Restoration of an Abandoned 1946 post WW2 vintage watch - Radioactive glow - Manual Work - Certina

This watch was very worn and full of dirt, I bought it at an online auction so it was a big question mark of its condition. It's a wonder how this watch actually worked from the beginning because it was chunks of dirt on every cog wheels teeth. Every part needed to be cleaned individually with wood sticks over and over again. The dirt was in some places hardened (like stone) and needed to be scraped of. Perhaps some parts was changed sometime ago before me. Hammer time with staking tool was also done to the barrel and its lid because this hole was also totally worn down as the arbor hole and the center wheel (shown in the video).
It was a long shot to restore this, I hoped for good amplitude and it showed in the end ~270 degrees which is quite good or very acceptable for this old watch.

This is true restoration. Don't make it 'new', make it 'good' and keep the character this Certina had. Splendid!

You’ll never know how much I adore this watching you work. As a kid I always wanted to become a watch maker/repairer and work as an apprentice. Sadly I was told I wasn’t able to so I’ve worked a job that I’ve disliked for many decades. Watching this just sparks that love of watches and tiny mechanicals. Thank you for the joy.

Amazing craft. I didn't know how complicated is a wristwatch could be. Hats off to the artist who gave new life to this vintage watch. ❤

Watches are so delicate and intricately designed, so I have intense respect and admiration for watch makers and restorers

Loved your restoration especially the way you cleaned the parts by hand and sanded and polished the rust away on the case. I liked the fact you left it looking vintage, way better in my opinion, some restorers over do it. Great job, look forward to more of your work.

Many decades ago, i met Mr overstreet. He survived WW2, came back home and started his passion and became a watchmaker. Id watch him as a kid from time to time, carefully placing gears, moving parts, with a precision that ill never have. As i got older, and had work/jobs id see him from time to time. My last memory of him is when he came into a restaurant where i worked, and gave me a smile "dont tell my wife, she will get jealous" hah, i kept the secret.
he passed away a few years ago, at 103. Ill never forget that man, how kind he was, and the skills he had.

I love how you completely restored it but kept it vintage looking. Amazing what all it takes to make a watch work.

God, watching this guy restore a vintage Certina makes me realize my Girard Perregaux make only need the crystal polished in addition to a possible tuneup tbh. OG '66 Gyromaster my grandpa owned that's now mine, runs fine.
Need to look into how to get his old square Lord Elgin Shockmaster working as well. Both beautiful vintage timepieces. Consider yourself having earned a subscriber.
Words cannot describe how pleasing it is for a craft of our ancestors to still live on through current generation in their watches. Yet you do it with such gentle, meticulously precise accuracy. A true craftsman of his art🤝

I love how you kept the watch as original as possible leaving it with a perfectly working mechanism in the end

The level of skill and knowledge astounds me. A virtuoso performance on many levels. Zen and the art of watch restoration, and a wonderful respect for the preservation of the integrity of a vintage timepiece.

I've always been fascinated by watches and clocks like this. Springs, gears, jewels, great works of meticulous artistry.

This is so good. It always amazes me how much of the watches we don't see. Well done for such a great restoration!

Man, the stories this time piece holds were brought back to life after that wind up.

Beautiful work! Thank you for showing the old school cleaning process for those of us hobbyists that don’t have the fancy equipment.

Not sure why but mounting the glass is almost always my favorite part

There is something so satisfying about disassembling old mechanical things. It's like you release years of built up tension. Cleaning them thoroughly, re-lubricating what's needed. It puts me in a very zen-like state. I've never done watches or anything so complex, but I restored some old tools and similar things.

Это не просто часы, это свидетели чей-то жизни. Работа выполнена на совесть.

Fascinating workmanship. I loved the extreme close ups where you can see the butchering it had been through before.
Thanks for posting a truly professional piece of work.

That precious thing.He has lived a great story behind.❤🌺

Mesmerised watch this, a true craftsman at work. I love old watches and seeing this old watch recovered showing its scars was truly special.

I appreciate you keeping the dial on its original form, no polishing or fixing, just cleaning some dirt to keep it’s history and that vintage form, great work !

It's amazing to see that, with the right care, any piece can be restored and used virtually forever!

Thank for "watching" I see what you did there, lol
Absolutely magnificent restoration. It blows my mind that there's seriously a little factory in these time pieces. Well done bringing it back to life, but keeping it's age at the same time

An absolutely amazing restoration of such a now beautiful watch; or rather your work brought back the inherent albeit almost hidden beauty of the gorgeous time piece. Mesmerising to watch the dissemble and the polished, cleaned and oiled pieces re-assembled to re-make it original beauty but yet retaining the vintage look. Thanks.

This reminds me of the scene in toy story II with the toy restorer, except it’s much more complicated and interesting. I would adore an old watch like this.

Loved the closeup shots and attention to detail. Amazing job bringing this watch back to life!

Patination, hard wear, all Made the watch special. Love the light cleaning of the dial.

I have been watching watch restoration video's for quite some time and this is the first time I have seen your channel offered in my feed. Good work on this watch. I am impressed at how well you cleaned the watch and parts by hand, the old fashioned way. Very few watch makers show this method. Many novice watch tinkerers cannot afford to buy expensive tools and machines so this video is invaluable. Thanx.

This is the time I am watching one of your videos and what can I say… I am truly amazed at the work that you do. You seem like a young guy, but to have learnt the art of how to do this type of work is just mind blowing. Well done for keeping up such an old art form. I am still astonished that you know how to do what you do. What’s also mind blowing is that manufactures of these watches were able to conceptualise and create such a small and intricate piece which would run so flawlessly for so many years. Keep up the wonderful work. It truly is inspiring for one to better themselves, their skill level and to keep old craftsmanship alive.

just bought my first automatic a few days and randomly tripped over your channel... love it even if u dont talk or explain a lot its so interesting i somehow want to try that myself

That thing still worked after 76 years! Unbelievable!
And here I am with a modern hybrid watch. I bet it won't last that long. They just don't build them like they used to.

Lovely looking old watch, glad you did little to the dial and hands, it looks much nicer that way. Looking forward to the next one.

If anything this video is proof of Certina's durability. Now I really want one.

So interesting! If I had to do it all over again, I would learn this skill.

Stunning level of quality and attention!, Like others have mentioned not over polishing keeps the watch in true vintage feeling, but now good for years to come. Also a very good demonstration that the proper tools mak a big difference: without the 'glass mounter' and 'spring tensioner', the 'tick counter' and the hammer tool the job would be nearly impossible or turn out like only so-so,
Great demonstration on how to do it properly !

Браво , Мастер ! Отличная Работа , а отличная съёмка -- уважение к зрителям...Спасибо !

Какую же трудоёмкую работу проделал мастер. От количества использованных инструментов я просто в шоке! К тому же много нового узнал и увидел.

If I did this I swear there would be alot of spare parts left behind. The patience and steadiness of the hands 💯 that's some serious skills

Incredible work. This watch has so many components, showing how precise and artistic this restoration was.

Excellent work with a very neglected watch. You have kept the look and integrity of the watch. I love the way you use vintage tools - its hammer time with the Lorch !

That was truly amazing… well done… it always blows my mind how much detail goes into the mechanism of a watch that you never really see. So much hidden talent and expertise 👏👏👏👍

A TRUE labor of love and patience......I would have SO many parts leftover at the end!!

It's really fun to watch these types of videos. Thanks dude!!!

Great editing! Loved the sounds of the process and it was very relaxing. Satisfying to see all the parts get cleaned and put back together 🤗 I really appreciate the time and talent to film and edit such an intricate process! ♥️

nicely done. I like your decisions on how far to go with restoration - like for the rust - and appreciate how you maintained the history and character of the watch and valued it over getting every last bit clean or shiny

Patience of a saint and hands like a surgeon. Great work.

Loved your restoration

That was awesome to watch. Thank you. I love seeing vintage restoration. Your tools and know how were humbling.

Thoroughly enjoyed each and every second of the video. I am a hobbyist mechanic and work on all kinds of vintage and new motorcycles. It's amazing to see how small and fine are the parts inside this watch. Loved it. A real great video

This type of video was what was missing for my days, your work is wonderful

I am in awe of anyone who fixes things, but especially watch repair.
It’s basically a machine that measures time and it is made up of a whole lot of parts.
That you can diagnose problems and repair and replace parts on such a tiny scale is amazing.
Interesting video and looking forward to the next one.

I still have a screw left over after putting my tv remote back together, but you sir...are a professional. Nice job!

Более кропотливой работы я не видела. Благодарю за удовольствие!

This was absolutely fascinating to watch and particularly as someone who wants to learn to restore antique watches! Truly amazing! Thank you!

Your like watching a painter or a musical instrument, creating a masterpiece, so delicate and caution in every move, people like you really don't exist, very much, but u r a great masterpiece, thank you for sharing u r life's work.🌹💐😘✝️

Amazing video and work. Really enjoyed the parts where the play is removed and polishing the glass. The watch is a beauty when finished. Good craftmanship. Keep up bringing us the nice calm entertainment of a good restoration.

Another beautiful restoration. I fix cars for a living and feel very proud when I bring one back to life. I know you have that same feeling when you finish.

I like this kind of restoration, where the "patina" is saved. You even kept the radium hands.

Magnifique travail sur une montre magnifique. Pas de bla bla, pas de musique , juste l'essentiel et une légère pointe d'humour. Tout ce que j'aime! Je m'abonne.

Very intricate work requiring a LOT of knowledge and mechanical know-how. Anyone who does this type of work deserves the pay the receive!! Excellent work!!

After watching this, nope thank you I will buy solar watch 😁😁😁😁. But 5 star for the fascinating work, and your patient doing every details. You show your big passion through this video. Not only amazing skills, but the deep art and story that hidden inside these mechanical piece

I never thought that those small parts of any watch could be repaired. Unbelievable!!!

Great job, especially with the appropriated tools, as a plastic/brass tweezers, correct screwdrivers…you’re a Maestro and it’s a pleasure seeing your job indeed!

Niesamowite. Dobrze się patrzy na taką pracę.

When you said "can you guess the bird?" for a second I thought you were referencing some wierd part of the watch I'd never heard of.. 🙂

Jam itu dibuat pada tahun 1946 dan aku belum dilahirkan,sungguh luar biasa dan mengagumkan tukang servis jamnya dapat menghidupkan kambali waktu yg lampau..good job thanks,I am from Indonesia

Wow - how many things are you so good at ??
Mesmerized by the fine work in this video - thank you 👏🏼

That was amazing! I can't believe you can actually video record key segments of this restoration process and edit it all together like you did. Thanks for your time, effort and skill.

I live for the little moments of chaos sprinkled in throughout this video ☺️ beautiful work!

Certina is such a graceful and lovely movement. I have a watch built specifically for a fob by them that I have been wanting to crack at restoring.
Your video is a terrific guide to us novices who want to really get in there and restore a watch with a "hands on" approach.

I"m deeply impressed how much patience you had to bring this watch back to life. I wonder how many hours all work had cost you? And how long it took totally? Several days, weeks or more?

Thank you, a lovely restoration, i like to see these old watches saved. The Certina looks great in its origional looking condition 👍 Au

All I can say is WOW! Amazing work and all by hand! I myself might have polished the case a little more, but I get it that the watch is worth more with the "history" left as is - to more or less authenticate the vintage. Again, great work!

💯 that's some serious skills

This is the first ever watch restoration video that I’ve watched. Very laborious and intensive work! Fascinating process, though! Hope to see more!

I can see the skill of being a watch repairman, and a surgeon, going hand-in-hand with dexterity and skill.

Something magical about this one.

May she run for another 80 years! I'm sure she will after an excellent lifetime service!

Hello from Russia. The watch has always struck with its incredible beauty. Such small mechanisms, such work. As for the restoration, of course, the result is excellent, but it seemed to me that the dial would also be updated, but it remained like an old grandfather from 1946. it's a pity, but the clock works and that's the main thing, I prefer old coins, good luck and come visit

Complete elite *CRAFTSMANSHIP* !

Post WWII and 1946?! Incredible.

عمل اقل ما يقال عنه انه رائع ! شكرا للمشاركة صديقي .. تحية لك من بغداد 🙏

Amazing job. What a beautiful watch. I would love to own this!

Restored after 76 years....amazing

I put this video on in the background to keep me company while I worked on something boring and I found myself glued to the screen. The intricacy and delicacy of your work are astounding.

Eu não sei por quê. Mas a relojoaria sempre me facinou. A contagem do tempo, a precisão, a delicadeza e a qualidade das peças. É fantástico.

You have a lot of patience,great job

Thank you for enjoying our time so much.
You did a great job, it was a pleasure to watch you. 🎉

"Ora et Labora" :-) Beautiful!! Great restoration, I didn't know you could "squish" the metal to renew a hole! Great video, thank you for sharing.

Oh man, one of the most beautiful watches I've ever seen... gorgeous, and nice video :D

Excellent restoration which requires great skill snd patience. Thank you for this awesome video. We want more of such videos. Please continue to enthral us. Thank you.

Nicely done. I have always enjoyed saving items restoring, rather than discarding or trashing them. These possessions to me have spirits all their own. In the case of this watch if it could tell its story of who made it originally, then who wore it and the lifestyle experiences while doing so. True craftsman of the time. Quality as well as pride in making and assembling it. Someone, maybe many individuals over time came into contact with this particular watch. All most likely have perished over time. But the watch lives on now, but solely because someone took the time and had the knowledge and expertise to save it.
A very gratifying trade or hobby to seek to save items that would have been lost over time.

Congratulations, it is a watch that has survived in a single piece since 1946, and the metal fatigue of each part of this watch, as well as a delicate craftsmanship and resurrection for each part that has been cleaned and refined one by one, here is real mastery. this....🥇

Awesome 👌🏻👍🏻. The dial should have been cleaned , especially around the numbering , around area. It would look little brighter. Lovely work 😍

Really good job! I've always been fascinated with the internals of good watches. Question though, was there not more you could do with the face of the watch to clean the corrosion off? Or is that just part of the vintage look?

I work for Certina and was surprised, we’ll done dude!

You are the Best of all restoring a watch Sir? I Salute you

Precioso trabajo,
Un video mágico, ese reloj merece ese esfuerzo.
Me parece un milagro maravilloso ver latir de nuevo el corazón de esa maquinaria.
Hoy he visto por primera vez la herramienta que se usa para volver a enrollar el muelle de la cuerda.
Que interesante!
Perdón por no usar la palabra técnica

Beautiful work . Thank you for