Ok, so I am completely uninterested in watches, and yet I sat here glued to the screen for one hour. Amazing work, and a really beautiful watch.

I’m amazed that this guy says he is an amateur watch restorer & after being hypnotised for an hour seeing his work he’s gotta be a highly trained professional at least. I would be more than happy to have him work on any of my watches & he must have a line of people awaiting his services. Great watch, amazing work, & where did the last hour go?? Totally engulfed in the video, to see how intricate this type of work is n seeing the minute amounts of oil used for example is awe-inspiring as an example. This man is no amateur, he is the finest craftsman & seeing his work & just how he used a high powered microscope to rid the smallest of watch parts of rust & staining is seeing a true professional at work. I’m subbed up & look forward to watching my next video. Thanks from across the pond in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿.

I find it endlessly fascinating watching things being assembled, disassembled, cleaned, repaired, whether it's internal combustion engines, toys, heavy metal parts for bulldozers, computer equipment, or delicate watches. What makes them more enjoyable is when people can communicate what they're doing, why they're doing it, and what makes it satisfying for them - relating their own passion for the work. Years ago I'd have assumed a video like this would be like watching grass grow, but now I find it expands my own knowledge and interests.

I came to watch after hearing about this on Limited Resources, and man, you hooked me for the whole hour. Really relaxing and satisfying to see you pull everything apart and then watch it come back together better than before. You are a real Renaissance man, Marshall!

You sir, are a great teacher. I’m finding your videos educational, entertaining, and calming. This is some of the best KZfaq has to offer. New subscriber here, looking forward to more!

Marshall is a good example of the more you know about a thing the more you realise there is to learn about that thing so he still calls himself an amateur repair person but from the perspective of producing videos of those repairs that are entertaining to people not in the industry who might have never tried it themselves is where his brilliance really shines through

I thought I had watched all your videos and here I missed this one. You are a huge part on why I am getting into this hobby so thank you.

56 yrs.old, And I don’t even own a watch, But damn have you changed that! You are a true master! And I thought engine building took a meticulous touch! Nicely done!

I love the way you explain everything you are doing at that time, that makes it easy for me to memorise the names of the parts aswell. Good work👍😄

I love how patient he is. I love how careful he is without being precious about it. It doesn’t feel condescending when he reminds me to be careful, because he is already showing me how to be careful.

You are the undisputed Bob Ross of wristwatch restoration!

I've been cleaning and restoring my late grandfather's Girard-Perregaux watches while watching your videos, and like you say, yes, it means so much having his watches and caring for them and keeping his memory alive, and I love that I can wear them. It's extraordinary, truly remarkable, when you start to take apart an old mechanical watch, to think how it was originally designed and the mind of one who could do so... truly amazing. It's art. The art of capturing time...

Marshall, to me you are a prince among men. You have such a gentle spirit and humble attitude. I think you will continue to grow and excel at the craft as you progress because you are so malleable and willing to learn. I like your narration more than anything else since to teach and continue to reveal how honest and open you are about your concerns with issues with the movement and maybe your own perceived limits. But I think your knowledge is much better and more extensive than you understand it to be! I am happy to be subscribed and learn from you as well as enjoy your very pleasant and through narrations. God Speed to you my friend. Please keep them coming!

Never thought about it before and once I watched him go through a few watches I was addicted! Truely amazing how interictal a watch is, and the way he narrates the whole process is engaging and kept me interested.

Masterfully done Marshall! I have been watching your channel for a while now. You had me on the first episode! Your skill, your nice voice and the lengths you go to achieve the absolutely complete restoration of these watches, sir, is breathtaking! But with this episode you can no longer be considered an amateur. You, Sir, are a Master Watchmaker! The work you did on those rusted parts and the end results! Amazing!!! You are a Master! You have a fan for life! Take care till next time!

I started watching completely by accident. KZfaq was on and running in the background as I was doing household chores. One of your episodes came on and after walking past the TV a few times I got hooked. I have always been drawn to mechanical things. Lawnmower, tools, car restore type stuff. But the wrist watch cleaning and restore is by far a new level of fine mechanical work. I would love to try my hand at a watch someday but not just yet and not on a watch that had sentimental value. The most important thing I have taken away is knowing how to talk with the jeweler I told my grandmothers brooch watch to for cleaning and repair. That little bit of knowledge I am sure saved me money. I will be making a donation to your page. Thank you. Oh and you have the hands of a surgeon.

Please continue doing what you're doing, I am trying to become a watchmaker myself and your videos serve as a massive inspiration, so thank you.

My grandfather had that same watch, I always loved it as a kid and wish I knew where it went when my grandmother passed. Another excellent video. Thank you.

Citric acid removes rust quite well! 👍 Years ago I owned a watch parts cleaner and was told by an old watchmaker to use white spirit as cleaning solution, I tried it on old parts and it actually removed the rust off an old top plate!! Great video by the way!! 😎😎

At this point, one year ago, this was the most expensive watch he'd worked on ~$5k. He just posted a video today fixing a ~$60k Rolex that Rolex itself refused to service. Quite the growth in a year!

This whole journey was amazing. It makes me really happy you were able to snag a rare old watch that you’ve been chasing for a while. Very satisfying to watch it come back to life, and informative as well. : )

I'm blown away with how cool this is

Of all the restos i watched, this is the coolest one yet.

how'd I wind up watching this for a full ass hour? Love it.

When I first came across this video, I thought to myself that an hour long video was gonna be too long. I was dead wrong!! the hour flew by, very well made, good narrative, informative too. sharing this journey with you was just great... thank you.

I’m addicted to your videos. Your enthusiasm, and energy, and accuracy, and knowledge, and countless other descriptive words, is brilliant. Preservation over replacement seems to be your motivation, which is really what we should do more of in this world. Excuse the pun, but time just smoothly ebbs away while watching them, and they’ve subtly helped me tolerate a period of almost unbearable illness. Thank you so much! Kind regards from the UK

Your every comment on A&F heritage resonates. Rugged adventuresome spirit embodied in a gentleman's timepiece.

This is excellent... I love the way there is a moment of stillness just after a bit pings off into infinity!!

I like this guys restoration style of leaving a case in polished etc. Neat to see

I love your videos! They’re super informative and super interesting; keep up the good work! I have a few thoughts on rust removal. I don’t speak as an expert on watches, or rust removal but rather as someone who has spent a fair share of time trying to reduce the amount of effort I have to invest in rust removal for my own projects. 1. I would recommend that you do not mix the vinegar and baking soda as it defeats the benefit both bring to the “table”. 1.1 Baking soda is used as a very light abrasive and you’ll often find it used for sand blasting operations (or more accurately soda blasting) where great care must be taken to remove the offending material without damaging the base material. 1.2 Vinegar, as another poster said, is acetic acid (approx 5%) and on its own it will remove rust. It’s worth noting, that it will also begin to eat the base material if left unattended for extended periods of time. This shouldn’t really be an issue you’d need to worry about but it’s something to keep in mind. 1.3 When vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda are mixed, they undergo a chemical reaction forming sodium acetate, water and carbon dioxide. As I said above, the abrasive quality from the baking soda and the rust removing ability of the vinegar are both (for all intents and purposes) eliminated once they’re mixed. Seeing the bubbles tricks people into believing progress is being made but really, it’s just limiting the abilities of both materials. 2. Some of the parts you’re working on are horribly pitted. Were the components proportionally scaled up to what I am used to working on (woodworking hand tools) I would likely consider them unsalvageable. That being said, what I work with is not nearly as rare as why you work with so maybe this kind of damage isn’t as detrimental. 2.1 If possible, you should really try and replace the pitted parts. The coarseness of pitting provides more nucleation sites for the rust to begin again. You may have noticed that polished metal oxidizes less than unpolished/more coarse textured metal. The coarseness of the pitting will give rust a foothold in the future. Until you can replace the parts, you may want to store it in a closed container with a desiccant (think those little paper packages of beads that come in new shoe boxes). You can even buy desiccant that has colored indicator beads so you know when it needs to be replaced or refreshed. Once again, I’m not an expert, just a guy tired of suffering from a humid climate and wanting to save someone else some pain. I posted this video (link below) on reddit, not too long ago, and while some of these processes will be way too harsh for watch components, some of them might just be gentle enough to work. It may be worth gathering some “scrap” parts and testing to see which processes cause damage and which don’t. I’m happy to answer any questions I can or provide you resources for any I can’t! Again, keep up the good work! I look forward to your next video!! www.reddit.com/r/handtools/comments/hgqax2/if_anyone_would_appreciate_this_video_itd_be_you/?

Those videos remember me of my father, he used to work for Certina, while his Girlfriend was working for Eterna, they collected rubies and parts of watches and made some custom watches and sold them in Italy. We all used to live in that Area (I still do until Today) where all those watches come from. Grenchen most famously for the Swatch while the clockwork Company ETA is also famous for doing clockworks for many other Watch Brands, but also Breitling does have his Fabric there, Biel famous for Rolex and Tag Heuer. I grew up with watch parts I even played with those rubies 😂, my dad wasn't too amused. I'm hooked to your Videos really enjoy them.

Well, your voice put my wife right to sleep. Last words were “he has a calming voice.” Love the videos!

Beautiful watch, I didn't know about it. Thanks for the oil part, very useful. I agree with your restoration approach. You don't modify an antique except when you have real damage. But not with just patina. I feel bad when I see repainted dials that were just patinated. Jewels lost forever. Trendy vintage watches are the primary victims, I think. Those Omega pie pan, for example. Everybody wants to have a vintage pie pan, even when they actually don't like vintage appearance. I think I have seen as much (badly) repainted ones as all original ones. It's an irreparable loss.

that crystal installation technique is mind-blowing to me.

I remember going to Abercrombie and Fitch in New York back in the ‘80s. It was the real deal, back then, before it was bought by whoever… McDonald’s, probably. I used to crave going there because of the memorabilia on the walls, showing their history as a legit outfitter for the century prior. Such a cool place. No perfume, either.

As a hobbyist of sorts with a number of things, I now believe i have spent far too many years not giving a good watch the admiration or appreciation they deserve. At least until i stumbled across this channel. I'm hooked! Absolutely great content!

Loved the video. My favorite part is when you put the watch back on the machine that measures the amplitude. I’m always curious to see how much it improves. Thanks for making this.

That is a good looking watch, love everything about it, the dial and the size are just perfect and such a great conversation piece. I find these vintage timepieces so much more attractive than the huge monster watches that still seem to be the fashion today.

Absolutely love watching watches. The workmanship blows my mind. Thanks so much for taking me to my happy place Marshall.

Watching you put in a main spring is probably my favorite part of the videos you make. There's something ultimately satisfying to the "think" noise it makes when you seat it, and I just can't get enough of that! Much to my wife's chagrin I've gone on eBay and have been slowly acquiring the tools I need to give this a shot as a hobby. The main goal is to gain enough experience with it that I feel comfortable restoring a watch that belonged to my Papa that was passed to me. It's in desperate need of a service, but I would absolutely die if anything happens to it. But I guess it's like they say, practice makes perfect! I hope😅

I would have definitely removed the rust from the hands too. It just makes it blatantly obvious that there's potential water damage underlying. Other than that, nice work!

that watch is realy beautifull after you treating it with a bit of love.

Thank you for your videos. I am busy working on clocks and pocket watches at night. It is great to have you there to keep me company. Your manner and voice are like a good friend. Best Wishes to you always. 🙋🏼‍♂️

You make it look easy, Marshall. And one finds out rather quickly, it is not. But your videos are inspirational and incredibly substantive with respect to what the machinery actually does. Really a contemplative joy! Thanks!

I’m loving your vids, you do a wonderful job and it’s so nice to see a crisp clear image all the way through, very professional and your commentary is top notch , keep doing more , fabulous 👍😎

Just checked Ebay, and ther only one I could find was $8,000, but looked more like your post-service watch. Good catch.

Great job on a really interesting watch. I love that there was a watch made for fishermen and naturalists that kept track of tides. Nice band choice, the finished watch is gorgeous!

Wow, I can see why this was your grail. It’s a stunner! I’m so glad you were able to find it and restore it so beautifully!

Another nice video. Well done with the seconds pivot. I've noticed in Mark's videos, he uses WD-40 rust remover and a very soft paint brush. I did like the vinegar/ baking powder trick as well. Well done.

You want to be soaking rusty parts in EVAPO-RUST. It really does work and stops future rust. Even with no visible rust on your parts, there is still rust and if moisture (even humidity) becomes present, they will start to rust again.

The thing I love about these videos is that they are just as timeless as the watches themselves. No matter 4 years ago or posted just yesterday the watch and the piece Marshall is working on is almost the same idea.

Yes, I too have been mesmerized by this very eloquent watch restorer. Thanks so much!

do you use a demagnetizer for the watches?

Tides are ( mostly ) the effect of the moon's gravity pull on Earth, so that's quite smart.

Ok, i went to my local pawn shop to look for a pocket watch to work on, found a 100 yr old Hamilton open face that is working, told the guy at the pawn shop about your videos and he gave it to me and said bring it back when i get through working on it. Thanks for the inspiration and wish me luck.

Hey Marshall, I know this is an older video, and you might not see this comment, but I have an easier solution for rust removal. You get some Evaporust, pour some in a jar, toss your rusty parts in, wait 24 hours, and you're done! This stuff will literally dissolve the rust off any steel and doesn't have any effect on chrome, brass, bronze, gems, or any other substance, leaving you with no work to do other than run it through some cleaner afterwards. It's eco-friendly too, meaning you can dump it down the drain and wash away residue with water. I highly recommend you give it a try. You'll be amazed at how effortless it is to remove rust. Just a tip for a guy that's been trying to rid machines of rust since...forever.

I’ve always been into watches and clocks, but never really dove into the mechanics. Your videos are great for learning the ins and outs and also have great entertainment value. Cool that you still get excited when the balance gets dropped in and he movement comes to life. Hope you continue with your passion and hope to see more videos. I have a question about what type of crystal press you use. I could only see two letters of the brand name. Is it Rover, Rober, Roper??? I haven’t found a single one on line. Just curious. Thanks.

I wonder, could Evaporust (effectively helates) could be used to remove rust from such sensitive parts? Helates "eat" clean metals, but very very slowly

Apparently some people have had luck with Evapo-rust for rust removal, due to it being non-corrosive (unlike vinegar). And it removes only the rust by a process called chelation and doesn't touch the good underlying metal. Saves a lot of scrubbing and great for more fragile parts. I plan to try this on some old rusty movements I brought for practice (I can confirm it works well on car parts!). I should add that I find your videos fascinating, relaxing and very informative - keep up the good work!

You have inspired me to start building these skills so I can do at least minor servicing and adjustments on my many watches without always having to run down to the jeweler's and leave it for several weeks.

You've set the world's record for most commercials on a KZfaq video.

"This watch costs 5-7k usually" "I've been wearing it everyday" Yikes, bigger balls than I have pal lol

Now that is what I call a gorgeous watch!!! I love watches. in fact when I graduated from high school the only thing I wanted was a watch. My dad surprised me with a Bulova and I was in heaven :-) That was in 1956. I love watching you bring them to life and your excitement is infectious. Thanks so much for including us!!

Another watch you have brought back to life that tells much more than the time. Looking at it speaks of an era that has gone by... You have brought it back to a new era, that everyone can enjoy. Thank You. 6/21/22.

Great video as always, and beautiful timepiece. But do you know how dangerous was for you to work on this? The radium paint decays, but remains radioactive, and you were exposed to radium dust. Be careful with luminous pre-1960s watches. It’s not like wearing the watch will give you cancer, but working on it/opening it might release radium dust, as I’ve said. The watch might emanate some radon gas too, but if it’s post 1920s and not military, as this is, the radium amount used in the paint is smaller, so the radon forming is probably safe.

omg I'm in love with that watch too! especially as a fisherman myself. what an incredible time piece! well done - and this was my first time ever seeing the inside of a watch - thank you for the informative video. cheers

Wow! Just discovered this video! I have a 1953 Tag Heuer Solunar inherited from my father, and it was fascinating to "watch" you dismantle and put it back together. I now know so much more about this unusual watch. Amazing, and thanks!

That hour felt like 15 minutes! Your channel is one of my favorite go to destress tactics. Thank you!!!

My late father was an expert in clock repair. He never worked on watches, but I think he would have liked to. This is one of your best videos IMHO. Beautiful watch, great job.

There are all kinds of meditation out there.. Watching Marshall perform his magic, is the best meditation there is. 😊

You looked and sounded very nervous when you were taking the watch apart! I don't blame you! Glad it turned out so well!

I don’t understand how something that is so “fiddly” and, I would think, nerve-wracking, can be so calming? I so enjoy your willingness to be human. Yup, mistakes are part of it. Really enjoy your channel!!

What fun! I love seeing a once glorious little watch brought back to it's former glory. Well done, sir! Just gorgeous and a dial that has endless character. The strap you chose looks like the one it really needed and deserved. It finished it off perfectly!

I’ve watched quite a bit of your videos, and this one I figured out how things are working. I didn’t realize that tube was hollow which allows 2 to 3 shafts to come through and operate the different hands. It finally clicked of what was going on.

As person in his 70's, I grew up reading American sporting magazines like Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield in the 1950's and 60's. Editors and columnists extolled Solunar tables as the magic answer to angling success, and the tables are still believed by many to control feeding behaviour in fish - credited for angling success and invoked as an excuse for going home skunked. Regardless of the veracity of those claims, this watch is a lovely arc back to those (perhaps more innocent) days and to the artwork in ads such as those you showed in this video It also reminds us of the the time when Abercrombie & Fitch were major players in outfitting for field sports, where adventurers from New York City could buy the best tackle and gear for their expeditions up here to the wilds of Canada . I love the lettering, design and colours of the face of this watch. I can certainly see what you appreciate about it. It really is a time capsule (unintentional pun) from the mid-twentieth century and a unique and functional treasure.

Thank you so much for sharing your repairs on KZfaq. I am completely addicted to watching you work your magic on the beautiful old pieces.

Amazing! So satisfying to see such a beautiful object brought back to life.

I loved this video! Just the appreciation and care you have for this watch made it a lot more interesting. So happy that you’re happy with it.

Your ambidexterity at this tiny scale is amazing

Awesome. For a self professed amateur you do better than some so called professional watchmakers I've seen... Modern watch repair through chain jewelry shops is often godawful, but that's another topic... I've never seen one of these *Solunars* in person either, and I love it even though more "conventional" moon phase watches are my passion. Also interesting to see a Valjoux 90 that _isn't_ a standard moon phase/triple-calendar. I don't think I've ever had a 90 on my bench that wasn't a triple-calendar actually. You're also absolutely right, dial refinishing is no-go and will instantly kill the value: The only time you want to refinish is if it's so bad as to be illegible. Clean them by all means, dials get dirty too, but actual repainting and reluming is another thing. Replacing the crystal is fine, they're intended to be replaced as part of normal service. I prefer to polish the old acrylics when possible, but if they're cracked; or in the case of the really early celluloid ones, darkened & cloudy, a replacement is no problem and doesn't hurt value at all. There are still companies or were, as of the 1990s that make similar pieces intended for fishing, although they're all quartz. Krieger and their "Tidal Chronometer" come to mind as the modern archetypal example. There were a tiny handful of other very interesting Tidal-Lunar watches in the '80s and '90s though: These were produced by multiple makers including Heuer, but branded and retailed by companies like Field & Stream, Orvis, etc. Instead of the usual simple "two lobe" moon phase, these had what I like to call sophisticated moon phase movements eg; modified ETA quartz calibers showing moon rise & set, position, age, shape, day & night -- plus specific tidal indicators on some. I have in my collection an extremely rare Orvis "Solunagraph" c1988 (which I believe was meant as a sort of spiritual successor), with the sophisticated moon phase movement. If you're interested I'll dig it out and post the model and caliber info etc, but it IS only a quartz... The crown tube thing by the way is either bakelite, hard rubber or gutta percha, depending on the maker for this era. Bakelite and hard rubber are non-reactive, non-conductive, non-corrosive, very slightly springy to form a seal; and hard rubber can be heat formed. If they get warped or compressed a dunk for ~20 seconds in boiling water will return them to their original shape and/or allow you to mold or reshape them within reasonable limits.

You did this without any of the words I learned in the navy to help fix things, I'm more than impressed

There are quite a few watch repair channels now on YT, but I find myself really drawn back to this one all the time. You have a really good, relaxed style of presentation - easy to watch and listen to, informative and very entertaining. And the production quality of the videos is very good as well, with clear shots of what you are doing. You make it look so easy and we all know that it isn't. Thanks for posting.

I love watching these videos. I have a Citizen Elegance from the late 1980's that I adore and Marshall has taught me that I desperately need it to be serviced. Thanks so much, Marshall, for teaching me about my much loved watch and how to take care of it properly.

Beautiful watch! As a guy that LOVES fishing with my father in law, this would be an awesome watch ❤️

Deary me... One of my favourite watches of all time. So, so jealous.

I love this era of Heuer watches. My ref. 1806 from 1950 is a personal favorite. Great video.

I like the way he names the parts. Then I don’t get too confused, and I keep following

Love your positve attitude and the joy when things work out! It relaxes me to watch, even not knowing the next thing about watches!

THIS CAN'T BE HEALTHY, IM ADDICTED TO YOUR VIDEOS I'VE WATCHED😉😉 YOUR VIDEOS FOR 2 HOURS TODAY! Btw love your content it really is inspiring u really do have a lot of knowledge that i could only dream of...

Idk why but this has peaked my interest. I wouldn’t buy a watch but the inner workings of it is like a miracle

This is arguably one of the best watch repair videos in all of KZfaq.

You can definitely see how hes progressed from then and now,and hes got more stuff.{2022}

I'm not a watch guy but always appreciate them.. The nicest watch I own is a citizen eco drive haha. For some reason I can't stop watching these videos. I find it very relaxing.

I've been watching your older videos and this watch really transformed back into it's former glory. Really beautiful watch

Watched a few of your videos now (most enjoyable), this one was my favourite so far. i love the fact that you are a perfectionistand and the sheer enjoyment when you put the mainspring back in, I get excited too when the watch comes alive. Great workmanship.

Seen 80% of his videos and I just love them! And his voice 🫠♥️

New patron here, Marshall. I love these videos. They’re not only educational, but it is fun to hear your enthusiasm and good nature. I’ve always loved mechanical tasks and tools but never thought I could really service a watch. Since watching your channel however, I’ve turned several old watches into small piles of wheels and screws. But the journey is great. Thanks.

That's beautiful. Plus it's something no one else has. Definitely a keepsake. Excellent work. I've learned a lot on your channel. But i don't repair them. It's just nice to know how a watch works. Even more amazing is the technology that existed for these small works in the 40s. I would never have guessed. Thank you.

Excellent video. Fabulous photography. Congratulations on the watch. Thank you for sharing the enterprise.

Great video! I love these old Abercrombie watches. I hope you stumble across more as time goes on! 👏🏾