It's Official; I'm An Idiot

[kingkitesurf]

I use a cotton bud that has had one side cut off, so it is like a little straw. Makes it very easy to maneuver the hands and leaves no marks.

What do you mean...pics!!!

[Bazz]

You just put the hand in the hollow of the tube with the end sticking out that will be put on the hand stack. I am always worried twezers would leave marks. sorry I dont have any pics of it

[marrickvilleboy]

ok, here's some advice...

As a watchsmith myself, we were of course taught to use the hand press tool which is like a small pen with a plastic tip at the end with a hole which gives clearance for the pinion.

Now we dont all have that tool, so we can of course find a substitute. Look around in your pen/pencil case/holder and you will find one of those BIC pens - the ones that have the ink go into the tip of the pen, its usually plastic and cheap. Now if you take the ink and the tip out, you have something very similar to the hand press tool. But if you want to go harder, you can get a PACER - a mechanical pencil and the tip of that can also be used.

But remember, make sure you apply even pressure on the entire hand so you dont bend or break anything.

Hope this helps and good luck

[Logan]

The Horotek hand fitting press makes the job a whole lot easier, essentially its a little hand operated press that holds the hand setting tool in position exactly above the hand, there are fairly cheap, ($65 or so) and are well worth while.

Its on this page near the bottom:

http://www.ofrei.com/page_209.html

Also I've found sometimes using the old style hand removing levers gives much greater control over the forces applied, especially on the poorly made hands our reps sometimes have. The presto type hand remover tools can be pretty brutal. Keep in mind most watchmakers working on newer models will replace the hands as part of a service so oftent he don't care so much about damage removing them.

One final tip.. get some thin plastic (I use thin teflon sheet) and cut some dial guards out, slip these over the dial (have cutouts for the hands obviously) and you'll reduce the chance of slipping and gouging a dial

[Bazz]

What do you mean...pics!!!

Heres a pic, I use it to pick up the hands as it will not scratch, damage or leave finger prints. Then use a hand setting tool to press in place. This way has worked for me so far with no problems.

[Bignasty]

That sucks but it does happen so don't feel stupid! It happens when you are learning. You'll get it right just don't let it beat you.

I actually use the Indian type hand removing tools. I use soft lense cloths to protect the dial from scratches. I actually use a ball point pen fill to re set the main hands. For the chrono hands I actually set them with tweezers.

Also by the way, if your IWC chrono is the new 28,800 asian movement the second hand you broke probably wouldn't have fit the new movement anyway. I tried on a new Navitimer Serie Speciale for another member with the updated movement and it was a no go due to the hand sizes being slightly altered.

Like someone else said I would hit up Ofrei for a new hand.

Cheers,

Jon

[flavor flav]

i can swap movements , crowns & crown tubes , dials etc ..

but when it comes to pulling & re-installing hands thats when i screw up a lot !!!

theres gotta be a trade secret to installing hands man !

get the bergeon hand puller from ofrei....like $15 and worth every penny!

[Guest TTK]

I find the best way to remove and replace hands is as follows.

1. Put the watch in a little soft pouch.

2. Put it in your pocket.

3. Put it in the hands of someone who knows what he is bloody doing, to replace the hands ( or anything else for that matter).

Edited August 18, 2006 by TTK

[verbal]

Wow, I just woke up this morning, checked the thread and 34 posts already with lots of good advice, thanks guys! There are a number of good hints and tips and I will certainly try most of them -heck- it's ruined anyway so why not enjoy the practice

It all looks so damn simple if you read other members post on fixing this or modding that, but the fact is; it's watchmaking and it takes skills and experience...

TTK is right, let others do the job.

I've just discovered I accidentally scratched the dial as well, just light but ugly.

I'll die trying probably but I will get an ETA in my most favorite watch...

verbal - I hate to ruin your ruin...

The datewheels of a new 28,8K Asian 7750 are not interchangeable with the datewheels of the Swiss 7750... sorry.

It does fit ! and it wasn't hard to fit at all.. The ETA came with a white datewheel so I had to replace it anyway , but yes it does fit..

[dabom]

how do you know when the hands are put on properly? Thanks.

[verbal]

Simply install the datewheel and adjust time untill a date change, that's 12 PM so install the hands in 12 'o clock position.

If you don't have date, after you've installed hour hand adjust time untill hand is aligned to 12 position, then install minute hand..

That coming from someone who just ruined a GST..

[Usil]

Leave it to Neil to bring us back to reality. But of course with all of us screwing up our reps we will have to go out and buy more so Neil turns out to be the winner.

Usil

[ubiquitous]

For hand setting, I use an emtpy Bic pen tube A little ghetto, but it actually works quite well.

[Finepics]

When replacing hands, especially where there is a date you need to wind the movt so the date is just changing then stop the movt. Then seat the hands. You need to gently press the hands so they grip the pinion and obviously position them so that the time hands and the chrono hands are all at the 12 o'clock position. The sub hans need to be pressed onto their pinions so that they are just clear of the dial.

[ryaku]

Also by the way, if your IWC chrono is the new 28,800 asian movement the second hand you broke probably wouldn't have fit the new movement anyway. I tried on a new Navitimer Serie Speciale for another member with the updated movement and it was a no go due to the hand sizes being slightly altered.

Cheers,

Jon

That's too bad...

[verbal]

That's too bad...

Bignasty is right, and here's the proof :

You see, the tip of the pin is smaller to fit the altered hands, I've also tried to fit the chrono seconds hand and no way it'll fit.

Guess the Eta will go back where it came from : the Bay

[Pugwash]

You see, the tip of the pin is smaller to fit the altered hands, I've also tried to fit the chrono seconds hand and no way it'll fit.

Why not just swap the cog/spindle from the Asian to the ETA?

[Finepics]

Why not just swap the cog/spindle from the Asian to the ETA?

Absolutely - this is what you have to do when converting the PAM's with asian 7750 to swiss as the asian pinions are longer in order to clear the sub hand transfer gears. They are a straight swap and work perfectly.

[Pugwash]

Absolutely - this is what you have to do when converting the PAM's with asian 7750 to swiss as the asian pinions are longer in order to clear the sub hand transfer gears. They are a straight swap and work perfectly.

Me and my big mouth. I should have offered him a pittance for the ETA 7750 first

[shultz]

@ verbal

some kind of watchwork is that easy (or seems to be ) But seriously: I am modding, servicing and upgrading my watches with a lot of fun but when it comes to the hands it is always the same thrill. Will they scratch or break? I guess we both are not alone. Removing and setting hands is a hard job.