A little bit of sticker shock...
So I recently replaced a watch stem, as I moved a movement to a new case. I remembered that the stem had a number of lubrication points, and I should probably re-apply at least some of the lubrication to the stem, as I replaced a "wet" stem with a "dry" one.
It seems that Moebius 9104 would be the right stuff, but it goes for about $30 per 2ml. 😕 Now, that should last me a while, but it was interesting to pay as much for the lubricant as I would pay for an NH35.
I also figured the lubricant is not something to substitute needlessly, right?
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$3.69 for 48 oz.
One watchmaker YTer calls watch oils/grease the most expensive substances on the planet.
You either buy it at $30/2ml, or you pay hansomely to repair/replace what wasn't properly lubed
Wow, printer ink and Red Bull are not the priciest liquids on Earth!
Well, if you do this sort of thing with any frequency, it'll amortize out eventually. I wouldn't even know what the little doohickey is that applies the feintest droplet to avoid flooding. But it's like scents, it's expensive per unit but it's many hundred of uses.
I'm sure you could risk using sewing machine oil or whatever, but I would avoid the risk for the price. I would not be happy if they sent stuff that expires in two years though.
$3.69 for 48 oz.
If your watch suddenly smells like french fries, you know what happened. 😉
One watchmaker YTer calls watch oils/grease the most expensive substances on the planet.
You either buy it at $30/2ml, or you pay hansomely to repair/replace what wasn't properly lubed
Yes, it seems to be one of these specialty products that are very hard to get around. Kinda like cars: Sure, a few companies make window elevators for your car. But only one brand makes those that actually work longer than a year.
Wow, printer ink and Red Bull are not the priciest liquids on Earth!
Well, if you do this sort of thing with any frequency, it'll amortize out eventually. I wouldn't even know what the little doohickey is that applies the feintest droplet to avoid flooding. But it's like scents, it's expensive per unit but it's many hundred of uses.
I'm sure you could risk using sewing machine oil or whatever, but I would avoid the risk for the price. I would not be happy if they sent stuff that expires in two years though.
There are oilers of different sizes to deliver these droplets. We'll see how it goes. I'm just focused on the watch stem at the moment, so I only need one lubricant. (This is one with relative high viscosity.) If you did the whole movement by the specs I've seen, you need three different lubricants at similar price points.
Then there is the mystery Seiko "grey grease" that some people seem to find. I have no idea what that is a substitute for.
If your watch suddenly smells like french fries, you know what happened. 😉
In addition to smelling minty fresh after substituting Polywatch with Colgate toothpaste.