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Last couple of days I have been trying to learn to use a mainspring winder. First two attempts ended up coming out into nice tight tangled balls! On a positive note......I think they may make nice Christmas tree decorations! Eric

Bought this one at a car boot sale, Seiko 5 Dx 6106-5430, 1970 or 1980 not too sure of the date. I'm easing myself gently into the collecting side of things, I love watches but rarely wear one. I would like to get a chronograph, a moon phase, a quality diver and a dress watch eventually. Maybe if I buy a hundred of these l could sell them and buy a speedmaster and the wife won't notice the bank balance going down.

I had a bad day yesterday. My sodding computer went stupid and it took me nearly the whole day to sort out. That's Microsoft Windows 10 64bit for you. I don't have much hair to pull out.

Tim You anywhere near oak island? Mathew paid us quite a wet visit the other day. Tom

I'm with deeclee on this one. I think its the light.

I like that duo!

What a great idea for a photo. You inspired me to do my own version.

"One screw to rule them all"

It adjusts the depth of the toothing using the eccentric (8401), as shown in the diagram below. Different caliber but the same function (see page 24) 7750.pdf

Ok, it is good to have a bottle of brandy close by on those days, brandy is not only a great thirst quencher but also burn...so brandy for oneself and, brandy and a match for the watch. There you have it, all fixed!!!

FYI, of a $150 Chinese timegrapher, the articulated stand/mike cost retail $95. Which is kinda right, as it is the only part made of metal and not plastic or cheap electronics.

It might be worth having a close look at the jewel with a loupe to make sure that it has cracked or fractured. Unless the Chinese have completely thrown convention out of the window the hole into which the jewel is pressed should be parallel sided so as to allow the adjustment of end shake. The click you heard may just have been the jewel cracking if the hole wasn't quite big enough.

In this video I use my new Seitz Jeweling tool to replace a jewel on one of the plates. The reason for this is I purchased a new ratchet wheel and the pivots were too big for the existing jewel. This watch is a very nice Chinese Clone so not all the parts are to ETA spec. Grinding down the pivots was not an option so I mined 50 Russian watch movements for the right jewels. Found the first one in 20 min and replaced the jewel. The second one on the main plate took two hours to find as I looked at and disassembled many watches. Here is my video for anyone who try this out. First time using this tool as well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am an engineer so everyone thinks I can fix there computer problems. I can but I hate computer problems because they eat up so much time Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

drool... I usually kill my yearly watch budget by January 2nd... Yes, budget year starts January 1...

Been there, done that... over and over and over and over... Learning they call it. I'm with oldhippy: we share the same haircut and it's a great advantage over those with hair left to pull out

Check depth of the movement relative to the case? Eyeball it thru the crown tube. if it is off a bit (too high/too low) the stem will break. Ditto if there is side-to side displacement. If its the original movement then it is unlikely to be out of alignment but if the movement has been replaced with an 'almost similar' sized movement then this can happen. Anil

The hard part is done.

We did fine, a lot of trees pruned of their dead branches by the 70 mph wind gusts, a few roof shingles gone , as one would expect. Folks who were foolish enough to build right on the beach have had real expensive damage. This was my sixth hurricane , so we knew what to expect. And as I said I got my watch cased up so It had it's good points. Thanks for asking

I have just purchased a MTG-9900A to replace my ageing 1000 Timegrapher, which still works perfectly, but I have outgrown it, so will be for sale as soon as the new one arrives. This is the beast, with automatic mic. Next Investment by Micky Aldridge, on Flickr

So your pick up looks like the one in my photograph which belongs to a L&R Tickoprint Transistor TP, Bandelin electronic T46. The actual maker of the timing machine is Bandelin electronic and it sometimes gets rebranded as other machines. Then as far as getting a cable goes that's going to be an interesting challenge. But you already have part of the plug. The outer covering unscrews which is why you have that brass threaded part sticking out were the plug should go. Then because this is a newer pickup it does have a sensor for Tuning fork and electric watches.

I'll just keep posting my interesting watches in this thread if you guys don't mind! Here is one that I just finished today! As soon as I finished it, I said, "I'm Keeping This One!". My wife said, "You can't make any profit in your little business if you keep all the watches that you like!" She's right of course, but I Really, Really like this one! And, I'll probably keep it anyway! The Howard Keystone movement dates to around 1914 and really is in marvelous condition! I had the original Howard dial refinished to the new wristwatch orientation. The case is 46mm, but really doesn't play that large because of the very thin bezel. I would love to do more of these!

I'm trying to quote your text but something won't let me...Probably Internet Explorer 11! Anyway, other than subtle differences in the inner workings of the Asian ETA's, the Swiss ETA's and the Unitas movements...I believe they are all the same overall dimensions and should interchange perfectly in any of these cases. I will say that I've been extremely impressed with the Asian ETA 6497/6498 (SeaGull ST36) compared to the Swiss versions. I especially like the ones advertised as "Swan Neck regulator" as they are beautiful movements and very reliable! If you were even able to buy the Swiss ETA 6497-2 (high beat Bridge model) used in such watches as Panerai, it would be 10X what the Asian version goes for, roughly $40 a piece. There are a few dials on ebay for the Hamilton conversions. I tend to buy the nice guilloche dial with the roman numerals as it a very classy looking dial for these conversions. One thing to know is the sub second location for the ETA movements (all these styles, Asian and Swiss) are in the exact same location as the Hamilton sub second dial. The difference is the location of the dial feet. You can use and 6497 dial on a Hamilton 10s movement (917, 921, 945, 923) just the dial feet are in a different location. Some of the people who sells these conversions take some serious shortcuts and use "Dial Dots" to attach the 6497 dials to the Hamilton's. They beak of the dial feet and then basically tape the dial to the movement. I hate this application! I re-solder new dial feet to the dial for use in the Hammy's. If you do it quickly, there is little chance of damaging the finish on the dial with most dials...But not all dials, I know! I use to buy, and probably will again, on eBay. I just got lucky and have been doing some pocket watch repairs for a gentleman in Tennessee and have been taking these as trade for work. I probably have had 15 or 16 of them in the last 2 months. Of course none were running when I got them! I think I have only one left that I have not gotten running yet, only because I need a few hard to find parts.

I'm not sure who you bought the case from to be honest. And, there are about 3-4 different cases that all appear to be the same but with subtle differences. I buy the dials from a number of people. And yes, sometimes I buy from the same sellers of the cases. It just depends on what look I'm going for and if that particular seller has something comparable in stock. As for the dials that I paint, I use the stock Hamilton dials Which, BTW, are usually sterling silver and not brass. And most have solid 18k indices. I keep those too! Are you planning on using a ETA design movement or something like the Hamilton 10s movement?