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  1. And here's just a few of the (bad) pictures I took on my phone, to make people even more jealous
    4 points
  2. These watch appear similar to Zodiac Astrographics in that they use acrylic discs in stead of hands these discs on the Astrographic are removed by loosening the dial screws and lifting the dial upward thus removing the hands in the process my guess would be that these are removed in the same fashion obviously great care is needed this page explains how it is done with the Astrographics http://www.crazywatches.pl/zodiac-astrographic-oval-sst-mystery-dial-1971
    3 points
  3. Morning guys (at least in South East Asia!) Digging thru my collection to find something to wear this Friday I pulled out this. A 'Croton Nivada Grenchen Aquamatic'.. now that's a mouthful, as the actress told the bishop. Inside we find a nicely finished ETA1256 movement. This would be one of the first ETA automatics. ETA kindly provided instructions on the rotor (hammer)... "TO REMOVE HAMMER ASSEMBLY UNSCREW 3 SCREWS 'A' ". Probably they were worried that watchmaker of the day would have problems with these newfangled technology!. Croton were one of the early innovators of waterproofing and they achieved this on early models with a case back that was fastened by 4 screws. These might have worked back in the day but they're just a pain today as the screws are usually badly damaged. This example is a bit recent and has a screw down case back. I wonder is the stamped 61S denotes year of manufacture? Groton watches are not too rare but stainless steel cases are less common and you usually find basemetal cases watches. I've got it on a vintage brand which is super supple and suits the watch. It is similar to a 'bonklip' in function. This is the bandmakers mark. Cheers! Anilv
    1 point
  4. Just got back from going to the Patek Phillippe "The Art of Watches" exhibition at Grand Central in New York. It was AWESOME!!! Not only did they showcase all of their best watches through the years, including ones owned by superstars like Joe Dimaggio and Duke Ellington, but they let you watch the actual artists and watchmakers at work... I watched a guy cut a gear out using a lathe made in 1910... apparently this is how Patek STILL makes the majority of their mechanical movements... I thought all that would be automated by now, but nope... you can talk to the watchmakers too. They also showed off all of their most complicated movements, and let you see the way repeaters and moon phases and everything fit together. Stunning. The exhibit ends tomorrow, so I realize this is late notice, but if you are in the Tri-State area and can get into Grand Central I say go to this, you will not be disappointed... though expect a wait to get in!!! I couldn't believe it, but we had to wait on a line for 30 minutes just to get in! I had no idea that mechanical watches had such a big fan base. I thought I'd be one of the only ones there, but it was packed. Well worth the wait though. http://www.patek.com/en/communication/news/the-art-of-watches-grand-exhibition-new-york-2017
    1 point
  5. Hi, I'm new here and I have a question. I am in need of a replacement crown and stem for a Timex 400 with the Japanese Seiko movement. Can anyone help or point me in the right direction?
    1 point
  6. Thanks for the clarification Roberto. J
    1 point
  7. 2320a Is a small movement used in ladies watches http://m.ebay.com/itm/253032487323 Sent from my Honor 5c
    1 point
  8. You might like this thread for interest and info about this... http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?92735-Gruen-odd-stuff I've tried hunting through my "go to" sites for equivalents and parts but found nothing. Balance staffs and stems, yes. Barrel arbours, no. Looks like you need a scrap movement so keep an eye on eBay.
    1 point
  9. G'day North Australian here. Came here via Mark's excellent videos on YouTube. Watched them all at least once. Looking forward to some more done with his new camera. Not in the business, or a serious hobby guy. But do like mechanical watches, and learning about them and horology in general. Watched a lot of videos online, and read quite a bit of stuff on various forums and sites. Got a few different books, practical and historical. Currently about a third of the way through Revolution in Time, by Landers, which I really like. Gives a solid historical picture of the whole show. Have a couple of basic mechanical watches. A Seagull ST-36 in a stainless case with display back, and a Molinja 3602 pocket watch. Already cased a couple of watches, trimmed a new stem, etc, but would like to get to the level where I can do a basic clean and lube on them every so often. Apart from the oils and one or two basic watch tools, I already have most of the gear needed, plus basic workshop skills with small fiddly stuff from some time at the electronics bench many years ago. Also looking a bit longer term at putting together a nice vintage pocket watch for my father. So slowly learning some of the more practical issues, like what movements go with what dials, which brands and movements have more spare parts, etc. Mostly I will just be lurking and reading, and maybe asking the occasional question.
    1 point
  10. I ordered the RR pack of 100 circular springs. Which, I hope, is the solution. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Roy
    1 point
  11. I can't believe I missed it... It looks like it was a great exhibit!! thanks for sharing your pics
    1 point
  12. That second photo looks like a rose engine, used to make guilloche. I've never been able to see one in action, I'm jealous. Fascinating stuff, and there is a small community in the states that restores these machines, there are even workshops occasionally offered in their use. Not local to me, though.
    1 point
  13. I only paid $10 for the second 400.
    1 point
  14. A spring from a springbar could work? As it is round from the beginning? But you may have to slaughter a few springbars to find the right thickness.
    1 point
  15. You may just need a new arbor rather than a whole barrel. You may get lucky finding a new arbor and making a new one is certainly within the ability of a good watchmaker. I just checked Cousins and they have no parts for that calibre, ebay may be your best chance
    1 point
  16. First you need the cal number. You order barrel complete, which will include barrel, arbor and cap, you will need to order the spring separately. Google watch material suppliers in your country, which I think you, are in Belgium. As it is quite old you might not be able to acquire one. If that is the case, you might be able to obtain the parts on ebay or an old movement. Someone on here might have the parts. Tell me why you need the complete barrel. You could try suppliers out side Belgium those that sell all over the world.
    1 point
  17. I have posted this other long vid. because it contains some very interesting info on what is happening within the watch industry. Breitling's sale it's amalgamation with "Tudor" and also the guy states that ETA are now looking for companies to buy their movements and will now will supply parts until 2020.
    1 point
  18. Interesting stuff. I wonder how many people out there chose between that family vacation, a new car, or a watch?
    1 point
  19. That is because I phoned ebay this morning and explained why it was a fake.
    1 point
  20. The crown and stem are one piece and there was only one Seiko movement used in the Timex 400. It doesn't have a model number anywhere that I can find but is very much like the one used in the first Seiko Marvel.
    1 point
  21. I got it!! Has anyone taken the second and minute wheels off of these watches!!
    1 point
  22. Is a S-14 Seiko crystal tool No need until now, but good to have. Love the label saying "If glass cannot be removed, apply additional force scale by scale"
    1 point
  23. I cleaned and reassembled my 1920 - 30s car clock and was getting really poor amplitude of only around 120 degrees when on the timegrapher, even worse in dial down position, so it was clear I missed something. I stripped it back down today and discovered 2 cracked jewels on the third and fourth wheels. I managed to pick up the tools for opening rubbed in jewels some time ago, but I haven't yet got a set to close rubbed in jewels. So I'll put this back together and set it aside until I get the tools to close rubbed in jewels. No matter how many tools I get I always seem to need more.............. Not to mention on close examination the pivots on the wheels are damaged too, so a complete Jacot tool has moved up the list.
    1 point
  24. They where made by Sindaco Ltd so do a search for that company and you will find information on them, The watch will have a pin pallet movement which could be anywhere between 1 to 17 jewels but probably one jewel.
    1 point
  25. In order to protect everybody as much as possible on this site I have now made the whole website run over the https protocol which encrypts any data you send including passwords when you log in of course. This was a challenge as many people have previously linked to images off the website which are on a non secure website and this may throw up mixed content security warnings in your browser. To combat this I have set the software to download a local copy of those images where possible so that they can be served with the other content securely as well. I have run a script to try and automate this given the size of the forum now as it's not practical for me to investigate every post. I believe this was a success, however, if you do get security mixed content warnings and you believe it's because of the website then please post a link to that particular page here so I can investigate. Many thanks in advance. Mark
    1 point
  26. The 3570.50 and the current Speedmaster Professional 311.30.42.30.01.005 both with hesalite. It's the only watch that NASA has certified for EVA. Other watches are allowed inside the ISS, but with EVA it's the Speedy Pro or the Fortis 638.10.11 Cosmonaut Chronograph. There are fittings on US spacesuits made specifically for the speedmaster. Some of the Russian crew has also taken to using the Speedmaster. The sapphire crystal is tough, but it shatters if broken and you can't have little pieces of sapphire floating around in zero G The tests are rather brutal, temperature, severe vibration, vacuum. The advice you hear about mechanical movements is to not shock them. I really doubt any day to day activity will beat being launched into space at 9G vibrating nearly so much your vision blurs.
    1 point
  27. Could be a round one like this, with one end bent up, and one down. Do you know what the movement is ?
    1 point
  28. Today I received in the post my new set of taps and dies. This of course meant that I could finish the compass project! I set up the lathe and cut a new screw for the compass bowl from some 5mm diameter brass rod and threaded it 2.5mm. The screw head was then whittled down to 3.6mm diameter and cut off 1.6mm from the thread. I cut a slot with a slot file then cleaned and plated the screw silver. The damaged threads in the bowl were then run with a 2.5mm tap and the screw installed. I re-torqued all the screws on the bowl and re-filled it with kerosene. After setting the bowl on end and observing no leaks my patience wore out and I had to complete assembly. A bit of lacquer flaked off here and there and will need touching up but otherwise there isn't much to complain about. I checked the accuracy of the compass against my iPhone and am satisfied that it's doing its job. It's quite a sensitive instrument. Putting my mobilel phone too close will result in deviation. I can't wait to see how it responds to a slightly magnetized watch.
    1 point
  29. Just finished this Helvetia Cal 831. Nice quality movement with capped escape wheel jewel and unusual adjuster. Fitted a new mainspring, strap and crystal. It's beating away nicely at 300° amplitude. I love this style of watch, and like the fact that you can buy such a good quality watch off the bay for so few £££. I've recently repaired a couple of friends watches - both Rotary with horribly cheap and nasty Chinese movements and 4x what I paid for this. This is the first watch I've removed the radium from the dials and hands. After reading up on the hazards, I wasn't taking any chances, working with a mask and gloves.
    1 point
  30. So I picked up this bad boy on eBay from someone in Spain. It's pretty messed up cosmetically, and missing a heeled bush and a removing punch. Considering all that, I definitely overpaid, but oh well. I don't know how rare these are to find on eBay, so I just decided to grab it. I scraped off all the old flaking paint and found a very similar color paint at Michaels. Not a very professional job and you can see some brush strokes, but all in all it's much better. I know the colors look off in the pictures, but that's a camera white balance issue. In real life the colors are very similar... a completely unattractive greenish gray oatmeal. Why Bergeon used this color I'll never know. Carefully removed the rust from the metal plate with steel wool and very very fine sandpaper. Did the same with the punches and bushes which had a nice coat of oxidation on them, then put them through the ultrasonic like they were watch parts. The original chrome plating had worn away on the top knurled nut, but not to fear! I busted out my little Caswell "Plug N Plate" kit and used "copy chrome" (real chrome plating is dangerous and pretty toxic apparently, but I can't see much of a difference between old chrome plate and Caswell's 'copy chrome' - looks about the same). The biggest unknown was if I could find replacement punches / bushes and yep! I just ordered them from perrinwatchparts.com... they were super expensive. I definitely overpaid for these, but again, oh well. I just wanted the tool to be complete. So ta da! I now have a Platax tool. I'm going to break out one of my many Bulova movements with a broken staff and experiment with using this tool on the poor thing. I don't know the I really needed this tool, per se. I have a nutcracker - type roller remover which works pretty well (I might have broken a few staffs by squeezing a little too much, but those staffs were broken anyway), and I have the little K & D balance remover tools for my staking set. I don't see how the Platax tool would be so so much better than the K & D tool, and I'd imagine any objections or concerns about the K & D tool widening the hole in the balance by using force instead of cutting out the old staff would also apply to the Platax tool, no? It also uses force to drive out the old staff while keeping the balance arms pinned. So maybe I didn't strictly need this, but when it popped up on eBay I couldn't resist, because I want to be able to follow along with what Mark does as closely as possible... and I'm still so new at doing this. So, now I have a Platax tool, a complete 'inverto' K & D staking set (got for under $100, go eBay!), and just picked up a Seitz Jeweling tool (ouch, that was too expensive). I am now wondering what other real watchmaker specific tools you need to have to be able to deal with most, if certainly not all, the issues you find on vintage watch movements ??? I mean, I'm not going to buy an old mechanical watch washer and put it in my one bedroom apartment in manhattan, not going to happen (at least, not if I don't want my husband to divorce me ). So I make do with a tiny, cheap Chinese made ultrasonic machine. And obviously, I'm not going to buy a lathe either, for similar reasons (space constraints, expense, plus wouldn't know how to even begin to use it)... but I'm wondering if I've covered almost everything else? In terms of being able to make watch parts, yeah, that's the holy grail. Living in manhattan comes with many advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages are obviously space constraints and expense of living. But the advantages are there are lots and lots of resources. In fact, there are a few "Maker Spaces" in the city, which are co-ops you can join and you can use their tools, like CNC mills, CNC lathes, 3D printers, 3D scanners etc etc... you can join these co ops for not much money, and they teach you how to use the tools.... I know that the consensus so far is that 3D printing watch parts won't work, because the machines are not accurate enough on such a small scale. But the CNC lathes? The CNC mills? Could they do micro-machining, in theory? It's something to think about. I think I'll create another thread about that sometime. Maybe I can pick up some good tips. Anyway, hooray for overpriced watch tools! They are so much fun!
    1 point
  31. There not that easy to get hold of. It sure was in a mess when you got it. It’s come up really well after giving some spit and polish. There will be a few on here that will envy you for having a nice bit of kit.
    1 point
  32. I realized this morning that I should have posted a pic of the underside of the bezel. Will do that tonight. The underside does indeed have teeth to accommodate the click. The hole at 2 o'clock is better illustrated in this pic. The click device fits over one of the compression springs and then fits perfectly into this hole. When I test fit the bezel the click action works fine. The nylon ring fits into a groove inside the bezel ring - there is a corresponding groove on the case itself below the crystal. I was expecting to find a metal retainer as well - or perhaps one of the 6 or so sided retention springs. The nylon seems to fit pretty well, but perhaps it was installed as a substitute for the metal retainer - which may explain why the bezel fell off in the first place!
    1 point
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