I have been doing research in replica and clone movements, to see if they would give practical experience in genuine movements. I already posted about the Seagull ST3600 which is a legitimate clone of the expired patent ETA 6497. Same with the ST2130 which is an ETA 2824. Swiss companies make clones of this movement too, like the Sellita SW200. (don't forget that there are actual shitty clones of these though! Have to avoid those)
There's basically 2 or 3 rough categories of replica movements - repurposed off the shelf movements (usually an ST2130 clone) decorated to look like the brand it is in, or 'true clones' which are as close to 1:1 as possible and in some cases genuine parts can be swapped in. These are like the ones I mentioned above, but not legal since the patents are still active.
There are some Rolex movements that fall into this category, so that's another thing I can pick up for practice. Obviously the balance won't be 'free sprung' but if it's like 90% close, it should be practical
Then it occurred to me that there might be something in just being the 'replica service guy' for the more expensive reps. Most of these will come in the most shitty condition, poorly oiled and possibly with metal shavings in them if the movement is lazily decorated. The rep fans seem to be interested in finding someone who is 'rep friendly' to make their replicas work more like originals, but are too shy to bring them into a proper watchmaker.
There's a list of dudes doing this on reddit and their wait lists tend to be months long, with 3-4 services per week.. That would be a bout $50-70K a year of income if the work is steady. A good way to earn some money on the side while studying and practicing at the same time
Anyway there's my latest brainspill as I spent about 3 or 4 hours going down that rabbit hole