trex650

Correct on the flat hands, but I was assuming that the 28xx series movement had pipes on them. I have to totally disagree on the lathe versus Bergeon tool being the same for efficiency. With the lathe you are working in the horizontal plane and can scratch or drop the hand while trying to tighten it in place. With the Bergeon tool you are working in the vertical and can just lay the hand in place and go from there. You are also not obligated to use the tightest fit either. Also you may have chips, oil and so on on the collet, so they need to be cleaned prior to use or a separate set used only for tightening. It is much faster and it is the tool of choice from Rolex for doing such work. They both do the job just fine, but after I purchased it it has worked 100% thus far and I am quite satisfied with it. The staking set is great for flat style hands but you can also use a graver to push some of the metal over if necessary for a good bite. I have seen that technique used as far back as the late 1800's on a pocket watches. My mentor also suggested and showed me that as a way to do it. But you have to be light handed and do a bit of wiggle type of engraving to make it work without damaging the other side of the hand depending on the finish and color (if any). I have also seen other less desirable using the staking sets canon pinion tightening stump and punch to do size it down. Additionally, by using the Seitz/Horia Jeweling set I have seen custom stumps made to do close down the pipes. So I would guess that there are many more ways out there.

There are many ways to tighten up hands and most of them have been listed here. I personally like the Bergeon set. Much easier to set up and complete the job versus the lathe or using a staking set. Just my opinion

Yea, I like the LH stuff but I have my opinions of the movement.

I was not sure. Working on watches does not require tons of space, but really is useful in smaller spaces because it is more of an intimate thing to begin with. I would love to have quiet but the damn steamer going off screws up my timing machines mic

Because this is the armchair internet, I am not sure how I should take that comment..

I would love to take a video of the PUC in action but the "flash" is enough to burn your eyes in the next room. One thing we don't have is a camera capable of doing that or super macro stuff. Got to remember Zig that we have 18 employees, a GIA certified gemologist, a master goldsmith, me (rexthewatchman) and a 5k sq foot show room. Not to mention access to a Master Watchmaker for Rolex service, a casting facility for our 3d Jewelry design (we do in house), Dial and Watch restoration close by (they take along time though), CNC Engraving (done in house) and Laser Engraving by a partner down the road. Got to keep up with the Joneses so to speak. We cover all bases.

We have a laser and a puc welder in house. I have done both laser and puc welds on tubes, dial feet (I hate it), crowns, new pins. The list goes on and on. Here is a YouTube video of the PUC. This is not our machine, but same the same idea. There are 3 IIRC machines on the market right now and we got a great deal on our machine through a local company so we bought it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrdNCrS5_EY Here is a video of a LaserStar the machine we have doing a earring post http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twPST2FKWFY To be honest either of them work just fine for the tube weld. All it needs to be done is tacked in place in a few places, then it is good to go. Cost for all of my work was close to $200.00

If you can apply to a WOSTEP program and get to the final interview your life will be changed. If you get in then your life will certainly be changed. FYI getting in and hanging is the tough part. You WILL have to bust your butt for 2 years straight. I am envious of anyone that went through that program. Now keep in mind that I am one of the ones that tried it for FREE If you can pull it off financially or for free, by all means do it. You have to have the passion or they won't take you past the written. You are of fine age to get accepted.

You can find my history and what I do over at the other forum. I work full time on watches and hate to call myself other than a future certified watchmaker. Unfortunately when you work on watches you get the term, Watchmaker, Watchsmith. I prefer to be called rexthewatchman. If you are working on watches and not training everyday then you are not practicing horology like we all have to do no matter what our certification or qualifications are if you set up every day on a bench and every night involved in books and theory. If you see a post of mine and you do not agree on it that is fine, you can't diagnose things over the internet looking at text anyway. Everyone can put their two cents in and be wrong 90% of the time if they don’t have it in front of them. A few months ago I was in the final 15 for a very special WOSTEP school and sadly was turned down due to age. Although, next summer I will be taking the AWCI CW21 exam without the formalities of a Swiss School or several thousand hours of classroom studies. Instead my studies in the next few months will be taking place at several areas around the US on symposiums and workshops and on my workbench with watches that are taken in over the counter or in the mail. My studies over the past several years have been with a Master Watchmaker and an AWCI instructor that recently passed on. His light and courage and mentoring during his final years with me have made me who I am today and also where I will go in my tomorrow.