Better fewer but fewest

As predictable as the ending of Bugonia (I just watched Bugonia)

Everyone secretly yearns for Australia-style party discipline.

matt goodwin has always enjoyed good relationships with his students

This is actually harder than it looks, the main thing is getting the right file (single cut only), practicing draw filing with minimal pressure, standing up the rod at a low height in the vice, and exactly straight every time. Easy to learn, difficult to master

Some filing practice today. Filing these steel rods flat enough to stand up on their own. Pic 1 is the set up, bench vice and no. 1 file. Pic 2 is before, Pic 3 after, and pic 4 is the finished article with both rods filed flat

This but for adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo

Another vintage tool I picked up. This Seitz jewelling tool is more versatile than it's modern Chinese counterpart. It will allow me to not only replace jewels, but ream worn out jewel settings so they can be either rebushed or their jewels replaced

Best 21st century British horror film, the 4k restoration is so good

Nw

The fundamental problem with Bluesky is you are more likely to see people post these kinds of Dawkins tweets and not this one

Assembled these custom watches for a couple of friends of mine

Been really enjoying these Instagram videos by Peter Glomb, a Swiss-trained, American watchmaker at Wristcheck. Here, he's repairing a rare version of the Patek 96, first introduced in 1932 and widely regarded as the watch that set the template for dress watches. IG peterelliotglomb

Saw One Battle After Another again. There were some people who arrived a bit late and their first image of the film was Sean Penn in IMAX in a scene not dissimilar to this one:

Hairspring progress thus far. Someone had clearly tried and failed to move the regulator, bending the hairspring around the stud. Hairspring work is among the most difficult tasks in watchmaking, one false move can wreck hours of progress

Today's work: this Roamer Searock Automatic features a MST 522 movement (meaning the watch is around 50 years old). It currently isn't running. Upon opening it was very evident why - the hairspring is bent and the movement has been drenched in oil

Hoshoryu was gifted a giant soy sauce after becoming Grand Champion in London.

Finished the service on this Seiko. It features one of my favourite day/date quick change mechanisms, to change the date you press the crown, with a long press the change the day

Today I'm finishing up this Seiko 6119C for a friend of mine. Since the watch is from 1976 parts are scarce, where a NH35 (the modern Seiko workhorse movement) costs £40 today, a replacement 6119C balance alone costs £60 and had to be imported from Palestine

Above all, the police approach in that decade culminated in the unlawful killing of 96 people and decades of cover-up.

Jenrick casting 1980s British football hooliganism as something that was easily dealt with by police and not an era defining issue which we're still living with the consequences of today... He's genuinely the most unserious person in British politics rn

Some of today's work, regulating a Seiko NH35 movement (as featured in Trump's watches)

More vintage mechanical watches for sale via my eBay. The Phenix features a rare German Buser movement. The Rila is a great example of how brass wears over time (my guess would be 50-60 years) compared to stainless steel

Today's work: reassembly of a Tissot 781-1

A time lapse of me dressing 3 sets of tweezers

Vintage mechanical watches currently for sale via my eBay include: A Seiko 5 from approx 1980 A gold plated women's Citizen A women's Sekonda manufactured in the USSR All are in working order.

you did your best to have as many high information people on that march at least fella x

More assembly of the Elgin 485

After much adjustment & readjustment this balance is running as it should. Mechanical watchmaking is not so very different to what it was almost 100 years ago, but it's now much easier. On modern, shock-protected movements this is a much quicker, relatively hassle free job

Identified a major fault during reassembly. One of the cap jewels is cracked - one likely cause of it stopping and starting. This photo is taken at maximum magnification under the microscope

The Elgin from 1931 features a blue hairspring with a Breguet overcoil. Blued hairsprings were phased out due to being more susceptible to magnetism, and less robust than modern alloys - they are however, very pretty

New mainspring installed in an Elgin from 1931

Was talking to a guy who was interested in watchmaking at a party the other night, started showing him photos of my work and swiped across this

My favourite vintage watch I've come across this year is this Raketa, made in the USSR. The bezel flips open when the crown is pushed, enabling the visually impaired to feel what time it is

The Seiko 6119C quick set date function

7 hours of work later: success

My first attempt at resetting pallet stones

Was chatting to one of my most brilliant Physics students yesterday and he had no idea how mechanical watches work and was fascinated by the fact that they make use of such basic Physics principles and the history of how watchmakers have overcome various limitations on accuracy. Shared this with him

Due to the heat, some work is best left til late at night. Like hand polishing this case back

Seiko 6119C disassembled

Pov: you are being told off on Bluesky

A custom pocket watch I assembled for a friend of mine who's getting married. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.

Now for sale: the Elgin from 1921 with a new crystal, bow, and chain fitted

New crystal installed on this Elgin. Once I've sourced a bow it will be for sale

Practicing the most important part of watchmaking: repeatability. For this I picked up a PT5000, the clone of the ETA 2824-2 (and the Sellita SW200 - the last movement I serviced).

Time lapse of my first time using this