Welcome

You’ve stumbled upon Sky Corner, a blog and journal for my projects as I enter watchmaking as a hobby and also try to improve my writing skills. I’ll share stories of the watch repairs I attempt and will include any interesting facts about brands and models I uncover along the way. Please note I don’t earn anything from ads you might see on this blog, or from any brands or links mentioned. Thanks for visiting my little corner of the sky, enjoy looking around 🙂

Milestone repair project: a Seiko “Baby Jumbo” chronograph 6139-7070 from 1973

I have to admit to feeling a bit impatient with my pace of growth in this hobby. I want to develop my skills further and restore more of the watches I’ve been collecting, but life’s other challenges seem to keep getting in the way (and my procrastination also hasn’t helped). It got to a point six months ago that I… Continue reading Milestone repair project: a Seiko “Baby Jumbo” chronograph 6139-7070 from 1973

Particularly retro: repairing a Tissot PR 516 GL (cal. 794) from 1972

It’s common to see watches carrying designs that have been influenced by the popularity of other models, and all brands engage in this homaging to some extent. Back in November of 2021 while I worked on the retro Seiko from the mid-1970s with its integrated bracelet and blue dial, I’d wondered if its stylish looks could have been inspired by… Continue reading Particularly retro: repairing a Tissot PR 516 GL (cal. 794) from 1972

A facetted gem from 1972: King Seiko Vanac 5626-6010 service

There seem to be a lot of new watches being released lately inspired by 1970s designs. As a fan of watches from the 1970s, I’ve enjoyed seeing the distinctive features of that era being incorporated into modern watches. One such feature is the integrated bracelet, appearing on new watches like the Tissot PRX, Christopher Ward Twelve and IWC Ingenieur amongst many, MANY others. While… Continue reading A facetted gem from 1972: King Seiko Vanac 5626-6010 service

Limping to the finish line: lessons from a 1950s ‘Olymp’ (ETA cal. 1080 21J)

With the benefit of hindsight, I should have been more wary about taking on this repair. I’m still learning about the problems that can be encountered in this complicated hobby, and unfortunately it was while trying to repair this old and worn-out watch for a friend that I had to learn about some tricky issues for the first time. As… Continue reading Limping to the finish line: lessons from a 1950s ‘Olymp’ (ETA cal. 1080 21J)

Bad tools & hairsprings in the crosshairs: a 1970s Seiko 7005-8062 repair

The past few months have been a blur thanks to my attempt to push forward four separate projects at the same time. I’d make progress on one until hitting a roadblock, like waiting for parts or tools to arrive, or waning motivation. At that point I’d switch to another project until hitting a roadblock with that one, and so on.… Continue reading Bad tools & hairsprings in the crosshairs: a 1970s Seiko 7005-8062 repair

Milestone repair attempt on my grandfather’s pocket watch – Moeris Grands Prix (with Unitas cal. 6498)

It’s now been almost two years since I started in this watchmaking hobby. Over that whole time, my grandfather’s pocket watch had been sitting on my desk, in full view in front of me while waiting for its turn to be repaired. It was a constant source of temptation, but I kept deferring the family heirloom until I felt that… Continue reading Milestone repair attempt on my grandfather’s pocket watch – Moeris Grands Prix (with Unitas cal. 6498)

Repairing a modest Jaquet-Droz (AS cal. 1951) – Part 2

Part 2 of the modest Jaquet-Droz project turned out to be a little more involved than I’d hoped (you can revisit Part 1 here). In summary, there were poorly-fitting parts that needed to be re-ordered, the new crystal and winding stem were surprisingly challenging to fit, and I also discovered how two teaspoons could be useful for one particular task.… Continue reading Repairing a modest Jaquet-Droz (AS cal. 1951) – Part 2

Repairing a modest Jaquet-Droz (AS cal. 1951) – Part 1 (and a look at remarkable automata)

Having been on the lookout for a watch from Jaquet-Droz for some time, I was very happy to finally get hold of one to work on. The brand has existed in a number of different incarnations over the past 280 years, but started with Pierre Jaquet-Droz, a renowned maker of luxury clocks, pocket watches and remarkable mechanical automata (he is… Continue reading Repairing a modest Jaquet-Droz (AS cal. 1951) – Part 1 (and a look at remarkable automata)

1980s ‘high-tech’ indulgence: tidying up a Citizen D060 Windsurfing

Growing up in the 1980s, my interest in technology was helped by the exaggerated “high-tech” look that many devices seemed to have. A lot of it seemed to originate from Japan, which at the time were evolving into one of the world’s leading producers of innovative, high-quality electronic products. It’s no surprise then, that this high-tech look appeared on one… Continue reading 1980s ‘high-tech’ indulgence: tidying up a Citizen D060 Windsurfing

Repairing a geometric Jules Jürgensen (ETA cal. 2788)

There’s something about watches from the 1960s and ’70s with retro styling that gives me a buzz. Recently a watch came up for sale that had a squarish “TV-style” case, blocky index markers and other geometric features that seemed to call out to me. Despite not knowing anything about the Jules Jürgensen brand, I was compelled to get hold of… Continue reading Repairing a geometric Jules Jürgensen (ETA cal. 2788)

Wohler Paulsen repair (Seagull cal. TY601) – an educational experience

An unusual Wohler was now sitting on my bench in the hope that I might be able to sort out a noisy rattle that it had developed. This project ended up consuming a lot of my time as I researched so-called “mushroom brands”, critiqued the design of the watch, and discovered the foibles associated with the Seagull TY601 movement it… Continue reading Wohler Paulsen repair (Seagull cal. TY601) – an educational experience

A surprising ’60s Seiko repair (ref. 66-9990)

Anyone who enjoys restoring things might relate to the situation of seeing an unloved and worn-out object and feeling that it could be something special if restored to its original condition. That was my feeling on a project I’d been working on over recent months, and after finishing it, it completely surprised me. A rather simple and unassuming dress-style watch… Continue reading A surprising ’60s Seiko repair (ref. 66-9990)

Practicing on a ’70s Waltham (ETA cal. 2789) & introducing my new cleaning machine

Looking back at the range of projects tackled over the past year, these seem to have fallen into two categories. The first involved repairs that went well and were completed, such as the Seiko SNK805 and repairs done for family and friends so far. The second category contains practice projects, usually watches that were so knackered they needed lots of… Continue reading Practicing on a ’70s Waltham (ETA cal. 2789) & introducing my new cleaning machine

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