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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.

There is nothing wrong with modding a watch, the people making changes to say a Seiko are not trying to deceive anyone by doing so they are just altering something to suit themselves. Franken watches are often produced with the same intent as a outright fake and can be much harder to spot, they are often made up in such away as to add value to a otherwise standard or mundane watch the line between a franken and fake in my eyes is paper thin the people who try to polish s%*t with shinola and pass it off as a diamond are just criminal and you only have to browse Ebay for a few minutes to find them, it has nothing to do with snobbery and more to do with my moral compass as to why I detest franken watches as a whole. There is very little scrap nowadays parts are always needed and watches can be broken down for use in the parts bin or sold.

Bulova Royal Clipper.... I have recently started to gather some watches in the Bulova " Clipper " series . These watches are very affordable and have a Classic look in both round and rectangle shapes . I really am not sure how many different clippers there are because I am seeing a different clipper name all the time such as Jet Clipper , American , Sun , Sea , Golden , Midnight , Ocean , etc............ From what I gather from ongoing research , the Clippers are 17 jewel , but none have a clipper designation on the dial . This model is called the Royal Clipper and is identifiable by the contrasting quadrant shades . I picked it up on the bay for a small price and it was advertised as having been cleaned and serviced , the crystal refinished , and a new strap . I knew that the dial looked like it had the measles . When I got it I had to clean up an excess of lube on the movement , replace the cracked crystal , replace the paper thin cheap strap , and lume the hands because the lume was practically not there . The case back was over polished and showed all the imperfections also . I also took a chance on cleaning up the dial . I took the liberty of adding a couple of pics from the internet to show what the dial looks like.... And the watch.... Yeah , I cheated and hi-lighted the dial . You couldn't see the quadrants very well ,....and it looks better in person ,..honest . You can't lie to the camera .

I have been collecting and restoring these machines since 1970. david

There are no front loading compressor watches, the back sits very flat and very tight against the case, what clock boy has pointed out is just a detail of the case

No thats not the split Clockboy

They can be very difficult to remove and a proper caseback opener not a knife would be the best option, they can be particually difficult if the gasket has degraded and formed a gum between back and case.

Stuart Baker is correct, the catalog number is 26761, It's a Marlin (water resistant) calendar model. A #25 hand wind movement, and the year is 1973. It uses a one piece crown and stem, I'll check and see which one when I get home this evening. It might be available, it's possible that I even have it myself. Cheers!

there also is a timex forum. i like timex, but thru the years they seem to change the stem removal method. there is also a timex dating chart on line. Roy (of the watch forum) is the expert.

Nice try. But the Fat boy is a keeper. The Analogue / digital display of the Y652 has really got me interested in others, the Arnie obviously, but perhaps the earlier Seiko H556.

I bought a microscope but have yet to use it. Wondering how easy it is to do actual work with as opposed to merely inspecting something?

Hi Marc and Mark, Thank you for the help. I'm awaiting a response from DD. I will check the part availability via the Omega caliber when I'm back at work. Definitely worth a shout. Great job on the videos too Mark they are a huge help for everyone. A lot of people in the industry in Nottingham often use your videos as a point of reference. Thank you.

Whats the difference between a mod watch and a frankenwatch ? There seems to be a lot of people on forums like watchUseek who turn their nose down at frankenwatches. But on the same forum there is an active sub-culture of seiko modders and Vostok modders. I can't see the difference, unless it goes to intent? A mod watch is proud to be modded where as a frankenwatch is trying to be passed off as something it's not? Or is it just a matter of snobbery. I don't see what the problem is with a 'frankenwatch' it would other wise have been scrapped! There seems to be a lot of snobbery, in the watch world, especially on places like watchUseek. In the car world you have people who do hot-rods, restomods, restorations, and replicas. All perfectly cool. If you take a "Fake" Porsche 550 Spider to a Porsche club meting you will be more than welcome. In fact my local Porsche center (factory owned I might add) had a replica 917 spider on display for their promotion of the new 917 boxter last year. The replica was built from scratch by a local club member. But if you took a "Fake" Rolex to Rolex club meting (assuming that's a thing) you would be hung drawn and quartered. What's the watch version of a hot-rod and/or a restomod?

Nice looking watch . I had a similar Invicta diver in the classic black with white lettering that I gave to my nephew when all of his watches got pilfered last year . I have this one now ,...I haven't worn it for over a year so I'll have to wind it up and give it some wrist time soon.... Hey , wait a minute ,...I just noticed I still have the plastic protector on the crystal .

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I am thinking the same thing; it can be useful for watch timing in the shop and dedicated to shop like tasks.

For the last weeks I have I tried soaking the bridge in degreaser and isopropanol for some time and then using compressed air to blow it clean. No luck. However, recently I bought an Elmasolvex SE and yesterday I received my Elma cleaning fluids. After one clean/rinse/dry- cycle both holes are spotless. God bless German quality machines :).

As a sign of just how crazy this is getting I went out an bought a Windows PC to run WatchOScope. I am a Mac only guy, there are 5 macs in this house and zero Windows PCs. Yes, I know I could run WINE on a Mac; but the cost of a Windows license is on the order of just buying a new laptop with the license already on it. So I said, what the heck I'll just buy the laptop and get the Windows. So now I have a new Windows Laptop and I've installed Watch-O-Scope. Next the microphone setup. While I have been following this conversation for months it might be beneficial for me and other readers to summarize what has been determined to be best practices. Could somebody please help with this? I think, as I remember, the one transistor amplifier was the best solution per performance vs. simplicity, yes? Did we ever settle on a particular microphone, or just a guitar or condenser mic? Finally, what was the best choice for the watch stand, I know a piece of wood will do; but it seems somebody found a cheap eBay solution for a multi position stand, if I remember? But, maybe I am wrong, that's why the recap would be helpful. I know many options have been tried in the last 20 pages, but as I was following along, only half paying attention because I didn't have a PC, it seemed that there was consensus building around some best practices? Could we re-itterate them here to catch up myself, and other readers that might be joining the party late? Thanks so much for your forbearance in putting up with my elementary questions.

Great watch! I have a new skeleton frame pocket watch from Rotary. I went into Marshall's to get some long johns for an upcoming Winter hike and maybe some other factory seconds/discounts when I happened upon it. It had been marked down from "$599" to $50! I know these stores often inflate these numbers to drive a deal, but WOW. Anyway, it is a very nice piece and I've enjoyed carrying it from time to time...are puns OK?

The hands don't match.

I like this watch Anil, I hope you track down more history. Although the minute and hour hand look great, I feel one or both may have been fitted somewhere down the line. The open diamond hands look the business, but I have only seen them fitted in matching pairs. Regarding the dark side of the moon, I was looking for a triangular prism with bands of light being emitted.

When I first started in this hobby I used standard Bausch & Lomb loupes of varying power (4,10,20). I never got used to the wire strap and just held the loupe in place with my eye. It was never an issue. Now, however, I wear eyeglasses so things have changed. I have tried all types of clip on loupes, but I just don't like them. These days I use a visor that I can easily flip up or down and I like them quite a lot. They cover my eyeglasses and have a good working distance so I can get comfortable. For really tough spots, like jewel inspection or even oiling, I find it easier to use my stereo microscope. It takes quite a bit of practice to get used to working through a scope, but once you get it down it's very handy!

Joeydwachmaker, The big thing in the USA at the moment is southern moonshine. It commands extremely high prices and tastes like lighter fluid. A huge order for Tim Smith Moonshine was placed by a European distributor. Once the customers tasted it they cancelled the order. I wonder if it would work in an ultrasonic cleaner to clean watch parts. david

Wish we had local pubs here....the only place to go around here is a good place to get killed...lol

Many cheap tools are just fine, if all it takes to get them working better is a little refinishing, that's not a big deal really. A good source (if not in a hurry for delivery) is aliexpress.

My latest fix: