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The sad thing is that these are the outfits that the likes of Swatch group et al insist know best what they are doing and are seeking to ensure that all their watches go to by closing off the supply of parts to independents.

Ultrasonic cleaning for sure. THEY will have to replace the bezel or bezel insert. Another very poor service indeed. My nephew put his Rotary in for a battery change. Unfortunately who ever did the change did not appreciate it had a screw down crown & stripped the thread of the crown. Lucky for him uncle Del fixed it.

Abominable! Goes to show that, like car repair, taking your watch an "authorized service center" can be also be risky. My guess is that some--I don't know how many--have figured out ways to game the Swiss-imposed system as here in America, such centers simply need certification; they don't have to be facilities and personnel actually owned and employed by the company in question. In fact, I know some very talented watchmakers who have been denied certification simply because the company doesn't want to give competition to pre-existing service centers nearby. Competition would naturally put pressure on the company to lower prices for service while letting the customer choose by reputation and not because it's the only place to go.

Normally you'd leave the movement side piece engaged in the movement, make the stem completly vertical or horizontal (your choice) put the case tegether and then try and engage the stem together, putting the other piece in completly vertical or horizontal whatever you picked with the first, you have to push in fairly hard, just be confident you have the stem parts lined up and it should be fine, in theory.

That's a nice looking watch and not as outrageously big as some of the Invictas I've seen that one has a bit of class to it.

I totally agree with this. Most photos are digital these days and the imbedded Exif file (Extended Image Format) hold all the information relating to the image including when and where it was taken.

+1 OH and CB. It looks very much like a front loader. However, from what I can see in the photos it looks as though rather than remove the crystal from the bezel it might be a matter of removing the bezel from the watch, it looks as though there might be a join line there. If you can post a clear close up of the side of the case it might be a little clearer. If this is right then it is not a true one piece case which is slightly odd for a watch marked as "waterproof" and with a model name that quite clearly infers that it can withstand anything that the sea can throw at it. In a true one piece case design the crystal fits directly into the case, which as the name suggests is just a single piece; there are just two elements (case and crystal) to seal. With the crystal installing into a separate bezel there are three elements (crystal, bezel, and case) to seal. It could however be that the crystal installs directly to the case and the bezel then is pressed over the crystal to provide compression of the crystal against the case thus enhancing the water resistance. A bit Seiko-esque.

Nice watch indeed also great value. To big for me as I have a small wrist.

I'd like to share one more watch in my quiver of Hamilton Electrics . This time it's another in the Nautilus series . This one is the Nautilus 500 model as ID'ed by using the series pics in Rene Rondeau's really nice book called , ' The Watch of the Future , the story of the Hamilton Electric watch ". I had bought the dial a while back , then a front loading case and crystal . Finally I got a non running 505 movement that I serviced and changed out the tiny contact and the index wheel that deliver power from the battery to the coil on the balance wheel . The movement had the female part of the two piece stem connected to the watch , and I was able to secure the male half of the stem from Esslinger.com ......ain't love grand.... I had an original crown in my stash and also some hands from a Nautilus 501 and an original second hand . Le Voilà !.....

I think I'll give a little wrist time to this vintage 70's Gruen Precision Electronic . The most noticeable feature of this watch is the large thick cushion case...it has some heft . It is fitted with a German PUW movement .

Putting plastic/nylon parts in watch cleaning machines or ultra sonic machines is not recommended. The solvents can often cause issues such as what has happened to the bezel. The issue you might have is proving it was OK before the service.

To me, it is beyond belief that Tag would ever send a watch back in this condition. That they would even damage a watch like this is unfathomable. I could see this from a novice watchmaker with little or no experience in watch cleaning procedures, but wasn't this a professional Tag service center? Shameful...

Hey this totally looks like fun, did this project ever get off the ground. Perhaps we can revive it for 2017 ?

On the one hand, (pun intended), I have never seen a pristine Montgomery dial as a part of an antique car in a frame, and on the other hand, (groan), I have seen very useable whole watch adverts for "steampunk". I think most folks who recycle old parts are aware of value, but there are those who don't know or care.

I've wondered the same, but if I'm not mistaken, the few minutes, short videos are supposed to be the initial intros for the upcoming full length detailed videos on each subject, which will be available later on, is that correct Mark?