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When you mention complications in horology, it is usually something which is complex (hence 'complications' !). Even the simple complication like a date adds several parts and springs. But once in a while a complication comes by which is whimsical in nature and simple in execution. Such a complication was a feature of the 'Mondia 'Top-second'. At first glance it looks like any other Swiss watch from the 70s .. Then something catches your eye..did I see something there? The clever chaps at Mondia came up with a way to lend a bit of interest to a normal watch by having a 'porthole' in the dial through which a coloured 'propeller' could be seen giving a blinking effect. Some online references state that the propeller is fitted to an extended to an extended escape wheel pivot but I think that that would be too slow. I remember seeing a pciture of the escape wheel for this watch which has an additional wheel to drive a dedicated wheel for the prop'. The watch has not been serviced and is high on my to-do list as there is very obvious water damage on the dial. I'm still looking for a new dial or at least one in better condition but no luck so far. A new crystal in in the cards as well as this one has yellowed glue round the edges. The caseback is simple enough.. it gives information but no mention of the manufacturer. This was common practise in the 70s with a lot of Swiss watches being housed in generic cases. But on the inside we see that it really is a Mondia! I was really expecting to see 'Çased in Hong Kong'! Does 88 mean the watch was last serviced in 1988? More than likely! Here we see the movement spacing spring is in place as well. On older watches they're usually missing! Next up is a picture of the AS1913 movement. Not my favourite movement to work on but it does its job. The part of the stem that can be seen looks rust free and overall the movement seems to be reasonable condition. Note the 'Mondia', '25 Jewels 25' and 'Swiss' are printed on rather than engraved into the rotor. Another sign of the 70s. Finally the crown. While it is 'marked', it is a generic water proof crown. Not good as its not original but at least the watch has seen a semi-competent watchmaker who made the effort to change the crown to ensure water-proofing. You see those use 'branded' crowns on ebay? Those were removed and replaced to ensure water-proofing, and now they're having a second life for those who insist on a 'signed' crown! Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Anilv

Just in from the 'Bay on a second chance offer! I had missed by a dollar before and fate has brought this little gem my way. This is an economy Standard Time Corp. movement and is cousins with the Hamilton 500 or 505(?). I think maybe it shares a balance assy. Loving the clear caseback as well and the offset crown is very comfy. Keeping good time so far but perhaps in need of a cleaning as the balance adjustment is pegged. Also sorting a huge part and tool lot I got in trade for some service work, will post some photos soon. C Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

There are two PDF attached with my pics and comments, hope it is of use to someone. TWSTEEL WATCH.pdf draw_0S20.pdf Cheers, Vic

I’d do Mark’s course AND get a bit of experience under your belt. A 6139 is not the simplest. Nor the most complicated for sure, but you want to be comfortable and confident before hitting anything that’s vintage as replacement parts are naturally slightly more difficult to come by than current movements (the Swatch controversy notwithstanding). Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I am in the "crystal only" camp fingers crossed the centre chrono wheel is ok, it is the achilles heel on this movement. Be extra careful with it!

Hi Pip... Dial is in pretty good shape, good thinking about keeping the old parts! No I won't sell it to you LOL you scoundrel!!!!! Many thanks for replying.

I would get the crystal replaced and that's it. Get it serviced and clean and nothing more.

Crystal change is a definite task for me. As for the bezel insert, depends on what the dial is like under that crystal. If it's as nice as I suspect I'd get a decent insert but keep the old one in case I wanted to sell the watch on as it'd probably add a bit of value. Or you could just sell the whole watch to me for next to nothing and I'd take the problem off of your hands!

If it was me and the parts are available I would change the crystal and fit a bezel insert. Then just give the watch movement a service and the result should be a real nice watch.

Hey Anilv, that’s pretty cool. Have you seen this which shows how it works? http://thewatchspotblog.com/?p=2030

Update: so i cleaned the watch completely and replaced the mainspring with one that i had. Had to anneal the end and bend in over to catch the barrel hook. I then examined the jewels and found one badly damaged jewel and two other cracked jewels (fix later). Then i noticed that a tooth on the center wheel was bent completely over. I wedged in a knife and was able to move the tooth back without breaking. Lots of work remaining on this old beast. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

This is an 8 day Longcase Clock with rack striking on a bell every hour, with moon faze, arch calendar with seconds hand. The pillars design show this movement to be around 1800 to 1820, this also fits in with the dial, showing the minutes numbered every quarter hour. With this type of dial, they are called White dial Longcase clocks. With these painted dials, the less paint and good detail the earlier they are, dials that are heavily painted with poor detail the latter they are. The hands all match and are original to the clock. The hood of the clock is in the style of the Broken Arch type with quite plain pillars. Wide door that is correct for this period, the narrow doors are very early Longcases. It has some poor repairs, which I’ll point out. The one that bothers me is the angle of the pallets, which are sloping down, this tells me that the pallets could be worn; the escape wheel has worn teeth. Sometimes cowboys will remove the two pins from the pallet bridge, file and make the two screw holes into an oval shape, you drop the bridge down to enable the pallets to have a deeper depth to the escape wheel, this causes the pendulum to have a better swing and to keep it going, to shallow and the clock will stop due to wear. This is a disgusting practice and will cause wear in other parts of the escapement. The bell post looks as if it has been soldered or glued. The finger on the rack that drops onto the snail has been soldered. With painted longcase clocks you have what is called a false plate, this plate is pinned to the dial and the movement is pinned to the plate, in many cases the plate will have to name of the company or forged the plate (note this is not the makers name of the clock) Not sure about the wood but I think it is stained oak. What is that mark on the dial just below the arch of the calendar?

to use any type case closer, alignment of the tool is important, check it. vin

The reason why certain snap backs can't be closed by hand is that the pressure must be uniform on the entire edge, not on the center. One can try improvising shaping two pieces of wood as dies in a vice, but be careful, it is a matter of precision, not force.

I have Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

If you can't get it on with your thumbs it's going to need pressing back on , worth investing in a press if you plan on doing more in the future , they are cheap enough on eBay

Have you tried a watch back closer/press tool?

Hi JD, I have had many disasters and expect many more. I am a novice and have messed up a few watches because my skills didn't match my enthusiasm. Best regards Johnnie