TZ courses

[mel]

I've been wanting to learn a bit more about the actual insides of mechanical watches and to be able to service and regulate them myself for quite a while now, along with the excuse to get some more tools that I'll probably only use once every 5 years which is always good. Anyway having had a bit of a look round on the net for some sort of distance learning or correspondance introduction course this is the best I can come up with but is obviously US based and you are (or I think you are) tied in to buying their specific "tool kits" & movements for each level. I could of course simply get a few mechanisms off of ebay along with a few tools and attempt to be self taught but it's always nice to have some sort of guidance along the way. I'd guess that I'd be looking at spending around $800 over a period of time to be fully set up with the tools and knowledge to self service, which covers all the tools, an electronic timer, oil and lubricants and the actual course fees.

So has anyone else done the course or similar?

Watch School

[bry1975]

You wont get much for $800 Mel.

Hell a good rate timer could be easily £400-£1000.

Watch repair kit is so expensive a decent pressure tester could set you back £200-£300 easily some can go into the £1000s. Decent AF screwdrivers are likely to cost £50 for say 8.


Regs


Bry

Edited by bry1975 on Monday 4th October 09:44

[mel]

I was talking about the most basic of beginners tools

Level 1 Kit $199
Level 2 Kit $345
Options 1 extra bits $166.90
Basic Hobbyist timer $569.00

So yes I guess it would have helped had I put the correct currency in that little lot on it's own is roughly £800! Would you say that a pressure tester is critical for watches that I would want to be shower/swim proof? after all lets be honest it may say 300m on the dial but I think 2m is about the max' in reality.

Edited by mel on Monday 4th October 10:42

[bry1975]

If you're going to reseal watches for chaps it's always a good idea to know the watch aint gonna leak. One trick is the ice cube condensation test.

The basic repair kit could be quite cheap it's the professional tools/equipment which is expensive like the better quality screwdrivers, timing machines, good quality caseback openers, water proof testers, staking sets etc etc.