Watch Repair/Battery Replacement Kits

I think for the basic needs of changing and adjusting bracelets and changing batteries almost any of the „cheap Chinese kits“ will do the job. It all depends on how often you work with the tools als the cheaper ones wear out quicker. More expensive tools tend to last way longer. I think to get started and for working with it occasionally a basic kit like the one on your picture should do the trick 👍🏻

Excellent! Thank you Matzi!

I've got one of those Chinese kits, looks almost identical to theat one, agree with Matziiii above that it's only really any good for changing straps, the rest of it is cheap crap and a bit meh! Would probably work for most things in a pinch but likely to break quite quickly.

Yep, same as the rest here. Bought the kit for basic needs. I’ve sized bracelets, regulated a few auto movements & replaced my fair share of batteries. It’s worked fine for those.

The one I have was maybe $25 and is fine. Cheap spring bar tools are somewhat expendable so you might want to get a better replacement of that first. If anything wears out or proves otherwise unsatisfactory, you can replace that one item as needed.

If a better case knife, case back tool, and spring bar tool fit the budget, the rest of the stuff is of questionable use, less the workholding vice. I have no idea what the little hammer is for.

Bergen tools Ive heard Teddy on his channel swear by them , anyone got experience with this brand ?

Yeah, they are pretty much the best you can buy for watchmaking. Swiss made watch tools since 17 something.

Thanks 🙏

Thanks Rich.

Yes, if it’s basics, why spend several pennies….

Thanks Oscar.

Yes, I ought “get over the cheapness” thing I think!

It's IMHO more important to have the right tool for a specific case. Some work well with a narrow push tool, others need something that looks like a tiny crow bar, you have the Rolex style backs that need specific sockets, or many Chinese watches that use a type of wrench.

The basic toolset in the initial post is decent, not great, for many screw in case backs.

I have no idea what the little hammer is for.

I used it with a punch to drive out pins, usually with a wide bracelet after the push tool reached its limit.

Otherwise, no idea ...😉

That blue tool for resizing bracelets has a pin that is very easily bent. I basically destroyed that the first time I used it. I ended up using the hammer together with one of those pin-with-handle thingies to remove push-pins.

Generally, the cheap set is OK to get started, e.g. you get a set of springbars which is handy. See how you get on with these and then upgrade the tools that you are unhappy with. The bracelet resizer is probably the weakest spot here. I say "probably" as I rarely bother with bracelets anyway.

The watch knife you get with these is adequate, as are the springbar tools (though when using this with expensive watches where you really want to avoid scratching the lugs then...), though quite a few watches or watchbands come with free ones anyway that are sometimes better than the ones in the kit.

Bergeon. (Bergen is a city in Norway)

No personal experience, but I noticed that the watchmakers on youtube stick to them too. Teddy deals in expensive watches, and one accidental scratch avoided on an expensive watch buys the tool.

But if you use them to switch the bands on your Lorus collection...

And in The Netherlands.

I use it the tap pins flush into their holes after resizing my bracelets.

I got a cheap kit off Amazon and it works great for my basic needs. Even came with extra spring bars etc when I needed them. I say start with that and go from there. Add to it later if you find you need more tools to do more complex jobs.

They are top quality tools. They are so much better than chinese tools from amazon and co., that you will never use anything else again. If you got 2-3 favorite tools i highly recomend to buy them from Bergeon. It is worth it, because you will use them for many years or even the rest of your life.

I started with this kit which is fine for most case-backs if you take your time, and bracelet resizing if you watch the pin carefully. I'm not a fan of the knife. I have used the movement holder, it's just about good enough.

I've added a rubber ball, set of screwdrivers, set of tweezers, rubber tipped tweezers, loctite blue 242 threadlocker, rodico, watch dial protector, polywatch, GS hypo cement, casing cushion, air puffer.

I have various bergeon individual tools and I also have a Chinese kit, all very usable and serviceable. The Chinese kit should do you just fine 👍🏻

Buy the best tools you can afford for the job you are doing. Over time you will have a quality set of tools. Buy once. Cry once.

Yes, thanks Michel. I think I might do just that, actually. I suppose the kits are just so convenient as most things are already in them. But I can see the knife for getting off ‘push in’ type case-backs, snapping as I try to remove such a case back….

Yes. Good idea, Crownboy! Thank you. There might be much crying and gnashing of teeth with the cheap kits….

Awesome! Thanks very much BlueDial! I’ll have a look at Horotec tools.

Much appreciated

Excellent. I’d be pleased to hear about your report on the case back knife if you think about it.

Thanks sagebrush

That little hammer is my most used tool 😉. I use it to push out the pins. So much easier than with the screw thingy, well, after a little practice.

As others have said, the Chinese stuff is alright. I got one. Even the screwdrivers in mine are good. The tips are very strong. The case back tool is a little flimsy but I changed batteries without damaging the back ... can't complain.

Yes, thanks Puffin. I might try a mid range cheapie, then purchase better end tools later depending on what I’m mostly using the kit for. I expect it’ll be battery changes mainly.

Bergeon is what almost all watch repair people use.

Thanks for that 🙂