eBay Revival! 1800s Antique Pocket Watch Restoration

[@deanbrown4083]

The sheer joy of hearing the heart beat after years of silence. I imagine it is very gratifying, it is to me as a viewer. Thank you!!

[@neilbaldwin592]

Fascinating video. I love a Waltham pocket watch. It gives you a great feeling pulling it from your waistcoat and flicking the lid open. I’ve just passed mine to my eldest grandson for his 18th birthday. It survived the Spanish civil war by being rolled into a woollen sock carried over the Pyrenees into France. Then through WW2 with my father. After a clean and service it still kept time within a minute a day. Your keeping a bit of history alive good for you.

[@csspinner]

Thanks for sharing! These watches sure have some amazing stories to tell.

[@dale4034]

Thank you for the video, especially the close ups of the balance staffs replacement. I do generaly prefer video with audio play by play even if I have heard much of it before other videos, the audio helps me retain much more information. Thank you.

[@AutismusPrime69]

Tell us how you feel when he sells it for some DnD cards

[@ryno101]

I have that same watch… belonged to my great-grandfather. I’m just starting the first service on it in decades, luckily only a broken mainspring to deal with. Beautifully done as always!

[@terrybradley8297]

I use to restore a lot of these . They are always a pleasure to work on. Simple but rewarding. Great job.

[@jonathanbeimers2030]

Great work not only getting it up and running again but getting it looking that good!

[@csspinner]

L&R111 ammoniated solution does an amazing job at brightening things up

[@cliffmolz8719]

A very fine job! Enjoyed the piano playing as well; very appropriate for the work at hand! Cheers

[@kurt2022]

These watches were $24 for a key wind and $30 for a stem wind in 1883. $30 equates to $900 in 2023 money. A watch was a major expense, usually a graduation gift, to have most of your life back in that time.

[@AutismusPrime69]

If these watches were made today they would be $1000's. $900 would have been a good deal.

[@Mars-zgblbl]

@@AutismusPrime69Labour has become much more expensive

[@AutismusPrime69]

@@Mars-zgblbl no....labor hasn't. Inflation has run away from us. Bidenomics

[@TheJohnnykool]

sir, i'm really impressed with your watch making and you have inspired me to keep going in this wonderful hobby. i've gotten frustrated but have learned to be more patient. i don't have all the tools that i need yet, but am working on it. love watching you work.

[@KY4K-10]

What a video. Soothing music, not too loud like most videos. Relaxing to watch you take it apart and service. Nice watch….. great job!

[@jeanleblanc3171]

Excellent work! Great concentration and calm atmosphere with the music.

[@csspinner]

Thank you so much!

[@Toms.George]

Yes veri karkt

[@ttmyaunggmail.comttmy5456]

@@csspinner A

[@DefaultName-yf5sd]

That was both fascinating and beautiful to watch.

[@markboon341]

Pun intended

[@richardbickle4098]

absolutely love the microscopic videography and attention to detail. brings into v sharp focus the intricate art and skill in watch making and repair/restoration, great background music too, thank you very enjoyable and relaxing, a nice break from acute critical care

[@csspinner]

Thank you! Merry Christmas

[@chaveiroexpresso4599]

Tenho quase setenta anos ; trabalhei com oficial relojoeiro por mais de quatro décadas ! Sou do tempo em que os relojoeiros " pivotavam " eixos de balancos ; ajustavam chaussés ; subistituiam virolas de espiral ; reparavam cordas quando quebravam ou estavam " fracas " . Subistuia levés de âncoras ; e " enxertava" dentes em rodas canons ou outras mais . Bons tempos em que tinham reloeiros de verdade ! Dediquei minha vida em consertar essa máquinas maravilhosas

[@АндрейНикитенко-ф4с]

I am 62 years old. I have a large wall clock that I inherited from my grandfather as a memory of him. They were made in the early thirties of the twentieth century by the "First Moscow Watch Factory" during Stalin's time. The word "first" in the name of the company here in the sense of leadership. All this time the clock was running properly, but last year it stopped. About thirty years ago I was repairing wristwatches for a good watchmaker and I found his phone number in an old address book. But even then he was old and I called with doubt. It turned out that he was still alive. But he is 92 years old, he has cataracts, and he can no longer repair wristwatches, only large watches. This wall clock has a rather large mechanism, like two palms, and he agreed to try to fix it. This watch had no jewels, only an escapement mechanism on ruby prisms, and some of the gear axles had play. But the main problem is the suspension of the pendulum on thin bending steel strips, they burst. Must be metal fatigue. The watchmaker eliminated the backlash of the axles and made a new pendulum suspension from a thin bronze strip. For the second month now, the clock coincides with the exact time signals within a couple of seconds, as if it were an electronic watch. I think this is a phenomenal result for an old mechanical watch. This man said that he started working as a watchmaker at the age of seventeen. Now he is 92 years old. That is, he has been repairing watches for 75 years. I have great respect for these people.

[@Ник.Ник-н2щ]

Мой Вам поклон из России.

[@amme30]

Delightful, a beautiful restoration and fantastic editing, having all the parts listed along with calming music make this a perfect video. Thank you for your work.

[@csspinner]

Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to comment.

[@asarand]

This is the first time I've ever seen a pocket watch that actually had a key. I've heard of them, just never saw one before. It's beautiful.

[@laitht34]

Excellent menitenance for a great peace of history

[@BigBenTheory]

Thank you very much for showing this magnificent restoration work. His work is excellent, delicate and very professional. Unfortunately I don't speak or read English, but fortunately the language of watchmaking is universal. I loved your channel and subscribe immediately. Greetings from Aranjuez, Spain

[@csspinner]

Thank you, Big Ben!

[@QNFee]

amazing how people could create these watches back in the days

[@SkyBlue-le7cd]

Wow, impressive work, especially switching out the balance staff. I am a beginner and am learning to service watches as a hobbyist. Doing a swap is a long way off for me. Appreciate your video. Thanks again.

[@csspinner]

Thanks for the kind words. Don’t think it’s that far off for you. I’ve only been doing this for 6 months. Lots of practice and had plenty of humbling experiences :)

[@jmillsjus]

@@csspinner How do you find the time to advance this far in such a short time?! You, sir, are a wizard. 🙂

[@Looey]

Way cool ! First time I've ever seen a watch that used a key -- didn't know they existed! Thanx much - Fun to watch video !

[@csspinner]

Thanks for visiting!!

[@GrindstoneCowboy357]

Love the video and the enchanting music!

[@ronl7131]

Good restoration on interesting timepiece

[@jeffshaw4039]

You did a great job restoring this old pocket watch.

[@csspinner]

Thank you!

[@samcostanza]

That finished up beautiful! You did a fantastic job on polishing up that beautiful case.

[@alanharrison2156]

Very Good, If a job is worth doing it's worth doing properly, polishing was amazing!

[@pavellokaj5977]

krásná práce , radost se dívat na tak šikovné ruce

[@csspinner]

Děkuju !

[@The1951skylark]

One of the better videos....excellent work and very calming..

[@csspinner]

Thanks for that. What did you like about this one compared to the others?

[@The1951skylark]

@@csspinner I run a pocket watch site on facebook. This is a typical type of watch you would come across with typical problems..Video is clear and precise on removal of parts, showing in very detailed vid , it wasn't rushed, nothing too fancy and done with hands on a full plate movement. I also especially like the case renovation. Also with naming the parts top right corner... No annoying elaborate, chit chat...just calming music. I compliment you on a very informative calming video, beautifully done which I enjoyed. Please continue with more videos. ....

[@csspinner]

@@The1951skylark thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. More to come, including some wrist watches with their own issues

[@michaelk4741]

Top!! I can look at your work for many hours😅

[@KaciCooperations]

Wow! He is “taking a time” restoring this video!

[@darleeneadams9833]

Watch is beautiful. Incredible work. Thank you.

[@csspinner]

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

[@xHarpyx]

I really like the silver. Good choice. Gorgeous

[@csspinner]

Thank you!

[@kswaminathan5439]

Absolutely fantastic restoration.

[@csspinner]

Thank you so much!

[@bruces12]

Very nice restoration. The polish job was excellent and the inner-works looks like they'll last for quite a long time 😀😃😄

[@csspinner]

Thank you so much!

[@richardscales9560]

Lovely piece.

[@DavidGreiner-b1m]

Respect, that was a perfekt Work 👍👍👍

[@johnvictoria644]

I love the polishing. Excellent work

[@williamharms7582]

Epic rebuild especially liked the reuse and hand rewind of the barrel spring. Don’t see much of that nowadays

[@DrWoodyII]

Mesmerizing work. Thank you for sharing.

[@csspinner]

Thanks for visiting!

[@genghiskhan7041]

What a lovely old watch! It's been well taken care of, I didn't see any horrible rust inside. 200 amplitude is a little low, but if it's still 3spd accuracy that means it's just fine :D

[@lutzderlurch7877]

Amazing video. I wish ai knew a watchmaker gentle and dedicated enough, to restore an old verge fusee watch from my collection. Two ‚professionals‘ killed it

[@csspinner]

Sorry to hear about your verge. I have a fusee I’ll be servicing pretty soon. They can be extremely finicky, especially if one doesn’t know how to properly let down the mainspring. One wrong move and the chain will snap.

[@lutzderlurch7877]

@@csspinner Well, I got it off eBay years ago, and it ran and kept time decently enough considering it is a ca. 1780 specimen. I really fell in love with that watch, because the whole of the rear err 'disc' (what is the english term for the main discs?) was pierced and engraved. Only the watch sometimes randomly stopped. I got it to a watch maker #1, claiming to know how to work on verge watches, and somehow the hand on the silver dial to adjust the speed ended up broken off, the watch stopped more often than ever before and now the hour and minutes hands kept vatching behind each other, stopping the watch dead. Of course, no accountability...changed watchmaker. Watchmaker #2 got to work, fabricated a simplified replacement hand, found the main spring had an old repair (broken, then riveted together). When reassembling with a 'new' spring, he managed to snap off the very tip of the balance axle (term?). He tried to make a new one, supposedly succeeded, but couldn't get it to work at all, blaming everything on the watch being super worn and nothing being in alignment, either. I know, wear and tear is a thing, but I can't help but feel the watch that was previously mostly running was effectively killed by those two guys. Now I have no watchmaker I trust, left, for my other watches, and I still feel as if I owe that little precious thing a decent repair, but who to turn to? :(

[@GeorgeNetzel]

Amazing, beautiful and fantastic restoration. Thank you for sharing.

[@egorarmianinov538]

Hi! Yeah, the 1877-87 Walthams are awesome! I personally use Flitz polisher for finishing shiny surfaces, it really does a great job!

[@csspinner]

Thank you!

[@rbmwiv]

I can do a service on an automatic is my current level with a day date complication is the most complicated movement I have serviced or repaired. I don’t think I could fix the balance mainly because I don’t have the equipment. Man there’s so many tools for watch making.

[@csspinner]

The staking set opens a lot of doors. But I agree it quickly becomes a rabbit hole. However at a certain point the tools become more a convenience than a necessity (there are some strange super specialized tools out there).

[@АндрейНикитенко-ф4с]

Very professional work.

[@csspinner]

Thank you!

[@stevev7402]

Beautiful job. Such a lost art

[@marksmallman4572]

Beautiful watch, well done.

[@Pindi44]

Great video, thanks. The videography was superb, the commentary v. good, and the restoration work fascinating.

[@TheClockwise770]

Your video showing the repair to palette fork and cleaning was excellent. You've transformed that Waltham. Thank you for sharing it here. I've subscribed to your channel.

[@csspinner]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@munnerlyn3]

Great job. Enjoyed watching. Thanks.

[@borisboris7070]

it was like a butterfly flight !

[@EnriqueOchoaMaldonado-uc8kl]

Excelente restauración de ese antiguo reloj, pero pude ver que casi no usaste de tu gran equipo de herramientas que tienes, como que fue muy fácil la reparación..!! Te quedó precioso el reloj, muy buen trabajo.!! Me entretuve viendo este magnífico documental..!! Excelente video..!! Saludos brother..!

[@csspinner]

¡gracias! Este era un video antiguo, antes de que tuviera todas mis herramientas. Mis capacidades eran limitadas en aquel entonces.

[@GordonjSmith1]

Nice! You. should be pretty pleased with the result.

[@tim47012]

I just found your channel and love your work! I like your choice of music also! I'm now a subscriber

[@gonzalosanchezsanchez2707]

You did a great labor of love. I have some pocket watches and some that were in the transition from pocket watches, adapted to a wristwatch. with #12 at the 3hrs position. i am a fan of hampden elgin hamilton Congratulations beautiful work yours!

[@csspinner]

Thanks, Gonzalo! I appreciate the comment. Those wristwatch marriages are real stunners. You’ve got good taste Hampden made some beautiful movements back in the day

[@wyorattler_rawdogs]

Fantastic restoration!! I Love pocket watches. They have a special place in my heart. Your did a fantastic job bringing it back to life!!❤

[@csspinner]

Thanks!!

[@nigel900]

Very fine work. 👍🏻

[@csspinner]

Thank you !

[@igortokarev8460]

Превосходная работа! Браво Мастеру!

[@csspinner]

Thank you!

[@art1muz13]

You do very good work.

[@csspinner]

Thank you!

[@marcinmarcin2778]

Super robota i precyzja podźiwiam takich ludźi widać że z pasja to robione

[@jika3355]

Great work!

[@csspinner]

Thank you!!

[@KernowMan68]

I wanted to get into watch restoration after watching you channel to see if I could do it. I purchased a £20 watch tool kit and some oils. And I purchased a pocket watch from eBay that was advertised as not ticking. When I received the pocket watch and opened the back, I found that it is battery operated. Maybe that why the said "Not Ticking". Checking back on the listing it didn't have any photos of the inner workings. So beware of what you buy on eBay. Luckily I only paid just over £3 (U$5) for it, so no great loss.

[@csspinner]

Ah chalk that small expense up to education. :) when you look for a first watch, always ask if the seller knows if the balance is good

[@KernowMan68]

@@csspinner Update. Listing said Not Ticking. Just put a new battery in the pocket watch and it Ticks .... LOL

[@csspinner]

@@KernowMan68 call that a win!

[@bijankumar2922]

Brilliant restoration, man.

[@gioviredigonda2887]

Amazing video and great job !

[@pauldyck4596]

This was very interesting and relaxing to watch. I smiled when you were putting the balance wheel bridge back on and the watch started up before you even had it fastened down. What is he going to do about all the corrosion on the case, I wondered, and then you did a masterful job with that. Nice job.

[@csspinner]

Thanks, Paul. I really appreciate your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@chaveiroexpresso4599]

Voltando ao comentário : sou brasileiro; e moro no Estado de Minas Gerais. Saúde ótima e ainda domino perfeitamente essa grande arte . Parabéns pelo seu canal, e pelo vídeo

[@bmen6401]

Beautiful work and a great video.

[@csspinner]

Thank you

[@larrykelly2838]

Wow, beautiful watch.

[@csspinner]

Thanks, Larry! - Chris

[@maximhollandnederlandthene7640]

You've got the right euipment to do. 🤗 To polish with sandpaper i wouldnt advice, I use a little copper polish first and then silver polish. I'ts more safe for a delicate piece like this.

[@liveandletlive8264]

👍🙋‍♂️ reminds me on Big complication watch!

[@joelgoodwin4092]

Great job!

[@iwannisfitilis6921]

Excellent work!!!! Bravo!!!

[@csspinner]

Thank you so much !

[@jomercer21113]

what a gorgeous balance bridge

[@francksalvatore5746]

Good job 👍👍👍

[@ydnartitcomb1]

Good work, I have one like it with a different case

[@peterhodges6684]

I have the same watch, it belonged to my great, great grandfather. The serial number dates it back to 1863.

[@jamesalich6321]

Never put that old carbon steel mainspring back in. These watches had safety pinions for a reason and these springs will break and cause damage! Always replace with a modern alloy mainspring.

[@kurt2022]

Alloy and forget about it. I know, not period correct. Nothing worse than buying a vintage mainspring and it breaks a week later. I learned the hard way.

[@rickkearn7100]

Time for you to consider working at Patek Philippe...ever been to Switzerland? Great skill, nice presentation here. Well done sir. Cheers.

[@csspinner]

Thank you. I would be honored to work on such well designed time pieces.

[@thisoldwatch9944]

Very nice keep up the great videos!!!

[@csspinner]

Thanks, will do!

[@jone6635]

Bravo, un trabajo excelente! Gracias por compartir.

[@mjlrestorationshop.2405]

Great work. I know when you put the train of wheels bridge on it wasn't as seamless as the video portrays it 🤣🤣.. Cheers and keep doing what you are doing.

[@csspinner]

Absolutely right! I can never do that on video. I always need to hold it up to my face with a loupe and click each one into place

[@mjlrestorationshop.2405]

@@csspinner absolutely.. I love old amarican pocket watches but the way the swiss typically make individual bridges certainly has ease of assembly in mind. Cheers and Merry Christmas

[@claudemarois4846]

I have the exact same watch and it's not working either, great job !

[@csspinner]

Thanks for visiting!

[@AndrewCazalet]

Interesting work many thanks. Do you know what the case is made of please? Steel? Do you clean the parts in the middle and if so what solutions do you use?

[@csspinner]

The case is made of a solid nickel alloy. That allows it to be polished without fear of removing any sort of plating. The parts are cleaned in two stages in an ultrasonic cleaner; first in L&R 111 solution and second in IPA. The balance and pallet do not go in the IPA, however, or the solution would dissolve the shellac holding the jewels in place. So I rinse those in Naphtha instead.

[@saisamayseva8712]

Great Performance!!!!All the best.

[@csspinner]

Thank you!

[@hassanchishti8525]

Good job well done

[@csspinner]

Thanks, Hassan!

[@uqox]

What a work of art you create. Amazing to watch. You have that expert-level knowledge. Curious if you've got a solution for recasing a pocket watch. Would love to see if that's possible today or are uncased movements not salvagable?

[@csspinner]

Thanks for the kind words! As for recasing, fortunately most pocket watches were constructed to standard sizes (there were many, but if you know the “size” you can usually just find a case for that size watch). The size rating for a pocket watch will generally mean the width, lever placement, stem hole orientation, thickness, etc is consistent- so an “18 size” pocket watch should fit in any “18 size” case. I’ve been successful buying “orphaned” movements on eBay and recasing them because of this standard in sizing. It’s far more difficult to do this for wrist watches since those movements are a lot more diverse.

[@sonnymoorehouse1941]

Nice work

[@sonnymoorehouse1941]

Your newer videos with narration are better, you should talk more.

[@tonyaxeman4381]

The face to Me is not period correct . I have two of the time frame and the faces are roman numbers .

[@ilioemilio3504]

good work

[@michaelmccune1241]

I have a bunch of pocket watches I would love to see running again. Is there anyway I could get some recommendations on who could fix them?

[@mcass3663]

I have a watch similar to this one that is in the same shape as this one was. What is the usual fee for repairing a watch ??

[@csspinner]

I’m not sure. Finding someone to repair a vintage watch like that is difficult. Sometimes you can learn to do it yourself provided nothing is broken and it just needs to be cleaned. Shoot me an email with photos of the condition and perhaps I can guide you on the best approach. [e-mail]

[@csspinner]

I’m not sure. Finding someone to repair a vintage watch like that is difficult. Sometimes you can learn to do it yourself provided nothing is broken and it just needs to be cleaned. Shoot me an email with photos of the condition and perhaps I can guide you on the best approach. [e-mail]

[@DutchClawz]

Nice work on the balance! May I ask why you use screwdrivers smaller than ghe screws? I was always thought to use the corresponding sise screwdriver to the screw

[@stevemoful]

Amazing job you got skills. I have a Waltham pw about half your size about same period but stem wind. Stem moves hands but doesn't wind, prob broken mainspring, will soon take to watch repair to fix and service, not sure if it's gold or not. Curious about the value when repaired. Maybe $1,000- $2,000???

[@markflanagan6894]

This old key wind Waltham cleaned up nice! Just curious what movement holder (brand and size or serial number) did you use in this video? I have been looking for a nice one like this that holds an 18s pocket watch.

[@csspinner]

Hi Mark. Thanks for watching. I am using the Bergeon movement holder, which happens to be available on Amazon. Bergeon 4040-P Large extensible... www.amazon.com/dp/B003V13ULG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[@markflanagan6894]

Thanks for the fast reply and the link. I'm going to order one today. Keep the great videos coming.

[@csspinner]

Forgot to give you the affiliated link. appreciate if you could use this one when you purchase - I get a little kick back from Amazon. Let me know how it goes with your watch! amzn.to/3H9JBUv

[@tonyaxeman4381]

The stud on hairspring looked crooked . Did You check the balance jewels for cracks . When a staff is broken usually the jewels maybe damaged.

[@kealahau6727]

How did they make that in the 1800 !!!! My people were found by Cook and Wallis in 1767 and it was stone age basicaly !!!! It s mind blowing to me...

[@csspinner]

Truly amazing what they were able to accomplish with the tooling at the time.

[@ianho8244]

Hey buddy where do you get replacement parts for this? I'm not ashamed to admit I bent a couple of pins on the train wheels and lost a gem or two.

[@csspinner]

I found the cheapest route for train wheels and jewels is to simply buy a donor movement on eBay and harvest what you need from it. The staff, however, you can readily buy on its own from most material houses in NOS condition

[@mundodarelojoaria]

Excelent job, congratulations! Hugs of Brazil.

[@csspinner]

Thanks so much

[@nolanhargrave8683]

Can you give a before/after value? Thank you

[@csspinner]

Hi Nolan. Most watches of this caliber can be found for $25-75 USD on your typical auction site in the “before” condition. Some may even be barely running and not as bad a shape as this one. In the finished state like the way this one ended up at, they typically will fetch 5-10x.

[@nolanhargrave8683]

@@csspinner Thanks! Great job...

[@scotten34]

This is beautyfull ❤

[@csspinner]

Thank you :)

[@HomeBologn]

I have this exact same watch, but a separate issue. My balance wheel spins freely, but I can’t wind the thing! It’s like it’s stuck or something. I want to open it and try to fix it, but I’ve never done any watch repair (major or minor), and I don’t want to destroy an antique pocket watch.

[@csspinner]

Winding is stuck usually means it's fully wound up. Most likely, something is preventing the power from transferring from the mainspring to the balance. I'm willing to bet it's the result of the old oils gumming up all the pivots. Chances are a simply clean, oil, assemble is all it needs.