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Spent $80 on a watch repair kit to fix my great-grandpa's railroad watch myself. Big mistake.
The thing is from 1912, a Waltham Vanguard, and it just stopped ticking last month. I thought, how hard could it be? I watched a bunch of videos, got the kit with the tiny screwdrivers and the hand puller. Opened it up and immediately saw this tiny, perfect spring just... uncoil and vanish into the carpet. That was two weeks ago. My wife still finds little brass gears when she vacuums. Has anyone else totally botched a family fix-it job and how did you make it right?
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jordan_walker5d ago
My uncle tried to restore his dad's old pocket watch and ended up bending the mainspring. He had to send it to a specialist in Pennsylvania, and it cost nearly $300 to get it running again. Those old movements are so delicate, it's like working on a different planet compared to modern watches. Did you ever find that lost spring, or is it a lost cause now?
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ninaw884d ago
Totally get what Jordan's uncle went through. Those specialist repairs are pricey but sometimes the only way to save a family piece. Honestly, after my own disaster, I'd say bite the bullet and find a pro who works on antique railroad watches specifically. They have the right tools and know how to handle those tiny, hundred-year-old parts without launching them into orbit.
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