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Hi guys, Wearing an old Rotary today. This is an older watch, probably from the 40s. The case is Gold-plated and has seen some wear. Under the "Rotary' it says 'Super sports' . Above the sub-seconds dial it says 'shock-absorber' and 'anti-magnetic'. It has fixed lugs which makes swapping strap difficult, the one it has on is meant for fixed lugs and has a sturdy fold-over (probably metal inside) which clips on the lug. It has nice simple hands which have been blued well, the center of the minute hand has been left silver given a niece contrast. The case back is a faithful rendition of the dark side of the moon. Nice hands The dark side of the moon... not much can be done here without spending too much money. The inside of the dark side of the moon.. I believe the '38' means 1938? At any rate, its more than 10 years old ;so good job Meteor! When you pop off the bac, the movement stays in the caseback. You have to use a bit of force, working around the edges, before it comes away and you are left with this.. an inner caseback. This is comes off easily. Revealing the movement. I think it's an FHF of some sort. Note the early form of shock protection on the balance cock .. the cap jewel is retained by a spring plate and will 'give' is subjected to a hard knock. The problem with these early shock absorbers is that they were only mildly effective and that only if it hit the ground level. It had not much lateral movement built-in so if it landed edge-on the pivot would still break. Still better than no shock-absorber I suppose, If I am not mistaken Breguet pioneer this and later on it is common to find a similar system on Cyma watches. The ratchet-wheel has the normal Rotary 'Flying-wheel' which reminds me of a vintage car..Austin I think? You can see the early type dial holding screws at 6 o'clock and slightly after 12. The movement is marked 7/440 and just belove that there's a 'V" or maybe the 'pheon'? The watch runs well and keeps time. I haven't done anything to it but the regulator is cranked over to slow so there may be other issues, need to get some case screws too. Not so evident from the pictures is that the plates have been plated with a 'whiter' finish which looks like silver. You see similar on Movado movements. Finally in the era before center seconds, 15 jewels was as good as it got so this would have been made for the higher end of the market. v Well its almost the weekend so have a good one! Anilv

Dragon poo is not a problem, but Rolex parts is another matter altogether.

The negative connection on the circuit has been snapped off and the isolator is missing. Easy fix, undo the screws holding circuit board on, replace circuit board and fit a new isolator under connection on new circuit board. presuming everything else is ok with movement you won't have to remove anything else and can even be done whilst still in its case.

Free standard shipping. Between these dates: March 24th – 26th, 2017 Use this coupon code: FS317 Cannot be combined with other discounts or coupon codes Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi! Going to Baselworld, huh? I'm jealous! Maybe you could post about your favorite things at the show? I think lots of members would like that. Cheers!

I recall this was asked recently and of course the answer is the same. As other members have noted already, this cannot be "cleaned" because is not "dirty". The paint has oxidized, which is an irreversible process, in some spots. If you want an antique watch with a perfect dial, buy one that has it since the beginning.

Guys, you are straying way of the ordinal thread content. Please keep this thread relative to the original DIY timing machine.

Nice vintage watch that has seen some milage. Also nice that the crown knurling is not worn away as many of these well used vintages have.

Its a caliber 630 center seconds without shock resist, a caliber 645 would have shock resist, as you have already worked out its a auto movement with the automatic mechanism removed the whole watch sounds like a bit of a franken.

Very nice piece really Anilv . Congrats.. the movement has already been serviced longtime ago.. I don't know that brand because, probably that brand has never been sold in America .

What an enjoyable introduction. Thanks.

About a week back I picked up this Sturmanskie after following @Endeavor and @GeorgeClarkson through the service of their Soviet chronographs. The seller stated the watch dated from 1988 and included the original receipt and box. Unfortunately, I cannot read Cyrillic so I was forced to take the seller at his word; regardless of it's origin though, the watch is a beautiful specimen and I'm happy to have it. Unfortunately I was unable to remove the caseback until today. I took Roland's advice and used a jeweler's hammer and a sharp razor to work my way around the caseback slowly creating enough of a gap for a case knife to exploit. It was a nerve-wracking experience! In the end, the caseback came away with no damage to the watch. I'm always very anxious to gaze upon a new chronograph movement- it's certainly geeky but I'm not afraid to admit it. It looks like I'm not the first to open this case though. Many screws have marks on them indicating they've been removed at some point in the past and replaced. I believed this movement to be 31659, but alas, there is no hacking mechanism that I can see. Over all the movement is in good shape and appears complete. It will need a proper cleaning before it's ready to wear and I'll be sure to post about it when I have the chance.

@RyMoeller Glad you got the case open without dynamite any further damage ! Great pictures you took ........ crystal clear !! According to the Polmax3133 guide (http://www.polmax3133.com/guide.html ) the SU 3133 stamp on the bridge was first introduced in 1990. Version #1 (1990), version #2 (1992-1993) and the last version #3 (1993-1995). By the looks of it, the SU 3133 stamp you have on the Chrono-bridge suggest version #3. The dial and hands seem identical to the 1988 one I have. I know this type of watch has been made for a while and is therefor called "Classic", but I can't find info from when - till when it was made. Perhaps @GeorgeClarkson can fill us in? This may help to determine whether the movement (or just the bridge) has been changed out at some point, or all is original from that period? Nonetheless, the watch and movement looks great

Oh cool!!!! Just got myself a nice T-shirt I'm going to look so spiffy with that on. I also assume that they will make me that much better at (attempting to) repair watches!!! lol

Thanks again for all your advice. I have gotten a lot of help and not contributed a lot, sofar. I was just so stressed trying to decide by today on whether to keep the watch or not, because tomorrow I will leave on a trip. After march 29 I will contribute more and post pics of my mic and the watch. I may have some useful tips on mic positioning, and some other ideas. At least MY piezo mic is supersensitive. It is a japanese brand I bought from a distributor in Stockholm a couple of years ago, I just need to find the info ln the brand and model.

UPDATE: Tried soaking the arm in penetrating oil for several days but without luck. With some free time today, I brought the staking anvil to a machinist. He honed the bore to exactly 0.185". Stakes are fitting perfectly now. Very happy with the results.