Watchmaker Toolkits

A watchmaker tool kit saves buying piece by piece, and saves you from the approximate tool — the one that marks a lug or a screw head. Here are the tools we use in our own workshop: complete cases, precision screwdrivers, tweezers, case openers and strap tools. La Boîte à Montres is an official Bergeon retailer.

Complete watch tool kit: what it holds

A serious case covers four jobs: opening, dismantling, adjusting, closing. That means screwdrivers in the right blade widths, tweezers that grip without marking, a case-back wrench, a movement holder and a spring bar tool.

The Beco Magnum kit opens and dismantles: three screwdrivers, a spring bar tool, tweezers, a loupe and two case openers. The Beco Medium kit adds metal bracelet adjustment, with a pin pusher, a fitting cushion and a twelve-compartment box.

Beginner kit or professional watchmaker kit

For looking after your own collection — changing a strap, opening a back, adjusting a link — an intermediate case is plenty. For daily work on movements, tolerances matter, and that is Bergeon's ground.

The useful criterion is not the advertised piece count but the quality of the blades and tips. A fifty-piece case whose screwdrivers twist is worth less than nine good ones.

Watchmaker screwdrivers: blade widths and stands

The Bergeon 1.6 mm screwdriver is the width most often needed on buckle and strap screws. For a complete bench, the Bergeon 5970 stand of nine screwdrivers and the Beco stand of ten high-precision screwdrivers cover every common width.

Cross-head screws have their own set of three cross screwdrivers.

Antimagnetic tweezers for the bench

The set of three antimagnetic tweezers covers the three useful tip shapes: fine straight, curved, heavy. Antimagnetism is not a catalogue detail — magnetised tweezers pass their field to whatever they hold, and a magnetised watch runs fast.

Tool to change a watch strap

A spring bar tool removes spring bars without marking the lugs. The Bergeon 6767F pairs a fine fork tip, for leather, metal and silicone straps, with a pin tip for adjusting metal bracelets. The Beco spring bar tool does the same job.

A watch with fixed bars cannot be dismantled: a NATO strap answers that case. For the width to order, our lug width table by model gives the match, and our video guide shows the movement.

Opening a case back: JAXA and fluted wrenches

Two families of case back, two tools. The Beco JAXA wrench opens notched screw-down backs, with jaws that adjust to the case. The Bergeon wrench for fluted backs works on fine-fluted waterproof cases without touching the engraving.

Adjusting a metal bracelet

The Bergeon 7744 drives out link pins and screws on a stable support. That is the difference between a link removed cleanly and a link marked.

Dust blower and watch movement holder

The rubber dust blower clears dust without contact, just before closing. The Bergeon 4040 movement holder keeps the calibre still during the work.

Watch cleaning, springbars and demagnetizer

Cleaning, polish and loupes have their own section: watch cleaning kits and watchmaker loupes. Stainless steel springbars are the natural companion to a spring bar tool. A watch running fast belongs with the demagnetizer. Everything sits under watchmaker tools.

Watchmaker tools in stock, shipped from France

The tools shown here are held in stock on our premises and ship from France. Our photographs and videos are made in the workshop, on the tools we sell.

Watchmaker tools: frequently asked questions

Which watch tool kit should a beginner choose?

An intermediate case is enough for looking after your own collection. The useful criterion is not the advertised piece count but the quality of the blades and tips.

Which tool changes a watch strap?

A fine-fork spring bar tool. The Bergeon 6767F or the Beco tool do this job. A screwdriver does not: it widens the slot instead of driving the bar out.

Which screwdriver size for a strap?

1.6 mm covers the most common buckle and link screws. Movement work needs the full set, 0.50 to 2.50 mm.

How do you open a screw-down case back?

With a JAXA wrench set to the notch spacing of the back. Fine-fluted waterproof cases need a dedicated wrench; a clipped back opens with a case knife.