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I won what looked like a fair condition Zodiac Sea Wolf on the bay. It arrived quickly and at first glance looked half decent. The lume had gone from the hands but it was ticking, which was a plus point compared to some other recent eBay purchases. Then I opened it up. The watch could have applied for membership of OPEC there was that much oil in the movement. It was everywhere, apart from some areas it should have been. Second observation was that the previous person who worked on this used a variety of small chisels and other assorted sharp implements to "service" the movement. Turning to the dial side, there were a couple of screws missing and some obviously put back in the wrong place, plus the hands must have been removed by Edward Scissorhands, going by the marks on the dial. It was also running like a dog; +280 seconds a day, 150 amplitude and a beat error above 9. So, two weeks of stripping, cleaning, ordering missing bits, installing the correct crystal, re-luming the hands, sympathetically restoring the bezel and it's back in operation. I also had to recreate a new seconds hand as the old one resembled a hockey stick that had been left out in a hailstorm. Whilst the amplitude is now up to 280 and the rate is +- 5 seconds, I'm still not happy with the beat error which is sitting around 2.5 - 3 so more work to do. A word of warning for anyone looking to buy a beater of this movement, Zodiac 70-72, to fix up. The parts are rarer than rocking horse droppings and quite pricey when available. The mainspring barrel is sealed, and I mean sealed. A replacement is around $140. Same for the balance. However, this movement was a collaboration with Zodiac, Favre-Leuba, Girard Perregaux, Doxa and Eberhard. I managed to find a Favre Leuba movement that was a lot cheaper than the Zodiac and the parts were fully interchangeable. On the plus side, this is my wife's favourite watch so I'm sure she won't mind me finding another few to fix up.

Well, it's finally back in the case and polished up. It's not perfect, but I'm still pretty proud of the work. It was a tremendous learning experience, and really stretched my skill set. Thank you again to everyone who helped me out along the way! And bonus penny for scale:

Fully serviced, ready for a 24-hrs trial. First signs are good. DU & DD over 300 with straight lines.

After training myself on only a few NOS ETA2540 (17mm) ladies-watch movements, I serviced my own Rolex Submariner. Some longtime forum hands, like JohnR725, who was a tremendous help at that time, will remember and may at nights still turn around in sweat Would I now recommend somebody else doing the same; NO WAY ! Thankfully, now 8-years later, my Rolex is still going strong and it was indeed a huge (starters) learning curve. Congratulations with your achievement

I have never had jam in a jar that big.

What is odd is that the 11AOACB and the 11ANACB are basically the same movement with quickset date added to the 11AOACB and pretty much everything else interchanges. But the 11ANACB the tech sheet does not call this out for the setting wheel and every 11ANACB I've worked on had both of the setting wheels with the beveled edge facing down

Picked up this Croton Tropartic with the blue dial yesterday. I posted it in the blue dial thread. Since then I took it out of the case and examined more closely. I now think that the gold flecking on the blue linen dial is original...it does not affect the white of the minutes/seconds markers, which actually are on top of some of the gold. Anyway several more pictures in various lighting trying to show the nice contrast between the red seconds hand and the blue dial. I dont think this had been opened in quite a while as the case back was really tightened down and gasket was hardened but easy to chip out compared to the goo of the crown gasket. Definately will be getting a new crystal.

the term you're looking for is called Upcycling. Basically somebody is recycling the movements you get your slice of history we unfortunately didn't get to see the marketing for the wristwatch. In other words did they somehow promote and market this is a specific movement order that they just find a movement in case it up so we don't get to see the marketing unfortunately. so for instance who else is doing Upcycling? understand that word we have a link below and then we look at the second link which is some watches. Look what they're doing their taking vintage American pocket watches which they labor 12 size of not going the railroad grade watches they all Balance protection so drop it on the floor it's a new balance staff and a bargain price it anywhere from starting at 2500 and upwardI see one for $8000 what a bargain. Realizing it probably by a slightly used Rolex for that price. So this companies promoting other manufacturers and you're wondering why well because there's crazy people out there that have money. So if somebody wants to throw money at you for recycling vintage wrist watch and/or pocket watch movements why not I guess but it is a very strange world we live in. On the other hand it a lot nicer to see the wristwatch movement in this discussion or even these pocket watch movements versus opening up something that looks pretty and. finding a pin lever movement. Thinking there was something much nicer in their. https://vorticwatches.com/pages/hamilton-v-vortic https://vorticwatches.com/collections/watches

I did see that when I read the tech sheet but I have to admit that I don't follow it. Same with their advice on how to oil the top pivot of the sweep second wheel. which doesn't make sense to me.

Update no.2 and last on this topic Cousins has refunded my empty order, as the claim was accepted by Royal Mail. I had to chase the claim with Cousins, but otherwise all was smooth. I will continue to order from them, for sure.

OK... there's another too to add to the list! However (i'm new to this), I did buy a case back press which when I look at the eBay ad it actually says Case back, bezel, crystal press. Can this do the job? I hadn't cosnidered that before because of the original reason I bought it. It's this one: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/385341654751 Update (so soon too...)..... I found this which categorically answered my question!

It was made in Germany and I would say it is from around the early 1930's. It should be of 8 day duration and it is a Westminster chime with a silent or chime lever at the right hand side of the dial at 3. The case looks like oak.

I use nail clipper for this as well as for springs that I make/modify

The 'hairspring does not move freely .... but leans against the regulator pin'.

For my DIY cleaning machine, I used those jars. They are 32 ounce Wide Mouth Mason Jars. Not sure if they will fit the Janta/Pearl machines or not.

Via other information-channels more & more arrows are starting to point at Mr.Huber, the owner of Zeno. Apparently he is known for buying badges of NOS movements and creating small series with them. The text on Zeno's website gives us already a hint; "We owe it to the energy of Felix W. Huber that over one hundred new watch creations are developed every year and often manufactured in extremely small series based on the historical original models" I may well be that he bought a badge of NOS, for Wyler modified ETA movements, created (or modified an existing) dial for them and cased these movements. To confirm, I've to contact Zeno in the hope that they remember or are willing to ask Mr.Huber.

Sorry for the anecdotal evidence, but whenever I have finished a watch and the time setting seems to grind, or has that 'gritty feeling' I have always found that the chamfer is facing up, when changing this things always seem smoother. I have never experienced the opposite so now I always put chamfer down, which aligns with most of the advice on here and many of the watch videos I have seen on line. I suppose there will always be exceptions to this rule, but I would think if you always put it down you will be making the correct call 99% of the time.

You need to file off one side and tap it out.

Yes like john says a small possibility that the t end will drop in if you are lucky KD. There is a fix if you miss albeit a bit risky. I was unlucky and missed after i decided to test a new adjustable winder i bought a few months ago. I wasn't happy about taking it out and cleaning again,so my solution was to wind it up inside the barrel using a pin vice. Just enough to reduce the friction on the barrel wall to slide the t around and into the barrel slot. I say just enough as it was preparing to leap out at me.

I have a minor confusion I wonder if something came up backwards from what I was saying? So if your barrel diameter inside is 8.97 mm obviously your winder has to be smaller than that. If a little bit of the mainspring is stuck out to get the T part into the slot then you have to accommodate the part that sticking out which as I pointed out could be at least twice as thick as the spring. So that has to be accommodated which means your winder has to have interesting properties of being big enough to hold the entire mainspring but also be small enough to hold the mainspring and the little bit that sticking out and get all of that into the barrel. oh and yes there is a tiny possibility that it can be pushed out of the ring. Normally the ring is in the middle of the mainsprings so if you can relocate the ring so it's on the edge of the mainspring. Then managed to get the T part into the slot and hold it there and then finish pushing out the mainspring I've heard of people he could get it to work. But anytime you're playing with a mainspring you should be wearing eye protection they keep from poking your eye out.

you know what I find interesting is terminology like what exactly does watchmaking mean exactly? So for instance at the first link below there is their history they been making watches for a very long time there's still making watches. personally I was think of watchmaking as individually making all the components and putting a watch together but the reality is watchmaking is also taking a movement putting it in a case. then when were looking at the website down below I notice they have a vintage category that will be the second link. Scrolling down the list of vintage wondering what that really means we get an answer the third link I've seen this kind of watch before. Like everything else on the website at least tell you who made the movement this is a EB 8800 that would definitely explain the terminology of vintage. If you look at the last two links you understand the reference a movement that was made in the 60s not made any more that I'm aware of but maybe it is. A vintage movement in a modern case which explains why it's called vintage. so what we have is a company purchases movements and cases them up that allows them the call themselves a watchmaker. In the case of their vintage calibers their purchasing odd lots or small lots of movements and casing them up. so once we grasp what the company is doing in their vintage category we can look at this movement is not Asian or counterfeit it is a real Swiss eta movement modified for Wyler to have their unique balance system and yes the balance jewel protection system they been known to use that in their watches. So it's one of their vintage movements new old stock cased up in a modern case the make something uniquely interesting. At least interesting for this discussion of why is a vintage movement in a modern case now we know. I wonder what other vintage movements they've cased up? https://www.zeno-watch.ch/about-us/history/ https://www.zeno-watch.ch/category/vintage-2/ https://www.zeno-watch.ch/product/fhb-jumping-hour-black/ http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&EB_8800 https://17jewels.info/movements/e/eb/eb-8800/

Chamfer always down. If its the other way I expect teeth are worn and it is a way of getting it to work, it is very bad workmanship in other words its a bodge up.

No it isn't.

If the lume is not flaking off, leave well alone. Preserve the vintage character and enjoy it for what it is.

what I find interesting with this is the local material house she would actually prefer to fit the crystal for you versus giving you the crystal. as because she found there's variations in the crystal size versus the package. So if you would get her really close to what you need she could then pull it out and fitted for you and then you'd know that it actually fits. I can't remember the conversation exactly but I think it's basically a lot of the dies for making the crystals are getting old there may be some variation perhaps. these particular crystal lots you want to narrow down what you're looking at? The reason I ask is local a someone who bought out of material house gave a lecture on crystals and was explaining how at one time the mad crystal the month club. Some firm would sell you X quantity crystals per month so you can build up a big assortment. But the problem is and even with GS crystals of you look at how many crystals in the catalog and start to figure out how many crystals you're going to use you can end up the same as this person did with literally thousands of crystals that you're probably never ever going to use. This sort of thing shows up at the nawcc regional meetings were someone will have a crystal Is a lot of money for it. on the grounds that each crystals worth this much money the cabinet must be worth thousands of thousands of dollars. Then we have to explain that yes if you purchase them all brand-new year absolute right but these of leftover crystals it never got sold so basically is almost worthless. Which is why sometimes on eBay as you pointed out you buy lots of crystals. I know someone was doing To get specialty crystals for specific vintage watches were the crystals are readily available. I remember one time someone was selling mainspring lots side purchase those. That is when the big Swiss mainspring manufacturers said they were the manufacture all these mainsprings anymore and that I came the realization of there's a heck of a lot a mainsprings out there that I will probably never use in my lifetime so lots of things are only worth the money if you get money out of them and my understanding on Crystal lots you can have a lot of crystals and never use any of them. On the other hand if you manage to choose wisely with your Crystal lots then you're going to do well.

I have a couple other links for finding crystals. The second one is interesting because they have a crystal catalog online and you can do a search. Or you could probably just email and ask if they know which crystal goes your watch. then the first link somebody selling crystals and its search feature is searching for mido they gives you a listing with all the pictures actually quite nice. then the problem with the PA crystals when you look at the catalog are there for specific cases. Which those numbers do not correspond to the manufacturer you're looking for. https://tiptopcrystals.com/ https://www.gssupplies.com/crystal-catalogs/

Thank you for saying this, because it is exactly my mindset. It does look like it's twisted right where it connects to the clamp on the balance cock. I have practiced hairspring manipulation on several other movements with good success, and I'm quite confident I can fix it. I'm just demoralized that I can be so careful, and still accidentally bend it. I suppose it's a normal part of the process, but still tremendously frustrating. Not to mention embarrassing. I almost didn't post it, but I figured we're all on this journey together, so might as well share.

Thank you for doing that. My plan was to not change a thing. So I took the balance off to remove the pallet fork so the balance would be free spinning while I set the end shake. When I reinstalled it, this is what I was greeted with. I have absolutely no idea how or when it happened, but I'm so upset right now I can't even see straight. I've been beyond careful and delicate with the balance, and still I ruined it. I'm so frustrated. It's not a digital, it's an Amscope 7x-45x trinocular scope with an old Canon EOS Rebel DSLR on the trinocular port.

There's something else that is unconventional with Bulova's guidelines. Anyone else spotted it?