R.I.O. – Knowledge

Lubricants in watches

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:05:10 +0200

An entire watch movement needs only two to four microlitres of lubricant, barely a tenth of a drop of water. For years, this tiny quantity must stay precisely in place at dozens of contacts where metal rubs against ruby or metal. In the past, the main obstacle was ageing: the oil became gummy and combined with wear particles to form an abrasive paste.…

Epilame

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 21:57:01 +0200

An oil drop placed correctly during a service should stay there for years. This does not happen on its own: on clean steel, brass and ruby, watch oil spreads out and creeps away. Epilame prevents this. With good epilame treatment, an oil drop remains in place for decades. An epilame is an extremely thin layer on a component that prevents oil and grease…

Animations: escapements and movement mechanisms

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:23:24 +0200

Many thanks to Volker Vyskocil for providing the files! Each animation opens on its own page so that they do not all load at once. There you can start and stop the movement, step forwards and backwards frame by frame, and zoom without losing resolution. When enlarged, the image can be dragged with the mouse. Recoil escapements Brocot escapement Recoil…

Complete Guide: Omega Speedmaster Calibre 861

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:49:13 +0200

A service report The Omega calibre 1861, also known as the Lemania 1873, has accompanied me since my training; I completed part of my WOSTEP final examination on this movement. I then repaired and serviced it many hundreds of times in its various versions in the chronograph group at Omega. Now, ten years later, perhaps a thousand times or more. General…

An alternative to making stepped watch crystals

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:52:24 +0100

For some watches, a simple mineral crystal is insufficient; a crystal with ground-in steps is required. Making such a crystal is possible but not easy, and it can take several attempts if the first one is unsuccessful. Old crystal with scratches A more economical method can be borrowed from glued-on date magnifiers: modern glass adhesives are completely…

Replacing crown seals

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 15:14:46 +0100

The problem Vintage watches sometimes have valuable original crowns for which exact replacement parts are no longer available. Replacing the crown can sometimes cause a substantial loss of value. After decades, however, crown seals are often as hard and brittle as old cork, or have chemically deteriorated into a tar-like paste. Not only is their…

Making a minute-jumper pivot pin for calibre 861

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:16:00 +0100

In rare cases, the minute-jumper pin in calibre 861 is broken because a watchmaker has carelessly pressed the bridge onto the work surface, for example to clean a bearing with pegwood. This engraved cock is a representative example of components expensive enough to justify the working time involved in repairing them by making a pivot pin. A pivot pin can…

Hall of Fame

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:28:10 +0100

The finest timepieces we have repaired Photographs of some particularly beautiful, rare or special watches we have repaired become part of our „Hall of Fame“. This collection is continually being expanded. 2026 Extensive restoration including detailed servicing and intensive restoration of the movement, restoration of water resistance retaining the…

Master watchmaker course – Cutting speed

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:52:29 +0100

As a specialist lecturer at the Hessian School of Watchmaking, I teach on the master watchmaker course. A master watchmaker must be able to pass on all the knowledge covered in vocational training and possess still deeper knowledge in many fields. Here I publish some of the material taught on the course. Definition For turning, milling and drilling…

Technical terms

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 10:01:40 +0100

Some technical terms explained, from the old www.uhrenkunde.de website. More detailed descriptions of individual subjects will follow in separate blog articles. Oscillator A clock or watch’s oscillator is the component of a movement capable of oscillating, which can maintain as constant an oscillation as possible through a continuous supply of energy…

Watchmaking tools

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 10:00:07 +0100

A few impressions from the watchmaking workshop. Machines, test equipment and the workbench Anvils and staking supports Hardened supports with different holes and recesses support small parts during riveting, pressing and driving out. Staking tool and jewelling press Guided stakes and suitable supports allow riveting and pressing work; the jewelling…

Making a tourbillon

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:28:48 +0100

Tourbillon This project began in the third year of my apprenticeship as the greatest challenge imaginable. The task set for me was the complete design and manufacture of a flying tourbillon. After receiving the task, I began with a large number of sketches and two weeks of design work before making anything at all. The flying tourbillon was to stand well…

Making a table clock

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:21:01 +0100

In their first year of training, many watchmakers learn the fundamental skills by making their own table clock. Skeleton movement My first table clock cost me many hours of painstaking handwork. In particular, filing the plates to my delicate design was a major challenge. I also made a complete Graham anchor including its pallets. The first bearings…

Making a balance cock

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:13:01 +0100

Balance cock Few watchmakers possess the machines and skills needed to make components for small timepieces as well. Restoration, bespoke manufacture or repairing unique pieces sometimes requires making a bridge or cock. This series of photographs shows the making of a balance cock:

Timeline of horological history

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 16:33:28 +0200

This timeline brings together selected milestones in horological history. It is intended to entertain, encourage an interest in the subject and provide a starting point for further research. Not every invention can be attributed to a single year or a single person. “Around”, date ranges and references to historical accounts therefore indicate cautious…

Restoring a minute repeater chronograph

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 15:25:35 +0200

Invicta pocket watch A minute repeater is an additional function of a watch that sounds the current time to the minute at the “push of a button”. In the classical version, activating the repeater first sounds the hours (1 to 12 strikes), then the quarters (0 to 3 strikes), and finally the minutes (0 to 14 strikes). Sound is produced by two small hammers…

Making a hand pipe

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 11:55:08 +0200

Central hand of a chronograph A damaged hand pipe is a recurring discovery during watch repairs. Either the hand separates from its pipe when removed, often destroying the pipe, or the pipe is cracked and can no longer be pressed on securely. This problem occurs particularly often with the chronograph seconds hand. Obtaining a new hand is not always…

Making a display case back

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:16:47 +0100

For an Omega Speedmaster Mark 4.5 Ref. 176.012, calibre 1045 To make a display case back, a new case back is normally used so that the original is not damaged. First, the centre is cut out on the lathe (Schaublin 70)… …and then a clean step is turned and deburred while still on the lathe. A sharp HSS boring tool is sufficient for internal turning of…

Repairing a 2824 automatic movement

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:11:46 +0100

One of my first repairs as a qualified watchmaker Robin Israel The watch is to receive a movement service: a complete overhaul of the movement. The case remains untouched. Before opening the watch, winding, hand-setting, date change and quick-set date are checked. The dial is examined with a loupe to see whether any initial faults can be found. The watch…

Regulating the rate of clocks

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 19:56:51 +0100

If a wall, longcase or table clock gains or loses a few minutes, this is no reason to take it straight in for repair. The rate can normally be adjusted at the bottom of the pendulum. First, however, establish the ideal conditions (see below). Once the clock stands straight and its "tick-tock" sounds even (the clock is not out of beat), you can begin…

Basic knowledge about wristwatches

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 19:53:11 +0100

…for complete beginners Anyone considering buying a wristwatch should know a few basics about its technology to help them make a better decision. Wristwatches can essentially be divided into two different categories, each with different requirements: Mechanical watches – Watches that work entirely without electricity or electrical components Electronic…

Instructions: setting up a serviced wall clock

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 19:15:00 +0100

These instructions will help you after a repair, a move or when putting your mechanical wall or longcase clock back into use. Also follow the operating instructions for your particular clock. Positioning the clock: Choose a suitable position for the clock against a stable wall, preferably in a dry room away from direct sunlight or extreme temperatures.…

Training: making a wheel

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 18:26:12 +0100

A report by Yannik Weber, apprentice watchmaker, 15 April 2023 Planning comes first At a minimum, the number of teeth and the module should be known, as should the dimensions of the pinion onto which the wheel is to be riveted. Then begin calculating the missing dimensions: Pitch-circle diameter = module × number of teeth Addendum-circle diameter =…

Repairing a date-driving wheel

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 08:01:13 +0100

Certina 25-651 and 25-652: spring for date-driving wheel 2556 On these calibres, the date-driving finger regularly breaks. If a replacement part is unavailable or too expensive, the spring can be made from a bronze balance spring taken from an old alarm clock. Once the small steel ring has been replaced, the spring can be changed. Here is a short series…

Repairing an Omega 3303 chronograph

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:16:38 +0100

Ref. 178.0515 Omega calibre 3303 shares its construction with Omega calibre 3313, but has a Swiss lever escapement instead of the Co-Axial escapement. There are further Omega variants, such as calibre 3612 with split-seconds chronograph or 3603 with GMT. Less well known is that this movement is among the most commonly used chronograph movements of all,…

A new beginning

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 08:11:04 +0100

My name is Robin Israel, master watchmaker and founder of R.I.O. Uhrenwerkstätte. Along the way I have reached many interesting milestones: as a national skills champion, a graduate of the N.G. Hayek Watchmaking School with a WOSTEP 3,000-hour certificate, an award winner in Omega’s chronograph department, an Omega-certified watchmaker, a master…