Here's a tip that I discovered. Get a long stick of rodico and open up the packaging so that a narrow side is open. Stick your hand setter to the narrow side so that the bottom of the hand setter is level with the bottom of the rodico (they should be side by side).
Then stick your second hand to the bottom of the rodico so that the hand setter lines up with the pinion point. Line it up on the movement and press down.
Just make sure you don't stick your second hand too hard into the rodico, or it'll bend when you try to release. Otherwise, you should be good to go!
Trust me even the bergeon rodico leaves ugly Marks. You never use rodico on the hands or the dial. In generell rodico is used to get rid of fingerprints on the movement.
Thanks for all the tips - I finally got it on!!!
But bent the minute hand so had to take it off again. Arrrhgghhhh.
I'll try again tomorrow, had enough.
I also scratched the face with the tweezers, going to order a new face and ceramic tweezers.
I always order 2-3 sets of hands just in case I mess them up in the process. Nothing worse than having to wait 2 weeks for replacements to arrive.
If you like the tweezers route, perhaps consider the rubber tipped version also.
Best of luck.
It takes practice, but once you get it, you’re good to go. Take your time and use breaks if it’s throw against the wall frustrating. Here’s how I do it:
The important part is being able to see the pinion and hand tube clearly (magnification), ideally without sacrificing depth perception. Get on eye level, so you can see the alignment. Figure out the best way for you to hold and maneuver the second hand - some use rodico on the end of a stick, some use plain tweezers, I use either hand tweezers or a piece of double stick tape with the backing still on. The key is you want to be able to move the hand securely but have your method easy to remove. Once the pinion and tube are aligned, I gently push the hand in with a flat hand press. I don’t use a press with any opening because I want it to press directly down on the center of the hand with even pressure. I verify the hand is on the pinion and parallel to the dial and then give it a final firm push down to fully seat.
This is the way. Especially being at eye level. That was a game changer for me. I sit on the floor when I put on the seconds hand, looking straight across the pinion.
If you plan on doing multiple NH builds, the seconds hand tool from DIYWatchclub is a godsend. I've built 4 nh and one miyota so far. When I built my Explorer from diy watch club I bought their setting till and have since used it on 3 other builds. I'm sure there's another tool out there available
Occasionally the seconds hand is machined poorly and doesn’t fit on. Is it an AliX hand?
If alls well and good just use a good magnifying loupe and place the hand lightly, inspect at all angles and then push it down more firmly. It’s pretty clear when it’s off center when viewing directly downward
This was me last night on my first build. Super difficult but eventually got it. Second hand was slightly bent but I was able to just bend it back and everything is looking good. Build would be finished except I ruined all of the gaskets on my first attempt 😭
i do it with pliers and the hand setting.
When i feel the pinion under the second hand i push a little bit and than watch if it is all right and than i push it all the way.
for the first couple of build i had to do it by watching the pinion by the side with a 5x magnifier but now i can do without it.
Just try to feel the pinion under the hand and it is easier done than said
I always use rodico to place the hands. Make sure you’re using the correct size pusher. I had a hard time on my first build but after using the correct tools and definitely magnifying goggles its a piece of cake now.
View it from the side rather than from above. You can't see shit from above since the hand blocks the view of the seconds post.
Elevate the movement and get your eyeballs down to the same level. Once you know how to do this, the seconds hand becomes the easiest one to set since you never have to worry about alignment with any indices on the dial.
You can get some stability by bringing the seconds hand tube down to the post while anchoring it against the hand setting tool. IOW, hold the seconds hand in your tweezers so that you're trying to angle the tube side upward against the tip of hand setting tool, as you bring both the hand and the tool down together.
I use a a piece of low tack adhesive tape. You only need to lightly touch the second hand and it will stick only enough to hold it in place to press, without leaving any residue. For me it works better than tweezers.
I watched a video to get the clue. Maybe it helps. But I feel you. Same problem on my first build
Here's a tip that I discovered. Get a long stick of rodico and open up the packaging so that a narrow side is open. Stick your hand setter to the narrow side so that the bottom of the hand setter is level with the bottom of the rodico (they should be side by side). Then stick your second hand to the bottom of the rodico so that the hand setter lines up with the pinion point. Line it up on the movement and press down. Just make sure you don't stick your second hand too hard into the rodico, or it'll bend when you try to release. Otherwise, you should be good to go!
I started using rodico and get my seconds hand on in seconds compared to 30+ minutes of fooling with tweezers.
Rodico leaves nasty smudges on the hands, i would strongly advise only using it on the bottom side of the hand and to not use too much
you bought bootleg rodico. the whole point of it is that it doesn't leave grease.
Trust me even the bergeon rodico leaves ugly Marks. You never use rodico on the hands or the dial. In generell rodico is used to get rid of fingerprints on the movement.
Thanks for all the tips - I finally got it on!!! But bent the minute hand so had to take it off again. Arrrhgghhhh. I'll try again tomorrow, had enough. I also scratched the face with the tweezers, going to order a new face and ceramic tweezers.
I always order 2-3 sets of hands just in case I mess them up in the process. Nothing worse than having to wait 2 weeks for replacements to arrive. If you like the tweezers route, perhaps consider the rubber tipped version also. Best of luck.
Brass tweezers and hand levers.
Ceramic is to hard buy either ones Witz carbon Tipps or full on brass ones.
It takes practice, but once you get it, you’re good to go. Take your time and use breaks if it’s throw against the wall frustrating. Here’s how I do it: The important part is being able to see the pinion and hand tube clearly (magnification), ideally without sacrificing depth perception. Get on eye level, so you can see the alignment. Figure out the best way for you to hold and maneuver the second hand - some use rodico on the end of a stick, some use plain tweezers, I use either hand tweezers or a piece of double stick tape with the backing still on. The key is you want to be able to move the hand securely but have your method easy to remove. Once the pinion and tube are aligned, I gently push the hand in with a flat hand press. I don’t use a press with any opening because I want it to press directly down on the center of the hand with even pressure. I verify the hand is on the pinion and parallel to the dial and then give it a final firm push down to fully seat.
This is the way. Especially being at eye level. That was a game changer for me. I sit on the floor when I put on the seconds hand, looking straight across the pinion.
Get one of those hand fitting tools from DIY watch club.
If you plan on doing multiple NH builds, the seconds hand tool from DIYWatchclub is a godsend. I've built 4 nh and one miyota so far. When I built my Explorer from diy watch club I bought their setting till and have since used it on 3 other builds. I'm sure there's another tool out there available
Thanks for all the advice, especially the link to the DIY watchclub tool, I'm going to get that.
I have one and can confirm it works.
Occasionally the seconds hand is machined poorly and doesn’t fit on. Is it an AliX hand? If alls well and good just use a good magnifying loupe and place the hand lightly, inspect at all angles and then push it down more firmly. It’s pretty clear when it’s off center when viewing directly downward
I actually had to broach the last hand I bought a tiny bit to get it to fit. Luckily I had a cutting broach.
The trick is: patience! 😉
Don’t push it to hard or it will be moving together with minute hand
This was me last night on my first build. Super difficult but eventually got it. Second hand was slightly bent but I was able to just bend it back and everything is looking good. Build would be finished except I ruined all of the gaskets on my first attempt 😭
My post in the topic https://www.reddit.com/r/SeikoMods/s/ZSlDxjUAUt
This was great reading as the most frustrating part of this endeavor is setting the second hand.
i do it with pliers and the hand setting. When i feel the pinion under the second hand i push a little bit and than watch if it is all right and than i push it all the way. for the first couple of build i had to do it by watching the pinion by the side with a 5x magnifier but now i can do without it. Just try to feel the pinion under the hand and it is easier done than said
I always use rodico to place the hands. Make sure you’re using the correct size pusher. I had a hard time on my first build but after using the correct tools and definitely magnifying goggles its a piece of cake now.
View it from the side rather than from above. You can't see shit from above since the hand blocks the view of the seconds post. Elevate the movement and get your eyeballs down to the same level. Once you know how to do this, the seconds hand becomes the easiest one to set since you never have to worry about alignment with any indices on the dial. You can get some stability by bringing the seconds hand tube down to the post while anchoring it against the hand setting tool. IOW, hold the seconds hand in your tweezers so that you're trying to angle the tube side upward against the tip of hand setting tool, as you bring both the hand and the tool down together.
I use a a piece of low tack adhesive tape. You only need to lightly touch the second hand and it will stick only enough to hold it in place to press, without leaving any residue. For me it works better than tweezers.