Just my opinion, but I believe the entire process of cleaning a pocket watch is more important than the cleaning solution used. Do you already know the steps to take to ensure a proper cleaning? As anyone with some experience knows it is a LOT more involved than you would think at first glance. Not all that difficult if you have some aptitude, decent tools, patience, and a nice support group like this one.
Posts: 1078 | Location: Ticonderoga, New York USA | Registered: March 01, 2008
I think a lot of the emphasis that professionals like Chris put on the products has to do with doing no damage to the movement in addition to being stable, consistently predictable and safe. In this instance safe means not only safe to use but safe to store in the home environment. It really frightens me to know that lighter fluid is often used to clean watch movements.
Roger also makes an important bottom-line point, it is not enough that you know what to use but of supreme importance is that you know how to use it. Doing it right is so much more important than doing it fast.
Lindell
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
Thanks Lindell for raising this, home made grease stripping concoctions, do work they also can cause a lot of damage, to the person/s using it and the watch. A watch can if treated and maintained correctly can and do last hundreds of years, it only take one person tampering to destroy it forever. To give you a idea of what is involved is servicing a watch please follow this link I wrote sometime ago outlining the basic steps.
thanks so much for the definitive explanation, Chris. very good information indeed. i must admit i am now a little intimidated to try to clean and oil a watch myself. i am pretty handy with tools, but i don't understand a lot of the terms you use. or even part names. i bought a cheap waltham 18s movement with a broken staff to practice on. wish me luck!! haha
Posts: 5 | Location: Santa Cruz, California in the USA | Registered: October 02, 2008
Jeffrey...I'm going to throw my .02 in again. An 18S is a good choice because the parts are a bit larger, however a full plate 18S can be a bit frustrating at first trying to line up all the pivots at the same time. Also, replacement of the staff requires special tools (staking set for one) and a knowledge of how to use them. Not a task for a beginner. You might find it more rewarding to get a 16S watch with a good balance assembly and split plates. It will be much easier to reassemble because you will be lining up fewer pivots at a time. There are a lot of good watch repair books that you might want to read to become familiar with the parts and how they interact with each other. The books will also help familiarize you with some of the tools used. Good Luck!!
Posts: 1078 | Location: Ticonderoga, New York USA | Registered: March 01, 2008
If lighter lighter fluid makes you nervous remember it wasn't that far back that we wre using potasium or sodium cyanide to clean gilt watch plates-does better than UT without the damage that UT causes, jewelers still use them.
Posts: 52 | Location: Richland, Washington USA | Registered: April 19, 2003
