Do It Yourself - Most Common Watch Repairs

Posted on October 5, 2008
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“Watches“, as the name suggest are the most frequently used time machines, which help us watch time, prepare daily schedule and run our errands accordingly. Whether it be an Original or Replica Watches they all serve the same purpose. Starting from waking up in the morning to retiring to bed at late night, everything is done by referring to time. In other words, we can say that the world revolves around watches. But what if the watches stop working? What if they mess up all of a sudden? If the watch repair shops are closed or if the repair persons aren’t available, are you going to sit around referring to the wall clock the whole time, or depend on others for time? What if the repair cost to fix your watch exceeds the value of the watch?

Are you going to get even the Best Replica Watches, or any other watches that may be worth about $150 repaired for $150? You certainly won’t, well any sane person won’t! Well then what are we going to do under such circumstances? The answer is obvious, DO IT YOURSELF, That’s right repair the watch yourself!

Sounds pretty exciting huh? So you’re all set for repairing a watch with all the tools and stuff, but the question is how are you going to repair the watch without any prior experience?

The answer is obvious; learn from the steps below, after all practice is the best teacher and some risks are worth taking.

The basic things to consider to repair a watch are as follows:

1) Is the repair actually needed? Maybe there’s a battery problem or the battery ran out. Repairing the watch under such circumstances would be pointless.
2) What exactly is wrong with the watch? Look into the problem, get details first, don’t start things in a jiffy. Remember if you are doing it for the first time, it’s best to get some information first.
3) Plan the repairing operation step by step, ponder about the same, give it a few minutes and make a small list of steps to be followed.
4) If things don’t seem very obvious, try and look into it in a more detailed fashion. If need be, open the watch and look for the problem associated with it.
5) If this repair operation doesn’t really work out in your case, either get the watch repaired by a professional or buy a new watch!

The following are the most frequent cases that may arise when doing watch repairs, and the ones we will be discussing:

1. Battery changes
2. Fixing watch band
3. Common subsidiary problems associated with most watches

Changing a battery:

Tools Needed:
1. Sharp Knife
2. Small Screwdriver (from an eyeglass Tweezers (the sharper the better)
3. Patience

The first thing to do is check the back of the watch. If there are six notches in the back evenly spaced, you will need a needlenose pliers as well. These backs unscrew rather than pry off like most watch backs. They may be tight, so if it becomes too much of a struggle, go to a watchmaker.

The other backs need a knife to pry off. Usually there is a “lip” that the knife can fit underneath. Don’t be afraid to be a little more aggressive with that sort of back. Be careful that you do not scratch anything.

Once the back is off, you should be able to locate this little round disk. Guess what that might be, even in Swiss Replica Watches it’s the battery. If there is metal piece holding it in place, that is called a cell strap. Those need to be removed in order to get to the battery. Take the small screwdriver and CAREFULLY unscrew the cell strap screws. Use the tweezers to move the cell strap aside. At this point, the battery should be completely exposed. Using the tweezers, take it out. You can use a little more force than you think. However, beware of using too much.

Repairing a watch band:

Tools needed:
1. Any Blade
2. Tweezers with a point at the end

If the band just needs to be changed and it is leather, there is a spring bar holding the band to the watch. Using the blade or tweezers, grip the bar between the band and the lug holding the spring bar in place. you can be as aggressive as you want to considering that you probably do not care about the band that is being replaced.

As you grip the spring bar, push downward so it is free from the lug and maneuver it out of the way of the lug. If you break the spring bar, go get a new one at a watch repair shop. They should only be a dollar or two.

Prior to putting the spring bar into the new band, widen the hole in the band so the spring bar can fit through easily. Once the spring bar is in the band, line it up with the holes that it initially came out of and maneuver it back into place.

Common Problems:

If the watch has stopped:

• Check to make sure that the stem is pushed in
• Make certain that all of the dial markers are on (they may be blocking the hands from moving)
• See if a piece of the crystal did not break off causing the hands to catch or the hands may be catching on the crystal itself
• Check to ensure that all of the hands are on tight (they will flop around if they are loose)
• It may be the battery or rust
• Occasionally, an electronic part goes bad and needs replacing

If the watch is a manual wind or automatic and slowing down:

• The watch may not be given sufficient winding
• The watch may need cleaning

If the watch is quartz and slowing down:

• Check the same as if the watch had stopped (listed above)
• It may be the battery
• The watch may need cleaning

So if your watch isn’t working, get to work now and repair it as soon as you can by following the guidelines above. After all as the saying goes “Time and Tide waits for no man , So repair your watch as soon as you can!”

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