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As someone who takes the view that if it's been assembled, it can be dissembled and therefore fixed, I make occasional forays into clocks and watches and have a reasonable set of tools. I've practised on a few Chinese movements for the skill building and entertainment, but I confess I wouldn't take any of my 'real' watches apart - off to the professional for those. I'm more likely to tackle a clock due to the scale. Strong preference for mechanical, although - putting chronometer definition aside - possibly my most 'accurate' watch is a Bulova Accutron, which I have rated down to around half a second a day over two months. Built an interesting rating circuit based on the usual piezo element, but not sure i'm willing to open a very good watch to do the adjusting! I do get a string of more modest value watches for inevitable battery and/or gasket replacement, case polishing and other minor fettling and maintenance. So, an enthusiastic amateur.

Hi all, Since I haven't found an Accutron yet, I jumped on this vintage Timex Electric. It's far from a tuning fork movement but it's satisfying me for the interim. It had a neat calendar band with 7 changeable cards for the appropriate month. Runs great and looks sharp. I thought it was kind of unique; can't make out the serial number but I think is a '67 model/style 84. Not too familiar with thier Taxonomy. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Hi, I'm a newby, so please be gentle! I have an early Accutron into which I need to fit a new crystal. I have a NOS crystal. I understand the principle of fitting a tension ring crystal with a press, but need to make a die to fit the crystal. Does anyone know (or can estimate) the optimum internal angle of the top die please? Secondly, on a slightly different subject, I have seen on this site discussions about recessed crystals and non-recessed crystal, but from what has been said I still don't really understand the difference. Could someone enlighten me further please? Thanks in anticipation. pcuk

the watch forum has a master accutron servise master. " silver hawk " ( Paul ). vin

Hi all, It's been a while since I posted anything, I retired a year ago and have been busy working on our house and keeping busy with watches but haven't really had anything worth sharing until this week. Anyway I put an ad in the local paper looking to drum up a little business or maybe even buy some interesting watches. Yesterday I bought a box of assorted watches. Got two 18s Elgin pocket watches, one accutron, a handful of other watches and this Wakmann. As soon as I saw it I knew I was going to have it. I offered the guy who owned them $300 for the lot and he said $350 and I said Ok. The Wakmann doesn't run yet because the hairspring looks like a birds nest. I know Mark has a video about how to straighten out hairsprings and I have done a few but this is beyond me so I have ordered a balance complete from Jules Borel at what I thought was a very reasonable price. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I did take a close up of the movement ring because it looks as if someone used tar as a seal. I have put the movement back in the case just to show what the watch should look like when it's finished. Also see the tangled hairspring. I'm not sure what happened but the regulator arm was pushed into the center wheel so I'm guessing the wheel caught it.

I've always loved watches and always wanted to collect them. Knowing That most of the watches I'm drawn too are well out of my reach, I never started collecting. I'd wear what ever Quartz someone might gift to me and once it was beat to hell I'd just toss it. At, 45 I decided to try and rebuild my first watch, another long time bucket list item. That was my 1968 Bulova Oceanographer that I picked up at an estate sale for $10 purely by chance. After that one I had intentions of finding, fixing, and selling vintage watches. That was back in January. I've run into a slight twist in the plan though. After fixing and wearing for a day or two, I can't bring myself to sell them. With that said, I have now become a collector. Here is my modest collection that I have gotten much enjoyment from. 1968 Bulova Oceanographer 1976 Bulova Accutron 1975 Timex Automatic Early 90's Zarja 3105 Early to mid 89's Vostok Amphibian Vostok Kommandirski (unknown age) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How many times have I been asked that question ? In all honesty , I don't know . From Rolex to Timex , I like them all . I guess it's kinda like being a parent ,...you don't have a favorite child . I wake up every day and try to figure out what it's going to be . I usually will wear about 4 watches a day so I can check to see if they are operating properly , or if they may need maintenance . If it's a work day the answer is easy . I only have about 20 [nice] beaters to chose from . For casual every day wear , there are a few I might wear more than others . I guess I have acquired an attachment to some of the watches I have repaired that gave me more of a challenge ,...some more than others . So I will share those for starters..... First off is a Seiko 6139 chronograph I bought in parts and pieces . I paid $58 for it if memory serves me correctly . I had to figure how to put the puzzle together , then how to get it to run , and finally , how to make adjustments and tweak it so it worked as it was intended to run . Next is a Bulova Accutron Deep Sea diver with a tuning fork movement . I bought it at the swap meet for $140 not running . When I got it home and checked out the movement it was rusty and the parts were stuck together starting at the crown , stem , and gear for the rotating inner bezel . The movement was ruined and I had to gather a few movements to make one good operating movement . With the cost of buying the watch and parts I ended up spending around $200 . This was my first experience with Tuning Fork watches . The rest of the watches had their own little roadblocks to get around , which the greatest obstacle was finding sometimes obsolete parts . The Citizen Americas Cup watch is a good example of that . I now have 4 of them with 2 working . The other 3 watches in this group shot is a retro Seiko automatic , A vintage Croton Buccaneer that for some reason , even though it has a smaller watch case , I like it . And last in this group is a Germinal Voltaire , which with it's offset pinion , ended up being a small challenge figuring out how to dismantle it . I broke some parts on this watch and a donor and had to ask for help on this forum . Then tracking down the parts was fun . Now that I know where to get the parts I am working on my 2nd Germinal Voltaire as I write this . So Now , let me ask You ,...What is your favorite watch ?

Beautiful watch. I have always enjoyed BULOVA watches, collecting and repairing them. I have probably 50 in my collection and hundreds of parts movements and thousands of individual parts. A BULOVA accutron was the first watch I ever purchased myself at 10 years old, and I also have both my grandfathers watches that are BULOVAs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

+2.5 cheapo eyeglasses from poundshop, and another pair with 20X loupe stuck on with Rodico for setting up pre-position of Accutron fingers. I found using loupe as designed it steamed up all the time causing irritation and annoyance, just when you get the damned things aligned--you couldn't see 'em anymore. All normal dissassembly and reassembly done with just the eyeglasses. Parts examination done at 20x For Indexing I use a £5 cheapo Chinese microscope 100x I modded for the job. Indexing jewels look like two house-bricks on a circular sawblade Works for me!

A week or two ago I read on a forum (I think it was this one, but I could be wrong) about an electrical mechanical watch they had repaired. This type of watch up until then I didn't know existed (How much I still have to learn). From what I understand these watches were very short lived in the 1970s and used an electrical circuit to energise a magnet to swing the balance and were just before quartz watches came into being. I'm aware of tuning fork watches like the Accutron, but know very little about these other electrical watches. Has anyone got a good resource they can point me at so I can read up on them more, or recommend a few brands / models to look out for to buy? At the moment I don't want any rare or super expensive ones, just some good ones to learn to work on. Thanks Tony

I use these for small parts like Accutron index-wheels in the ultrasonic-- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2ml-test-tube-sample-vials-container-with-snap-cap-x-25-Freepost-/120916343579?hash=item1c272cfb1b:g:8VkAAOSwPe1Tz5aQ The advantage is--being a sorta softish plastic, parts bouncing round due to the ultra dont get damaged as could be possible using a glass bottle/vial/beaker, being semi sealed you can use any cleaning fluid you like in them with just water in the ultrasonic tank keeping cleaner fluids costs down --Yup. I'm a cheapskate!

I repaired a Accutron a year ago but I don't own one yet. All of my own Bolova's have Swiss movements. So I still want a older American made movement Bolova. Accutrons seem to fall victim to "free" battery changes. The one I fixed was a mess of corrosion from a busted gasket.

Wow , If you are ready to attempt a service on a bellmatic my hat's off to you and I wish you good luck . I have never really been a Bellmatic fan , but it just so happens that I picked up a free donor yesterday that has broken parts but a beauty blue dial and the original band . This watch has seen better days , but i picked up a running watch, head only , that is the same case as the non-runner . I hope to get one nice runner from the 2 watches . I guess I was on a Bellmatics roll because I also picked up this Nice running specimen for a good price . It needs a new crystal that I am in the process of getting , but it has a coffin link Bracelet that I'm a sucker for . I have a coffin link on my Bulova Accutron Astronaut and I love it . Do you have the Bellmatic / 4006 tech sheet ? It's quite long and involved and you may want to study it before you start your project . If I'm not mistaken , the Seiko 66 morphed into the 6602 which tech sheets are also available . You can go to the Seiko Citizen Watch forum and find those tech sheets and many other things Seiko and Citizen .

Howzit ramrod , 10 running and about 3 or 4 for in the works . I need complete balances with good coils for the 505 and complete contact springs for the 500's .Hard to get parts .There are donor movements for sale , and not cheap , but there's no guaranty on the parts being good ....Similar to Accutron donors . There are a couple more electrics I want to get and a few mechanicals of similar design . The problem is I started out with the more available , less expensive models . It's an uphill climb from here .

Make me appreciate my accutron even more.

Great video! I was given an Accutron recently and now I have a much better appreciation of its historical significance and technology.

jdrichard ask how to clean an electric watch . I am going to start this thread by posting from the Hamilton Electric watch manual.... And from the Accutron 218 Service manual.... With the Hamilton electrics it is a normal service cleaning procedure , EXCEPT for the Balance wheel . The balance wheel has a coil attached that should not be subjected to harsh chemicals , alcohol , or petroleum based solvents . I am speaking of the coil itself . As for the rest of the components on the balance staff I use a hairspring cleaner applied with an eyedropper directly on the hairspring and a fine cosmetic or watercolor brush to clean it and then lay it on absorbent paper and use my blower to dry it . I also use the brush to clean the the other parts on the balance shaft ,...and there are quire a few little goodies on it , and use the hairspring cleaner or 91 percent Isopropyl alcohol .

Howzit Shirley , Thanks for the kind offer of the service manual . I have a couple of versions . Some I found online , some in some watch repair books I have , and one really good one I bought online . Both the 500 and the 505 are pretty hard to get parts for . You can find donor parts for sale on ebay , but they are heavily sought after and expensive ., Most offerings say that the balance turns freely which is something you would look for in a mechanical watch , ...but the balance assembly has all the other parts on the shaft that have to be good to be usable . Also the 500 needs the plate with delicate trigger and contact springs . They get broken or knocked off very easily . I saw one of your posts where you mentioned you had Accutron parts . I will get around to sending you a PM to inquire about those parts soon , if that's OK ? Here is a pic of what the Everest looked like with the black band.... And here's a pic of what the Pegasus Model looks like . I just noticed that the pic didn't make it to the party in my original post .... Cheers , Louis

Just as a note of interest, timekeepers like the Bulova Accutron were electro-mechanical devices. The oscillating mechanism (tuning fork) was connected mechanically to the hands with a solenoid and ratchet mechanism. What some people call an electronic time keeper has to do with the way the tuning fork oscillations are counted. It was known for many years that running a current into a quartz crystal would cause the crystal to vibrate. Since the vibrations occur on an atomic level they vibrate at a much faster rate. The problem was quartz crystals were too large to fit into a watch. Japanese engineers figured out how to reduce the size of the quartz crystal by machining it into the shape of a small tuning fork. This allowed a much faster vibration that was not practical to count mechanically. This problem was solved by using a digital counting register available in an integrated circuit. The circuit works by using a string of 16 flip flop circuits. A flip flop circuit is the electronic equivalent of a latched relay. Logically it does the same thing but on a practical level flip flops operate at a much faster rate. The upper time limit of a relay is based on the response of its mechanical components while the upper time limit of a flip flop is based on the speed of electricity. The first 15 elements of the register count the vibrations from 2^0(1) through 2^15(32,768). The next vibration moves the count to 2^16 which is used as a flag bit. At this point the register is reset and a polarity reversing circuit is triggered. This circuit provides the necessary pulse to drive a stepper motor. A stepper motor consists of a rotor with a north-south magnetic field projecting radially from the rotational axis. When an electromagnetic field is generated around the armature it rotates to the field of opposite polarity and stops. When the field is reversed the armature again moves and stops. The direction of rotation is controlled by making the path of one field longer than the other. The stepper motor is connected through a gear train (plastic gears) that drives the hands. david

That second link is fascinating! I gotta save that one. This is my first exposure to the beta series. I've never heard of them before This Titus. I'll take a look at the movement tomorrow. I can say this about it: the second moved more smoothly than any of my other swissonics but it is NOT in the range of Accutron smooth. The ticks are barely perceptible. I should put up a video. So, I can assume that the dial says beta because it is a beta. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

My name is Shirley. I have been fascinated by watch repair since the sixties. My father was a watch repairman for over fifty years in San Antonio, Texas, USA. He was a railroad watch inspector for Southern Pacific Railroad back when they used to have their watches inspected. That was before quartz watches. He worked on a lot of Hamilton, Illinois and Elgin pocket watches. When Bulova Accutrons came out, he worked on a ton of those. In fact, he wore a Railroad Accutron for many years. For a decade or so, he did watch repair by day (in my uncle's jewelry shop) and worked on the railroad at night. Eventually, he retired from the railroad and bought the jewelry store from my uncle and did watch repair full time. When he got older he developed Parkinson's and his hands became too shaky to repair watches. I bought his tools and thought I might try my hand at it, but it wasn't as easy as my father had made it look. I decided to take a watch repair course, but didn't get very far before my father became too ill and I had to quit and move back home to help take care of him. In the course, I had learned just enough to strip me of any false confidence I may have had. I can take a basic watch apart and put it back together... I don't promise I could repair it. But I'm dragging the tools and a few old watches out and trying my hand at it again. Mark's videos have given me back the confidence to try. I really look forward to interacting with any fellow watch repair friends here. I hope not only to learn a bit, but maybe share a bit of what I learn also. I will definitely take photos...

Ah thank you. Somehow that makes me feel better inside (as well as provoking laughter on the outside). Related- I serviced my father's Accutron about two weeks back. I spent more time on my hands and knees than I did sitting at the workbench. This is not an exaggeration!

Welcome, from one who does a lot of fishin on the bay, from my experience have found many good whole watches in "lots" that contain some pretty junky trash, the downside is you are left over with copious amounts of usually quartzers that are not worth any effort to fix. Also, some sellers are totally unaware of value, so that's a plus, other sellers try to strategically place an Accutron or other mid to high end watch in a pile of junk. (just to sell the lot), again if priced right in your budget you can have success. The one thing I watch out for is 'running' statements, I have seen sellers list watches as running, but they stop after short time, usually indicates an automatic, I have seen non-running auto's in need of battery! Still even other watches are out of category on the bay, so generic searches on manufacture/brand name, then check sub categories for more detail. If you do your homework and research the brand you want to work with you may find buying a bit more rewarding and yes a functioning watch is better to work on to start with then trying to diagnose and repair a broken one. Agree with oldhippy on this, I have been to estate sales and picked up Accutrons for as little as $25. I bought a 21j pocketwatch from seller on Clist for under $100. But look for complete watches, case, dial, hands, crystal, movement, bracelet/strap, once you get to working on them, less time and $$$ will be spent on parts. Condition is everything! so dials or hands that have rust will probably mean scrap. Good luck!

So, a lot of the guys on this forum really know their stuff and are heavily involved in servicing and the like. Some of the other forums have groups of 'fanboys' (I suppose they might be called) who will defend their brand of choice to the death. I got into horology through Seiko because of their low entry point (for mechanicals). To use an analogy, I'm probably still using stabilisers when it comes to knowledge. What I'm getting at in a roundabout way is....Should I be surprised that so many people on this forum love their Seikos so much? N.b. I've got several Seiko watches, so to mix it up a bit here's my Bulova Accutron Deep sea from 1970 (same age as me)

Ive just joined after watching many of Mark's excellent videos on Youtube. They have taught me many things and reminded me of many I had forgotten... I'm now 55 and slowly getting back into watch-repair. When in school at age 12 or so I used to mess around repairing, and by age 16-17 was OK-ish I thought, even tackling an Omega 861 with complete success. I would never contemplate doing one now however! I Thought at the time that there was little future in watch-repairs as the Q revolution had taken a big hold so went into electronics repair instead I was pretty wrong!..... Is the age of 55 too old to get back into this?--I dunno maybe, but with lots of loupes and glasses plus a £5 microscope from ebay I manage--so far! I'm particularly into Accutron Tuning-Fork types and have a number of 'Vicims' I have four 214, four or five 218's, and a couple of 219's most running well Recently Ive aquired a couple of ESA 9162 types One of these, a very poor Tissot looked as though it had had a very hard life and was used as a donor for others--Even the bezel is missing from the case, Both coils faulty, missing hour-wheel etc, Very sad condition but does have a nice blue dial. I managed to fix the coils, (the windings themselves were good, or I wouldnt have stood a chance.) The TR coil had a broken transistor and the RC had a high value resistor (4M8 instead of 3M3) so both the res and cap were replaced (One benefit of being electronics engineer!). bought a new hour-wheel, serviced it now its working good, so the hunt for bezel is on.... This afternoon, I'm going to tackle an ESA 9164 in an Omega, See what sort of mess I can make of that!