Pocket Watch Guide

For those chosen few who are privileged enough to own a beautiful pocket watch, they would like to preserve it for as long as they can. These pieces of precious jewelry are meant to last forever but just in case they may break down or need winding, it takes a very skilled professional to be able to repair them. And not all offer these kinds of services. It is suggested that most pocket watch owners learn a few tricks of the trade when it comes to repairing their very own watches. Pocket watch parts and tools can be purchased from different sources and depending on the supplier, may be delivered directly o your home.

Depending on the parts or brand of the pocket watch that may need repair, a myriad of prices may come into play. For the genuine parts it may cost a few dollars or about a hundred and labor costs would almost be the same. Because of this, learning to make minor repairs yourself will ease the burden of having to pay a great deal of money for something even you can do. To get started the most basic tools to have involving pocket watch repair are bow openers, case openers, watch hammer, set of winding keys, head vision tool, long nosed pliers, magnifying glass, watch hand remover and watch hand setting tool. Many books give a detailed account on how to gently take apart and put back all watch parts. As for the pocket watch parts themselves like center wheels, hairspring/balance spring, ratchet wheel and fuse, these can all be found online. It would be easier to order them this way as you may have a one of a kind piece and not a single jewelry store in your area may have the parts available.

Before getting too excited and quickly diving into your own pocket watch, try buying a cheap kind and practice on that for a few days. Learn how the machine works as almost all pocket watches operate on the same principle and it would be better that you break the cheaper version than your precious family heirloom. Once you have the hang of it, then you can slowly dissect your pocket watch and be sure to carefully take note of all parts as they are removed. It would even be better if you label a section of your work table according to the parts so as not to lose them and they would be arranged in order.