New Watch Tools July 2002

Rob Berkavicius was so kind to help me extending my Watch Tools
Today we visited the Rian Thong Basar (RTB) watch shop near World Trade Center, Bangkok. We were both surprised how well equipped that shop was, and how tidy and clean too.
We arrived with a rather large shopping list and did actually not expect to find all the items on the list Rob had put together to complement my existing watch tools.
Besides checking that I got all the proper sizes, Rob also has a great experience where to save some money and go for the cheaper version of a tool that does an equally good job. E.g. the hands lifter (Indian type) costs a fraction of the Bergeon hands lifter. I already had a hands lifting tool from Bergeon and I also remembered that that tool has a quite strong feather pressure and that it is not easy to lift the hands. The Indian type is easier to use and requires less force. Important side note: the bottom of the tool should be covered with an electric insulation tape in order to protect the dial.
A pair of brass pincers is an absolute must, because one should not use stainless steel pincers to hold steel parts if not necessary.
The remover for chronograph driving wheels might not be used frequently, but if you do not have them, you are lost. And Rob was wise, he knew that there are quite a few chronographs in my collection and thus recommended to buy them anyway.

Neat trick on how to protect the Dial while lifting off Hands
Just learned this trick from Rob in the week before Christmas 2003: cut out a piece of plastic with a slot from a zip-lock plastic bag (make sure the bag is new or clean) and place it onto the dial and slide the hands through the slot. Trust me, lifting off hands suddenly becomes a very stress-free task, even on black glossy dials!