Nine guides written by a collector who does this work himself. Each one names the tool, the order to do things in, and what breaks if you get it wrong. The first three are about deciding what a watch really is before you pay for it; the other six are for once it is on the bench.
Before you buy
How to tell a real Rolex from a fakeDial, bezel, case, serials, bracelet and movement: what each check actually proves, model by model — and the famous tricks that prove nothing on their own.→ How to identify a vintage OmegaReference, serial number, calibre and case markings: the four places Omega left the information, and how to check that they agree with each other.→ What to check before you buy a vintage watchWhat to look at and in what order, the questions to put to the seller, and the warning signs that should stop the deal.→On the bench
How to open a watch case without damaging itScrew-down, snap-on and screwed casebacks: how to tell them apart before you touch anything, and the tool each one needs.→ Removing and refitting hands without marking the dialThe most nerve-racking job on a vintage watch: protecting the dial, lifting the hands off cleanly and putting them back straight.→ How to replace an acrylic crystalMeasuring the bezel opening, choosing the right size, getting the old crystal out and the new one seated — and when polishing will do instead.→ Polishing a watch case: when to, and when neverSteel, plating and gold behave differently. What a polish takes off for good, the cases where it is legitimate, and how masking limits the damage.→ Cleaning a vintage watch: what is safe and what never isCase, crystal, bracelet and strap. Assume the watch is not water-resistant whatever the dial says, and leave the movement to a watchmaker.→ Restoring a vintage watch: the right order of workDiagnose, photograph, then decide what is original — before any tool touches the case. In the wrong order, good work still spoils the watch.→Also in English
Watch Reference Library
188 reference pages across 33 brands: what each reference is, how it changed over its run, and what to check on one before you buy it.
Movement Guides
135 calibre pages from eight makers — specifications, history, what a watchmaker looks for, and the original service manuals as PDFs.