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Ok it’s time again to offer a movement to anyone who would like it. Sorry but it has to be UK only due to postage costs. Its a Timex, it looks to be an older movement and it’s running although it appears to be running fast. Oh and it’s free! All I suggest is that the recipient considers offering something that they do not need in the clock/watch world to keep the karma flowing. PM me if you would like and I’ll stick it in the post. First come first dibs

jdrichard is right saying due to poor cleaning or bad mainspring. It would surprise me if the watch hasn't been cleaned recently.

I agree with OH (the master). I had the same problem with my old 1980 Seiko where it was supposedly serviced 10 years ago and I brought it home and it had very poor amplitude. At the time I knew zero about watches and this event in fact started me on my adventure. So the watch either was poorly cleaned or they did not replace the mainspring (and it is set) or the balance mechanism needs work. I have also found that the balance jewels are often gummed up more than other jewels and perhaps the repairer did not clean the balance jewels or the hairspring. All thoughts only. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks Moose, interesting info re the motor etc. The ad did say the motor had been replaced at some point. I noticed the rheostat was different to yours with the button type connectors but otherwise much the same everywhere else. Oldhippy, that's what I'm hoping for, prior to this I've only ever cleaned by hand and had acceptable results but it's time consuming. There's something that niggles at me regarding ultrasonics so never used one but always fancied a proper watch cleaning machine mainly because I love gadget y things. Interestingly, I swapped a few messages with a fella on a group who started his career at Lanzetters, 2 brothers, one who dealt with the accrual watchmaking side and the other, the tools such as this and he worked on both departments, watchmaking after the tools section stopped.

You will find a big difference with that if before you cleaned your watch movements by hand.

Thanks for the update. Looking good and I'm pleased its functioning well for you. I'm guessing that somewhere in its life, someone has replaced the motor with that from a Mark V, which would explain the off-white colour. Not sure why the heat tunnel is white though, never seen a National Machine with a square and white tunnel and the Mark V tunnel is tubular. Maybe someone just painted it white? (See photo of a Mark V, below.) Looks to be in much the original condition that mine was in: The internal wiring is the same, fabric wound stuff and the heater and the way it's mounted is the same as well. The difference - and I was expecting it - is the rheostat. Yours seems to have - what must be - a later modification, which changed the "flat-pack" style of fixed-resistances that mine had, with a more up-to-date (for the time) wire-wound and circular resistance. I think this is also why Lanzetter added the additional ON-OFF switch, as the circular rheostat did not have an OFF position, whereas the "flat-pack" version that my older one has, has the first stud-contact not connected to anything, thereby isolating the motor from the mains voltage when turned to off. What's still the case, is that they were both just as unsafe really - even by standards back then - mainly due to the unprotected, mains-potential connections on the rheostat. It would have been a relatively simple thing to incorporate some form of protective cover over that area, to make it safer. All the same, a good acquisition as it is and an even better one, once you have spent some time on it. Good catch! George.

"Diane" - Antichoc - another 404 club candidate. It looks fairly clean and unworn, so hopefully a service and polish will be all that is required. Probably a low jewel count pin lever, possibly of German origin, judging by the few other Diane branded watches I found online, but I'll need to wait till it arrives to find out as there were no movement shots. I hope there is nothing fishy inside. ;¬)

Yes looked it up. It's a 1908 movement