I have a pretty sizeable collection of antique American pocket watches, including some very special, rare, and desirable pieces.
With that said, my "go to" every day is a Rolex Datejust from the 1980s. This is a ref. 16013, two-tone 18K yellow gold and stainless with a champagne dial and the older 3035 movement. It was given to me as a graduation gift by my parents several years ago-they wanted to get me a Rolex and I advised to save a bunch of money, get a good used one from a reputable dealer, and get that specific reference
. It's accurate to within a few seconds a month, although recently I've noticed it drifting a bit more and I'm planning on sending it off for service some time this year. I'll have to find something to wear in the interim-I'll probably get out some of the old Hamiltons and Illinois that I never wear and give those some exercise, although I'll need to service them before I start wearing them(fortunately I can do those myself).
As far as back wrenches go-I have a box full of them. I have a bunch of pressed steel ones that are made to fit a "6 notch" back but are manufacturer specific, although they can be made to work with anything similarly sized. I also have a full set of Rolex "propeller" wrenches, and then an L&R adjustable tool for notched backs. The L&R is similar to the cheap ones that you see everywhere, but is MUCH better built. Current watchmaking practice frowns on the use of a hand wrench, and instead the preference is to use a press-type tool with an appropriate die for the back. Basically, the watch is put into the tool, a jack screw is used to crank the die down until it is on the case back, and then the die is turned by hand. This saves you having to both push down and turn at the same time, makes sure the forces are exactly where they need to be on the case back, and makes scratching the back basically impossible if used correctly. I don't work on enough wristwatches to need one.
With that said, my "go to" every day is a Rolex Datejust from the 1980s. This is a ref. 16013, two-tone 18K yellow gold and stainless with a champagne dial and the older 3035 movement. It was given to me as a graduation gift by my parents several years ago-they wanted to get me a Rolex and I advised to save a bunch of money, get a good used one from a reputable dealer, and get that specific reference
As far as back wrenches go-I have a box full of them. I have a bunch of pressed steel ones that are made to fit a "6 notch" back but are manufacturer specific, although they can be made to work with anything similarly sized. I also have a full set of Rolex "propeller" wrenches, and then an L&R adjustable tool for notched backs. The L&R is similar to the cheap ones that you see everywhere, but is MUCH better built. Current watchmaking practice frowns on the use of a hand wrench, and instead the preference is to use a press-type tool with an appropriate die for the back. Basically, the watch is put into the tool, a jack screw is used to crank the die down until it is on the case back, and then the die is turned by hand. This saves you having to both push down and turn at the same time, makes sure the forces are exactly where they need to be on the case back, and makes scratching the back basically impossible if used correctly. I don't work on enough wristwatches to need one.