Old, Not Running, Potentially Radioactive Watch From eBay: What Could Go Wrong?

You should make a beginners guide to watch repairing.. what oils to use, what tools are a must, and what aren’t etc. would be a fantastic series and I know we’d all love watching it!

I just watched a 40min video of a man doing amazing work on a piece of history. The quality of video editing and commentary is amazing to say the least. Absolutely incredible…

When I was a kid in the 50's in the Bronx my best friend's father had a watch repair shop. I hung around the shop and was really fascinated by clocks and watches. The dad saw I was interested and took me under his training and I started learning some basics. John was trained in Switzerland for several years. When I took apart my first clock, the one with three balls under glass and put it back together he was really excited as his son didn't want anything to do with watchmaking. Unfortunately, John passed away and the store closed as there was nobody to carry on. I want on to join the USAF and was a crew chief mechanic on F-4, A-7 and F-16 aircraft instead of working on watches. The watch making experience did teach me to take my time and attention to detail while working on aircraft and also classic cars. I am approaching 80 now and still work on classic cars but I love to watch your videos. Is there an email or something where I can contact you? Thanks for your superb videos and sharing your expertise with us.

There are a lot of watch repair channels on YT, Your's stands out because of the dialog. You've struck a great balance between educating without being condescending and you've got a great voice for it. Keep it up Marshall, we look forward to every new video. oh.. hats off to the production quality.. very well done.

The radiation burn on that gorgeous dial definitely makes this piece something special! Every one of your videos are just such a treat. I also have to say, I cherish the compliment you gave on my watch when we spoke at GP DC as much as I cherish the Man-o-War you signed for me. You have an incredible talent for sharing things with people (and clearly have spent a tremendous amount of time honing those skills), and the world truly is a better place for it.

Wow! I'm a 40+ yr mechanic, painter, contractor. Worked on laptops, furnaces digital TV's etc. This is only the 4th video from you I've watched. I knew nothing about mechanical watches. And I've learned so much already. Makes me wanna buy a non working watch and take it apart, just out of curiosity. Thanks a Million!!!👍👍👍👍👍

What still amazes me the most about all these videos, is that every single video is good for someone who never even thought about the inside of a watch, let alone watch videos about them. Yet at the same time, there's always some information that is either new or clarified in a different way to someone who watched all your videos. Well done! Keep it up :)

Man the actual watchmaking work is incredible, but the camerawork is also insane. I have no clue how he manages to consistently get such incredibly clear shots of what he's doing. Hands never get in the way or anything, probably better than being there in person. Really cool video.

Think about how many old watches have had a second life thanks to Marshall and his skills. Bringing these timepieces back to life and getting their escapement beating again is so satisfying for me to watch. I love how he clearly explains what he is doing in every video, even though it might feel redundant to him.

For anyone wondering, indeed rubies are cheap to make. They are aluminum oxide doped with chromium. Sapphire is the clear version. We regularly use sapphire in the semiconductor industry for making LEDs. They are sometimes doped with iron and ironically, pun intended, they're still clear. Sandpaper is also aluminum oxide.

This is what my Grandfather did most of his life buy8ng old watches and bringing them back to new condition, I use to help take them apart for him, this was not only a joy to watch but also a trip down memory lane for me, thank you so much bud.

Wild! This EXACT WATCH was in my cart at one point. I even have a screenshot of it! Glad to see it went to someone else that could truly to it justice. Much love :)

Marshall, You’re one of the reasons I started into the hobby (Mark Lovick is the other). I’ve invested a fair amount into tools plus have taken two on-line courses this year. I’d say I’m still a beginner, batting about 70% with respect to fully repairing and restoring 1940/1950s era manual winds. The rest go into the bin for salvage later. Like you, I’ve realized eBay is basically the only place to find older affordable movements and NOS parts. Don’t think I’ll ever get to your level of competence nor recover even 50% of the money I’ve spent this year alone, but the satisfaction I get from working on these old beauties is priceless. Thank your for videos—truly inspirational. Levine98

As you say in the video, radium is an Alpha particle emitter. An Alpha particle consists of 2 neutrons and 2 protons; essentially a Helium nucleus. It’s relatively massive but slow moving so it doesn’t take a lot to stop it. You just don’t want to ingest it, inhale it or get it in to an open wound where it can damage the structure of a cell. I enjoyed your restoration, as usual.

I was a mechanic for 35 years. I enjoy watching you take this watch apart. And bringing this unit back in service. The name of the parts is a great explanation. I learned something new today. Thank you 👍🏼🏆

My grandpa was a watchmaker and jeweler for 34 years. I watched him make some of the train wheel-type cogs like that by hand from a piece of thin sheet metal. I spent my summers in his store, watching him craft and repair many pieces of jewelry. Sadly, he passed away in 2001. I was only 15. I wished he would have lived longer so that I could continue his craft. He also had polio as a child so he was disabled and on crutches. Your videos remind me of how he would disassemble the pocket watches and methodically diagnose and repair them. Great memories, thank you!

I read the book 'Radium Girls' and it's about the women who painted the radium onto the dials going back to the 1920s. It was horrifying how sick many of them became. They were encouraged to dip (make a tip of the paintbrush with their lips) while applying the radium to the dials by hand. A very interesting read! Crazy that there was a period of time when it was marketed as a healthy material! 😔

I repaired an old Breitling with the same movement. Very strong and accurate running. Always happy to see someone helping to keep these vintage pieces going!

Why would you think that a show like this would never fly? To me, you are the Bob Ross of watch repair, knowledgeable at what you do and a great source of inspiration, all while being entertaining. Thank you for all your great videos!

I have been doing cellphone repair for the past 6 years, and have been tempted to get into watchmaking after seeing your videos. It seems so gratifying. I am used to working with relatively small things, but I think these watches are on a whole different level.