Yesterday, when putting together an Omega chronograph, I hit a problem. The reset button  didn’t work as it should, and I was scratching my head.

I had followed the manufacturer’s instructions about the order of assembly and oiling meticulously, but I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

A couple of months ago, I had been in contact with a watchmaker in Canada, Al from Archer Watches, and he had given me some good advice at the time. So I took some close-up photos of the problem area, and described in detail what was happening (and what wasn’t happening).

I wrote the email in the morning, and Al was of course still asleep at the time. Less than an hour after his shop opening, I received an email with a detailed description of what was wrong, and he took one of my photos and marked with a red arrow where I had gone wrong.

With his instructions, it took me less than 5 minutes to solve the problem. Without his advice, I’m sure I would have spent hours scratching my head and taking apart half of the movement to find out what was wrong.

Since I have started to work part-time in watch repair and servicing, I have only encountered helpful and nice people. My tutor, George, instructs me every two weeks for half a day, and refuses to take money for this, so I have to force wine and chocolates on him. Customers have sent me packets of sweets from their trip to Berlin (thanks, Joris!), I get postcards, and there is an atmosphere of goodwill and helpfulness around this trade that I just love.

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped me on my journey so far!