My father was a Swiss trained watchmaker. As a young boy I would spend hours upon hours chatting to him while he was working the bench with his craft. I was happily reflecting on those moments of tension when you were resetting and rebuilding the GMT Rolex and had these wonderful memories of my father saying “whoops!” as a spring would occasionally fly off into the room somewhere🤣. I was then given the job as a young lad to scan the room to find a tiny spring - a challenge I enjoyed as we would laugh and laugh together. It’s such a lovely hobby and your patience and passion is so amazing. Thank you for your RUclips! My father has now passed but your RUclips has made my day. Of course as a watchmaker’s son I have invested in some beautiful timepieces including a Rolex Seadweller, IWC Portugueser chronograph, and Cartier Santos, just to name a few. I’m a collector and so appreciate your skills and competencies. Great macro photography work too👍. Thank you for sharing it.❤
I have this watch along with many other assorted varieties. By far the best movement and functionality is my Seiko. I leave my Rolexes in a drawer as I have to reset the time every time I pick them up. Also, I was told by the Rolex dealer they had to remove the plastic stickers and send them back to Rolex. No idea of the reasoning.
My daughter was having a multitexture art product for her high school art project. I went on to eBay and bought several lots of watches for parts and many junk and that was 100% what she wanted. Not useable parts but to recycle the parts in artwork. There was a watch in a case in the pack and a note said it was junk. I jumped at the chance. After taking several pictures I took the back off and beheld my first attempt to see what "junk" was and as I followed your process to a T. I began to unloosen the balance wheel and it moved slightly. I took off all the screws to see that the jewels had not been lined up correctly with their respective posts. Just like you said it would need. Thanks to you. I got the joy of fixing a piece of Junk. :) Love the videos!
I found your channel via my father, who worked as a clockmaker in the 1960s and 1970s. He got out of the business when demand dropped off, and he always lamented how modern clockmakers often do nothing more than clean and lubricate clocks. Anyway, he loves your work, and you inspired him to bring his tools out of storage and start working on clocks again. I can tell that you enjoy this hobby, and I just want to let you know that you have inspired other people. Thank you.
Learn from your father now when you have the opportunity. It is now very hard to get hold of a mechanical clock and people that can repair and service them are getting very scarce.
Cleaning clocks ducking sucks. My dad used to clean a lot grandfather clocks. You always have to visit the clients house to calibrate it and half the time nobody is willing to pay for the work. They expect you to do a grandfather for 100$. Yea right. I won’t even adjust it for that much. Nobody can do the job but they want to pay pennies to the few that do.
It's really nice seeing a more complex watch on your table and especially one that's in pristine condition. Completely different vibe than restoring an older piece, but still great to see.
As a raw amateur, I am totally blown away by how you remember where all these parts go. Definately tells me to keep my repairs on the simple side. But very interesting to watch and teaches me quickly what NOT do do (like take apart any mechanical watch).
Honestly if you have any mechanical ability you can probably do fine taking it apart! Best to set up a camera and record the process from fully assembled to disassembled, with mechanical ability you should be able to reference the video to get it back together properly
The part that intimidates me is remembering which screw goes where. Maybe they’re better than the average phone about having screws that look identical actually be identical?
The thing people dont realize about leaving those protective stickers on (thinking they're continually protecting whatever is covered) is that they arent meant to be permanent so be leaving them on, debris gets under there and just grinds into the very surface you think you're protecting. When the sticker is finally pulled off (against their will I'm sure) I imagine they're quite shocked to see a very worn surface and not a brand new one.
To that point the other issue is that those stickers get so nasty because the debris also sticks to them. So, once you take them off you can't really put them back on.
@@joshs3916 the value goes up if the sticker is still on weird even if the Rolex has been worn if the sticker is still on. So wen he peeled it off it lost some value wich is stupid but sadly true
@@shadowbasterds2389 ...Really?? I think keeping the sticker actually drops the value not raises it, since the only people buying old watches would be experts not regulars.
@@igameidoresearchtoo6511 for some stupid reason with the stickers on it does. Me personally I get nervous and I have to peel it off cuz it's satisfying. Everything I see 1 of those I wanna peel It off
Marshall. I deal with anxiety issues and this is amazing! It allows me to go through the 'panic' of you deconstructing the time piece, but then calmly (with your voice) explain and put it back together. Sir, you are the Bob Ross of this generation. Hah! Thank you so much!
Haha...that's great, I sometimes play Uncle Doug's videos in the background, he's the Boss Ross of vintage guitar amplifiers and, sometimes, an old car engine. Problem with this guy and his watches is that I cannot take my eyes off what he's doing and I'm too busy LOL. ruclips.net/video/_N-khUE4zRw/видео.html
I hate wearing watches...I haven't done so for over thirty years, but I love the craftsmanship involved. The beauty of their design and the skill of the manufacturer really speak to me. I would love to be able to do such work as this but alas my eyes are not up to the task, having had three eye ops has seen to that. Being able to see how you service and repair these little beauties is amazing...thank you so much for taking the time (no pun intended) and effort to bring us along on the journey.
I’ve never worked on a watch, never will work on a watch (my expertise in equipment repair runs to much larger items) but I can’t stop watching this. It’s fascinating. Years ago a jeweler friend of mine said that watch repair was his least favorite chore as that’s what he did all day. I can see why now. You need the steady hand of a brain surgeon to do this work!! Outstanding series of videos, you have a subscriber for life!
I am glad the battery was OK. I have "watched" your channel quite a bit and am amazed you can remember where things go back where they belong. If I did that, the thing would run backwards if I could get it back together at all.
I could watch your videos all day, this is how videos should be made, no dumb music and I can understand every word you are saying, great camera shooting of all the parts , your hands and tools.
I’m a watch collector but have no clue how to work on them. Your video was impressive because it was so calm, low key, focused with good humor and dialogue. This is years of experienced made to look easy. I’m impressed and envious of your skills. Keep up the great work!
I am a retired carpenter and watching your disassembly and reassembly really takes me back to some of my favorite builds where the customer gave me full creative license I really appreciate your show.Thank you
When Marshall said he wasn't going to remove the shipping sticker, I almost fell out of my chair. I had to call my shrink and make an appointment. I was so relieved (cancelled the appointment) when he went ahead a pealed that sticker OFF! Marshall You the man!
I am "that guy" who would have lost my mind if I had sent him my watch and gotten it back without the protective sticker/plastic! I would have told him before hand that he would have needed to leave it on. I leave all my protective stickers on that I can. Just one of my little quirks.
@@BlackKnight_755 I cringe at the thought of walking into your house and seeing the peel on everything. Your a masochists mate. Leaving a peel on something knowingly actually triggers my fight or flight. If I walked into a friends house and saw the peel on their TV and they said I couldn't remove it. I wouldn't be able to go over to their house anymore.
Yeah it triggered me that he left it on for the final rebuild. Didn't even put the case back through the Ultrasonic (so as not to remove any residue to help the shipping plastic stick), it looked filthy compared to the rest of the watch. So gross.
@@bostonrailfan2427 For sure, I'm not going to pretend I've watched every video but he's definitely done it before in previous videos - just not explained exactly how! I found it super interested and hope he demonstrates similar tweaks on future watches. Lovely content.
What an incredible movement. I just bought a Rolex Explorer II with this same movement(3185), I can see how much time and effort went into the craftsmanship of the movement. I appreciate the watch even more now!
No idea why I “watched” this start to finish. Your voice , attention to detail, and gaining an understanding of how much engineering goes into these pieces of art perhaps. Thank you!
I'm not really a watch person, but watching one of your videos every few months is a pleasure. Your friend with the Rolex is very lucky that you take such pride in doing everything so perfectly.
Wow, that is a stunning watch, around £24000 in the UK. Watching you service this is almost hypnotic ! At first sight I thought the movement looked fairly simple but when you broke down the components it was eye boggling ! Thank youi so much for sharing this amazing process. Kind regards, Ady
It’s a fabulous watch, probably my favorite model. Prefer the anodized aluminum insert to the current ceramic. It’s not however a £24000 watch. It’s at the high end around $13k, so about £11k.
Marshall, I have no desire to get into this hobby but I love watching and listening to your descriptions of the history of watch companies and all the other information you provide. Your voice is so warm and comforting. Thanks for your channel.
Should also say your content is awesome. An hour of watching you work just flies by. Fascinated from beginning to end. Your skills on the bench are one thing, but you video production skills are also great. Super clear close ups, consistent visibility of what you are doing and engaging commentary with self-deprecation and humor. All these take time, patience and technical skills. Kudos!
A truly beautiful piece of engineering. Listening and watching you service watches you can see the love and passion you treat these watches with ! Great job Marshall and greetings from the uk.
You have inspired me to get into watch restoration as a hobby. I am starting out small with old watches on ebay reasonably cheap and all the tools to start with from amazon! As a 30+ year burned out IT guy, I think working with precision micro machines would be a great challenge and skill for me to learn. Plus some day I will have different and nicely restored watch to wear every day of the week! Thank you!
"As a 30+ year burned out IT guy, I think working with precision micro machines would be a great challenge and skill for me to learn." If you think watchmaking might be something you would enjoy as a career, there is still a demand for trained watchmakers as the previous generation ages out. In America, there are watchmaking schools in Seattle, Washington; Lititz, Pennsylvania; Miami, Florida; and Fort Worth, Texas that I know of. It's a two-year full-time training process, and at the end you come out with a certificate from one of the Swiss certification agencies; SAWTA or WOSTEP. (In my case it was WOSTEP in 2002, although the school I went to -- The Watch Technology Institute at North Seattle College -- has now changed affiliations to SAWTA.)
After discovering your channel from the repair that Rolex couldn’t do of the explorer watch & her father video. I enjoy the stories attached to each watch, being so I was moved to service and replaced the battery of my inherited 2013 Seiko H023 Sportura that was owned by my step father who passed away unexpectedly in 2017 … I now wear it often because of this channel over my Apple Watch as a tribute to a great hardworking honest man who’s greatly missed by all he touched 🙏🏾 Thanks for doing the good what you do, 🤙🏾
Recently started wearing my late grandfather's retirement Rolex. It took me a solid month to realize it too, had the protective plastic on the caseback, protecting the engraving that was done. It had been on there since the mid 80's, with him wearing it every... single... day... and yet it popped right off with zero residue. Mind-boggling!
I imagine at that point the adhesive will have failed and attracted dirt and dust, so it wasn't attached anymore. Hence no residue. If it was stuck on tightly it probably would've left a residue
@@Stettafire Yea, I donno. There wasn't a ton of crud around it, and certainly not under it. Much as the one shown here, it was a bit yellowed, and had that same diagonal line of an almost "rusty" appearance. When I finally decided to pop it off it cleaned up easily with a quick rub from a microfiber cloth. The coolest thing, though, was that the engraving had been transferred into the plastic as well. It was definitely well-affixed, just not "adhered," if that makes sense.
It is mind boggling to see the number of movement parts which have to be assembled correctly. Marshall is self deprecating in a very professional way. Very enjoyable to watch and listen to. Thanks. GB
I love the title, I can’t tell you how many times people would say things to me like “it’s got a perpetual battery” or a lifetime battery or something like that and I just smile and nod and say something like “oh that’s special” because I wouldn’t have time to correct and explain to them, nor would I want to lol.
Wow - I can't believe how many different tiny parts there were there when you had that disassembled. Good effort on getting it all back together. And what a beautiful watch.
As an engineer that has built, rebuilt, and assembled instruments and machinery with waaay more parts than these watches, I continue to be utterly astounded at the quality of components and engineering. A manufacturing engineer would not last long in the field doing this caliber of work. Beyond beautiful. It is a privilege and responsibility to work with this gear. You must be annoyed at how mundane typical equipment is, by comparison. Always impressed with your videos and commentary. Thank you.
I have an early 90's steel version of this model, and I loved watching this episode, its the first time I got to see inside a GMT 2. Absolutely lovely and impressive in equal measure. Thank you!
The details, the machining, the well thought out features like the blued metal screws and the patterns on the gears to make sure they were installed correctly and the sheer number of parts made this functional art. And that case and dial are beautiful. I always thought Rolex were ostentatious show off pieces until you showed the engineering inside. I wonder how many Rolex owners bought them for the name like Gucci or actually cared about that engineering. Sadly I think most are just bought for the "I got a Rolex" status.
Not necessarily. I have an Explorer 11. I bought it for one main reason and one nearly as important reason. 1. The engineering! (End of story!). 2. It is “rugged” type watch that LOOKS great, but not too showy! Oh, and having partially impaired vision I can actually read the (white) face much more easily than most of the previous watches I’ve owned. I collect watches (from a 1956 Rolex Oyster on through) … but I WEAR my Explorer 11 by choice (unless I’m doing physical work that might damage my watch). They really ARE works of art - as shown beautifully in this fabulous video clip. Regards to all from RH Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿"
The finishing and engineering of rolexes seem to be decent but they're among the worst in the industry from a purely price/performance ratio. The fact that you can get two spring drives for one entry level Rolex (assuming youre in que) really says it all.
Could you imagine giving your friend your Rolex because you trust him to check the battery and he takes the whole thing apart and does literally everything EXCEPT look at the battery.
It actually lets you track 3 time zones, GMT on the 24hr hand, GMT offset (Home time or maybe onward travel time) with the bezel rotated vs the 24hr hand and also local time on the regular hour hand.
The Chevy Colorado transmission (back in the day) had a part in it for setting the load on a bearing, and it was designed by Rolex. The special tool for setting/removing it was very similar to the tool you used for the oyster case back
a slight clarification... Rolex is a for profit company that is entirely owned by a non profit charity the Wilsdorf Foundation... it may seem like semantics but it really isn't
@@slimjimmyrygbI work for a company that’s owned by a foundation. Of course they put money away for investments etc. They support museums, arts, youth projects, universities etc.
Absolutely beautiful work! You are a very skilled watchmaker, videographer, and watch instructor! This is by far the best instructional video on YT for this particular Rolex. I have the same model watch which I purchased new in Europe in the summer of 2000. It's always useful to know what is going on inside your watch. Thank you for your significant effort to put this together. There is nothing more frustrating than to see a video of a disassembly, but they never take the time to REASSEMBLE the watch as well in the same video. The job is half done. You must have a significant mind to remember which screws go in where, and the same with the various parts--with the proper orientation! I should send you mine which, as I stated, is the exact same model. Dual tone, SS and 18KT gold GMT II. Circa 2000.
I normally watch your videos to relax but that "born to fly" yoke spring comment had me chuckling for hours. I currently have a few living SOMEWHERE in my office. Thank you.
It has been incredibly inspiring watching you work your way up from vintage ebay watches and old omegas to some crazy expensive and valuable watches. Watching your tool collection grow as your skill set broadens. I want to get this good. Been watching since you first started. Keep up the good work man.
its cool to watch a pro artist doing something so complicated yet making it look easy., This is not his first watch nor his 50th, excellent commentary and documentaty on how to service a Rolex or a luxury watch. Awsome.
I am always amazed you can remember where things go back where they belong. I suppose it comes with experience, but for me, I would be putting each part in a logical order. But then when you put them all in that screened container for cleaning I pull my hair out (what's left of it, lol) and scream, NOOOOOO, cuz now I dont know what order each part goes back. Then you alwasy have a once over of all the tiny parts after cleaning, and I have no clue what screw or part goes where, meaning, where do I start to put it all back together. There is no question I would be making a video of the disassembly as I would need it for the assembly. I would be pausing and rewinding and watching the video in slow motion to figure out what piece to start with and where it goes. I imagine it would take me several 8 hour days to put it all back together. Then again, I probably would be that guy that sends your the whole disassembled mess to you via FedEx for help, like you did in a previous video. You must have a photographic memory ability that helps you know exactly where things go and when as I dont see you referring to any watch manual with an exploded view of the parts or video during the reassembly portion. Thanks for making a very complex and complicated watch repair look so easy and effortless. Job well done!
I was never a watch mechanic but when i was young i could remember every part and piece that was removed from a repair done on any vehicle i was working on, including a whole dashboard assembly. Today I'm lucky to have 10 things to put back together without forgetting something and redoing it. there's a skill about memorizing where things go then becoming good at what you do is easy. At 65 i leave most things to a shop.
I always thoroughly enjoy your videos. Never tire of watching them. Had a Rolex President some time back and the only regret I had about the watch was after I retired I sold it since I just about quit wearing a watch. My mistake I miss owning that watch.
Man, you just described the level of satisfaction with working on this watch through each senses; the click of the spring barrel and when it works, the sight of the balance wheel and second flickering to life, the smell (I get you) of it fresh off the wash, the very process of putting it back perfectly together, ... okay, you don't actually taste it (do you?), but my god if that isn't satisfaction I won't even know what else is.
Nice one Marshall! 👍 I own a 2012 Rolex GMT Master II (the normal steel one with black dial, the green GMT pointer and the ceramic bezel) and it runs well although it has been serviced twice already after it broke down on me. I don't do anything crazy with my watch, but it would suddenly run 30-40 minutes slow and after 2-3 days it completely stopped running.
There are inexpensive automatic watches that have a “sweep” second hand. Technically, the watch is “ticking” at a frequency of around 28,800 ticks per hour, or 8 ticks per second. That’s what gives the smooth motion.
Yo Marshall coming though yet again. Thank you for all of the work you put in to this channel, it has been hugely inspirational for me. You are the primary reason I have gotten in to watchmaking.
I've been binging this channel. I simply love how you get so excited when you hear that main spring thud into place it really gets you every time. Best not get too Freudian on that subject :) Keep up your awesome work and thanks for letting us have a peep over your shoulder while you work.
let's all be appreciative of the courage it takes to dive into that watch. true bravery! also..I would think the click of the cannon pinion going back on is definitely in your top 5 moments?! also..you are near mastery at shock settings. you killed it on this one. 50 minutes of WOW. Consider taking stills of the exploded movements after cleaning. thats art in itself!
The battery is recharged! 😜 I was surprised when you adjusted the rate before addressing the beat error. You got it dialed in pretty well, that's for sure though. Thanks for another fascinating video!
Rolex is owned by the Hans Wildorf Foundation, which has funded some high-profile projects in Switzerland. However, under Swiss law, it is not required to disclose how much of the profits of Rolex (and yes, they make more money, tax-free, than they spend) actually go to charity. Make of that what you will.
So many tiny shiny parts! I've done a handful of pocketwatches so far and I'm at that nerve-wracking stage of going to the smaller wristwatches. I have an old Gruen with a calendar wheel that just needed a service when I bought it but all those extra parts might be a bit much at the moment haha!
Yeah the new Timex chronographs have jumping hour hands and honestly it's way too cool a feature. Changing the date when it gets off at the beginning of a month, changing time zones, changing for daylight savings time... you'd be surprised how many times a year you want to change the hour hand without affecting the minutes or seconds at all. I think it should come on more high-end watches, even ones without a GMT hand.
Nice job! One of these days you'll have to try a co-axial Omega. A little tricky removing the balance assembly, I read up on it first. I used to work on my newer Omega's. But I find with my higher end watches, I'm better off sending them off because I can't get the parts they casually replace. For example, with my GMT Omega you just move the hour hand around to set the date.. Of course there's a part that always wears out but is impossible to source.
I wonder how many people think you just change the battery on a watch and think the higher prices on these watches is only for the brand name. The amount of craftsmanship just amazes me. (As well as your skill maintaining them )
OMG! Marshall, I've now watched watch your channel so much that I'm starting to think I'M a watchmaker! 😂😂😂 Seriously though, my first thought once I saw that it was running was that the amplitude would be low. You, sir, are educating me in spite of myself!
I just ordered every item from your equipment rundown video because I love what you do so much and want to do this too! My goal is to replace the crystal and ultrasonic clean the case for my Vintage Omega 10KGF bezel 36mm watch I inherited which was my great grandfathers. After that I have an old pocket watch with broken hands I want to take a go at. Thank you so much for the hours of enjoyment and calm vibes =)
I'm with you friend, leaving stickers on stuff like that doesn't protect anything if anything it collected all that dirt and is causing more damage in my opinion. Also who are you fooling? It's not new anymore lol. My buddy leaves stuff like that on and I pull it off any time I see it. He still invites me over 😆
I've got a friend that still has the protective plastic on his cars screen for the radio. It's 5 years old! I cannot go anywhere with him in that car. It drives me nuts!
Always fantastic videos and effort! This one reminds me of seeing very much the opposite happen. I was a young Airman, just starting to learn about watches and noticed my squadron commander had a Rolex DateJust. It was a gift, and he really wasn't into watches, so he was very casual about it. He'd let me handle it a few times, enough to know it was genuine. At some point it stopped working, and he brought it to me. "You're the only person I know that is into watches...what should I do?" I told him to find a real watch maker to service it. Later that day, he came back and showed me the watch. "All fixed!" He'd taken it to the "battery replacement" guy at the base exchange. I looked down, and to my horror the second hand was now "ticking." Talk about an awkward conversation to have with your commanding officer........
Great stuff man, as someone who dreams about becoming a watchmaker(or atleast someone who can do basic stuff on mechanical watches) one day, this stuff is just so amazing. 50 mins went by lightning fast, ive fallen into a trans admiring your skills. Pure meditation , thank you.
When you started working on watches, how long did it take before you became comfortable with the repair process? I can’t imagine remembering where everything goes even with pictures of everything
It becomes a lot easier when you know the purpose of everything and the relation to each other. You section down the watch and it's suddenly not a million tiny pieces anymore, rather many groups of pieces. If you watch a video on how a mechanical watch works, you'll find that all these tiny cogs gain a distinct meaning and you'll start to know where they go
I love your videos. Absolutely wonderfully done. Just a quick correction: Rolex is a private company. It is not a non- profit company. It is a very profitable company. And rightly so. Great product. Outstanding marketing. Great brand.
Question: How do you recognize, which screw goes where? Even though I can differentiate the gears, most of the screws look the same to me. Do you have a trick for that?
I remember when Rolexes cost a few hundred dollars. My first one was a 1955 Air King which I bought used for $75 c.1970. I think the new price then was well under $200. They are good watches, but the prices today are absolutely outrageous... I wouldn't pay a fraction of that for a watch today.
I mean, a house was also like 12$ at the time. Rolex prices were probably fairly in line up until about 15 years ago. My friend picked up a no date Sub at an AD for like 3 grand. they actually had trouble moving it.
Even if you can afford a Rolex, that is no guarantee of getting one. They have “wait lists” with their authorized dealers, and you practically have to build a relationship with the dealer by buying other items just to get on the wait list. It’s all designed to keep the illusion of exclusivity by limiting the supply to drive the price up.
The prices are truly ridiculous, because Rolex watches are really not luxurious at all. I mean, a steel Rolex with a movement that is only "very good" will set you back a similar amount as another brand's watch made out of precious metals and built with crazy attention to detail. And what I find even more ridiculous is that you can find Breguet watches from the late 18th and early 19th century for less than some mass produced Rolex from the 1950s. Wtf???!!!
01:20 technically it lets you track 3 time zones at once. one on the regular hour hand, one on the auxiliary hand and a third by rotating the bezel. 🤔🤷
@@beetsar i was misinformed. in Austria, where i‘m from, stiftungen can have the family as sole benefactors without tax. the money is secure and can‘t be accessed even in the case of bankruptcy etc. In Switzerland, this is not possible. Stiftung Wilsdorf is in fact solely a philantropic entity. amazing!
Marshall, love the content! Gotta be "that guy" though. Rolex never* made wristwatches out of silver. This particular watch is made of 904L stainless steel or "oystersteel". With all silver-looking watches that Rolex produced they are either steel, white gold alloy, or platinum. *to my knowledge rolex never used silver after they started to produce their own cases.
Absolutely incredible. To see the mechanical workings of one of history's beautiful time pieces. Demonstrated at the hands of a true craftsman. Makes me so proud to see the necessity of the craftsperson's need in our society. From time pieces to tunnel makers and all in between. God bless the Apprentice, our future. Thank you Peace from Texas
Despite watches like Rolex not being the most beautiful watches (imho) it's when you see the insides that I can appreciate the mechanisms and craft in them that really appeals to me. Thank you for making these videos 😁
I have always found them aesthetically unattractive. Their design aesthetic is aggressively “classic Rolex” to such a degree that I find it boring and somehow, over adorned. Not only are they the most counterfeited watches in the world because of their stellar reputation for quality, but I believe their particular design also leaves them open to, and a good target for counterfeiters.
Came accross this channel. There's something very relaxing (as well as facinating) watching watches being disassembled and reassembled. Watches are my geek! have a few CWC autos. Thanks for sharing Marshall.
I wish my Dad was alive so he could watch your videos. He loved anything mechanical, from Dirt bikes to guns...and he adored watches. It's so relaxing and fun to watch you work (pun intended)
Good grief, the number of moving parts inside this thing is crazy. So impressive to see somebody calmly and confidently taking the whole damned thing apart, just to clean it, oil it and put it all back together. Awesome.
Your videos are one of the reasons why I have been accepted into the British School of Watchmaking starting next year.
Congratulations! You'll be teaching me stuff before too long I'm sure!
Just ANOTHER reason for me to move to Britain.
Next year I'll try to get into the Finnish School of Watchmaking
NOOO I AM NOT JEALOUS 😤 jokes aside congratulations 🥳 I hope you will have a YT channel too so we can watch your work
@@RonHarrisMe hurry up and leave
My father was a Swiss trained watchmaker. As a young boy I would spend hours upon hours chatting to him while he was working the bench with his craft. I was happily reflecting on those moments of tension when you were resetting and rebuilding the GMT Rolex and had these wonderful memories of my father saying “whoops!” as a spring would occasionally fly off into the room somewhere🤣. I was then given the job as a young lad to scan the room to find a tiny spring - a challenge I enjoyed as we would laugh and laugh together. It’s such a lovely hobby and your patience and passion is so amazing. Thank you for your RUclips! My father has now passed but your RUclips has made my day. Of course as a watchmaker’s son I have invested in some beautiful timepieces including a Rolex Seadweller, IWC Portugueser chronograph, and Cartier Santos, just to name a few. I’m a collector and so appreciate your skills and competencies. Great macro photography work too👍. Thank you for sharing it.❤
beautiful, so wholesome
Glad you have those happy memories. Sounds like your Dad was a great guy.
I have this watch along with many other assorted varieties. By far the best movement and functionality is my Seiko. I leave my Rolexes in a drawer as I have to reset the time every time I pick them up.
Also, I was told by the Rolex dealer they had to remove the plastic stickers and send them back to Rolex. No idea of the reasoning.
Timeless memories.
@@Khaos-y7n the sticker thing is bullshit..never heard of that in my life
My daughter was having a multitexture art product for her high school art project. I went on to eBay and bought several lots of watches for parts and many junk and that was 100% what she wanted. Not useable parts but to recycle the parts in artwork. There was a watch in a case in the pack and a note said it was junk. I jumped at the chance. After taking several pictures I took the back off and beheld my first attempt to see what "junk" was and as I followed your process to a T. I began to unloosen the balance wheel and it moved slightly. I took off all the screws to see that the jewels had not been lined up correctly with their respective posts. Just like you said it would need. Thanks to you. I got the joy of fixing a piece of Junk. :) Love the videos!
I was hoping you were going to say you found a Breguet or A. Lange & Sohne in the case!
I found your channel via my father, who worked as a clockmaker in the 1960s and 1970s. He got out of the business when demand dropped off, and he always lamented how modern clockmakers often do nothing more than clean and lubricate clocks. Anyway, he loves your work, and you inspired him to bring his tools out of storage and start working on clocks again. I can tell that you enjoy this hobby, and I just want to let you know that you have inspired other people. Thank you.
That's brilliant!
Nice, maybe he will become a youtuber
Learn from your father now when you have the opportunity. It is now very hard to get hold of a mechanical clock and people that can repair and service them are getting very scarce.
Cleaning clocks ducking sucks. My dad used to clean a lot grandfather clocks. You always have to visit the clients house to calibrate it and half the time nobody is willing to pay for the work. They expect you to do a grandfather for 100$. Yea right. I won’t even adjust it for that much. Nobody can do the job but they want to pay pennies to the few that do.
@@burritolover5082 Yeah, not willing to spend a dime but convinced they are worth a house.
It's really nice seeing a more complex watch on your table and especially one that's in pristine condition. Completely different vibe than restoring an older piece, but still great to see.
As a raw amateur, I am totally blown away by how you remember where all these parts go. Definately tells me to keep my repairs on the simple side. But very interesting to watch and teaches me quickly what NOT do do (like take apart any mechanical watch).
I'm just learning too and best advice I learned from him was to always record so if you forget you just play the video back!
Honestly if you have any mechanical ability you can probably do fine taking it apart! Best to set up a camera and record the process from fully assembled to disassembled, with mechanical ability you should be able to reference the video to get it back together properly
The part that intimidates me is remembering which screw goes where. Maybe they’re better than the average phone about having screws that look identical actually be identical?
why do you think he originally made a video of a disassemby.....the channel is surrendipitous
@@mksouthon9508definitely a valuable lesson I have learned as well.
The thing people dont realize about leaving those protective stickers on (thinking they're continually protecting whatever is covered) is that they arent meant to be permanent so be leaving them on, debris gets under there and just grinds into the very surface you think you're protecting. When the sticker is finally pulled off (against their will I'm sure) I imagine they're quite shocked to see a very worn surface and not a brand new one.
To that point the other issue is that those stickers get so nasty because the debris also sticks to them. So, once you take them off you can't really put them back on.
Never understood why one would leave them on. Looks tacky
@@joshs3916 the value goes up if the sticker is still on weird even if the Rolex has been worn if the sticker is still on. So wen he peeled it off it lost some value wich is stupid but sadly true
@@shadowbasterds2389 ...Really??
I think keeping the sticker actually drops the value not raises it, since the only people buying old watches would be experts not regulars.
@@igameidoresearchtoo6511 for some stupid reason with the stickers on it does. Me personally I get nervous and I have to peel it off cuz it's satisfying. Everything I see 1 of those I wanna peel It off
Marshall. I deal with anxiety issues and this is amazing! It allows me to go through the 'panic' of you deconstructing the time piece, but then calmly (with your voice) explain and put it back together. Sir, you are the Bob Ross of this generation. Hah!
Thank you so much!
Bob Ross of watch maintenance and repair is very good description indeed!
Man, I feel the same exact thing! When anxiety surges, I come here, and I relax watching one of his videos... Helps so much.
I pull out my collection of watches out when I have my anxiety attacks and just look at them.
This is weird. I was just watching a video of oboe covers to Studio Ghibli films. Literally just before jumping to this video.
Haha...that's great, I sometimes play Uncle Doug's videos in the background, he's the Boss Ross of vintage guitar amplifiers and, sometimes, an old car engine. Problem with this guy and his watches is that I cannot take my eyes off what he's doing and I'm too busy LOL.
ruclips.net/video/_N-khUE4zRw/видео.html
I hate wearing watches...I haven't done so for over thirty years, but I love the craftsmanship involved. The beauty of their design and the skill of the manufacturer really speak to me. I would love to be able to do such work as this but alas my eyes are not up to the task, having had three eye ops has seen to that. Being able to see how you service and repair these little beauties is amazing...thank you so much for taking the time (no pun intended) and effort to bring us along on the journey.
I’ve never worked on a watch, never will work on a watch (my expertise in equipment repair runs to much larger items) but I can’t stop watching this. It’s fascinating. Years ago a jeweler friend of mine said that watch repair was his least favorite chore as that’s what he did all day. I can see why now. You need the steady hand of a brain surgeon to do this work!! Outstanding series of videos, you have a subscriber for life!
@tradde11 yep. I know what you’re saying!
Great service video. This is not a hobby for those of us with essential tremor.
I am glad the battery was OK. I have "watched" your channel quite a bit and am amazed you can remember where things go back where they belong. If I did that, the thing would run backwards if I could get it back together at all.
At least yours would run.... Mine would be right twice a day and that's it.
Or have 5 parts leftover and no idea where they were supposed to go.
At least you could make a time machine lol well, backwards
Your calm warmth, humour, and patience make your videos not just informative, but also really relaxing. Thank you for sharing them with us!
I could watch your videos all day, this is how videos should be made, no dumb music and I can understand every word you are saying, great camera shooting of all the parts , your hands and tools.
I’m a watch collector but have no clue how to work on them. Your video was impressive because it was so calm, low key, focused with good humor and dialogue. This is years of experienced made to look easy. I’m impressed and envious of your skills. Keep up the great work!
I am a retired carpenter and watching your disassembly and reassembly really takes me back to some of my favorite builds where the customer gave me full creative license I really appreciate your show.Thank you
When Marshall said he wasn't going to remove the shipping sticker, I almost fell out of my chair. I had to call my shrink and make an appointment. I was so relieved (cancelled the appointment) when he went ahead a pealed that sticker OFF!
Marshall
You the man!
I am "that guy" who would have lost my mind if I had sent him my watch and gotten it back without the protective sticker/plastic! I would have told him before hand that he would have needed to leave it on. I leave all my protective stickers on that I can. Just one of my little quirks.
@@BlackKnight_755 I cringe at the thought of walking into your house and seeing the peel on everything. Your a masochists mate. Leaving a peel on something knowingly actually triggers my fight or flight. If I walked into a friends house and saw the peel on their TV and they said I couldn't remove it. I wouldn't be able to go over to their house anymore.
@@BlackKnight_755 ha
Yeah it triggered me that he left it on for the final rebuild. Didn't even put the case back through the Ultrasonic (so as not to remove any residue to help the shipping plastic stick), it looked filthy compared to the rest of the watch. So gross.
What was the problem that showed it needed cleaning
I'm glad you showed how you can tweak the watch to get improve time keeping! Was always something I questioned in previous videos. Thanks Marshall!
I've never seen that way of adjustment tbh.. pretty cool.
he mist have done that before but not on-camera…it makes sense to not do it on-camera until he was able to do it well and show why it’s needed
@@bostonrailfan2427 For sure, I'm not going to pretend I've watched every video but he's definitely done it before in previous videos - just not explained exactly how! I found it super interested and hope he demonstrates similar tweaks on future watches. Lovely content.
Couldn't he have just done that to begin with?
@@mybad8805 nope.. He was servicing the watch.. no point trying to adjust it before taking it to pieces.
What an incredible movement. I just bought a Rolex Explorer II with this same movement(3185), I can see how much time and effort went into the craftsmanship of the movement. I appreciate the watch even more now!
I love the fact that your pal trusted this with you. That's shows a lot of love trust and respect. That's cool man.
He doesn't seem too bright to begin with.
@@thestig007 I'm pretty sure he said the "battery" thing as a joke... That's a well used Rolex...
It’s cheaper to get your mate to do it rather than pay for a third party…
I learned more about watches in this casual repair/service than I have in many over-explanatory videos. Excellent pace, and great video sir. Cheers!
No idea why I “watched” this start to finish. Your voice , attention to detail, and gaining an understanding of how much engineering goes into these pieces of art perhaps. Thank you!
I'm not really a watch person, but watching one of your videos every few months is a pleasure. Your friend with the Rolex is very lucky that you take such pride in doing everything so perfectly.
Wow, that is a stunning watch, around £24000 in the UK. Watching you service this is almost hypnotic ! At first sight I thought the movement looked fairly simple but when you broke down the components it was eye boggling ! Thank youi so much for sharing this amazing process. Kind regards, Ady
It’s a fabulous watch, probably my favorite model. Prefer the anodized aluminum insert to the current ceramic. It’s not however a £24000 watch. It’s at the high end around $13k, so about £11k.
@@michaeldefricke732 In the UK also. I looked and saw it between £11k and £15k
A hit of crack and a rusty hacksaw in the good old USA sponsored by your local city government is all it cost
US 20,000 for one in this condition for sure. Or US250.00 from a dodgy China based fraudster
I have the same model (16713) bought new for £3600 Mappin & Webb Cambridge. UK. It’s been serviced but will be worth around £10k.
Marshall, I have no desire to get into this hobby but I love watching and listening to your descriptions of the history of watch companies and all the other information you provide. Your voice is so warm and comforting. Thanks for your channel.
Should also say your content is awesome. An hour of watching you work just flies by. Fascinated from beginning to end. Your skills on the bench are one thing, but you video production skills are also great. Super clear close ups, consistent visibility of what you are doing and engaging commentary with self-deprecation and humor. All these take time, patience and technical skills. Kudos!
A truly beautiful piece of engineering. Listening and watching you service watches you can see the love and passion you treat these watches with ! Great job Marshall and greetings from the uk.
You have inspired me to get into watch restoration as a hobby. I am starting out small with old watches on ebay reasonably cheap and all the tools to start with from amazon! As a 30+ year burned out IT guy, I think working with precision micro machines would be a great challenge and skill for me to learn. Plus some day I will have different and nicely restored watch to wear every day of the week! Thank you!
IT industry seems to burnout people. Guess I'll know the reason after next year. Oh god.
"As a 30+ year burned out IT guy, I think working with precision micro machines would be a great challenge and skill for me to learn."
If you think watchmaking might be something you would enjoy as a career, there is still a demand for trained watchmakers as the previous generation ages out. In America, there are watchmaking schools in Seattle, Washington; Lititz, Pennsylvania; Miami, Florida; and Fort Worth, Texas that I know of. It's a two-year full-time training process, and at the end you come out with a certificate from one of the Swiss certification agencies; SAWTA or WOSTEP. (In my case it was WOSTEP in 2002, although the school I went to -- The Watch Technology Institute at North Seattle College -- has now changed affiliations to SAWTA.)
After discovering your channel from the repair that Rolex couldn’t do of the explorer watch & her father video. I enjoy the stories attached to each watch, being so I was moved to service and replaced the battery of my inherited 2013 Seiko H023 Sportura that was owned by my step father who passed away unexpectedly in 2017 … I now wear it often because of this channel over my Apple Watch as a tribute to a great hardworking honest man who’s greatly missed by all he touched 🙏🏾
Thanks for doing the good what you do, 🤙🏾
The friend watching this: what do you mean joking?
He could be referring to a mechanical battery, aka spring.
@@saadaouikhaled9431 FYI with sweat that plastic will turn nasty. It's easier to clean metal then deal with a gross piece of sweaty plastic 🤢
😂😂😂😂👍🏻
@@talesmaschio well if you want to be pedantic a battery is a device that stores energy so a mainspring "could" be called a battery
@@philiprice7875 potebtial ebergy🤣🤣🤣🤣
You are definitely in the right place. Hearing you describing the specific thrills when things click in place and the smell of the watch.........
Recently started wearing my late grandfather's retirement Rolex. It took me a solid month to realize it too, had the protective plastic on the caseback, protecting the engraving that was done. It had been on there since the mid 80's, with him wearing it every... single... day... and yet it popped right off with zero residue. Mind-boggling!
I imagine at that point the adhesive will have failed and attracted dirt and dust, so it wasn't attached anymore. Hence no residue. If it was stuck on tightly it probably would've left a residue
@@Stettafire Yea, I donno. There wasn't a ton of crud around it, and certainly not under it. Much as the one shown here, it was a bit yellowed, and had that same diagonal line of an almost "rusty" appearance. When I finally decided to pop it off it cleaned up easily with a quick rub from a microfiber cloth. The coolest thing, though, was that the engraving had been transferred into the plastic as well. It was definitely well-affixed, just not "adhered," if that makes sense.
Very cool
It is mind boggling to see the number of movement parts which have to be assembled correctly. Marshall is self deprecating in a very professional way. Very enjoyable to watch and listen to. Thanks. GB
Always a pleasure! Thanks so much for your most educational comments and actions.
I love the title, I can’t tell you how many times people would say things to me like “it’s got a perpetual battery” or a lifetime battery or something like that and I just smile and nod and say something like “oh that’s special” because I wouldn’t have time to correct and explain to them, nor would I want to lol.
Wow - I can't believe how many different tiny parts there were there when you had that disassembled. Good effort on getting it all back together. And what a beautiful watch.
As an engineer that has built, rebuilt, and assembled instruments and machinery with waaay more parts than these watches, I continue to be utterly astounded at the quality of components and engineering. A manufacturing engineer would not last long in the field doing this caliber of work. Beyond beautiful. It is a privilege and responsibility to work with this gear. You must be annoyed at how mundane typical equipment is, by comparison. Always impressed with your videos and commentary. Thank you.
I have an early 90's steel version of this model, and I loved watching this episode, its the first time I got to see inside a GMT 2. Absolutely lovely and impressive in equal measure. Thank you!
The details, the machining, the well thought out features like the blued metal screws and the patterns on the gears to make sure they were installed correctly and the sheer number of parts made this functional art. And that case and dial are beautiful. I always thought Rolex were ostentatious show off pieces until you showed the engineering inside. I wonder how many Rolex owners bought them for the name like Gucci or actually cared about that engineering. Sadly I think most are just bought for the "I got a Rolex" status.
Not necessarily. I have an Explorer 11.
I bought it for one main reason and one nearly as important reason.
1. The engineering! (End of story!).
2. It is “rugged” type watch that LOOKS great, but not too showy!
Oh, and having partially impaired vision I can actually read the (white) face much more easily than most of the previous watches I’ve owned.
I collect watches (from a 1956 Rolex Oyster on through) … but I WEAR my Explorer 11 by choice (unless I’m doing physical work that might damage my watch).
They really ARE works of art - as shown beautifully in this fabulous video clip. Regards to all from RH Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿"
The finishing and engineering of rolexes seem to be decent but they're among the worst in the industry from a purely price/performance ratio. The fact that you can get two spring drives for one entry level Rolex (assuming youre in que) really says it all.
There are tons of other well made watches that cost a fraction of a Rolex. With RMW you basically pay the name in the dial.
Yup. Everyone just wants a dive watch now. Like do you know anything about watches
And I wonder how many think their perpetual Rolex has a battery inside!?🙄
Could you imagine giving your friend your Rolex because you trust him to check the battery and he takes the whole thing apart and does literally everything EXCEPT look at the battery.
LOL
still laughing😂
Absolutely absorbing as well as fascinating. The mind boggles as to how you remember how it all fits back together. Incredible.
It actually lets you track 3 time zones, GMT on the 24hr hand, GMT offset (Home time or maybe onward travel time) with the bezel rotated vs the 24hr hand and also local time on the regular hour hand.
But if the hand and pointer is static, how is a tracking anything at all?
@@pippipster6767 hours offset in respect to the two other time zones.
But what about places that are 30 minutes or 45 minutes from the standard time zone. India, parts of Australia, and others.
@@charlesgantz5865 it can't do that for you. You'll have to do the extra mental math.
The Chevy Colorado transmission (back in the day) had a part in it for setting the load on a bearing, and it was designed by Rolex. The special tool for setting/removing it was very similar to the tool you used for the oyster case back
Is this true or is it a myth? I can't find ANYTHING on Google with the terms "Rolex" and Chevrolet Colorado" or any combination of those two words.
a slight clarification... Rolex is a for profit company that is entirely owned by a non profit charity the Wilsdorf Foundation... it may seem like semantics but it really isn't
Thank you!
Wow that’s very interesting. Seems so weird to have that set up. What does parent company do with the profits then?
It’s semantics. It’s operated as an organization concerned about image and standing vs. profit.
@@slimjimmyrygbI work for a company that’s owned by a foundation. Of course they put money away for investments etc. They support museums, arts, youth projects, universities etc.
Listen to Nico Leonard. He explains Rolex as well.
Absolutely beautiful work! You are a very skilled watchmaker, videographer, and watch instructor! This is by far the best instructional video on YT for this particular Rolex. I have the same model watch which I purchased new in Europe in the summer of 2000. It's always useful to know what is going on inside your watch. Thank you for your significant effort to put this together. There is nothing more frustrating than to see a video of a disassembly, but they never take the time to REASSEMBLE the watch as well in the same video. The job is half done. You must have a significant mind to remember which screws go in where, and the same with the various parts--with the proper orientation! I should send you mine which, as I stated, is the exact same model. Dual tone, SS and 18KT gold GMT II. Circa 2000.
As an engineer minded person, I find your work fascinating and truly astounding.
I normally watch your videos to relax but that "born to fly" yoke spring comment had me chuckling for hours. I currently have a few living SOMEWHERE in my office.
Thank you.
It has been incredibly inspiring watching you work your way up from vintage ebay watches and old omegas to some crazy expensive and valuable watches. Watching your tool collection grow as your skill set broadens. I want to get this good. Been watching since you first started. Keep up the good work man.
😀 becoming a running joke
Marshall saying "i have a tool for that"
I have a query, your name has mtg un it and he has an mtg playmat. Did Marshall play mtg at all?
@@xxPenjoxx Marshall is a well known Magic tournament commentator and podcaster. Search for “Limited Resources Podcast” to see some of his work.
its cool to watch a pro artist doing something so complicated yet making it look easy., This is not his first watch nor his 50th, excellent commentary and documentaty on how to service a Rolex or a luxury watch. Awsome.
I don’t think I’ll ever be interested enough to service watches myself, but it definitely helps me appreciate the care put into a service
I am always amazed you can remember where things go back where they belong. I suppose it comes with experience, but for me, I would be putting each part in a logical order. But then when you put them all in that screened container for cleaning I pull my hair out (what's left of it, lol) and scream, NOOOOOO, cuz now I dont know what order each part goes back.
Then you alwasy have a once over of all the tiny parts after cleaning, and I have no clue what screw or part goes where, meaning, where do I start to put it all back together. There is no question I would be making a video of the disassembly as I would need it for the assembly. I would be pausing and rewinding and watching the video in slow motion to figure out what piece to start with and where it goes. I imagine it would take me several 8 hour days to put it all back together.
Then again, I probably would be that guy that sends your the whole disassembled mess to you via FedEx for help, like you did in a previous video. You must have a photographic memory ability that helps you know exactly where things go and when as I dont see you referring to any watch manual with an exploded view of the parts or video during the reassembly portion.
Thanks for making a very complex and complicated watch repair look so easy and effortless. Job well done!
I think he also uses the video to go back and check if he's not sure.
I was never a watch mechanic but when i was young i could remember every part and piece that was removed from a repair done on any vehicle i was working on, including a whole dashboard assembly. Today I'm lucky to have 10 things to put back together without forgetting something and redoing it. there's a skill about memorizing where things go then becoming good at what you do is easy. At 65 i leave most things to a shop.
I always thoroughly enjoy your videos. Never tire of watching them. Had a Rolex President some time back and the only regret I had about the watch was after I retired I sold it since I just about quit wearing a watch. My mistake I miss owning that watch.
Hell yeah! I needed something chill to watch before bed! Thanks marshall, you never disappoint
@@nb2vcxz Hoping you keep your hands on the sheets ;)
Brass tweezers a day keep the scratches away! Great job Marshall, and indeed a beautiful movement to work on. Keep up the positive energy!!!
If you notice, when he reassembled the watch he wasn't using the brass tweezers anymore
I think mechanic assembling watches is the most complicated job in the world. You're amazing man.
Man, you just described the level of satisfaction with working on this watch through each senses;
the click of the spring barrel and when it works, the sight of the balance wheel and second flickering to life, the smell (I get you) of it fresh off the wash, the very process of putting it back perfectly together, ...
okay, you don't actually taste it (do you?), but my god if that isn't satisfaction I won't even know what else is.
Nice one Marshall! 👍 I own a 2012 Rolex GMT Master II (the normal steel one with black dial, the green GMT pointer and the ceramic bezel) and it runs well although it has been serviced twice already after it broke down on me. I don't do anything crazy with my watch, but it would suddenly run 30-40 minutes slow and after 2-3 days it completely stopped running.
I love how the second hand sweeps across the face so smoothly…I can’t afford a fine watch like this, but one can dream…
There are inexpensive automatic watches that have a “sweep” second hand.
Technically, the watch is “ticking” at a frequency of around 28,800 ticks per hour, or 8 ticks per second. That’s what gives the smooth motion.
Yo Marshall coming though yet again. Thank you for all of the work you put in to this channel, it has been hugely inspirational for me. You are the primary reason I have gotten in to watchmaking.
I've been binging this channel. I simply love how you get so excited when you hear that main spring thud into place it really gets you every time. Best not get too Freudian on that subject :) Keep up your awesome work and thanks for letting us have a peep over your shoulder while you work.
Yeah my therapist probably would have something to say about it 😂
@@WristwatchRevival no judgement here, my friend
Wait, I don't get the innuendo.
Always blows my mind the craftmanship and ingenuity that goes into designing watch movements, just incredible...👏👏👏
let's all be appreciative of the courage it takes to dive into that watch. true bravery! also..I would think the click of the cannon pinion going back on is definitely in your top 5 moments?! also..you are near mastery at shock settings. you killed it on this one. 50 minutes of WOW. Consider taking stills of the exploded movements after cleaning. thats art in itself!
Not enough courage to take off that filthy sticker though. lmao
It’s not his watch.
The battery is recharged! 😜 I was surprised when you adjusted the rate before addressing the beat error. You got it dialed in pretty well, that's for sure though. Thanks for another fascinating video!
After a stressful and tiring day this is ASMR to me. I instantly relax watching you work and hearing you talk.
Rolex is owned by the Hans Wildorf Foundation, which has funded some high-profile projects in Switzerland. However, under Swiss law, it is not required to disclose how much of the profits of Rolex (and yes, they make more money, tax-free, than they spend) actually go to charity. Make of that what you will.
So many tiny shiny parts! I've done a handful of pocketwatches so far and I'm at that nerve-wracking stage of going to the smaller wristwatches. I have an old Gruen with a calendar wheel that just needed a service when I bought it but all those extra parts might be a bit much at the moment haha!
Wonderful craftsmanship, patience and humour. These are just one reason why I keep returning. Great video with explanations on your way. 🌟🌟🌟
Yeah the new Timex chronographs have jumping hour hands and honestly it's way too cool a feature. Changing the date when it gets off at the beginning of a month, changing time zones, changing for daylight savings time... you'd be surprised how many times a year you want to change the hour hand without affecting the minutes or seconds at all. I think it should come on more high-end watches, even ones without a GMT hand.
I love that feature on my Aqua Terra! Nothing better than getting off the plane and setting the new timezone in 2 seconds.
Nice job! One of these days you'll have to try a co-axial Omega. A little tricky removing the balance assembly, I read up on it first. I used to work on my newer Omega's. But I find with my higher end watches, I'm better off sending them off because I can't get the parts they casually replace. For example, with my GMT Omega you just move the hour hand around to set the date.. Of course there's a part that always wears out but is impossible to source.
I wonder how many people think you just change the battery on a watch and think the higher prices on these watches is only for the brand name. The amount of craftsmanship just amazes me. (As well as your skill maintaining them )
OMG! Marshall, I've now watched watch your channel so much that I'm starting to think I'M a watchmaker! 😂😂😂 Seriously though, my first thought once I saw that it was running was that the amplitude would be low. You, sir, are educating me in spite of myself!
Recently discovered your channel and Im loving how relaxing and meditative it is to watch you work! New subscriber right here 🙂
I tell you for a hobby , I'm impressed on how many tools and machines you have in order to maintenance a valuable watch
I just ordered every item from your equipment rundown video because I love what you do so much and want to do this too! My goal is to replace the crystal and ultrasonic clean the case for my Vintage Omega 10KGF bezel 36mm watch I inherited which was my great grandfathers. After that I have an old pocket watch with broken hands I want to take a go at. Thank you so much for the hours of enjoyment and calm vibes =)
I'm with you friend, leaving stickers on stuff like that doesn't protect anything if anything it collected all that dirt and is causing more damage in my opinion. Also who are you fooling? It's not new anymore lol. My buddy leaves stuff like that on and I pull it off any time I see it. He still invites me over 😆
I've got a friend that still has the protective plastic on his cars screen for the radio. It's 5 years old! I cannot go anywhere with him in that car. It drives me nuts!
What's funny is a lot of people who leave the protective stickers on forget they are there so they won't even know they are gone LOL.
Always fantastic videos and effort! This one reminds me of seeing very much the opposite happen. I was a young Airman, just starting to learn about watches and noticed my squadron commander had a Rolex DateJust. It was a gift, and he really wasn't into watches, so he was very casual about it. He'd let me handle it a few times, enough to know it was genuine. At some point it stopped working, and he brought it to me. "You're the only person I know that is into watches...what should I do?" I told him to find a real watch maker to service it. Later that day, he came back and showed me the watch. "All fixed!" He'd taken it to the "battery replacement" guy at the base exchange. I looked down, and to my horror the second hand was now "ticking." Talk about an awkward conversation to have with your commanding officer........
Freaking amazing how you remember all the parts for re-assembly. Heart attack stuff for me.
Great stuff man, as someone who dreams about becoming a watchmaker(or atleast someone who can do basic stuff on mechanical watches) one day, this stuff is just so amazing. 50 mins went by lightning fast, ive fallen into a trans admiring your skills. Pure meditation , thank you.
Amazing work, people don't realise the complexity of watches, and the workmanship involved, keep up the great work👍
I just found your channel and am amazed by what you do and how well you do it. Thank you
When you started working on watches, how long did it take before you became comfortable with the repair process? I can’t imagine remembering where everything goes even with pictures of everything
It becomes a lot easier when you know the purpose of everything and the relation to each other. You section down the watch and it's suddenly not a million tiny pieces anymore, rather many groups of pieces. If you watch a video on how a mechanical watch works, you'll find that all these tiny cogs gain a distinct meaning and you'll start to know where they go
I love your videos. Absolutely wonderfully done. Just a quick correction: Rolex is a private company. It is not a non- profit company. It is a very profitable company. And rightly so. Great product. Outstanding marketing. Great brand.
Question: How do you recognize, which screw goes where? Even though I can differentiate the gears, most of the screws look the same to me. Do you have a trick for that?
I remember when Rolexes cost a few hundred dollars. My first one was a 1955 Air King which I bought used for $75 c.1970. I think the new price then was well under $200. They are good watches, but the prices today are absolutely outrageous... I wouldn't pay a fraction of that for a watch today.
Rolex are a luxury watch today but at one time they were worn by regular people who were looking for a reliable time piece at an affordable price.
Yeah, I bought a 1940s stainless steel Rolex in 1980 for $300... wish I still had it!!
I mean, a house was also like 12$ at the time. Rolex prices were probably fairly in line up until about 15 years ago. My friend picked up a no date Sub at an AD for like 3 grand. they actually had trouble moving it.
Even if you can afford a Rolex, that is no guarantee of getting one. They have “wait lists” with their authorized dealers, and you practically have to build a relationship with the dealer by buying other items just to get on the wait list. It’s all designed to keep the illusion of exclusivity by limiting the supply to drive the price up.
The prices are truly ridiculous, because Rolex watches are really not luxurious at all.
I mean, a steel Rolex with a movement that is only "very good" will set you back a similar amount as another brand's watch made out of precious metals and built with crazy attention to detail.
And what I find even more ridiculous is that you can find Breguet watches from the late 18th and early 19th century for less than some mass produced Rolex from the 1950s. Wtf???!!!
Being in auto mechanical repair and loving machines and watches I'm just blown away with the tool control you have and patience smooth sailing Capt.
Wow, what a novice watchmaker...Couldn't even find the battery! haha! Love these videos, thanks for the endless entertainment, Marshall.
01:20 technically it lets you track 3 time zones at once. one on the regular hour hand, one on the auxiliary hand and a third by rotating the bezel. 🤔🤷
That's not how it's designed really
@@WristwatchRevival well that's why the bezel rotates. As opposed to an Explorer ll which has a fixed bezel.
If Rolex is "the best" at something, it's marketing. There is no better marketed watch brand in the world than Rolex.
Love your work, Marshall 👍
It has to be cheap watch. They even did not include the battery!
The plastic tells me that he really meant "check the battery".
Absolutely blown away by the philanthropy of Rolex. I wish more companies were like this.
it‘s a tax evasion tactic
@@giacomocasanova2893 so why doesn't everyone run not for profit companies if the tax evasion model is more successful than a profit based model?
@@beetsar i was misinformed. in Austria, where i‘m from, stiftungen can have the family as sole benefactors without tax. the money is secure and can‘t be accessed even in the case of bankruptcy etc.
In Switzerland, this is not possible. Stiftung Wilsdorf is in fact solely a philantropic entity. amazing!
Marshall, love the content! Gotta be "that guy" though. Rolex never* made wristwatches out of silver. This particular watch is made of 904L stainless steel or "oystersteel". With all silver-looking watches that Rolex produced they are either steel, white gold alloy, or platinum.
*to my knowledge rolex never used silver after they started to produce their own cases.
They did sell silver cased watches in their early days, also Tudor makes a BB58 in a silver alloy, if that counts
I think he meant "silver coloured".
I specifically meant wristwatches. Pocket watch cases were made of silver and stamped W&D but we’re made by someone else
Silver and gold are colors as well as materials. I know it's made of 904L steel.
It makes me sad that people think a Rolex GMT master-II worth around 10k actually operates using quartz.
Technically speaking, a quartz watch keeps more accurate time.
Absolutely incredible. To see the mechanical workings of one of history's beautiful time pieces. Demonstrated at the hands of a true craftsman. Makes me so proud to see the necessity of the craftsperson's need in our society. From time pieces to tunnel makers and all in between. God bless the Apprentice, our future.
Thank you
Peace from Texas
A ‘non profit’ and a privately owned company are NOT the same thing.
So is this the level of craftsmanship that goes into a Rolex when it gets sent in for service?? That's insane!!
Despite watches like Rolex not being the most beautiful watches (imho) it's when you see the insides that I can appreciate the mechanisms and craft in them that really appeals to me.
Thank you for making these videos 😁
I have always found them aesthetically unattractive. Their design aesthetic is aggressively “classic Rolex” to such a degree that I find it boring and somehow, over adorned. Not only are they the most counterfeited watches in the world because of their stellar reputation for quality, but I believe their particular design also leaves them open to, and a good target for counterfeiters.
I want a Rolex, I've never seen anything created so beautifully with deep precision. It's like looking inside a diamond. Thanks for a great upload.
Came accross this channel. There's something very relaxing (as well as facinating) watching watches being disassembled and reassembled. Watches are my geek! have a few CWC autos. Thanks for sharing Marshall.
I wish my Dad was alive so he could watch your videos.
He loved anything mechanical, from Dirt bikes to guns...and he adored watches.
It's so relaxing and fun to watch you work (pun intended)
Good grief, the number of moving parts inside this thing is crazy. So impressive to see somebody calmly and confidently taking the whole damned thing apart, just to clean it, oil it and put it all back together. Awesome.