Starting at a watchmaking school or setting out as a self-taught learner immediately raises the same question: which tools should you begin with? The temptation to buy a cheap “all-in-one” kit is strong, but a watchmaker's bench is not a hobbyist's drawer. Every tool has a precise role, an associated gesture, and a minimum quality threshold below which it becomes dangerous for the movement. This guide sets out the basic kit for a watchmaking student — the one that will accompany the early years of training and stay by your side long after graduation.
Tweezers: the extension of the hand
No tool is more fundamental than tweezers. It is with them that you will pick up screws, springs, jewels and wheels — sometimes under 0.5 mm. A student needs at least three pairs: a No. 2 tweezer in antimagnetic steel for general assembly, a No. 5 with very fine points for hairsprings and small components, and a brass tweezer for handling polished parts without scratching or magnetising them. Reference brands — Dumont, Bergeon, Horotec — cost more, but their ground tips do not “pinch” the part and last for decades. A low-end tweezer whose tips do not close perfectly will send a screw flying across the bench: it is every apprentice's first painful lesson.
Watchmaker's screwdrivers: a set, not a single model
You do not screw a watch together with an electronics precision screwdriver. Watchmaker's screwdrivers have a rotating head (finger rest) that allows controlled one-handed rotation while the blade stays perfectly upright. A set of nine Bergeon 30081 screwdrivers or equivalent (0.50 to 3.00 mm) covers 99% of needs. Blades must be reground and polished regularly on an Arkansas stone — a screwdriver whose blade is no longer flat slips out of the slot and leaves a half-moon mark on the screw head, an immediately recognisable sign of amateur work.
Loupe, binocular microscope and lighting
The watchmaker's eye is augmented. Start with a head-mounted or monocular loupe — a Bergeon 3.3× or 4× for everyday gestures, a 6.7× or 10× for close inspection. The rule: the stronger the magnification, the smaller the field and depth of focus — you should not work at 10× what you can do at 3.3×. After a year, a binocular microscope (Meiji, Leica type, or a quality industrial Chinese equivalent) becomes essential for escapement work and finishing. Lighting matters as much as optics: a neutral-light (5000 K) LED arm with no glare, angled from the side, reveals surface defects that no magnification alone will show.
Movement holder, blowers, brushes
A movement holder (Bergeon 4040 with rubber jaws, or an equivalent Horotec model) holds the calibre without straining it during disassembly. Never work on a movement bare-handed on the bench: it is the shortest route to a flying screw or a chipped escapement. Add a rubber blower to clear dust and fibres before each reassembly, a mainspring clamp to compress barrel springs without twisting them, and a set of fine brushes (marten hair) to clean without scratching. An antistatic silicone work mat protects the bench and keeps parts from rolling away.
Oils, oilers and working hygiene
Oiling is not an optional step: it is a trade within the trade. The basic kit includes an epilame-treated fast oil (Moebius 9010) for fast pivots, an HP-1300 grease for large parts, a Moebius 9415 for escapement pallets, and a set of Bergeon oilers (red, yellow, blue) coded by drop diameter. You always work on a clean movement — oiling a grimy pivot only kneads the grime in further. An ultrasonic bath and a light benzine rinse (or One-Dip for the escapement) round out working hygiene from the second year onward.
Measuring tools: precision starts with reading
A digital calliper reading to 1/100 mm and a micrometer (0-25 mm) are enough to measure pivots, shoulders and barrel diameters. For regulation, an electronic timing machine (Timegrapher 1000, entry-level Witschi) becomes essential as soon as you touch the regulator. Never adjust “by ear” or “by smartphone app” what a €200 instrument will measure objectively in ten seconds. Precision begins with the ability to measure, not with the will to do well.
Frequently asked questions
What budget should I plan for the first year?
Between €600 and €1,200 for a serious kit (Dumont tweezers, Bergeon 30081 screwdrivers, head loupe, movement holder, oils). The “147-piece” kits at €80 are a trap: the tweezers are soft, the screwdrivers cannot be reground, and the whole set ends up at the bottom of a drawer after the first internship.
Should I buy new or second-hand?
New for tweezers and screwdrivers (tips and blades wear out). Second-hand for the binocular microscope, the movement holder, the bench and the ultrasonic bath — used professional equipment retains 90% of its working value at 30% of the price.
Which brand should I choose when in doubt?
Bergeon remains the Swiss benchmark — expensive but flawless. Horotec offers a better value-for-money ratio on many tools. Dumont is essential for fine tweezers. Avoid generic unbranded copies: their steel is not antimagnetic.
Tools only make sense alongside a structured curriculum: see the module-by-module progression in our online watchmaking course, and the study method in how to learn watchmaking online.
Ready to build your bench step by step? The Décalibre curriculum integrates each tool into a precise gesture, module after module — so that your kit grows at the pace of your practice, never the other way around.