FIXODROP EPILAME- Although not an oil or lubricant, I couldn't talk about oils without mentioning Epilame. Watchmaking lubricants used to be purely animal and vegetable oil. This is also the reason why older watches may smell like fish when you open it up. Watchmakers used to use sperm oil from sperm whales as a lubricant. It worked really well (considering the technology at the time)except the fact that it would gum up within several months.

I use Horotec F Pattern tweezers for handling hands - these are stainless steel and have large flat highly polished tips. If a piece of Rodico is to break off in a small space, dab with a another small piece of Rodico to remove it. I have also heard from watchmakers from other forums that Rodico is banned by many watch manufacturers, and their service Center. Use latex gloves to avoid adding new dirt and oils to your freshly cleaned watch parts and to prevent the Rodico from getting soiled faster.

Customer Reviews

If it's just on the rim, isn't connected by an oil trail to the cup, and really is microscopic, it's better to leave it. If you want to really get it off, fresh cut pegwood under microscope... but- Don't depend on Rodico too much. The use of Rodico should a last case scenario. Rodico is great! Except the fact that most watchmakers keep them for years on end and never change/throw them out. If you do use Rodico, make sure it's less than a week old since opening. Rodico will age in time, discontinue the use of a bar once it starts leaving a residue behind. Some watchmakers swear that a well kept bar of Rodico can stay fresh and last for more than 10 years, while others who use it religiously can easily go through a single bar within a few months time. Call it what you want, magic, a watchmaker’s best friend, watchmaker’s putty, no matter how you put it the little bar of Bergeon Rodico cleaning compound is something a watchmaker should never go without. Although the original green putty was designed to clean small and delicate watch parts, it’s just as commonly used for a variety of other handy reasons while working on watches. Due to the consistency of the putty it gives you precise control over where and what you are cleaning or grabbing. Take a look below at the many ways you can use Rodico cleaning putty and learn expert tips on getting the most use out of a single bar of Bergeon 6033 Rodico.

MOEBIUS D5- Older version before HP1000 was introduced. Watchmakers used to MOEBIUS D5 before HP1000 was introduced. It's rumoured that one of the main reasons the industry dropped D5 was because there were still some natural oil components in it (instead of being 100% syntehtic).MOLYKOTE DX- Greasy paste normally used for setting systems and other high friction areas. Lots of brands for a LONG period of time have used Molykote for their setting systems because of reliability. Molykote wasn't even originally designed for watchmaking use! This also eliminates the risk of accidentally “wiping” a small bit of abrasive material that will permanently scratch your glass surface.