# What Tools Should You Have?



## JonW

I was wondering what tools we would advise people to get at certain levels of collecting...

If youve 1 watch and >1 strap.... a strap changing tool!

If you keep buying bracelet watches off ebay... a bracelet sizing tool

If you buy anything used... a US cleaner for the bracelets... Im amazed at the crap that floats out of some of my purchases

If you change batteries... a decent case knife or back opening tool

If you buy a watch with screw strap bars... get some decent screwdrivers and a watch holder

If you scratch dials ahem, I mean have trouble with any of the above tools, send me the tools rightaway...


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## unlcky alf

A magnet, to help you find all the bits that escape.

And a P.O. box if you're married.


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## JonW

Oh yeah and a Paypal account


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## Guest

A bloody big box to keep all the leftover bits after you've taken your watches apart

A sealed cabinet with holes through which you insert your hands, it'll help contain all those parts that come flying out during disassembly.

Anyone notice the common thread of my posting - like I suspect many of you have done, I decided to play around and completely buggered a watch. luckily it was a beater.

Cheers

Lee


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## Silver Hawk

JonW said:


> If you change batteries... a decent case knife or back opening tool


I have many case back opening tools including several Bergeon case knives...but have never needed to use them...and whenever I have, it always leaves a mess







...so I now stay well away from them.



JonW said:


> If you scratch dials ahem, I mean have trouble with any of the above tools, send me the tools rightaway...


send me the watches rightaway...you don't need them anymore.









If you have any watches with acrylic crystals, get yourself some Polywatch to keep them scratch-free and looking like new. Our host sells it.


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## Guest

How about a third arm, in case you cannot decide which watch to wear







? Otherwise I'll add a micro fiber cloth in order to get rid of the greasy fingerprints.

all the best

Jan


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## Robert

I thought a case opener was a great idea for easy battery changes. Discovered it would also help to have a press to close it again


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## Guest

Robert said:


> I thought a case opener was a great idea for easy battery changes. Discovered it would also help to have a press to close it again


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## chris l

Hammer.


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## thunderbolt

All I need to change straps and get the backs off to change batteries. Can also be used on screw backs as well!


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## rev

thunderbolt said:


> All I need to change straps and get the backs off to change batteries. Can also be used on screw backs as well!


What end of the hammer do you use to get crystals out?


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## chris l

rev said:


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Click to expand...

You need a claw hammer for crystals...


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## thunderbolt

These are the case back openers in my tool box.




























(shamelessly nicked pics)

And for removing straps and sizing bracelets I use a couple of old screwdrivers that I've filed down.


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## rev

Oh cool thanks for that.

Now I'm off to change the crystal in my Seamaster


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## thunderbolt

chris l said:


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Click to expand...

Sorry, my repair skills are not that far advanced yet!


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## rev

thunderbolt said:


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Click to expand...

Just remembered I used a Ford Focus to remove a crystal once!  Got told off for that one!


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## chris l

I've just bought the fancy spider style crystal removal tool from RLT and I'm on a roll replacing crystals!

Crystals can be bought for around 20p each from a major UK suppies company with a Welsh name; you need to build up a stock of popular sizes but after that...

I have drastically improved the look of lots of my older watches at minimal cost, and it's soooo simple. I'm doing this one today... and getting all the dust off the dial...99p for the watch, 20p for a crystal!



Thanks Roy.


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## Robert

thunderbolt said:


> These are the case back openers in my tool box.


Whats that one do?

Looks like something my mother used to have - something to do with laundry


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## thunderbolt

Robert said:


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Click to expand...

Sorry, this was the only pic of this one I could find on the net.










It does the same as this only with a little more leverage.


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## DAVIDEK

Robert said:


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Click to expand...

WHERE CAN I GET CASE BACK OPENER?

THANKS


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## chris l

Tools


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## Greg

thunderbolt said:


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I have one of these. It is now an ornament. All I've achieved with this is scratching the back of an over-tightened Tissot. I also snapped a lug on another watch trying to open it with the Bergeon Rubber Case Opener... expensive repair!! Perhaps I'm just clumsy? 

Also broken several nails (oh, the horror!) attempting to open pop-off case backs with a fingernail, as some instructions suggest. In my (limited) experience, this doesn't work either.

Long stories shortened, if you're as ham-fisted as I am - or think you might be - proper jaxa (see Universal Case Opener on the RLT tools page)... and a case holder. Plus a case knife for anything that doesn't screw. IMHO.

Ps - really like Lee's box idea!

Pps - I haven't tried this yet (just bought a knackered Waltham to experiment with - should arrive next week) but this tutorial goes through a lot of useful tools, depending on how far you want to go:

http://www.thewatchguy.com/pages/repair.html

Wish me luck with the Waltham! I'm like a student doctor with my first patient. If a watch could show fear.....


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## Silver Hawk

Just bought myself a Pink Ball to try on those hard-to-undo screw backs that don't have conventional slots for regular Jaxa type tools.

Tried it on one of the Landeron below (Wittnauer on far right)...and it worked! So for a total Â£6-75 (inclu postage), it a real bargain.

MoldyMeat in the UK has a few left here (Item Number 250230976602). Used BIN & PayPal and it arrived next day! :thumbsup:


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## Greg

Silver Hawk said:


> Just bought myself a Pink Ball to try on those hard-to-undo screw backs that don't have conventional slots for regular Jaxa type tools.


I've got one of the Bergeon No. 2533 rubber-tipped openers - does the same job - RLT stock them. Brief review by a watchmaker on the balls:

http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/03/25/case-ball/

He wasn't too impressed, but be curious to hear what you think after you've tried a few more watches!


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## Silver Hawk

Greg said:


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> http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/03/25/case-ball/
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> He wasn't too impressed, but be curious to hear what you think after you've tried a few more watches!
Click to expand...

I already have the Bergeon No. 2533 rubber-tipped opener....the ball is *much* better than this.  I think Bill (watchnutz) also found that! Or was it Larry? Cant remember.


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## Greg

Silver Hawk said:


> I already have the Bergeon No. 2533 rubber-tipped opener....the ball is *much* better than this.  I think Bill (watchnutz) also found that! Or was it Larry? Cant remember.


Cool! Must get one. Last time I looked on eBay there weren't any and the only company selling them was in California and charging something insane like $50 for international shipping! Will keep an eye out. :thumbup:


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## jasonm

Did you deliberatly buy a *pink* one Paul? :huh:


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## Silver Hawk

jasonm said:


> Did you deliberatly buy a *pink* one Paul? :huh:


Funny you should ask that jason :lol:







...last time I pasted in text from an ebay correspondence, I got called a lying, arrogant tw*t. But I think this one is fairly safe:

"_Do you have any more of the yellow WATCH BACK OPENING BALL TOOL NEW. I saw the pink one but would rather have yellow! _"

and got back "_Hi thanks for email, sorry only pink left, yours Graham_"  So pink it was! :lol:

Very good seller....got it in less than 12 hours from purchase time...so full marks to him and Royal Mail. :thumbsup:


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## Chippychap

Rev, It'll polish out :bb:

I found an old set of dentist tools had loads of thin pointy tools when only thin pointy tools will do.

I've got the prongy back remover.....have you noticed how I am totally au-fait with the correct technical terms? :blink:

Still need the rubber smooth screw-back doodah.


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## mattbeef

As some one else has revived an old thread.

Would anyone advise for or against the watch tool sets that you can get on fleabay as they could be useful for the odd time id need them


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## Agent orange

mattbeef said:


> As some one else has revived an old thread.
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> Would anyone advise for or against the watch tool sets that you can get on fleabay as they could be useful for the odd time id need them


That's what I started with Matt, I'm in the process of slowly replacing them with better quality tools. They're fine if you only intend to use them infrequently but the bracelet pin remover will break pretty quickly and the case back remover is positively dangerous, well it was in my hands anyway  , very prone to slipping. I've got one like thunderbolts which is much, much better. Must get a pink ball though, can't be outdone by Paul after all  .

Cheers,

Gary


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## jasonm

I agree with Gary, buy the best you can afford,

They arnt expensive really, buy them in bits and bobs, a 10 quid Bergeon spring bar tool will last a lifetime..

A Bergeon case back tool I have is 100 times better than the cheap copy I first had, the cheap one bent and deformed and was shite, the Bergeon one is unmarked...

Cheap tools can be a false eccomomy, the first slip and scratch can be costly....


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## Stuart Davies

Matt - I got one of those cheapy sets but also a decent case back opener (for the same reason as Gary mentioned) and pin remover. The rest of the stuff is OK for me because I use it so infrequently. I decent quality pin remover is essential tho' IMO.


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## pg tips

I notice Maplin sell a cheap case back tool, had a look at one the other day







cheap rubbish!


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## mattbeef

Yea you guys have summed up what i thought they would be like then 

Suppose ill get bits and pieces as and when i need them


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## Chippychap

I used to go to a wonderfull watch-fiddling supplier in Huddersfield and buy just one good thing.

Sob once about the price and it'll last you a lifetime.........unless you're old and

knackered like me where all I need is my stuff to last a couple of years.......... :huh:

I liked going in as he was interesting to talk to, don't get that with fleabay.

This forum is proof that we like to chew the fat.......... :vampire:

The emoticon is totally out of context, but I love it.


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## JonW

This thread has gone well... 

I would add that you can get much the same results from Blutak as the ball... I use it often on watches that have inetresting backs, and ones that I know have been opened recently, as they tend to be easier to open.

BlueTak is also great as a cheap and readily available rodico substitute for cleaning inside a watch prior to putting it backtogether, although you should also use a cheap puffer as well.

I think the cheap tools are rubbish in the main, but they do provide some useful stuff. the puffer and some of the bracelet tools are fine.

With screwdrivers buy the AF ones on a spinner... truely superb value... A mate got mine for me and I use them daily


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## mattbeef

Bluetac instead of the ball opener.

Thanks for that as i have a massive ball sat in front of me


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## tomshep

I shudder at the thought of using of Blutak in place of Rodico. Rodico is cheap and jolly useful. Well worth what you pay for it and as well as not leaving a gummy mess behind, I've never known it paint strip a dial.

Medication taken... back to the point.

Jaxa copy back tool, A single good pair of stainless tweezers from RS components, RLT's springbar and hand fitting tools, pegwood, Ronsonol, hand puller, a set of a*f screwdrivers in a revolving stand, and a Crystal lift. That will leave enough change out of Â£100 for a Bergeon 4040 movement holder (Accept NO substitute) and a decent x4 eyeglass. Now read a lot and buy plenty of non runners off the bay to practice on.

That and a year of trial and error will see you being able to confidently strip an ordinary mechanical watch to the plates and reconstruct it in working order, fully serviced.

One tip: don't get too obsessed or you will need a staking set, jewelling set, lathe, timing machine, ultrasonic cleaner, table top cnc mill, Plating plant, PVD plant, etc. etc.

Enjoy!


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## sonic

Is a hammer any use??


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## SS333

Can anyone suggest a good place to buy the basic tools in the UK? (strap change mainly)

The stuff on eBay looks like glorified tat and while I don't want to buy professional grade, I'd hate to have to buy twice or three times because I've bought rubbish the first time!

TIA


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## Silver Hawk

SS333 said:


> Can anyone suggest a good place to buy the basic tools in the UK? (strap change mainly)
> 
> The stuff on eBay looks like glorified tat and while I don't want to buy professional grade, I'd hate to have to buy twice or three times because I've bought rubbish the first time!
> 
> TIA


Our host will have everything you need. 

http://www.rltwatches.co.uk/acatalog/Tools.html


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## SS333

Silver Hawk said:


> SS333 said:
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> Can anyone suggest a good place to buy the basic tools in the UK? (strap change mainly)
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> The stuff on eBay looks like glorified tat and while I don't want to buy professional grade, I'd hate to have to buy twice or three times because I've bought rubbish the first time!
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> TIA
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> Our host will have everything you need.
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> http://www.rltwatches.co.uk/acatalog/Tools.html
Click to expand...

Cheers Paul


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