Escapement & Co. Horology Toolkit
3D Studio
HOROLOGY

A watch is a machine that counts its own energy.

Tools, caliber data and free 3D simulations for people who take movements apart — and want to get them back together running properly.

Browse the toolkit Open 3D Studio

Independent

No brand affiliations and nothing for sale.

Reference only

Generic families and published specifications, clearly labelled.

Free 3D tools

Four interactive simulations, no account and no cost.

Safety first

Sharp tools, solvents and stored energy — noted on every page.

⚙ THE BENCH

Five ways into the toolkit

Everything on the site falls into one of these groups. Start wherever your current problem lives.

All 28 tools

Movements & Calibers

The engine — power, transmission, escapement and oscillation.

6 TOOLS

Hand Tools & Tweezers

What your hands use — grip, leverage, magnification and control.

6 TOOLS

Lubricants & Cleaning

Removing contamination and putting back oil in the right place.

5 TOOLS

Cases, Dials & Hands

The exterior — sealing, glazing, and the face you actually read.

6 TOOLS

Testing & Regulation

Measurement — proving the work before the case goes back on.

5 TOOLS
⚙ THE PROCESS

Four stages, in order

A service always runs this way. Skipping a stage is how a movement comes back worse than it went in.

  1. Disassemble — process illustration 1 STEP 1

    Disassemble

    Let the power down, open the case and strip the movement in a recoverable order.

  2. Clean and inspect — process illustration 2 STEP 2

    Clean & inspect

    Remove old oil and debris, then look at every pivot and jewel under magnification.

  3. Lubricate and assemble — process illustration 3 STEP 3

    Lubricate & assemble

    Put the right lubricant in the right place, in the right quantity, and rebuild.

  4. Regulate and test — process illustration 4 STEP 4

    Regulate & test

    Measure amplitude, rate and beat error — then adjust only if all three warrant it.

Animated three-dimensional movement preview
⚙ 3D STUDIO

Watch the mechanism, not a diagram of it

Four interactive simulations: assemble a movement part by part, run an escapement in slow motion, retune a balance wheel, and design a dial. Everything runs in the browser with no download and no account.

Educational simulationsOutput is illustrative, not measured. Simulated results are no substitute for a timegrapher and a service manual.
Movement Assembly SimulatorEscapement SimulatorBalance Wheel TunerDial Designer
⚙ POPULAR

The tools people look up first

Nine entries that come up most often when a service goes wrong.

Browse all
Automatic Movement — technical line drawing

Automatic Movement

A self-winding movement: a rotor converts wrist motion into mainspring tension.

Movements & Calibers
Balance Wheel — technical line drawing

Balance Wheel

The oscillator: a weighted wheel and hairspring that set the watch's rate.

Movements & Calibers
Escapement — technical line drawing

Escapement

The escapement meters energy and gives the balance its impulse.

Movements & Calibers
Manual Wind Movement — technical line drawing

Manual Wind Movement

Hand-wound: crown, ratchet wheel and click convert turning into stored torque.

Movements & Calibers
Dumont Tweezers — technical line drawing

Dumont Tweezers

The standard horological tweezer: numbered by tip shape and strength.

Hand Tools & Tweezers
Screwdriver Set — technical line drawing

Screwdriver Set

Blades sized to the slot: the difference between a screw and a ruined screw.

Hand Tools & Tweezers
Loupe — technical line drawing

Loupe

The standard 2.5× to 10× eye loupe — the first tool worth buying properly.

Hand Tools & Tweezers
Mainspring Barrel — technical line drawing

Mainspring Barrel

The power source: a coiled spring in a toothed drum, released in a controlled way.

Movements & Calibers
Watch Oil — technical line drawing

Watch Oil

Low-viscosity synthetic oil for bearings — applied in very small quantities.

Lubricants & Cleaning
⚙ CALCULATORS

Three numbers worth checking

Beat rate, power reserve and gear train ratios — each with the assumptions written out.

Free tool

Beat Rate Calculator

Convert between vph, Hz, beats per second and step angle.

Beat rate28800 vph
Calculator
Free tool

Power Reserve Calculator

Estimate how long a barrel actually runs, and where it fades.

Barrel inner diameter9.4 mm
Calculator
Free tool

Gear Ratio Calculator

Check whether a wheel train actually produces 12:1 and 60:1.

Centre wheel teeth64 teeth
Calculator
⚙ READING

Start here

Longer pieces on the parts of the craft that need more than a specification table.

All articles
Beginner14 July 202610 min read

How to Start Watch Repair: A Beginner's Guide

The order in which to learn, the tools worth buying first, and the choice of first movement that decides whether your first year is educational or expensive.

Tomas Meier
Movements28 June 202611 min read

Understanding Watch Movements: Automatic, Manual and Quartz

Three ways to keep time. What changes between them, what does not, and why the choice affects everything else you do to a watch.

Rosa Villiers
Tools11 June 20269 min read

Essential Tools for Watchmaking

What each tool is actually for, why the cheap version fails, and the order in which a bench should be built.

Tomas Meier

Set up the bench before you need it

Surface, light, storage and clean air — the four things that decide whether a home bench is usable.

Read the guide