Reddit reviews Practical Watch Repairing

My wife bought me a watch repair toolkit from Amazon quite a few years ago. It looked good from a beginner/novice perspective. Since then, I have amassed quite a few tools, both new and used, from sites like www.ofrei.com and www.esslinger.com, as well as used tools from eBay and local auctions. Putting together a watch tool kit is like putting together a workshop at home. You slowly collect tools.

Here are a couple of books which I think are excellent:

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Watch-Repairing-Donald-Carle/dp/1602393575/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416239980&sr=8-2&keywords=watch+repair+books

http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bulova-School-Watchmaking-Training/dp/0918845211/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416240201&sr=8-2&keywords=watch+school+book+bulova

I have read both and learned something useful and applicable from both. I also look to Youtube for watchmaker videos on specific topics.

When you start working on watches, don't practice on one you like and has some worth. Pick up a few old, dollar pocket watches and some of those old travel alarm clocks. These usually go for a few dollars on eBay, and are perfect for learning and practicing skills. It won't matter if you break them further. No tears will be shed. Also, these are bit bigger than your standard wristwatches, so a bit easier to get into the habit of working on something so tiny.

The beginner watch repair toolkits are usually good for changing watch bands and straps, taking screwdown casebacks off, but little else after you start learning. The more you learn and practice, the more specialized tools start to appeal to you. I would caution against spending a fortune on brand new tools. Check eBay first, set a limit on how much you want to spend, and enjoy collecting tools.

Be careful - this gets addictive.

Spare parts availability is a biggie for sure.

I started with a manual wind Sellita because it was a nice balance of quality and price... but more importantly brand new parts were readily available from Otto Frei.

I could have started out cheaper or on potentially worn out movements but being able to use easy to find brand new replacement parts was a nice convenience.

For example, a lot of older Seiko 5s have a worn out bushing and suitable replacements are not available. The best you could do is scrap one from another movement. The problem with that is donor movements have most likely worn out the same part also. To fix it you need to get creative with some specialized tools which really complicates things when you are first learning.

It looks like you are already underway so if you haven't already you should pick up a copy of these books. If you only get one then, anecdotally speaking anyway, I reference Fried's book the most. However, they are both worth it if you can afford it.

https://www.amazon.com/Watch-Repairers-Manual-Henry-Fried/dp/1626549982

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Watch-Repairing-Donald-Carle/dp/1602393575