After reading about how Panasonic decided to hard code into the camera the ability to detect an after-market battery and not allow the camera to function I was a bit dubious as to wether I was wasting my money.

The good news is that I have purchased two batteries off eBay and they both work fine in the camera with no issues at all. The firmware is v1.2 (which is supposed to contain the battery checking ability) but it still works OK. Happy days!

By the way - I have taken some shots with this camera and it is absolutely fantastic. However, indoors shots in iA mode with the flash enabled leaves a lot to be desired as far as exposure is concerned (the flash does not have a lot of reach). The image stabilisation is the best I have seen. Plus it has very low noise at ISO400 so I guess with a bit of practice I can get some good indoor shots.

Its overall a great piece of tech.

A couple of years ago I purchased a PUK welder primarily for jewellery repairs, but I have found that it has come into its own when repairing broken steel watch straps. Jobs previously not possible are possible by welding the broken parts together with this wonderful piece of kit.

Many original straps are hard to replace with after-market straps because of the size or type of fitting, and getting the original replacement strap will cost an arm and a leg, and thats if you can get one.

Here is a watch I have just done, a job which would have been very difficult to do without welding.

As you can see, I have managed to seam weld the bracelet end back on. The customer is delighted.

The PUK welder is a fantastic tool, I dont know how I managed so long without one.

Checking into it I find that Panasonic decided that it would be in their interest if they would make it as difficult as possible for people to buy aftermarket batteries - so they built into the firmware (v1.2 or greater) the ability to check if the battery is a genuine Panasonic one or not. Now the genuine one is four times more expensive than the aftermarket ones and does not have as much capacity. The genuine one which came with the Lumix is 895mAh and aftermarket batteries can be as large as 1250mAh. If you use the flash a lot and the video recording feature then this is very important.

So before I could purchase a couple of after-market batteries I had to find out what the current firmware is. I could not find it through the menu system of the camera so what to do? I tried looking through Google and found lots of articals about how to upgrade/downgrade the firmware but not to see which firmware is already installed.

Anyway, I found it by accident. If you take a picture, then transfer it to your PC then you can right click on it in windows and see the properties which contains a lot of information about the shot. In one of these fields it stated the software as being 1.2

So I guess my firmware is v1.2 - which I beleive includes the check on the battery! Oh happy days!! Well I have ordered a couple of batteries from an eBay seller anyway which they (the eBay seller) say has a new chip in which will fool the TZ7 into thinking it has a genuine battery. I hope they work. If not I guess I will have to try and downgrade to v1.1

The TZ7 seems to be a good camera, but I cant help thinking the battery issue is a scam or hustle to get you to purchase a massively overpriced and inferior manufacturer battery.

If you are reading this - and you care about your watch - do yourself a favour, get the watch to a decent watch repairer. You may think that changing a battery is a simple process, and in some respects it is. But noting will take the place of an experienced watch repairer who will take the time to replace the battery with care and attention and the correct tools.

A good watch will often have an extremely well machined case. The case back will often be very tight fitting. And may even be the screw back type. The well trained watch repairer will have this covered with special jigs and equipment to remove the case back without damage.

Then there will be the case seal. Even if a watch is not water resistant, often it will have a dust seal. A decent watch repairer will inspect this seal and replace it if needed. In the case of a water resistant watch, he/she will also pressure test the watch after the battery is fitted. Removing dust and debris as he/she goes along.

There are many extremely sensitive parts, even for a quartz battery operated watch. The most common damage I see when a customer comes along after being a “market trader” victim is a big nasty gash in the coil. The coil can be 50 meters long and is wrapped up within your quartz watch. The copper wire is extremely thin and you only need to look at it with a bad aptitude - it will break. Be assured - this will cost between £20 and £50 to replace if it is broken.

Other common problems I see is:

• water damage (case not resealed properly)
• Broken battery contacts
• Batteries inserted upside down
• Cheap Chinese batteries used (they leak badly)
• Heads snapped of screws
• Screws tightened to much
• Screws not tight enough
• Case back not snapped on the correct way (so the winder snags the case)
• Broken stems
• Broken glasses
• Deep scratches in the case back
• Broken case back seals
• Broken case lugs (very expensive, sometimes impossible to repair)

All this just to save a few quid. If you usually go down the market to get your battery replaced, think again! It can cost you a lot of money in the long run.

And a word to market traders - why not try to make a relationship with the local watch repairer in your area. If you get a watch where you feel you cannot handle it - don’t bother trying, refer the customer to that watch repairer. You may not make so much money, but this will save you from some pretty upset watch owners.

Rant over.

I have not actually been for several years but I think this year I will attend. It will be good to see familiar faces and perhaps make a few new contacts. Looking through the IJL websites exhibitor list - it looks like it will be a good event.

So - I have booked my ticket and look forward to a productive time.

Well I believe that this trade is far from dying and is certainly not dead! Certainly it has changed, but so do all trades.

Since the creation of quartz and digital watches, the perception of watches being a disposable item has been heightened. But in fact there is still a huge demand for high quality timepieces which naturally require specialist attention and regular service.

The worth of a watch is not just its monetary value. A watch with a relatively low high street price and near zero resale value may well be considered a family heirloom and could be invaluable to the owner.

A cheap Casio LCD watch can have more value in sentimental terms than a diamond ring depending on the owners viewpoint. These watches need to be repaired when they go wrong - and they do go wrong!

There will always be a need for the trained watch repairer, that is a fact. But the perception remains that it is a dying trade. The watch industry understands this and some manufacturers are now sponsoring training programmes for students to enter the business.

There are still healthy training programmes available, notably from the British Horological Institute and W.O.S.T.E.P

I beleive this is not a dying trade but a trade with massive potential. Long live the humble watchmaker.

Watch repairing isn’t as dull as you would imagine. I got started almost 20 years ago when I lived in Fleetwood (just outside of Blackpool). I was on a YTS scheme at the time learning to be a chef, however, I am not so good at taking orders and didn’t really get on with the head chef at the time. One day he pulled me in for some “extra training” and I went in that Saturday hoping to learn how to cook and was presented with a bucket of soapy water and a rag to clean the walls down.

So, I did not last long as a chef. My aptitude may have been wrong, but I was only 16 so there you go. I quit!

It was then, I saw an advert in a local newspaper advertising for a trainee watch repairer in Blackpool. This was also on the YTS scheme which promised a massive weekly salary of £16.50 - well OK, maybe that was not so massive (my mates were earning an average of £50 a week at the time) but the subject was intriguing.

I called and spoke to the workshop manager who asked me to come down and take a look. Well it was a small cubical in a large store on Blackpool seafront (since demolished). I remember though that from day one, I was hooked.

I was not given the job there and then, but the manager allowed me to sit in and simply watch him do his work. I travelled from Fleetwood to Blackpool every day for two weeks just to sit and watch and I even started serving customers and helping out.

I guess that made an impression as I was called down to the company HQ in Southport and was offered the trainee (or apprentice) position and a place on the YTS. They were great - they even gave me money for the previous two weeks.

So I joined the branch in Blackpool as an apprentice watch repairer and the manager was brilliant. I learnt my trade. I have since worked in Blackpool, Central London, Harrow, Bromley and Thurrock before I decided to start my own business in North London.

I saved up a couple of grand and purchased some stock and tools and then opened a small unit within a shopping centre. It was not easy. I had never been in business before - but I liked it a lot. I started selling cheap watches to go with my repairing service (by now I had learnt how to repair jewellery), and shortly after some small gold and silver items.

The first week my turnover was just £30 (for the whole week) which did not even cover the shop rent let alone my personal living expenses (wife and small baby). Was I crazy to start this business? Well, thank God, it did get better. In fact, within 18 months I had progressed and had tens of thousands worth of stock in watches, gold and silver and had opened a shop out in the main mall.

Ultimately it did not work out and I had to close the shop down, but it was an amazing learning experience which I will never regret. And I would certainly like to do it again in the future.

So now, I mainly do trade repairs (watches and jewellery) from home. I enjoy my work and take great pleasure in the satisfaction of restoring a watch to its former glory.

OK - this blogging lark is quite therapeutic, I may just continue another day.