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Pulsar Seiko CWC and others


Balidey

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Hi all,

My humble watch collection has only been going for a couple of years now. You will see that the value of my watches is very much towards the budget end of the market, but each one has been bought because I like the look of them, but most offer really amazing bang for buck.

I will get photos uploaded at some point, but for now...

Seiko SKX007, my first 'proper' watch and what started to pique my interest in what a watch really is, they are so much more than a way of knowing the time. I am not a fan of the rubber straps, so this is on a green NATO strap. I loved the look and feel of this watch, but about a year ago it lost all time keeping and needs a service, so possibly going to be sorted soon.

My next watch was meant to be a 'stop gap' while I figured out what to do with my Seiko. A very cheap (I think it was under £20) Pulsar quartz diver. Only bought because of it's similarity with the Seiko. It was head only, so it was paired with a green Zulu strap. This has hardly been off my wrist. It has taken some hard knocks.

I then found out about G10 watches, purely by accident. Their clean lines appealed to me. And then someone on another forum had a Fat Boy for sale. A bit more than I wanted to spend, but when I got it I was very pleased with it. Again, head only, so it was put onto the green Zulu from my Pulsar diver. But that is 20mm wide, the G10 with fixed bars was a struggle every time I swapped over, so just recently I have bought a green 18mm Zulu, so the G10 is on that permanently. I don't tend to wear the G10 very often as it is the Fat Boy version. I am tempted to get a 'normal' CWC G10, but I am going to struggle justifying that to my wife.... 'no dear, this is nothing like the other watch. This one is thinner'!

So I found myself wanting a Diver style watch that was nicer than the Pulsar, but not another auto. I found my next one on ebay. Pulsar Y652-9020. I fell in love with this and bid up higher than I initially intended, but still got it for a very reasonable price. It has a diver style dial, analogue and digital using the same movement as some Breitling Pluton and Chronosport. But being branded as Pulsar meant I could afford it. The only watch I have on a metal bracelet and I think it will stay on it. Again I don't wear this very often, for fear of damaging it at work.

And just recently I felt I needed another Diver style watch that was nicer than my daily Pulsar, but one I won't worry about as much as my Y652. So I picked up a Veteka. From what I found out, it was a diving equipment manufacturer that had some Monnin style watches branded up with their logo, similar to Dive Dynamics. But this has a black PVD coating on the body. The watch was sold as head only and not working, just needing a new battery. New battery didn't help and looks like there is a contact missing in the battery compartment. It has a ETA 955 day / date movement, simple dial with some amazing lume. Really my sort of watch. Naturally it needed a Zulu strap, so it is on a black one. With some advice from this forum, looks like I'll be able to get it up and running soon.

And that's my modest collection for now. I am on the lookout for another budget quartz diver. And that too will probably end up on a Zulu strap.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just bought another 'generic' diver. Very similar to the Veteka branded one I posted above.

This is the slightly more common Dive Dynamics branded dial. But there are some similarities and differences. Firstly, this has the black PVD body, although a lot has worn off this one. The dial, hands, bezel and insert all look the same between the two watches. The Veteka has an ETA 955 movement. This Dive Dynamics has a Seiko (?) VX43. The dial also has this marked at the bottom. Yet when I did a bit of googling on these budget dive watches, most of what I read suggested that the Dive Dynamics ones also have the ETA movement. I would have assumed this had a replacement / downgrade to the VX43, but the fact the dial states it suggests there were several levels of watch sold. Also most Dive Dynamics pictures online show a polished body. And it looks like there were some others branded as Barracuda. Perhaps some more?

So quite an interesting little collection of watches out there. I love the look of them and am interested in seeing or getting more, so if anyone happens across one, please let me know. The fact they are so affordable and have been used as working dive watches appeals to me.

But on to this new one. It is in a right state. Apart from the worn off coating, the bezel insert has some wear. The glass is terrible, totally covered in little craters and pock marks. I doubt it'll polish out, so new glass to go in at some point. Bezel just about turns, but will need a clean at the very least. Inside is grubby. No battery tried yet. The crown does tighten, but doesn't move to it's setting positions very well. I think some of the visible gunk inside has made its way into the movement. I will try and give it a blow out. But the cost of the VX43 movements suggests I will just put in a new one. Or perhaps get another ETA 955 and put that in. Dial and hands look OK as far as I can tell through the glass. The (smelly) strap went in the bin!

So for the price of a cheap night out, I have acquired a little project do-err upper.

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Took the back off the Dive Dynamics watch last night. Loads of gunk and miscellaneous 'stuff' all around the case, the stem and bezel. Took quite some scrubbing with a cotton bud and nail varnish remover, which I have found to be just the right amount of solvent on the outside of watches.

The movement didn't respond to a new battery. The stiff crown was mostly from the gunk around the body. So I think the movement is dead, but replacement is only about £6. Still not sure whether to spend another £20 and put in an ETA 955.

Then I took off the bezel. That was disgusting. It took lots of pressure to turn and you can see why. Brown and black sludge. Lots of cleaning and scraping and it has made the world of difference. It was really just an exploratory clean. The watch needs stripping and cleaning properly, but I just wanted to get to the movement and glass. The craters in the glass are very deep and no way it is salvageable, so will get one of those on order when I know what movement I am going for.

So in a way it was a bit disgusting to see the crap that was in and around this watch, but it is also reassuring that tool watches can and do get used and abused and all it takes is a few minutes with a cotton bud, cocktail stick and a few basic watch tools to get it (nearly) looking presentable again. Just a shame it's currently still a non-runner.

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Hi Balidey, I'm new to the forum and saw this post. Look out for the G10 bug! I picked up my first G10 and within a year had CWC 1980 and 82 fat boys, an 82 and 84 precista (my fave) and then WENT A BIT MAD with the mid size fatboys and 83 and 84 and the slimmer 85, 87, 89, 90, 91, the less common 0555 marine 1995, then 97, 98, 99, a pulsar 99 short hand and then stopped! I enjoy working on them and bringing them back to their original condition. Now have sold most cos I've only 1 wrist, and kept the 80 CWC fatboy, it is in superb condition, the 84 precista, and have spent over a year souring parts - the split stem mainly - restoring a CWC W10.  The rarer navigator dial came up cheap, a date window being very handy, not an issued watch but looks nice too.

I think that's enough! An older photo of some below! Cheers.....

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Thanks for sharing that @Enzo if nothing else I can at least use your photos to show my wife that having two or three G10s isn't really a problem when other people have it bad:biggrin:.

I actually like the Pulsar G10 with the date, so I can try and slip one of those into my collection with it being a bit different. But my wife thinks having too many the same is the start of a problem.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh dear. I have accidentally become a collector of cheap generic dive watches from the 1980s.

Just bought another Dive Dynamics diver from ebay. Under £20. Non runner. Needs a tidy up and new bezel insert. Probably needs a new movement, so this is another with the Hattori VX43. I was planning on putting another ETA 955 in these, but the hands have very slightly different hole sizes. Whether they do or not on these cheap watches is a different matter. They may just go on as they are. I'm going to get a couple of 955 movements to play with. I may even drop a Ronda 517 in, as I have seen one person has done just that already due to the price of the 955.

Now back to this one, it has a plain stainless body. My other Dive Dynamics and my Veteka (with the ETA movement) both have black PVD bodies and crown. So if nothing else, I can justify this to my wife as it is NOT the same as my others. And even though this one has the original strap, I am not a fan of that type, so it'll also end up on a Zulu strap. Not sure on colour.

It appears that there were other branded dials of the same watch. One was called Deep See (not a typo), Barracuda (which appear to pop up on American ebay from time to time) and Cardinal, which look like the Australian watch manufacturer of the same name may have done them. Some with PVD body, some plain. All seem to have the same red and black bezel insert and the same Monnin style case. A mixture of ETA 955.124 and VX43 movements both with day and date.

Seriously, if anyone has one they want to pass on, let me know.

Currently wearing my Veteka today. My quick fix with the battery contact seems to be holding up well until I get a new circuit board for it.

here's the latest one, looking in sorry state. not my photo.

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Edited by Balidey
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Brief report on my new Dive Dynamics.

Case, bezel, general details on the dial, all the same as previous Dive Dynamics and Veteka.

This one has the polished case and the movement is a Y143A, so three 'identical' watches and three different movements. And the dials are all correctly labeled with the movements, so it's not even like is was a random mix and match of parts, it was a conscious decision to make each watch and label each dial as they have been.

Unfortunatly this new one with the Y143A movement is also dead. Same problem as my ETA955 movement, the battery negative contact had snapped off. I did try a repair again, but no luck, the remaining part of the contact was too small and too well hidden from view that I gave it a good shot, but it's not made contact. So another movement for the bin. I think a couple of Ronda 517s are the order of the day.

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  • 9 months later...

Oh no, I've only gone and bought another Veteka branded watch.

Movement is also not a happy bunny, so I have picked up a new VX43 movement to drop into this one while I decide what movements go in the others.

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And I also bought a nice old Pulsar Y960. Quartz with a rather unusual digital display in the day / date window. A bit smaller watch than I usually wear, but it's growing on me.

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  • 2 years later...

So I found myself wanting a Diver style watch that was nicer than the Pulsar, but not another auto. I found my next one on ebay. Pulsar Y652-9020. I fell in love with this and bid up higher than I initially intended, but still got it for a very reasonable price. It has a diver style dial, analogue and digital using the same movement as some Breitling Pluton and Chronosport. But being branded as Pulsar meant I could afford it. The only watch I have on a metal bracelet and I think it will stay on it. Again I don't wear this very often, for fear of damaging it at work.

Hi,

 

this is former watch of french pilot,  very nice watch. Bravo

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  • 3 years later...

Hi there, I am new to watch forums. Just bought an identical watch to the Dive Dynamics mentioned above but mine has  ‘Le Cheminant’ in place of Dive Dynamics. It’s in great condition and the day wheel has both French and English options. Does anyone have a copy of the original operating manual? I’m new to vintage watches and want to understand how to change the day/date without ruining it. Would also like to know if it has a low battery warning indication, maybe a slow ticking second hand?  Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

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8 hours ago, AndySerc said:

Does anyone have a copy of the original operating manual?

The Dive Dynamics mentioned earlier in the thread has a Hattori VX43 movement in it. Assuming yours has the same movement then the attached should help, but check first that it is a VX43. VX43.pdf

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