Basic watchmaking tips - Hand removal and installation

mseamaster
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@Archer Good intro. Thanks!

What's your opinion on these? I am very inexperienced and looking to save myself some hassle not wanting to risk my dials. So I figured to try:

IMG_20240610_202627.jpg


As a funny remark, today while I was practicing opening/closing broken watches, I tried removing the hands with my fingers and putting them back in, all without touching the dial. It worked fine. Obviously I am not planning on doing that for real on non-broken/junk watches(dial stains/etc.), but after watching so many videos I expected that it wasn't possible at all.
Edited:
 
Archer
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mseamaster mseamaster
What's your opinion on these?

Omega actually offers this sort of tool (for around $4,500 US) and they refer to it as "hand remover for delicate dials" and that is when it would be useful. If you are removing hands from fragile dials such as mother of pearl dials, aventurine dials, etc. where putting any pressure on the dial could cause damage, this is the tool to use.

For removing hands on regular dials, it's overkill.
 
mseamaster
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Archer Archer
Omega actually offers this sort of tool (for around $4,500 US) and they refer to it as "hand remover for delicate dials" and that is when it would be useful. If you are removing hands from fragile dials such as mother of pearl dials, aventurine dials, etc. where putting any pressure on the dial could cause damage, this is the tool to use.

For removing hands on regular dials, it's overkill.

This is a much cheaper clone, but it comes with very good feedback. I will post about it when I get my hands on it.
 
Deafcon
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I have the Horia “Hand Snatcher” for use on watches with fragile or skeleton type dials, like the Apollo 8. It works well, but not better or with less risk than hand levers when you have a dial you can use levers on.
Normal methods could have been used on this Speedmaster, however I wanted to try the tool out after I got it.
IMG_4502.jpeg IMG_4503.jpeg
 
watch_my_six
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@Archer can you please share where to purchase the Speedmaster-specific (321) hand-installation movement holder you use, or a comparable alternative? Also the VOH levers? Thanks!

Edit: NVM for the holder as I found here that you only use Omega, which aren't available without an account (https://omegaforums.net/threads/is-it-hard-to-remove-hands.23047/page-2). But if anyone else has a comparable suggestion, that would be great!
Edited:
 
Archer
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watch_my_six watch_my_six
@Archer can you please share where to purchase the Speedmaster-specific (321) hand-installation movement holder you use, or a comparable alternative? Also the VOH levers? Thanks!

Edit: NVM for the holder as I found here that you only use Omega, which aren't available without an account (https://omegaforums.net/threads/is-it-hard-to-remove-hands.23047/page-2). But if anyone else has a comparable suggestion, that would be great!

Here's an Omega one fore sale -not cheap though...

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/25667117688...6822&msclkid=8282de7125f91ed42fd9b9d5c3346675

For the VOH levers, I bought them directly from VOH.
 
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Archer
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watch_my_six watch_my_six
Just out of curiosity, does it work for the 321 too, or is there some incompatibility?
Yes. I use it for both.
 
V
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Hi Al,

Couple of questions:
What model/sizes of cutting broaches do you normally use for watch hands?

Is there any reason not to use multiple dial protectors stacked on top of each other instead of making “pants”

Thanks!
 
Archer
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V vbomega
Hi Al,

Couple of questions:
What model/sizes of cutting broaches do you normally use for watch hands?

Is there any reason not to use multiple dial protectors stacked on top of each other instead of making “pants”

Thanks!
I have 2 Bergeon sets that cover most things, plus a bunch of random broaches that don’t have sizes on them.

The Bergeon sets are #4338, and 4251.

For the pants, sure you can use whatever works to get the height required. But the plastic the pants are made of is thicker than the commercial dial protectors I’ve seen. Also, the fact that the plastic layers stick together means that they won’t shift under pressure of the levers.
 
V
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Thank you, Al!

One common source of frustration in watch repair is dealing with missing, distorted, or broken dial feet. What is the recommended protocol for addressing/repairing these issues, and what are the best practices for preventing damage to the dial while performing this type of work?
 
Archer
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V vbomega
Thank you, Al!

One common source of frustration in watch repair is dealing with missing, distorted, or broken dial feet. What is the recommended protocol for addressing/repairing these issues, and what are the best practices for preventing damage to the dial while performing this type of work?
Prevention - remove the dial carefully - don't force it. If you are centering a dial, don't overdo it - make small adjustments so you are not bending the feet back and forth.

For repairs there are 3 solutions off the top of my head...

Dial dots - not the best, but if you are unable to make the next 2 work, or you don;t yet have the equipment, they are at least a "do no harm" solution for the most part.

Epoxy feet in place - there is a small machine that will remove material from the back side of the dial, creating a recess for a new dial foot. That foot is then epoxied in place.

Dial foot soldering - this can be done with a torch (very risky) or with a dial foot soldering machine. The risk on these is burning the front of the dial, so this has to be done very carefully.
 
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