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sometimes pictures help.

Just got it back today from Chris Radek, The Timeguy. Could not me happier, thank you Chris and all here who helped. Bob C.

Hello all, I know it's 'only' an electrical one but to say I'm overjoyed is a bit of an understatement. My Grandfather gave me this, his 1982 retirement watch, 20 years ago as an empty case and strap - the innards had apperently been slowly demolished over the years by a leaky battery and where nowhere to be found. At the start of the locky-down thing I decided it was time to do a bit of research to see if the parts could be found to rebuild it, bit of a baptism of fire as a total newby. It soon became evident that this search should have been done years ago because Omega restricted parts coupled with a dearth of NOS parts was a real headache! Through all this research I also realised just how rare the case and bracelet style were so persisted for months, getting my claws on some old, rough, nasty and for want of a better word, crap bits and pieces. As we know the circuit and coil are getting really rare but even more rare it seems are the winding pinions and dials for them, and even the crap parts are ludicrously expensive. You know how you get into something, buy bits, realise your up to your neck in it but realise you're to far in it to retreat? Suffice to say, I've had so much support from several people in the watchmaker community so with their help and shear dogged, billigerence and blatant stubbornness it is finally running. Still some work to do - the date needs to start changing at half 11 because it takes two hours to change, the seconds hand needs lining up better with the minute markers and I've toyed with the idea of restoring the dial, with some lacquer and minute markers missing (or maybe not, as it's a sign of its individuality!) Having enjoyed it for a while I'll also take it all apart again and service it, only because of Lawson''s brilliant walk-through on the 1337 movement on this forum. Never really thought of a bi-colour watch like this as my style, but with the blood, sweat, tears and more sweat and tears that has gone into it, I've decided I love it to bits. Thank you all for your never ending inspiration and such generous shared knowledge Mark Lovick and everyone - great bunch of people you lot!

Specialize in limited number of calibers and brands. That way, you get good at all the technical ends n outs and a used or new scrap movement can be your material house to the last drop. A good example of this is jersymo, knows and has everything about timex.

Hello, everybody. I wanted to share my restoration stories that I have done for a long time and thrown into my archive. First I discussed the Atomic Mars 71 Brand using Valjoux 7734. As it was seen, scratch and dial is broken. To begin with, I tried to brush the Case as Brushed and make it the first day. If it is decorated, I polished and re-painted the indexes (with acrylic paint). I usually do this in three layers so that the paint is not deleted in a short time. I replaced the case buttons and tubes with aftermarket buttons. Since the condition of the dial was in very poor condition, I had it re-painted. The quality is not so good. In Turkey, unfortunately, not doing the job well. Caliber 7734 (Valjoux) is a special and robust mechanism for me. With good maintenance and lubrication, you can reduce deflection values up to 3-4 seconds per day. I added a short timelapse video about it :) As a result, such a result came before us. Thank you Taskin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKH6yTKUfpM

I invested in some Carl Zeiss binocular magnifiers some years ago. They are fairly adjustable, but if you have different doipter needs for each eye are useless. They are only 2.3x mag, compared to 3.5, 4, or 5x which is typical. The working distance is quite large though. I put them on sometimes, but honestly if I'm the least bit struggling with my 3.5x loupe I slide over to the binocular microscope. Way easier. I highly recommend AO (american optical) scopes, they are under the radar and equivalent to modern Leitz and Nikon scopes. You can always get a dud though (true for any scope 30+ years old). There are some new "magnivisor" type binocular loupes that have been coming out, with LED lights and everything that look kinda cool, but actually my biggest concern is the lighting, as it's often easier to assess something with a fixed light source.

Hi Nucejoe has already mentioned Jules Borel, there is also Esslingers. Otto Frei, Timesavers to name but a few.

Julesborel.com list some interchangable parts. Good majority of parts are also interchangable between variants of a family genreation. Dr ranfft site list variants to each caliber.

Look for donor movements on eBay. Sometimes you can get an old watch for parts with free shipping for the same cost as the single needed part plus shipping. When you're done you have the rest of the donor watch for parts. If you stick with a few calibers as Nucejoe suggests you'll have a drawer full of spares in no time.

NS has identified the approximate length you need. It is not critical. Just get the closest length you can. If you are UK-based then I can take a look through my sets if you can’t find something from Cousins.

They are a lot easier to deal with than for example the BFG 866, which, while similar in construction uses a single plate, which invariably results in a wrestling match to get all of the wheels to sit nicely at the same time to allow you to screw the plate down. Ingersoll used a number of different movements over the years. Some relatively simple pin levers like this, and others fully jewelled. Look out for the Ingersoll Sealions. They were very popular and there are some nice examples around for not much money. Even the most tatty examples I've collected cleaned up nicely and there are some very attractive designs. .

@anilv Thanks again Anilv, I replaced the barrel bridge and all good now. This is what i meant about the rut on the barrel bridge.

As John's image illustrates, olive holed jewels can be convex or flat. Also, convex jewels exist that have straight holes. It can be tricky to see if a jewel is olive or straight holed, even with a microscope. Generally speaking, flat faced jewels will have straight holes, convex jewels will have olive, unless labeled otherwise. Convex jewels are frequently encountered in higher grade watches with no cap jewel, the convex surface facing the shoulder of the pivot- like for pallet forks and escape wheels.

I got the cheapest one on AliX, only needed a bit of cleaning on the bits leadscrew square thingie. Make sure you get the seller to ship by Post exclusively and a reasonable declared value.

Have you been sneaking round my back garden again?

My "beginner" set of screwdrivers weren't that great, but with better blades they got me through. Now I just keep them on my office desk for quick adjustments (okay ... it's more of a horological paperweight than anything else) but the stand it came with always bugged me. It was downright ugly and felt more like a pepper grinder when i spun it. So, me being a cross between Rube Goldberg and Emmit Brown, I decided to make one. Several prototypes later this is what I came up with. The 3D model and the actual print. The bearings are for a pair of sealed bearings for skate wheels and the inserts are removable so the size can match the color between screwdriver brands. The base is weighted and i found that it also holds my Bergeon set just fine, if that stand ever needs to be replaced.

This has a CAL 400 movement as far as I see it. I love them and they start to love me too! CAL 400 I have more in my pile, but struggling to find the time to play with them, or if i have the time i spend it with sleeping.

Hi Apart from Nucejoe's comment check that the arbour and barrel bearings are not worn causing the barrel to tilt under power. Tech shhet attached for your interest. Poljot 2409.pdf

I bought one of the Chinese digital models all over eBay, Amazon, and AliX. For $64, and seeming a bit more industrial (I have other uses for it beyond watches), I thought it would be a solid win if it lasts a while. I used it for the first time this week. It takes FOREVER to heat up to the default 50°C, and I feel like it's MUCH louder than ultrasonics I've used in the past, but it got the job done. I got the 3L model, but be warned: that seems to refer to the volume of the entire machine, not the tank. The tank doesn't even hold a single liter. It does hold 3x small diameter mason jars with cleaning fluid in them though! A clean and two rinses, allowing me to cycle watch subsystems through right on top of one another. The bad: I was hoping to be able to fit a V8 carburetor in there, but that's a solid no go... Even if I rotated it around in stages, I doubt I could get the whole thing. Even a 2 barrel carburetor would need to be done in stages.... Actually... Now that I think about it, I'm not sure the stock carb off a 1200cc VW would make it in one pass... The "3L" spec is beyond misleading... I haven't timed it or anything, but with about 1/3rd of the tank full at room temp and the lid on, it took about an hour to get to 50°C (the default heater temp). That's a long time. To be fair, the specific heat of water is pretty high, but it's definitely not that high. And once it reaches the set temp, it just turns itself back off and cools down at the rate water cools down with no heat source or insulation, so you have to keep turning it back on again every so often to hold the temperature. The noise. Holy crap the noise. The ultrasonics I've dealt with in the past weren't something you'd want to play over loud speakers, but this guy seems to be piping its tune over loudspeakers! There's the high pitched noise you'd expect, but also a bit of a rattle and hum, and it's LOUD. I initially set it up on the kitchen counter for a test run with just water, dish soap, and a dirty bracelet. My wife immediately went with the baby back to the baby's room and closed the door. I ultimately tapped out and had to go back to our bedroom while it finished its cycle. It's intolerable. When I ran it for real, I took it down to the basement into a stone lined room that's mostly under ground, and closed the doors. If I were attempting to use this machine in a professional capacity, I'd probably pass if it had to live anywhere near where I worked. Even in a hobby setting, you'd better have the real estate to operate it somewhere far away. I might try to see if I can open it up and get some insulation stuffed in there... That may or may not be a bad idea, but the noise is absolutely intolerable. The good: It's cheap. I paid $64; I don't recall if that included shipping or not, but feel like it did. Granted, that's twice as much as the plastic cheapies on Amazon and such, but it's also much bigger and heated with some degree of control over its operation. It works. It got the job done. At the end of the day, that's the jam, and it acquitted itself nicely. Lastly, the tank is just big enough for 3X 2oz mason jars in the basket with the lid on. That allows me to perform all three cleaning stages simultaneously and save time. The verdict: My feelings are very mixed on this. Watchmaking is a pretty zen hobby, and this machine wrecks any zen. In the automotive setting, no biggy. That's already loud, outdoors-ish, and it's not much of a detractor. As a hobbyist, I can afford the heating time, so that's no big deal. I have the real estate to get it away from me, so I can live with that limitation too. If I were using the machine on even a semi-regular basis, I'd definitely spend a little more on something better. For $64 though... I'd certainly entertain other options if I had the opportunity to lay hands on them and test them out, but I guess it works and it's here so it's what I'll work with until it breaks or I get more serious.