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All, many thanks for your advice on this micro project. I wrapped some duck tape around an old tennis ball and got the watch opened no problem. The rotor is sticky. But if you move it around by hand it does wind the watch (in either direction), though there is no way that winding is happening when the watch is closed. And it also tends to kick back when you wind it, so for sure something is not right with it. Here's a short clip showing this: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrpml8_sticky-rotor_webcam But on the oiling part I got stuck on. It seems silicone oil is way too thin - I sprayed some inside a milk top, but there is just no way to get a small drop of it to coalesce on anything I can drop into the watch. Now I'm thinking of buying some 3-in-1. If anyone has a better idea, much appreciated - just remember this is a 6 year old $50 rep - serviced it ain't gonna be.

Nanuq - my thoughts precisely! Will post once I have a chance to try it.

Thanks guys - much appreciated. Powermax - if I wind it daily it runs just fine and v. accurate. So there's enough reserve. I don't plan to oil the whole thing - I realise that would be impossible. I just thought that given the watch runs fine, and the rotor doesn't sound like it moves a lot inside (from just listening to it) that oiling the rotor which is most easily accessible bit may have a chance of success.

Years and years ago I bought a super cheap (it was about $50) Oyster Perpetual in China (in person). It's a great little watch, and I've enjoyed it over the years. However, it now doesn't pick-up enough movement during the day to get through the night. This bugs me and I want to have a go at fixing it. I figure oiling the pivot of the winding weight is the most likely thing to oil - but that is just my best guess IMHO. I'm really not that bothered about destroying the watch. So the question is, how would you go about oiling this thing without buying any specialist tools? The reason for this is that spending $30 on a case back opener, and then another $30 on some specialist oil just does not make any sense for me. And if I don't fix this, the reality is I just won't use this watch any more. So far, I've seen a video of getting a rolex opened with a pair of scissors and a thumb tack for the release pin. Any better suggestions our there given above constraints? And as for the lube, I have both WD40 and Silicone. Which would you use? Or is there anything I can pick up at a hardware store for $10 or so which you would recommend instead? My current plan is to get it opened with the scissors and thumb tack, spray my chosen lubricant in a container and attempt to drop a tiny drop on the weight axle using a toothpick. What would you do differently? And finally, do you think there is more than a 30% chance of success? Thank you all for your help and advice!

Can anyone recommend where to look for reps in Beijing? I'll be there in 1 days' time so would really like to look around. Thanks in advance!

Wow! Thanks for that! I've spent the last hour reading it. It's incredible. I've always wanted to know how a watch comes about, and now I know.

I was aimlessly surfing the web one day and stumbled onto this site: http://www.watchodyssey.com/ It got me into the whole mechanical watch thing. I nearly bought a Spaceman Audacieuse but then decided it was just a bit too steep for a 30 year old watch. And then a bit more searching around got me to the goold old RWG1. And that was over a year ago.....

I've been chasing a 40mm Power reserve PAM since the beginning of time, and I've yet to see a PAM90 (which is 44mm) with an ETA movement....

I'm afraid I won't be able to make it, however, here are some nice pubs which would be suitable for that kind of thing (apologies for causing confusion if venue has already been decided) The Dover Castle (Just north of Oxford Circus) is a fantastic little Sam Smith's mews pub. http://www.fancyapint.com/main_site/thepubs/pub28.html I've never struggled to find a table there no matter how many people I've turned up with. A bit posher is the Audley near the US embassy. Don't get shot at. http://www.fancyapint.com/main_site/thepubs/pub395.html Just my 2ps worth.. Have fun and sorry I won't be there, Goog

Will there be more at that price after holiday?

Just saw the watch I've been waiting for - TTK's 40mm Power Reserve PAM. Wow! And in the 20 minutes of procrastination as to whether I need yet another watch .... someone went and bought it right under my nose! Congratulations, that is one hell of a watch!

I had similar problems. BUT. I found that oiling the bracelet made it work like a dream. And smothering the strap pins with WD40 oil when resizing them made them come out reasonably enough. Of all the reps I've bought, the SMP is probably my favourite - it is a really really close replica. And the ETA movement inside is sweet. Just my 2p's worth....

I can't see why a standard template and prices should not be mandatory. At the end of the day Blade started the whole RWG thing to protect people from getting ripped off. That is a _good_ thing, whcih is central to building a thriving community. Price transparency does exactly this and removes some of the risk that buyers have to take when buying watches. Seems to me this board (rather than WT) is specifically set up to build a community. Which to me implies a commuity of buyers. So why shouldn't this board do everything possible to make the buyer's experience as safe as possible? If dealers aren't happy, there is a specific dealer centric board for them. It's called WT. If dealers don't want to post prices they can go there and post without prices. And the whole argument of "we shouldn't force this on the dealers, cause we should be grateful to them" is crock. If having to advertise prices means they can't make enough money then I'd rather they changed careers and stopped ripping us off.

Well, I just sprayed a tiny bit of WD40 into each of the links. And then moved the bracelet around a lot so that the links could move against each other. And then I wiped all the excess WD40 with a tissue and some white spirit. Worked quite well for me....