With my vintage Timex, it was starting, stopping, and not keeping good time. So, I opened it up and did a little basic repair. I used lighter fluid (napthha) to clean the balance pivots and the lever pivots. Then I used a tiny amount of mineral oil to oil the pivots. Although this is not ideal, it is just a pin lever watch. Worst case, I would have to clean more pivots and oil with some real watch oil, but I am cheap. This watch was less than $15, so it was not worth it and I always wanted to try do some real repairs.
The results?
The watch does not stop anymore and keeps better time than ever. Now I feel more confident wearing it when I need reliable timekeeper.
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