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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/20/23 in all areas

  1. What @ifibrin is saying is very true. Another forum member from China did say in a post, that the export quality tools are inferior. My mentor has connections with the watch industry in China and I have seen some of the Chinese tools he has and it's worlds apart. I have seen watch testing instruments that he has that rival Witschi. I've seen tools that he has that the Western world has not seen. It's true that there are a lot of crappy Chinese tools out there. But there are some very good ones too.
    4 points
  2. I wanted to share the fruits of my recent labor: a Luvaco automatic housing an ETA 2472 chronometer grade movement. Not sure when it's from, but I'd guess the '60s. I bought a lot of non-runners solely because I could just about squint "chronometer" from the listing. Included in the lot I also found a nice Certina and another ETA 2472-based watch which has been a bit troublesome recently, as well as a handful of ladies watches. I recorded the initial uncasing. Never did I expect an absolutely _perfect_ dial under that dirty and cracked crystal! The hands have some discoloration but I don't mind as it's the only thing that reveals the age of this thing It was indeed a non-runner and arrived with a full wind and no slippage inside the barrel. It would run for a couple seconds given a hard shake. After a full clean I assembled it with the old mainspring (which looked fine) and it still wouldn't run. The balance was moving sluggishly but fired right up when I loosened the balance cock screw. In the end I opted to shim the bottom balance jewel assembly with some aluminium foil which seems to at least have freed the balance. Here's a picture of that assembly: The watch now runs as well as I could ever have hoped for, and in the last week, it has consistently lost between 9 and 11 seconds per day, which means I should be able to regulate it nicely into a good timekeeper. Here are some numbers I just recorded on a full wind: DD -13 s/d 315 deg 0.1 ms DU -5 s/d 305 deg 0.0 ms PR +16 s/d 264 deg 0.0 ms PD 0 s/d 265 deg 0.1 ms PL -23 s/d 265 deg 0.1 ms PU -4 s/d 260 deg 0.2 ms As for why the balance was stuck, my uneducated guess would be that the balance staff was replaced at some point with one slightly too long. I've heard that you might need to bring the balance wheel into poise again when replacing the staff, lest you get varying rates in different positions. That's exactly what I'm seeing, so my tentative conclusion is that this movement went through a sloppy balance staff replacement. I'd love to hear other people's opinion on this! With a new crystal and strap, this watch quickly became a dear friend. May it live another 60 years!
    3 points
  3. I think @Anthony7 is right in that some (maybe many) Chinese tools sold online on sites such as eBay or AliExpress are dodgy, or not worth the little money they cost. This is especially true of unbranded fly by night operators who offer products that come different from the pictures provided, or of entirely different products. I have experienced this before. HOWEVER, when buying Chinese tools, you really have to “buy the seller”, meaning that you need to purchase the tools from a SPECIFIC SELLER on the platform, who may be offering a specific “unbranded brand”. Such tools obtained can be very economical for GOOD quality. Which is entirely the point of this thread, to showcase what Chinese tools, and from whom they may be obtained. One important caveat is that unbranded Chinese tools like to copy off one another, but built to a slightly different specification, which may or may not be entirely as good… so you really have to be very careful in doing your due diligence, which is why this thread is here. A lot of the dodgy sellers like to make new seller names frequently, and hawk their dodgy goods off to unsuspecting customers, so you should be wary of sellers that are very newly established.
    3 points
  4. Aspiring to become a real watchmaker.
    3 points
  5. Another early electronic watch by Westclox - powered by Seiko 3320A. Beautiful all stainless steel with JB Champion braclet and display case in paper box. Running great after a little TLC.
    3 points
  6. This is not a Timex recommended service. it is one of many homegrown methods. Timex method is to use professional watch cleaning liquids and so on. based on the pic you have an M51 and not M40. What makes it electronic is the integration of a diode to the balance. Yes, not so much electronics as it sounds. short of a full tear down any other method is more of a short cut. Which is fine as long as you don't run the watch all the time or just enjoy wearing a vintage watch more for the look rather than to track time. I would recommend not to leave the watch running when not in use. Maybe even remove the battery if they will sit for long periods of time. Henry B. Fried wrote an article titled "A $25 Retail Electric Watch: the Timex Model 40" you may find it very helpful.
    1 point
  7. Yes correct. The BHI have done comprehensive tests on Chinese tools vs. Swiss and one difference always is the materials used ie metals are invariably softer which I suppose is not an issue was a hobbyist but as I have found horology can become obsessive and with it the frequency of repairs and servicing grows too.
    1 point
  8. Hey I'm from Charleston too ! Been all over the US and 22 years in Switzerland, was there last October though, lots of changes (I still have vivid memories of the old Cooper River bridges, rode over the "new bridge" both ways as a young teenager on a crappy bmx bike and walked it as an older teenager to get to work in West Ashley haha).
    1 point
  9. Here's a photo of my $15 aliexpress hand levers that has several years of abuse.
    1 point
  10. I had a quick look at the 8.5"' GP I posted about above. It runs, but it has issues. I'll take a closer look soon. In the meantime here are 'a few I prepared earlier'. These are all 404 club watches or items from job lots, so basically free. The third from the left is a 1930s enamel dialled, blued hands, 15 jewel swiss ladies movement in a 1930s case from a very similar scrap watch. As well as a service, it receivd a new stem, crown and strap. I hesitate to call it a frankenwatch, as it is all authentic, just not all the same watch as it were. I still need to knock about 1/2mm from the stem of that one to neaten up its appearance. Its on the bench "running in" at the moment, and looks fairly reasonable all things considered. The others all run fine, including the one in the movement holder. If you want to pick up something to hone your skills with small stuff on, you can get orphaned mechanisms in non running condition for next to nothing. Ladies movements are not particularly popular, and a lot of them end up orphaned when the watches are scrapped for their gold or silver cases.
    1 point
  11. Cousins do a 38.2mm dia, 1mm thick mineral glass, but it doesn't give the height. https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/100mm-domed-cousins
    1 point
  12. Are you aware of Bill White? He actually manufactures crystals. I've never bought from him, but I've seen other people recommend his services. https://www.whitescrystals.com/
    1 point
  13. I received my new shellac today and ran some tests, this stuff melts great and works best at 110c-115c (made a new pallet heater too). Everything went well, got bit too much on one stone, but it looks ok. I left the original "epoxy" in place and just added new shellac at the back of the stones. (some shellac flowed over and around that old epoxy). The stones now feel tight and look ok to me. I installed the pallet and ballance and everything is back up and running. Thanks for the help- Bill
    1 point
  14. I got my jacot tool out to see that it is all there. Now I need a vise to mount it. You got to be able to rub your tummy and pat your head to use it...seems like.
    1 point
  15. That case is great for anyone whose afraid of radium dials.
    1 point
  16. Vostok 2409 Service Walkthrough Disassembly Pictures (Please sort by name in ascending order) Vostok 2409 Service Walkthrough Assembly Pictures (Please sort by name in ascending order) Being able to service the ETA calibre 2824-2 was a long-term goal and a dream when I started servicing and repairing watches some years ago. However, my first “calibre love” was the Vostok 2409; a reliable Soviet/Russian 17 jewels manual workhorse without any complications which has been around since 1970. It is still in production and found in Vostok’s Komandirskie series of watches, by some called the AK-47s of the watch world, together with its bigger brother the Vostok Amphibian dive watch. Modern-day Vostok Amphibians use the automatic Vostok 2415 (w/o date complication) and 2416 (with date complication) calibres, but the Amphibian that I’m servicing in this walkthrough, an Albatross Radio Room, popular among collectors, is from the 1980s and in those days the manual 2409, as well as its predecessor 2209, was commonly used in the Amphibians as well as the Komandirskies. While I was servicing this watch, I noticed that the crystal didn’t fit perfectly in the watch case. Being a serious dive watch originally designed for the Soviet navy this was, of course, unacceptable, so I replaced the crystal and video recorded the event in my “Bergeon No 5500 Crystal Press Review”. For me, the 2409 was a great movement to get started with as it probably is the most affordable movement on the planet, and spare parts are readily available and cost next to nothing. A lost or damaged part never spells financial disaster. Also, eBay offers an abundance of used Vostok watches in decent condition housing this movement for as little as $20 and sometimes less. A brand new Vostok 2409 (www.meranom.com) can be had for as little as $27. Be aware that, almost without exception, the eBay listings always state that these Vostok watches have been serviced, but in my experience they never are. Well, maybe dipped in a can of naphtha, left to dry and then injected with a bit of oil here and there. I’ve seen horrible examples! A somewhat tricky bit about the 2409 is to remove and replace the anti-shock springs. For this, I use a self-made tool made from peg wood. It’s shown in one of the assembly pictures together with a description of how I made it. A very similar tool is demonstrated in this video. Later, as I was working myself through Mark Lovick’s watchrepairlessons.com courses, I trained with the Unitas 6498 pocket watch movement which is the selected movement for the courses. In all honesty, from a learning point, the Unitas 6498 would have been an easier movement to get started with (especially the anti-shock springs), but the tinkering with the Vostok 2409 was a low-cost and fun way to get started and made me better prepared for the courses which answered a bunch of questions and was amazingly instructive. Eventually, I plan to publish a “Vostok 2414 Service Walkthrough”. The 2414 is identical to the 2409 but adds a very uncomplicated date complication. So, if you want a whole lot of fun for next to nothing when it comes to money, there is no other movement I would recommend before the Vostok 24XX movements, and the 2409 is a great starting point if you have a desire to begin tinkering with watches. Be warned though; tinkering may take over a substantial chunk of your life!
    1 point
  17. Thank you for your kind words @RickTock and glad my Vostok cal. 2409 walkthrough could be of help! I somewhat recently serviced a Vostok 2431 and it uses the exact same type of calendar complication as the Vostok cal. 2414. You'll find my service walkthrough of it here. Anyway, I'll include the assembly pictures for the calendar works in this post for your and any future Watch Repair Talker's convenience. The only difference is that the cal. 2414 doesn't have what I call the "1st intermediate date indicator wheel" so you can simply ignore that part. I include the picture where the "1st intermediate date indicator wheel" is assembled anyway since it shows lubricating the upper section of the cannon pinion. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly difficult to source parts for Russian movements as Russian sellers have been banned on eBay. Good luck with your reassembly!
    1 point
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