My uncle sent me his solid gold Vacheron Constantin for a simple service, but when I opened the case back, I found a nightmare: a $5 quartz movement glued inside a $10,000 masterpiece. In this video, I perform a complete vintage watch restoration to undo this crime.
Watch as I remove the cheap plastic guts, source a correct period mechanical movement, and face a laundry list of technical battles—from fabricating a custom winding stem on the lathe to correcting side shake in the mainplate. This isn't just watch repair; it's a rescue mission to return the heart to a piece of family history.
Support The Watchmaker Studio:
Get access to my 3D print files, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and early video access.
Featured in this Video:
The cleaning machine shown is the open-source Uberkiwi project (Kickstarter). While I cannot distribute those files, my custom tool holders and other items are available on my Patreon.
Timestamps:
0:00 The $5 Nightmare
2:54 Replacement Movement
3:54 Disassembly
8:30 Movement cleaning
9:40 Uberkiwi Automatic Watch Cleaner
10:19 Reassembly of Mainspring Barrel
11:00 Fix: Barrel Bridge Side Shake Reduction
12:35 Fix: Center Wheel Side Shake reduction
14:26 Reassembly of Watch Movement
19:45 Fix: Broken Clutch Wheel
24:18 Fix: Center Wheel End Shake
25:56 Beat Error Correction
26:27 Timegrapher Results
26:45 Fix: Hour Wheel Too Tight
27:57 Fix: Hour Hand Too Loose
28: 50 Hand Polishing and Plating
30:35 Case Polishing
31:09 Crystal Installation
32:01 Fix: Making a New Winding Stem on the Lathe
34:08 Dial and Hands Installation
36:01 Final Casing
37:15 Before and After Goodness!
About The Channel:
Welcome to The Watchmaker Studio. I’m Les, and I love watch restoration and bringing broken history back to life. I document the full process of hunting down neglected mechanical watches and fixing them—restoring history one tick at a time.
#WatchRestoration #VacheronConstantin #Watchmaking #TheWatchmakerStudio #VintageWatches