Minus4Plus6.com - Cool Watch Stuff

Cool Watch Stuff

Below are some watch items that I have come across while working with watches. Below are some of my experiences.

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Rubber B Watch Straps
In June 2011, I came across Rubber B watch straps on buddy Jake's Rolex Watch Magazine These straps are specifically designed as a Rolex strap replacement that utilizes the existing Rolex clasp. Like many of the other replacement straps, the cheezy buckle did not match both the watch and Rolex's quality level. I have posted a full review and installation guide here (click here).

Veraet WristClean
I am always looking for the best method for cleaning my watches. Keeping the bracelet clean is important as it helps keep the bracelet from wearing and stretching. I saw an ad for Veraet WristClean Spray in International Watch Magazine, and discussed on various Internet watch forums so I decided to take a chance. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the watch spray worked well, was safe (unlike Scrubbing Bubbles) that I used before. The watch spray does not smell, has a soapy texture to it that rinses off well, yet cleans the watch similar to when I put my Rolex band into an ultrasonic. If used weekly, one bottle of WristClean should last at 4-6 months.
		Veraet's President, Don Rothrauff, explained that the WristClean is safe because it is water-based, contains no abrasives, no glycerin (the gunk that causes film buildup), no ammonia or acid that could potentially cause rubber seals to deterioriate. Veraet also produces a series of cloths that are either sold separately, or bundled with the WristClean product. Veraet's microsuede cloths are used for wiping down the watch after cleaning with Watch Spray, microsilk cloths for cleaning gunk off without Watch Spray, and a larger and thicker microsilk cloth used for cleaning gold. Don explained that collectors prefer having cleaning cloths of different types and thicknesses. Before using the Veraet WristClean cloths, I used a Googalie cloth that worked well, but does not soak up water like the blue suede cloth does. The blue suede cloth is perhaps my favorite cleaning cloth. The black microsilk cloth I keep around to wipe down my watches after daily use.
This is the Veraet WristClean cloth collection along with a display pad. The pad is good to have for leaving your watch at night.

Below are some before and after images utilizing WristClean.
BEFORE

This is my GMT-C after weed whacking		Smudgy caseback after a week of desk flying and an afternoon of cycling
.
		After a typical week of desk flying and an afternoon ride, both the bracelet and the watch case are a smudgy mess

This is my 7750 weekend watch after a couple of bike rides and an afternoon of weed whacking(separate weekend). The chrono pushers are a mess as well.
AFTER

		A clean GMT-C including the bezel serrations and the serrations in the crown.
Using the blue WristClean suede cloth and finish with the black microsilk cloth.
There is no embedded dirt in the brush finish.

The areas around the pushers and the brushed grain are exquisite.		Even the brushed grain on back of the lugs looks like a factory finish.
After learning about Veraet WristClean Spray, this is hands-down the best cleaner. It is sold in the National Association of Watch and Clock Collector's museum store, as well as been advertised on Antiquorum's Timezone.com. Although Watch Spray is not a replacement for dropping your watch bracelet into an ultrasonic every few months to prevent bracelet stretch, it is a fantastic cleaner for weekly cleanup to keep your watch looking like new.

Veraet's WristClean for Leather & Rubber Straps
Veraet's WristClean released a strap cleaner for both leather and rubber straps. According to the Veraet website, "Body salts and oils often damage straps when not cared for properly. " I have never experienced a failed rubber strap, but I do certainly notice when the strap does get dirty and dull. I have used other rubber strap cleaners from both Cartier and, well, Armor All, and the WristClean's Rubber & Leather Care works well for restoring the "new" look without the mess that Armor All brings to the strap.
I use a Rubber B strap on my Rolex GMT-C . Rubber B makes the only Rolex specific strap for Rolex models. A review of Rubber B is posted here. When cycling, both the watch and the strap get fairly inundated with sweat and road gunk.
This is my GMT-C after a two hour ride. The watch is laying on one of Veraet's WristClean microfiber suede cleaning cloths.
The trick with the Rubber & Leather Care is to apply it onto the strap, then let it sit for about 5 minutes. After allowing the cleaner to soak in, wipe the band dry with WristClean's microfiber suede cleaning cloth. Additionally, use some standard WristClean Spray for the watch head and the buckle.
With Veraet's WristClean, both the watch and Rubber B's strap looks as good as the first day I owned them.

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Wenger Swiss Army - Bergeon Watch Maker's Knife
Swiss Army knives have always been the ubiquitous tool in anyone’s tool or camping kit because there are few items that pack so many handy features. Conceptualizing a watchmaker’s knife must have been a challenge for Wenger as the watchmaking world is known for having a plethora of specialized tools for making simple adjustments. Wenger comes through by partnering with Swiss watchmaking tool icon Bergeon that combines both the staples of a Swiss Army knife and a watchmaker’s tool bench . The Wenger Minathor Expert 50 packs 14 different tools that are essential for any watch enthusiast.
	The Wenger Minathor 50 is one of the larger Swiss Army knives, but it holds plenty of requisite watch tools.
	Opening the Minathor 50 is a pretty standard Swiss Army affair. The tools are held closed by the spring loaded hinge. Opening the knife shows three uncharacteristic Swiss Army knife tools. Shown here is a 4x magnifying class adorned by a three-centementer scale with a leather band springbar tool, and a watchmaker's caseback knife. Also shown is the tool bit handle just adjacent from the magnifying loupe. The screwdriver blade also locks in place to prevent inadvertent fold-ups.
Three watchmaker's tools shown here.
The caseback knife is an industry standard that can be purchased separately. The caseback knife is a staple on any watchmaker's tool bench.
	Like all Swiss Army knives, this one has the awl and the corkscrew, as well as the toothpick and tweezers located inside the handle. The tweezers also play double duty to assist with removing the tool bits from the holder shown below.

What makes this Swiss Army knife stand out is the Bergeon tool bit holder, and thetool bit handle located in the center of the knife. Both sides of the tool holder hold up to 11 different tool bits. The knife did not arrive complete with all the tool bits, but extra tool bits can be ordered through any Bergeon tool dealer.
	The tool handle, reamer, and round needle file.
Tool bits include the following: 2.0mm, 1.4mm, 1.2mm & .8mm screwdriver bits Fine fork springbar tool 1.5mm Phillips screwdriver 1.2mm & .8mm pin punches	The tool handle, reamer, and round needle file.

The tool bits fit snugly in the holder. Use the tweezers held in the knife handle to pop-out the bits.	The bit holder has numbered slots to help with fitting the bits back into the correct slot.
Each bit slides snugly into the slotted handle.

The manual is written in English, French, German, and Spanish. The manual lists the available tool bits available for the knife as well as some of the uses for the not-so-obvious tool bits.
This is a great tool for any watch nut to have when out watch scavenging at pawn shops and collector’s fairs as all the basic watch tinkering functions are contained in this Swiss Army knife. The Wenger Minathor 50 is an example of Swiss precision and quality that is expected in Swiss watches as well as in Swiss tools. Similar to how camera companies partner with lens manufacturers to form a perfect camera, Wenger and Bergeon have partnered to make tool that any watch aficionado should have in their pocket.

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Croton TimeMaker Tool Kit
I had the opportunity to work with a Croton TimeMaker Tool Kit. Watch tools are generally expensive and purchasing kits are out of most watch hobbyist’s price range, but the Croton kit is a good mix of affordability and the requisite tools that most hobbyists will need for simple watch maintenance and battery changes.
The Croton TimeMaker Tool Kit comes in a case that is easy to store on a book shelf or in a drawer.
Inside the kit is a chamois/suede work cloth, a listing of the included tools, and directions for using the bracelet link removal tool and the following tools: .8mm, 1mm, & 1.2mm screwdrivers pliers hammer caseback knife parts keeper with spare pins, bits caseback opener springbar/punch tool tweezers bracelet stand 4x watch loupe chamois cloth
The spare parts keeper also holds spare springpar bit, a spare punch, and spare screwdriver blades.
The top of the Spare Bits keeper has a sliding lid to easily drop parts into it, especially handy when one has a removed springbar or bracelet screw that needs to be quickly stored before it becomes misplaced or lost.
Can you tell which are the Croton tools and the industry standard Bergeon/Dumont tools.
The Croton tools are on the left. The Croton screwdrivers use the industry standard color designations for size. Red is 1.2mm, black is 1.0mm, and yellow is .8mm.
The Croton caseknife is very similar to the industry standard Wenger caseknife.
The Croton caseknife is used for removing pop-in casebacks.
The caseback removal tool is used for screw in casebacks typically found on water proof watches. This is a two-pin style so be sure to use plenty of pressure when tightening the pins onto the caseback or else it will slip. The Spare Bits carrier also has slot-style bits to use in this tool for slotted casebacks.
The Croton bracelet stand is used for holding the bracelet vertically while removing, inserting screws or pressing in pins (below).
The kit comes with two push-pin link removers. Push pin removers are used for bracelet links that are held together with a compression rivet, or push pin. Pictured here is the smaller Croton pin remover.
The bracelet stand is used in conjunction with the pin-punch and possibly the nylon covered hammer to reinsert bracelet pins. The springbar tool also doubles as a pin-pinch as it is double-ended.
The opposite end of the pin-punch tool is a springbar tool used for removing bracelet springbars.
For the hobbyist, the Croton TimeMaker Toolkit is a good starter set as it has all the basic tools for bracelet adjustment and battery replacement. More expensive watches require more expensive tools, but for entry level watches, this tool set has the necessary tools at an entry level price.


Everest on A Blog to Watch
Everest Watch Bands produces a replacement Rolex watch strap made of thermoplastic rubber that is much more durable than silicon replacements and designed to work with Rolex sport watches exclusively. I have used various pre-production renditions of the Everest EH-1S strap on my Rolex GMT-C and reviewed the strap on Ariel Adam's A Blog to Watch back in September, 2012. The review on A Blog to Watch is posted here. A .pdf of the review is posted here.
The Thermoplastic Everest Strap
A quality rubber watch strap designed for Rolex sport watches is much better than other replacement straps such as NATO straps. The problems with other Rolex replacement straps are chronicled on the RubberB review page. Everest moved from silicon rubber to thermoplastic rubber on the EH-1S because it is much more durable, has more elasticity, and is not prone to weathering. The EH-1S strap will keep its color and elasticity much longer than silicon.
Read the rest of the review here.