to take the movement out of the case.
It is necessary that you understand the various types of cases that have been shown in this lesson because in your work as a Watchmaker you will be called upon to lake movements out and recase them in all these styles.

Another necessary step is to have the proper tools for each problem that comes up and then practice until you are really competent to use them in a professional way. It hardly pays to attempt to do this work with poor tools.

The real expert would be greatly handicapped in attempting to do the quality of work expected of him if compelled to use inferior tools, and the beginner is often discouraged without realizing how much easier it would be to do his work provided he had the right equipment. For that reason I have selected just the ones that I have found to he best suited for each particular class of work and advise you to provide yourself with these sets. Get them in perfect order – do not attempt to do your work with second hand tools of whose condition you are not yet competent to judge.

Your First Job

In your elementary work it is best to have as your first practice watch, one that is not too valuable and also one that is fairly large, in order that the parts may be as strong as possible. By this I mean a standard grade of watch, not the cheap clock watches that are found on the market.

Although the 18 size watch is rather out of date as far as being sold in the modern retail jewelry store, there are still many of this size in use and they no doubt will be brought in for repairs for a long time to come.

It should not be difficult to secure one of these larger style movements, and owing to its size this is a nice model for you to use in your first problem of taking out and replacing a movement in its case.
However, if you do not have access to such a large watch, a 16 size or 12 size will do, but I would advise you not to use smaller than 12 size on the first few lessons.
If it is pendant set, the same watch may be used in several of the lessons that follow, but if possible it is better to vary the make of watch on which you practice, so that you may become acquainted with the models made by the different factories.

Remove Bezel and Back

Starting at the beginning the first step will be to remove the movement from the case, and in order to do this, take off the bezel and back. In unscrewing a bezel hold it in the position shown in figure 20, twisting the bezel to the left in the direction of the arrow A. Turn the watch over and do the same thing to the back. Our watch then will appear as shown in fig. 21. If instead of a S. B. and S. B. your first job should be upon a jointed case then of course you merely open front and back with, your case opener.

In all probability this watch will have a pendant set movement hut whether pendant or lever set, in order to take it out of the case it will be necessary to pull out the stem to a pendant set position by grasping the crown as shown in figure 21 and pulling straight out in the direction of arrow B.