These watches were $24 for a key wind and $30 for a stem wind in 1883. $30 equates to $900 in 2023 money. A watch was a major expense, usually a graduation gift, to have most of your life back in that time.

@AutismusPrime69

4 ай бұрын

If these watches were made today they would be $1000's. $900 would have been a good deal.

The sheer joy of hearing the heart beat after years of silence. I imagine it is very gratifying, it is to me as a viewer. Thank you!!

Fascinating video. I love a Waltham pocket watch. It gives you a great feeling pulling it from your waistcoat and flicking the lid open. I’ve just passed mine to my eldest grandson for his 18th birthday. It survived the Spanish civil war by being rolled into a woollen sock carried over the Pyrenees into France. Then through WW2 with my father. After a clean and service it still kept time within a minute a day. Your keeping a bit of history alive good for you.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! These watches sure have some amazing stories to tell.

@dale4034

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video, especially the close ups of the balance staffs replacement. I do generaly prefer video with audio play by play even if I have heard much of it before other videos, the audio helps me retain much more information. Thank you.

@AutismusPrime69

4 ай бұрын

Tell us how you feel when he sells it for some DnD cards

I have that same watch… belonged to my great-grandfather. I’m just starting the first service on it in decades, luckily only a broken mainspring to deal with. Beautifully done as always!

Excellent work! Great concentration and calm atmosphere with the music.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@Toms.George

Жыл бұрын

Yes veri karkt

@ttmyaunggmail.comttmy5456

Жыл бұрын

@@csspinner A

Great work not only getting it up and running again but getting it looking that good!

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

L&R111 ammoniated solution does an amazing job at brightening things up

A very fine job! Enjoyed the piano playing as well; very appropriate for the work at hand! Cheers

amazing how people could create these watches back in the days

That was both fascinating and beautiful to watch.

@markboon341

Жыл бұрын

Pun intended

This is the first time I've ever seen a pocket watch that actually had a key. I've heard of them, just never saw one before. It's beautiful.

Tenho quase setenta anos ; trabalhei com oficial relojoeiro por mais de quatro décadas ! Sou do tempo em que os relojoeiros " pivotavam " eixos de balancos ; ajustavam chaussés ; subistituiam virolas de espiral ; reparavam cordas quando quebravam ou estavam " fracas " . Subistuia levés de âncoras ; e " enxertava" dentes em rodas canons ou outras mais . Bons tempos em que tinham reloeiros de verdade ! Dediquei minha vida em consertar essa máquinas maravilhosas

@user-sl3il5sz2s

Жыл бұрын

I am 62 years old. I have a large wall clock that I inherited from my grandfather as a memory of him. They were made in the early thirties of the twentieth century by the "First Moscow Watch Factory" during Stalin's time. The word "first" in the name of the company here in the sense of leadership. All this time the clock was running properly, but last year it stopped. About thirty years ago I was repairing wristwatches for a good watchmaker and I found his phone number in an old address book. But even then he was old and I called with doubt. It turned out that he was still alive. But he is 92 years old, he has cataracts, and he can no longer repair wristwatches, only large watches. This wall clock has a rather large mechanism, like two palms, and he agreed to try to fix it. This watch had no jewels, only an escapement mechanism on ruby prisms, and some of the gear axles had play. But the main problem is the suspension of the pendulum on thin bending steel strips, they burst. Must be metal fatigue. The watchmaker eliminated the backlash of the axles and made a new pendulum suspension from a thin bronze strip. For the second month now, the clock coincides with the exact time signals within a couple of seconds, as if it were an electronic watch. I think this is a phenomenal result for an old mechanical watch. This man said that he started working as a watchmaker at the age of seventeen. Now he is 92 years old. That is, he has been repairing watches for 75 years. I have great respect for these people.

@user-mt4pb7cu6g

Жыл бұрын

Мой Вам поклон из России.

sir, i'm really impressed with your watch making and you have inspired me to keep going in this wonderful hobby. i've gotten frustrated but have learned to be more patient. i don't have all the tools that i need yet, but am working on it. love watching you work.

What a video. Soothing music, not too loud like most videos. Relaxing to watch you take it apart and service. Nice watch….. great job!

Excellent menitenance for a great peace of history

Thank you very much for showing this magnificent restoration work. His work is excellent, delicate and very professional. Unfortunately I don't speak or read English, but fortunately the language of watchmaking is universal. I loved your channel and subscribe immediately. Greetings from Aranjuez, Spain

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Big Ben!

Epic rebuild especially liked the reuse and hand rewind of the barrel spring. Don’t see much of that nowadays

Beautiful watch, well done.

Amazing, beautiful and fantastic restoration. Thank you for sharing.

That finished up beautiful! You did a fantastic job on polishing up that beautiful case.

Wow, impressive work, especially switching out the balance staff. I am a beginner and am learning to service watches as a hobbyist. Doing a swap is a long way off for me. Appreciate your video. Thanks again.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. Don’t think it’s that far off for you. I’ve only been doing this for 6 months. Lots of practice and had plenty of humbling experiences :)

@jmillsjus

10 ай бұрын

@@csspinner How do you find the time to advance this far in such a short time?! You, sir, are a wizard. 🙂

Beautiful job. Such a lost art

Amazing video and great job !

Very Good, If a job is worth doing it's worth doing properly, polishing was amazing!

absolutely love the microscopic videography and attention to detail. brings into v sharp focus the intricate art and skill in watch making and repair/restoration, great background music too, thank you very enjoyable and relaxing, a nice break from acute critical care

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Merry Christmas

Delightful, a beautiful restoration and fantastic editing, having all the parts listed along with calming music make this a perfect video. Thank you for your work.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to comment.

What a lovely old watch! It's been well taken care of, I didn't see any horrible rust inside. 200 amplitude is a little low, but if it's still 3spd accuracy that means it's just fine :D

I love the polishing. Excellent work

Watch is beautiful. Incredible work. Thank you.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

Good restoration on interesting timepiece

it was like a butterfly flight !

Mesmerizing work. Thank you for sharing.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for visiting!

I can do a service on an automatic is my current level with a day date complication is the most complicated movement I have serviced or repaired. I don’t think I could fix the balance mainly because I don’t have the equipment. Man there’s so many tools for watch making.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

The staking set opens a lot of doors. But I agree it quickly becomes a rabbit hole. However at a certain point the tools become more a convenience than a necessity (there are some strange super specialized tools out there).

Great job. Enjoyed watching. Thanks.

"Beautiful" !! Enjoyed watching, thanks for your skills.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the kind words

I just found your channel and love your work! I like your choice of music also! I'm now a subscriber

Great video, thanks. The videography was superb, the commentary v. good, and the restoration work fascinating.

Great job!

You did a great job restoring this old pocket watch.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Bravo, un trabajo excelente! Gracias por compartir.

Lovely piece.

Excellent work!!!! Bravo!!!

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much !

Very nice restoration. The polish job was excellent and the inner-works looks like they'll last for quite a long time 😀😃😄

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

what a gorgeous balance bridge

Voltando ao comentário : sou brasileiro; e moro no Estado de Minas Gerais. Saúde ótima e ainda domino perfeitamente essa grande arte . Parabéns pelo seu canal, e pelo vídeo

Brilliant restoration, man.

Hi! Yeah, the 1877-87 Walthams are awesome! I personally use Flitz polisher for finishing shiny surfaces, it really does a great job!

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Absolutely fantastic restoration.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Wow! He is “taking a time” restoring this video!

Way cool ! First time I've ever seen a watch that used a key -- didn't know they existed! Thanx much - Fun to watch video !

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for visiting!!

You did a great labor of love. I have some pocket watches and some that were in the transition from pocket watches, adapted to a wristwatch. with #12 at the 3hrs position. i am a fan of hampden elgin hamilton Congratulations beautiful work yours!

@csspinner

10 ай бұрын

Thanks, Gonzalo! I appreciate the comment. Those wristwatch marriages are real stunners. You’ve got good taste Hampden made some beautiful movements back in the day

Beautiful work and a great video.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you

👍🙋‍♂️ reminds me on Big complication watch!

One of the better videos....excellent work and very calming..

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for that. What did you like about this one compared to the others?

@The1951skylark

Жыл бұрын

@@csspinner I run a pocket watch site on facebook. This is a typical type of watch you would come across with typical problems..Video is clear and precise on removal of parts, showing in very detailed vid , it wasn't rushed, nothing too fancy and done with hands on a full plate movement. I also especially like the case renovation. Also with naming the parts top right corner... No annoying elaborate, chit chat...just calming music. I compliment you on a very informative calming video, beautifully done which I enjoyed. Please continue with more videos. ....

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

@@The1951skylark thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. More to come, including some wrist watches with their own issues

Good work, I have one like it with a different case

I really like the silver. Good choice. Gorgeous

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great Performance!!!!All the best.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Nice! You. should be pretty pleased with the result.

Good job 👍👍👍

Great work!

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

Excelente restauración de ese antiguo reloj, pero pude ver que casi no usaste de tu gran equipo de herramientas que tienes, como que fue muy fácil la reparación..!! Te quedó precioso el reloj, muy buen trabajo.!! Me entretuve viendo este magnífico documental..!! Excelente video..!! Saludos brother..!

@csspinner

7 ай бұрын

¡gracias! Este era un video antiguo, antes de que tuviera todas mis herramientas. Mis capacidades eran limitadas en aquel entonces.

krásná práce , radost se dívat na tak šikovné ruce

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Děkuju !

I have the same watch, it belonged to my great, great grandfather. The serial number dates it back to 1863.

Amazing video. I wish ai knew a watchmaker gentle and dedicated enough, to restore an old verge fusee watch from my collection. Two ‚professionals‘ killed it

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear about your verge. I have a fusee I’ll be servicing pretty soon. They can be extremely finicky, especially if one doesn’t know how to properly let down the mainspring. One wrong move and the chain will snap.

@lutzderlurch7877

Жыл бұрын

@@csspinner Well, I got it off eBay years ago, and it ran and kept time decently enough considering it is a ca. 1780 specimen. I really fell in love with that watch, because the whole of the rear err 'disc' (what is the english term for the main discs?) was pierced and engraved. Only the watch sometimes randomly stopped. I got it to a watch maker #1, claiming to know how to work on verge watches, and somehow the hand on the silver dial to adjust the speed ended up broken off, the watch stopped more often than ever before and now the hour and minutes hands kept vatching behind each other, stopping the watch dead. Of course, no accountability...changed watchmaker. Watchmaker #2 got to work, fabricated a simplified replacement hand, found the main spring had an old repair (broken, then riveted together). When reassembling with a 'new' spring, he managed to snap off the very tip of the balance axle (term?). He tried to make a new one, supposedly succeeded, but couldn't get it to work at all, blaming everything on the watch being super worn and nothing being in alignment, either. I know, wear and tear is a thing, but I can't help but feel the watch that was previously mostly running was effectively killed by those two guys. Now I have no watchmaker I trust, left, for my other watches, and I still feel as if I owe that little precious thing a decent repair, but who to turn to? :(

You do very good work.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Wow, beautiful watch.

@csspinner

10 ай бұрын

Thanks, Larry! - Chris

Fantastic restoration!! I Love pocket watches. They have a special place in my heart. Your did a fantastic job bringing it back to life!!❤

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks!!

This was very interesting and relaxing to watch. I smiled when you were putting the balance wheel bridge back on and the watch started up before you even had it fastened down. What is he going to do about all the corrosion on the case, I wondered, and then you did a masterful job with that. Nice job.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Paul. I really appreciate your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Very nice keep up the great videos!!!

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, will do!

Very fine work. 👍🏻

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you !

Very professional work.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Excelent job, congratulations! Hugs of Brazil.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much

Good job well done

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Hassan!

Nice work

@sonnymoorehouse1941

10 ай бұрын

Your newer videos with narration are better, you should talk more.

You've got the right euipment to do. 🤗 To polish with sandpaper i wouldnt advice, I use a little copper polish first and then silver polish. I'ts more safe for a delicate piece like this.

Your video showing the repair to palette fork and cleaning was excellent. You've transformed that Waltham. Thank you for sharing it here. I've subscribed to your channel.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words!

Nice work on the balance! May I ask why you use screwdrivers smaller than ghe screws? I was always thought to use the corresponding sise screwdriver to the screw

Super robota i precyzja podźiwiam takich ludźi widać że z pasja to robione

Time for you to consider working at Patek Philippe...ever been to Switzerland? Great skill, nice presentation here. Well done sir. Cheers.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I would be honored to work on such well designed time pieces.

Great work. I know when you put the train of wheels bridge on it wasn't as seamless as the video portrays it 🤣🤣.. Cheers and keep doing what you are doing.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely right! I can never do that on video. I always need to hold it up to my face with a loupe and click each one into place

@mjlrestorationshop.2405

Жыл бұрын

@@csspinner absolutely.. I love old amarican pocket watches but the way the swiss typically make individual bridges certainly has ease of assembly in mind. Cheers and Merry Christmas

What a work of art you create. Amazing to watch. You have that expert-level knowledge. Curious if you've got a solution for recasing a pocket watch. Would love to see if that's possible today or are uncased movements not salvagable?

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! As for recasing, fortunately most pocket watches were constructed to standard sizes (there were many, but if you know the “size” you can usually just find a case for that size watch). The size rating for a pocket watch will generally mean the width, lever placement, stem hole orientation, thickness, etc is consistent- so an “18 size” pocket watch should fit in any “18 size” case. I’ve been successful buying “orphaned” movements on eBay and recasing them because of this standard in sizing. It’s far more difficult to do this for wrist watches since those movements are a lot more diverse.

Превосходная работа! Браво Мастеру!

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I wanted to get into watch restoration after watching you channel to see if I could do it. I purchased a £20 watch tool kit and some oils. And I purchased a pocket watch from eBay that was advertised as not ticking. When I received the pocket watch and opened the back, I found that it is battery operated. Maybe that why the said "Not Ticking". Checking back on the listing it didn't have any photos of the inner workings. So beware of what you buy on eBay. Luckily I only paid just over £3 (U$5) for it, so no great loss.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Ah chalk that small expense up to education. :) when you look for a first watch, always ask if the seller knows if the balance is good

@KernowMan68

Жыл бұрын

@@csspinner Update. Listing said Not Ticking. Just put a new battery in the pocket watch and it Ticks .... LOL

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

@@KernowMan68 call that a win!

The stud on hairspring looked crooked . Did You check the balance jewels for cracks . When a staff is broken usually the jewels maybe damaged.

This is beautyfull ❤

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you :)

Very nice art.

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you

Fico impressionado pela precisão e talento que um relojoeiro usar a sua ajuda habilidade e fascinante essa profissão eu tenho um relógio bem antigo ele funciona mas para de funcionar ele é acorda gosto muito dele pra mim ele um relíquia não sei de onde é esse vídeo mas você está de parabéns um abraço Belém Brasil

Amazing job you got skills. I have a Waltham pw about half your size about same period but stem wind. Stem moves hands but doesn't wind, prob broken mainspring, will soon take to watch repair to fix and service, not sure if it's gold or not. Curious about the value when repaired. Maybe $1,000- $2,000???

I have the exact same watch and it's not working either, great job !

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for visiting!

Really great video thank you! I’ve never seen one with an actual key before. I suppose the minutes hand is indexed that way because the time is set using the same key? Very clever! But I also imagine the movements must have gotten quite dirty from being opened so much?

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Yes, the minute hand allows for the same key to be used to set the time. Much of the filthyness is due to the old oil migrating around the movement, attracting dust and dirt, and then drying up to form a stick, gummy film.

@truthsmiles

Жыл бұрын

@@csspinner Sorry I just meant back in the day when people carried these watches, I’d assume they needed a lot more cleaning than later “keyless works” designs? My reasoning is the keyless works watches didn’t need to be opened every day to wind. It seems any pocket lint or environmental dirt would have a much easier time getting into these keyed movements(?)

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

@@truthsmiles makes sense. I agree with that

Interesting work many thanks. Do you know what the case is made of please? Steel? Do you clean the parts in the middle and if so what solutions do you use?

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

The case is made of a solid nickel alloy. That allows it to be polished without fear of removing any sort of plating. The parts are cleaned in two stages in an ultrasonic cleaner; first in L&R 111 solution and second in IPA. The balance and pallet do not go in the IPA, however, or the solution would dissolve the shellac holding the jewels in place. So I rinse those in Naphtha instead.

I have this exact same watch, but a separate issue. My balance wheel spins freely, but I can’t wind the thing! It’s like it’s stuck or something. I want to open it and try to fix it, but I’ve never done any watch repair (major or minor), and I don’t want to destroy an antique pocket watch.

@csspinner

8 ай бұрын

Winding is stuck usually means it's fully wound up. Most likely, something is preventing the power from transferring from the mainspring to the balance. I'm willing to bet it's the result of the old oils gumming up all the pivots. Chances are a simply clean, oil, assemble is all it needs.

A watch & a mirror all in one.

Another good one - thanks. Where did get your movement holder from please?

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. I got this one from Amazon. ... www.amazon.com/dp/B003V13ULG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Such a beautiful piece, and you did a great job on it. How accurate are the movements of these old watches? Does it wander from time to time, or is it pretty spot on?

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

This one happens to be pretty accurate, but some of these oldies vary by as much as 20sec/day from say the dial up/down position compared to the pendant up/down position

Subscribed!!!

Wow. 👍

Never put that old carbon steel mainspring back in. These watches had safety pinions for a reason and these springs will break and cause damage! Always replace with a modern alloy mainspring.

@kurt2022

4 ай бұрын

Alloy and forget about it. I know, not period correct. Nothing worse than buying a vintage mainspring and it breaks a week later. I learned the hard way.

Magnifique 👍👍

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Excellent work. What level of accuracy can someone expect from a watch like this?

@csspinner

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. They can usually be brought down to better than a minute per day. Some of the ones in good condition, under 10 secs/day

I have a watch that real similar enough your blog