Thompson blend “Le bleu”

I mentioned on another post I needed to do a side by side picture of all the blue dials… why not do it all on one?

I'm trying to stock in a few movements.

Their quartz are often ETA F06.115 and Ronda 6003.D

As example in the Aquaracer Formula 1 and Link quartz

But my question is which height (HCP) should I stock

Standard, medium or tall ? I doubt I should stock the standard since tag often has applied indices

Let me know

Thanks

Thompson Enamel 1710 “Tallow Pink”

Someone asked me if I could do a salmon dial. This was the color I found that I thought would be closest. I feel like it needs a bit more red in it maybe? Not sure, cool color regardless. I’ll keep looking to see if I can find something closer.

Hi Guys

I've just started my first tentative steps. Into this amazing hobby. I have picked up a cheap automatic movement at my local flea market and would like to break it down if possible. Only issue is that I am stumbling at my first hurdle and can't seem to see a spring clip or screw to get the stem out. I have included a couple of images and if you could point me in the direction with movement type or even better, what am I missing it would really appreciated.

Thompson Blend “Pepsi Swirl”

This is a fun one! I used a cut out piece of paper to sift on the blue pattern over the already fired red. I then used a brush to clean up the pattern as best I could.

Last picture is the dial right out of the kiln. It’s always so fun to see how different the glass looks when hot out of the kiln compared to fully cooled. Red especially changes.

Hello everyone,

I've seen this item but I'm not really sure about what's the utility of it is?

I have a watch with a 8215 movement. The second hand is bended. I've tried a few other hands but not compatible because the dial is slightly domed in the center.

Maybe this tool could help me?

Thank you

It's my first time doing anything like this to a watch, but I'm already planning another.

Thompson Blend “Pepsi mix”

I’ve always loved the “Pepsi” Rolex so I’ve wanted to experiment with red and blue. First experiment was a 1:1 mix shown here!

Unfortunately the edge on this one turned out awful. The bezel on the watch slightly covers it up and it looks great in the watch.

Hi folks, I wanted to share a new tool I've just released - Geartrain Analyzer. Similar to the dynamic poising tool I've shared on reddit before, this is a tool I've created for my own use in repairing antique watches which I feel has the potential to be useful to the watch community at large so I've made it available online for free.

After simply entering the wheel tooth and pinion leaf counts + the rotational period of any one wheel, Geartrain Analyzer renders a visual representation of your watch's geartrain, and calculates many attributes about the geartrain:

• Rotational period of each wheel arbor.
• Gear ratio of each mesh in the train (i.e. wheel to pinion ratios).
• Tooth pass interval for each mesh - the interval in seconds between successive teeth passing a fixed point in space.
• Hunting tooth interval for each mesh - how long it takes for the same wheel tooth to meet up with the same pinion leaf again.
• BPH of the watch (note: only applicable for traditional Swiss Lever escapements).
• Total gear ratio of the mainspring barrel to the escape wheel.

When troubleshooting a watch with rate or amplitude issues that recur in a repeating pattern or sinusoidal pattern, calculating these attributes about the geartrain helps rapidly narrow down the likely source of the issue. For example, if you have amplitude variation on a five-minute cycle and your barrel-to-second-wheel tooth pass interval is roughly five minutes, you know immediately to start investigating the barrel teeth, second wheel pinion leaves, and their interaction.

As a reminder, I receive no compensation or ad revenue for folks visiting the site - this is just a tool I made for myself which I want to share with the watchmaking community in case anyone finds it helpful.

He said it was stopping intermittently but it hasn’t since he gave it to me. Looks ok on the timegrapher… beat error is a little concerning. He’s been wearing it daily for probably 6-8 years.

Brushed(linen pattern) brass blank, one base decal and another layered on top with just the darker linen lines. Didn't get as much of a relief as I hoped, and layering another decal would probably make it too dark. Next attempt I will probably use just one shade and layer the pattern so the linen effect is just in the brass background and the relief from the pattern

Hey guys, I’m currently posting this as I would like to hear some insight from some of y’all on how to make a bezel insert. I’m currently trying to make a replacement bezel insert for my Omega Seamaster 165.024 mod, that I made with a WatchDives WD1967Q, but don’t like the insert that it currently has and it’s crooked. The insert size is 37mm outer diameter and an inner diameter of 30mm. Does anyone have any information or can point me to the right direction to get this project started? Thank you all in advance.

I’m sure this question gets asked a lot, but for someone who doesn’t have a traditional pathway to becoming a professional watchmaker (no formal training schools or courses nearby), what can I do to become a professional watchmaker and eventually work with the great watch brands?

This bezel was made for 316l stainless steel. Turned on my Monarch lathe and finished with my lapping lathe

Thompson Blend “Kobe!”

Day 24 of the 30-Day Challenge

I was looking for inspiration for a blend to make and with it being the 24th day I went with Kobe!

I was watching a video from Alison moriarty where she talks about the challenges of mixing enamel and how not all combos work out great.

This might be one of those, it kind of turned out brown. It’s also a little under fired which is where that surface texture comes from, but for this mix I kind of like it.

What are your thoughts on this color?

I’ve recently acquired a 1973 Hamilton W10, and sent it in for service. The watch uses a modified ETA 2750, called the Hamilton Cal. 649.

The technician has come back with a quote that includes swapping the two-piece stem for a single-piece stem.

When I google this, it says that I shouldn’t go ahead with the service as a single piece ETA 2750 stem is incompatible with the monocoque case of the watch, and risks breaking it or rendering it unserviceable in the future.

Is this a legitimate concern, or is google hallucinating? Should I try to source my own two piece stem for the watch? They are difficult although not impossible to get your hands on.

Any advice appreciated - I obviously want to preserve the heritage and historical value of the timepiece but first and foremost I want to wear it on my wrist as a functional watch.

Thompson Enamel 1465 “Peacock Blue Green”

Day 23 of the 30-Day Challenge

I didn’t have a ton of time for this one today and there’s a big failure pit on this one. Great color though!

SOLVED: vacuum pen or vacuum tweezers with a luer lock tip, thanks everyone.

Edit: a vacuum pen is a thing, interesting. A quick google search would’ve solved that. But not seeing a needle tip attachment that allows for such a small part to be picked up. Maybe just a modified needle that has been added to the vacuum pen tip?

We could argue that one of the most tedious parts of making a watch dial are placing the indices properly. Watching an ad for Luminox, I notice the pictured tool they use to place their lume/ indices onto the dial. What is that tool?? Can’t tell if it’s suction or a sticky needle point.

Either way, it’s exactly the precision that would make my life much easier if it’s obtainable. Any help or suggestions is much appreciated.

Does anyone know what this dark staining on the moment which is very hard to come off is from? Does anyone have any recommendations for how to remove it? Almost like the entire movement finishing looks dull.

Thompson Enamel 1995 “Grisaille Black”

This bracelet adjustment has me stumped. I just need to remove one link. Help plz

Thompson Enamel blend “midnight”

Maybe still workshopping names for this one. Runner up was “WHERE’S RACHEL” (Batman joke).

I love this combo though in enamel and the way it blends together in the middle.

Last dial picture is after the first layer where the black wasn’t thick enough it looks purple. Kind of cool.

Bonus pjc at the end of my enamel shelf! I love how I’ve set up my work bench and it’s getting filled up now. So far I have 4 rows filled thanks to the challenge 💪🏻

Hey all,

I just finished taking apart a ST 1686. After cleaning all the parts and setting them in the tray to reassemble, this little piece is left over.

I am still very new at this, the only successful teardowns and reassemblies I have under my belt have been on a cheap chinese practice movement. I obviously have never seen anything like this, and I didn't see it during disassembly.

Does anyone have an idea what this is? And more importantly, where it would go. My first guess is some sort of shim. A curiously shaped shim.

Thanks in advance