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Hi All, Im relatively new at this and have been playing about with random junker watches over lock down and enjoying the hobby. I wanted a vintage divers watch to add to my growing collection and found this item on Ebay. It was a bit of a mess on the outside but but inside was a nice ETA 25 jewel 2452 with a bit of service history etched on the backplate. The stem was broken, the crystal was shot and the rotating bezel was cemented with what I can only guess was wrist-cheese. It also looked as if a metal, expanding bracelet had been fitted in the past and had worn grooves on the inside lug faces. The surface of the case was brushed but covered in scratches. I know ppl frown upon case polishing but this watch was going to be mine and I like shiny watches so removed the stem tube and polished it up. The dial was almost immaculate - I wanted to relume the markers but the numbers were printed on top of the lume so I left them alone. The lume on the hands was starting to disintegrate so I figured I would have a go at reluming those (my first attempt at reluming - not totally happy with the result). Ultimately I want to replace the bezel but Im finding it harder than I thought to find one the right size that isnt going to cost more than the watch itself! After movement cleaning I got a nice line with an amplitude of about 280 but a beat error of 1.0 which needs looking in to... Anyway I hope you like the pics!

Here it is. Unlikely this will be the ultimate configuration.

Might be cheaper to just change the bracelet. Cousins has some pretty nice ones at very affordable prices.

They most certainly did, I have at least 4 wind up pendulum mantle clocks, a couple of floating balance mantle clocks and a wind up balance wheel carriage clock, all marked either "Smiths" or "Smiths Enfield" in my work room right now. According to this site Smiths used Enfield movements from 1932, acquired Enfied in 1933 (slightly at odds with Smiths own web site which states 1934) but didn't use the Smiths Enfield name until 1949. According to the above site Enfiled only started production a year (or two) before Smiths bought them up. I would say that you have a pre 1949 Smiths Enfield.

Another recent build. Solid aluminum-bronze alloy Seiko style case I got off Ali Express. The movement is a NH35A. I currently have it on a cheap rubber strap but I'm planning to put it on a NATO strap.

Hi, My father who spent many years collecting pocket watches and repairing them has recently moved into a Care Home suffering from Alzheimer's Dementia and I have got the unenviable task of clearing out his workroom. My husband and I both have engineering backgrounds, having worked at Rolls-Royce Aerospace, and are familiar with or can work out what some tools do but are less familiar with some of the more specialised watchmaking/repairing tools that my father has. We have already used watchrepair talk.com/forum to gain knowledge on some tools, thank you, and would very much appreciate using the knowledge of the members to identify some of the more obscure tools and their manufacturers, if possible. Hopefully, this is within the remit of the website. Julie

The problem here is? A lot of the problems fly out the window because the qualifications of the watchmaker you describe above should have been able to fix almost anything? In other words he would know what the shape of the hairspring though should look like he would know about magnetism so all the usual causes that we see shouldn't exist. Although what's interesting is being done way back I wonder why he couldn't get a balance complete? Looking at the picture it looks like an over coil type hairspring. Even see it where it obviously comes up crosses over so I am assuming it's over coil. You can also see a heck of a lot of timing washers somebody's tried to slow the thing down a heck of a lot. This usually means several things have occurred in the past Most likely thing that causes a very fast timekeeping with balance wheels that have screws is one of them fell out. But all you have to do is find another pair of screws that would fit in and you should be reasonably close. Here somebody put a heck of a lot of timing washers under all the heads trying to slow this watch down apparently without's enough success then the other problem is something might have happened to the hairspring and they swapped. Which is why the balance wheel is no longer of the correct frequency to agree with the hairspring and you get stuff like this. Finding a balance complete today is going to be very very tough Kind of a nice fantasy on that one? It would be nice if we absolutely positively knew that this is what the watch is but in case it is I have a link below. The usual source I look at it doesn't seem to have a 14 for me to look at the pictures And explaining about the variations etc. But the link below has the parts providing it's a 14. Then the bad news is it only cross-references to itself so you can't swap any other balance wheels for it. According the website when you go and look they must've had at one time is actually listed it and they had a price of $63 so 30 years ago the balance complete probably was available. http://cgi.julesborel.com/cgi-bin/matcgi2?ref=LAN_14

Makes for an interesting battery change, Is the sump drained and refilled on each chage.

Hello and welcom to the forum. You have certainly collected a haul there it will keep you amused for some time. Regarding the old myth "overwound". Generaly what happens is some body picks up a watch (not running) first thing they do is to wind it up not vknowing what stopped the watch in the first place and then when it does not run dumps it . The next guy picks it up and finds its wound tight "over wound". Reason being its dirty/dried up oil gone gunky/ broken balance/balancespring etc. So first thing to do is when removed from the case is to release the power in the jammed mainspring and check the watch out. With quartz watches check battery if still in and the contacts anre not salted up and put them n a line release to check the train freedom try new battery. Have a great time sorting through the pile lookforward to hearing from you on your progress. you may find the attached documents usefull in your quest. TZIllustratedGlossary.pdf Witschi Training Course.pdf

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum. We all look forward to your contributions and continued involvement.

I am surprised they aren't available anymore! Though, I have several sets I bought (secondhand) 20+ years ago, and a couple of Bergeon sets that look to be 50 years old; I think these things never really get used up, and with screw balances becoming more the exception than the norm, it just didn't make sense to produce them anymore. I have yet to end up with an empty bottle. I did find one supplier, who either have old stock or are producing, the tweezer manufacturer Fontax. They seem to group the sets by caliber size range. https://fontax.ch/categorie-produit/non-classe/rondelles-de-reglage/

I have been looking around for clear proof that Smiths did make timepieces with a key wind at the front and a pendulum movement. I'm sure I have had the pleasure of repairing them. Here is what I was looking for. Why that site doesn't mention the wind up timepieces that I posted before heaven knows. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_2012-8028-3

Certainly boiled linseed oil.

There's friction between the coils as it winds and unwinds. You can see the wear spots easily on old blue springs, and feel them on modern springs.

As its a generic bracelet and punching the rim could cause deformity and only closes the top edge, probably the best idea is a combinatiobn of both. Using a domed or hole closing punch and thread lock. hole closing punches can be purchased at Cousins uk at a cost of £27.

Accrding to our friend Alimoloodian , coil's resistance is the only factor that counts, how nice the wire is arrayed wouldn't matter. There are also coils wound with two wires somiultaneously for double circuits I suppose. Low speed motors are recommended, its only a matter of making an adaptor mounted on the motor shaft. I insisted he shows the aparatus he made on the forum.

I suppose one way would be to try and shrink the center hole a little to make it a tighter fit on the knurled pin. Working around the outside of the hole with a center punch should shrink it enough, or the use of a domed punch in a staking set if you have one would be a neater option. Or as you suggested a thread lock just make sure it's a strong one.

LOL...well. One is the original...the second is where I do watch work, the third is for lathe only...and the new one...well...I think for clocks, but it has to tell me what it wants to be!

It is not a Smiths I have just looked on a site and Smiths never made a timepiece wind up. From what you have described I would say the movement is out of beat. A good clean and use Windles clock oil. The case looks like it has been exposed to heat and has hardly seen decent wax polish. You need something to nourish the wood.

Hi Loking at the bracelet end It looks like a Rolex type. The fact that the end has come off is probably due to loose pin (Knurled) or a worn hole. The correct waty would be to replace both the link and the pin which if the bracelet is a rolex then expensive. The use of thread lock would work ok. I did the same on a seiko a few years back and its still intact and working ok.

Sure, I'll go and chop down one of'em and try to burn it on top of my kitchen-range. All part of the "Great Reset" that will make us all happy. I.e. the super rich elite governing the world through politicians.

Try toassemble the barrel and arbour without the spring usually the arbour only fits one way up, having determined which way up it goes then look at the arbour for the small hooking point .

I think I've seen that billboard.

@spectre6000, you are a trouble maker. Next thing you are gonna tell me is that 5G will not melt my brain or not turn me into an automaton. I am on 5G now and fear that I ma

Firstly, you have my utmost sympathy. My own grandmother lingered many years with Alzheimer's before passing. It is a difficult thing to bear witness to. But I and the others will help how we may. Post whatever pictures you have of any tools of which you are unsure about usage, and if we know we will tell you and explain them. And that goes for any pocket watches with which you may need help. A few of us, myself included, have more experience with those than with wristwatches and would be happy to help identify if need be,

Back in 90s when quartz movements were popular , there were jobbers in Iran who rewound watch coils all day in a funny looking home made rig that consist of an electric motor attached to some hand made adaptors on which they mounted these to rewind. I never watched how it was done, they did solder terminals as well, you could get a rewound coil for a dollar plus exchange. @AliMoloodian a WRT member used to rewind them for his own use. He doesn't understand much English so I'll ask him to show pix of the gear.

Most all of my Vintage items are made with coin silver. The Native Americans had little choice where it came from and used it right from the beginning of trading with the 'newcomers'. The Jewelry is beautiful, craftsmanship outstanding and Alltribes is owned and operated by the original inhabitants of our great Country...my way of saying 'we should have dome better'.

Bulova 11 BLAC from 1970 (N0 case code). Before and after shots. Bought with receipt and user manual from 1973. Was missing the crown and setting wheel. Low profile Acrylic crystal fitted (Sternkreuz XAC311.624).

Holiday present to myself. I ordered an ETA 2824-2 elabore movement, PVD coated stainless case with sapphire crystals, dial and hands from a watch materials supplier in Switzerland. None of this stuff was cheap, but the seller guarantees that all the parts are Swiss made and I don't have any reason to believe the items are not genuine. The strap is made in China, but I don't believe in spending big money on 'designer' leather straps. So what do you folks think?

There's not too much to fret over if you've done a regular 7750 before. There are two wire click springs on the calendar plate that can jump, and 4 jumpers. Two use springs mounted on the plate, and two the wire springs shared with the moonphase advance lever and corrector. The jumpers for the date and year look identical, and they are, in spite of the manual showing different part numbers, so don't worry about mixing them up. If you've done a 7750 then you are already familiar with the spring for the hour counter hammer and zero lever, that one is always fun to put in place. There is a flat wire spring for the day corrector here, which is easy to overlook or think that it's secured in the plate, but it comes right out. The manual makes it clear how to orient it when reinstalling. The date advance wheel doesn't need to be oriented like the pair of wheels in a regular 7750 day-date, it advances everything in order without any fuss. Pay attention to the minute wheel- it has a little cap on the pinion which needs to go over the hour wheel teeth. This is easy to miss and will lock things up if not installed correctly. Normal 7750 doesn't have this. Otherwise just follow the (very good) manual for lubrication and assembly. They say not to service the barrel but of course you can and should if not replacing it. On a watch this old it might be a good idea to replace it along with the cannon pinion and reverser for the automatic and possibly the rotor bearing. Do the adjustments for the moonphase corrector (again well explained in the manual), the difference between locking up and not working at all is a very small adjustment.

I recently bought a Seiko 6R15 based Alpinist. It keeps pretty good time if I keep it wound and sitting on a table in various positions, temperature in the mid 60's F. On the wrist it goes to around +45 seconds/day. Timegrapher shows similar results.. half or fully wound it runs way fast coming off the wrist or pocket and you can see it slide back to +/- a few seconds/day over the next 15 minutes as the watch cools off. I don't know what wrist temp means for the watch (skin on the back, ambient on the crystal), but guessing the difference is around 15 C, so the change would be 5 seconds/day/degree. That sounds like a lot (COSC limit is .6). What could cause this? Are Spron hairsprings more sensitive? Anything to do about it other than regulate for expected conditions?

Try giving it a wind of about 10 clicks or so after the watch settled down. I suspect the bridle might be binding on the barrel wall. If it's not that then it's lubrication. Seikos tend to be overoiled out of the box. Can't see any other reason it takes 15 minutes to stabilize.

I've got eight watches I filled with silicone oil 3 years ago. They are all still keeping perfect time. They are ecodrive Citizens for the most part, but there is a Casio and a Jack Mason and one other unknown brand in the mix, and they are all also running fine. So the assumption that it will slow them down or whatever is false from my experience. 3 years in and no problems. Will they last 50 years? Probably not, but who cares? Watches like this are disposable. I'm not filling thousand dollar watches. They are just quartz watches I could easily replace for less than $200 if I totally ruined them, so who cares? It looks cool and it is a fun project. And from my experience, 3 years in there have been no problems.

Welcome to WRT forum. This reminds me of my teen son's interest to immigrate to France to learn Chinese.

So, I did a test. I stacked the crystals up with the old crystal on top. Then, using my precision calipers, I attempted to grab both crystals and lift. Well, only the old crystal lifted. Then while holding the old crystal with the calipers, I fit the new crystal with the calipers and could easily see daylight along the edge. Indeed the original crystal is bigger...probably another scam--I found the crystal on the Invicta site for $38.