Beginners Guide to Movement Case Cushions

Written by: Maz P
Updated on:
Movement Case Cushions

Case cushions are another less essential but still useful tool for a watchmaker. In most cases your bench mat may be a little too hard to work on your movement or more fragile parts. Also putting a watch crystal side down on your bench mat or work bench while trying to open the case back is just asking for trouble. This is where a case cushion comes in very handy.

They are available in a variety of materials including leather, silicone and gel as well as multiple sizes, common sizes are 55mm and 75mm diameters. Some may even include a dust cover.

I currently have two case cushions, a 50mm diameter padded case cushion and a 75mm diameter gel cushion. They both serve a purpose: the 50mm padded cushion is the perfect size for movements and parts (less so for cases) and has a good level of give, but the black colour makes it harder to see parts.

The 75mm gel cushion is a much better lighter colour and a better size for cases. It is slightly too firm to work on parts but offers a better grip on a crystal for opening a notched screw case back.

Movement Case Cushions - Watchmaking Tools
75mm Gel Cushion / 50mm Padded Cushion

Bergeon and Horotec are the two main case cushion manufacturers.

Rough Cost
  • Basic Variety = from £4
  • Branded Variety = from £20
Recommendation

Not essential but useful when working on a movement outside of the movement holder and reviewing parts. Definitely not worth the investment in a branded option as cheap options are good enough.

If you think I’ve missed anything or have anything to add, please comment below.

AUTHOR

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I started WatchmakingTools.com to share my passion and knowledge with those already bitten by the watchmaking bug. I’ve often spent hours searching online for answers on a specific issue, and even though there is a wealth of information out there, it hasn’t always been very useful, hence why I wanted to share my own findings.

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