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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/15/16 in all areas
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so i finally got around to playing around on the lathe (that i purchased over a year ago) i needed to try and create a hand setting stem that was missing for a pocket watch - knowing what it looked like i measured what was needed and had a go.. this obviously is not a balance staff but it was my real first attempt at an actual repair using a watchmakers lathe... im happy with how it has turned out and look forward to learning more on the lathe when i get a chance.. obviously this post is useless without pics sooo... Start off with a bit of blued steel Turn the steel down to the size required to go through the watch yep.. you can see the it poking through filed down the end to size and checked the friction fit of the the wheel using the indexes on the late i worked out the 4 positions required to get a perfect square and started filing on each side. progressing onto the next side.. keep on measuring until it was the correct size for the watches key once happy i cut off the part from the remaining stock requires a bit of polishing to get the edges crisp the finished part with the attached wheel on it Video attached showing the function.. VID_20160910_190857.mp42 points
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I was able to visit this important fair which closed Sept. 10th, and wanted to share my impression and something of what I saw in a short report, but quickly realized that the task is beyond me, so I'll give just few highlights related to aspects that are of my interest, that is watch movement manufacturers and tools suppliers. Please excuse the poor quality of my pictures, even if using a good camera I couldn't do better than that. That was my first time in the city, and I was impressed by its organization and ease of transit. Budget was helped having been pre-registered for free admission and airfare partially paid with travel credit. Overall it has been a very pleasant and interesting visit that I would recommend to anyone. Getting to the fair is extremely easy, take the metro Island line to Wan Chai, and walking the pedestrian bridge to the exposition center. Weather was rain showers, nothing like the windstorms of the previous days, so I was lucky to avoid that. The fair is as very large, divided on two floors and three sections. In short, the most space was taken by Chinese watch brands, large an small, which names are virtually unknown to West, or event to the East. The style choices are also much different from what is generally liked and discusses on watch forums, with the large majority being fashion quartz watches. It was very time consuming to at just walk by all the booths, and only rarely I found necessary to stop for a second look. There were also many European brands which are clearly made in China, one is Obaku, which for its general design lines one could confuse with Skagen and many others. The Chinese also manufacture vintage inspired watches and practical automatic watches, but at least in my opinion there is always something "not right" in them. However it was nice to see some of the brands that are on Aliexpress, like e.g. the Gotop which had a small stand but in my opinion come with simple design that is better than most others. Even if the only practical use of these is marketing gifts, it's nice to have the business card of their sales manager. All the stands and booths gave a kind reception to any visitor and were available for a frank discussion of prices, minimum q.ty, etc. However compared to the fairs of other industries which I've visited in the past, there was not the gloom and abundance of shows or free gadgets. One of the booths of my interested was the one of Time Module / Seiko, of which I'm not posting any picture because these came out even worse than the others - I found later that I could not focus well, either in auto or manual mode. I had a nice conversation with one of their sales, a dynamic young Japanese which illustrated me their sweeping second quartz line, in short these are not suited yet for all designs due the lack of a date indicator, which is being developed. He indicated that that quartz makes about 80% of their production, but the best of their production is with the NE series. I was pleased to learn that they make all spare parts available (except the main plate) and that there is new product development on the mechanical movements, which are sold as being made in Japan (that is a subject often debated on forums, but I avoided grilling him on the matter). I missed the determination to visit the Miyota / Citizen stand, but that is a good reason to come back for it the next year! My other area of interest was the manufacturers of watch components, of which I've seen quite a few, but not in an outrageous number. The quality, level, and presentation of their products and factories was excellent. The ones with the most prominent spaces were Peacock and Sea-Gull, with the first doing a much better job of welcoming and informing visitors. But since I'm interested in thin movements, I'll be more likely to come back to the latter. Moving on to tools manufacturers / distributors, all the major ones where there, and there is always something to see and learn about. For me it was the Witschi "dry" pressure tester. I immediately asked how would I know from where the watch leaks, the answer is that the main purpose of the tool (including the pathetic LCD version) is to give a pass/fail response and a warning about NOT placing it in the traditional machine if the leak is too large. I was also told that a new version of the traditional timegrapher is about to be released, with a much, ,much better display, which I did not photographed also because I'll never buy it:) The Bergeon stand was setup very well, with their nice work benches including the flagship motorized one, A*F had much smaller boot but their European staff was more interested in finding a good restaurant for dinner than receiving visitors, so I moved on. For the lovers of cleanliness some Indian exhibitor proudly showed this: However, for the humble watch repairer / hobbyist the peak of the fair was probably Watchme booth, a prominent Ebay seller. He was selling directly, so I got myself a small set of extra tools, of which I could probably have done without, but is the expereince that counts, and they made a nice shopping souvenir. Thomas is a really nice guy with good beer taste, and before I could finish the word "discount" he already had knocked down the price a bit. Not photographed, he makes a clever press / case opener combo tool, which I really liked except for the price, which in my opinion is way too deep into Bergeon territory. For the major tooling needs there was a small number of exhibitors, for example this one is for laser etching casebacks. My kudos however go to the Swiss manufacturer which installed two functioning CNC milling machines to demonstrate machining of plates and cases. I was told that ETA's movement sales restrictions are good news for them, as it's boosting production by competitors. Finally in the dedicated section there were the "better" brands, including a dark gallery of few expensive Swiss one, of which I recognized only Blancpain, and gladly didn't picture. Some more aficionado brands and the "independent" watchmakers confined all together: I also skipped the Invicta booth after learning that Eva Longoria had failed to show up, and being these the last hours of the fair everyone started packing up, which should not be allowed, I was also tired, so rather than chasing runners I crashed on a bench for a while before going for a well deserved street food feast and flight out. Hope you have enjoyed this.2 points
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You have to be a few short if you part with your money for this. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/grandfather-clock-parts-/222250202196?hash=item33bf24f454:g:ipAAAOSw3YNXX8Cx1 point
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Try fitting the arbor into the barrel and which way it fits will tell you which way round the spring should go.1 point
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Viet Nam Era Glycine Airman . https://ambwatches.com/2014/04/01/glycine-airman-special-cal-as-170001/ I don't bring this one out of hibernation very often . I found this one at the swapmeet about 3 years ago . A seller had it on a tarp and I picked it up to examine it . The crystal was crazed and all I could make out was the word Glycine , which at the time I didn't know anything about . I figured it might be a Swiss watch because of the case back design . It was on a worn , used fake Rolex SS bracelet that was the selling point for the seller . He was asking $20 and I offered $10 , which he refused . I chatted with the seller a bit , then offered $15 which was again refused . I put the watch down , thanked him , and moved on to the seller across the aisle . A moment later I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was the watch seller . He said ,OK , I'll take $15 ,..I paid and moved on . You won't believe my surprise when I got home and opened up the watch for inspection and then read the article in the attached link from AMB watches . This watch has a 24 hour movement and a special hacking feature ,...when you pull out the crown , a tiny wire comes out of the dial at 12 O'clock and stops the second hand until the crown is pushed back in . I installed a new crystal made for this model and a new canvas watchband with cordura backing .1 point
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Nice one there George, liking that bezel nice n chunky Yes Ricardo mine is exactly the same with the OXG, though mine is less washed out with more of the copper tones remaining1 point
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This looks like it. now do a search for info on repairs and parts. http://www.speedtimerkollektion.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=84341 point
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Hello Stian, I personally am not gifted with a great memory and am an amateur who loves to tinker with watches. To help me counter my failings I find that being methodical in the approach helps me to succeed (at least 60% of the time [emoji6]) and the best advice I can give is to take digital photos of everything you do before and after dismantling with screws appropriate to particular parts lying beside relevant holes in close up. Just makes life so much easier. When putting stuff back together. Also if you come across clicks or springs,date rings etc. that have a particular orientation it helps. You may find conflicting experiences and opinions and this is normal and all the helper can do is relate their own personal belief based upon their own experiences. It will not mean either is wrong it just means they have worked upon similar items but perhaps of a differing composition and using different types of machines. In reality it will be yourself trying things out over time that will come to conclusions and make mistakes thereby building a knowledge base. This forum will help in that respect by giving various suggestions. Cheers, Vic1 point
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OK this is my interpretation of the latest update. The best form of defence is attack hence Swatch (who are clearly now worried) have attacked by issuing a NDA in a Swiss court. Cousins have on there side Swiss lawyers who it looks like have put forward a very strong case that a NDA is not appropriate. If this proves correct then a very important step has been taken because this result further enhances the already strong case Cousins is putting forward. The worry for me is if the final case will be in a Swiss not a UK court1 point
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Also...once you've got the wheels in their pivots and turning satisfactorily...don't relax too much! screw the bridge down slowly, checking that the wheels turn. It is possible for the escape wheel to 'escape' as you're tightening things down. Hmmm , I always thought that the escape wheel was named so because it is a part of ty he escapement....now I've found another reason for the name! Anil1 point
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Nice find. Dial and hands are in good shape and the case my clean up a bit so that the plating isn't quite so obvious. It'll be interesting to see what's inside. Usually these things just need a proper clean and service to get them operational again. let us know how it all goes.1 point
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George that,s another great walkthrough/Vid. Most would not bother with a quartz (including myself) until watching one of your vids. Keep them coming (if time!!)1 point
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Nice watch MrBeat , ...I did a quick search on it and it seems to be from the late 30's early 40's . It seems that it's a rectangle movement in a round case . I read that the OXG stamped on the balance cock had something to do with a US import , or something of that nature . "in A. Kreuzer's 'Omega Designs' book he only mentions cal. R17.8 as having 17 jewels (all 300-310 cal. are 17 jewels)"1 point
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Olivier, the movement comes out through the front, but first you must remove the bezel. To do this start be carefully pressing a single sided razor blade into the joint between the bezel and body, sometimes there is a very shallow notch to allow a blade easier access. Once you have lifted it slightly with a razor blade, use a Stanley blade, that is slightly thicker, to lift it a bit further. Once that is done, finish off with a case knife to prise the bezel off completely. By doing it is stages, there is less chance of damaging the mating surfaces of the case and bezel.1 point
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Chrisdt, There are four calendar parts listed in bulova book under 11ANACD that correspond to "Calendar parts" they are : 571 = Date indicator guard, 574 = date ind dr whl mtd. 576 = Date indicator, 578= Date jumper spring I am going to assume that they are exclusive to 11ANACD because of statement under parts table, May not diagnose problem, but will tell you what parts MAY be involved. Might be just the jumper spring, (don't hold me to that, just guessing!) Hope this helps.1 point
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