Search the Community

Be very careful with the index and pawl fingers. And don't hold the index wheel anywhere except by the arbor. Do you have an Accutron test meter?

I have a 2180 that hums and a 2181 that does not. I'm about to start these two projects. Besides lots of photos any advice?

I was asked to look at an Accutron 214 that could hum but doesn't move. I removed the safety bridge and immediately noticed that the index jewel was missing. I searched the movement and also the watch case but couldn't find the missing jewel. Has anyone tried replacing a missing index jewel before? What bonding agent would be good for bonding to a ruby surface. Or is replacing the entire tuning fork the best way to go. TIA

I work on no end of both. And I keep rediscovering that the more one knows about something, the more one can appreciate it. I specialize in antiques, and love to work on them. There are many old mechanicals which can be made very accurate, and I respect that. But as others have mentioned, for me it is also about the artistry. I adore the ways that the watchmakers of the Victorian and Edwardian eras used to decorate the movements. All the brushing on the nickel surface, the damaskeening, the engine turning, the fancy blackletter script of the maker's name, and so on. And just the overall pride in craftsmanship that is so evident throughout many of them. But I've also worked on really nice quartz movements. The more I learn about the Accutron tuning fork regulated watches, the more I appreciate that level of precision. And the Seiko kinetics are very impressive too, a sort of hybrid automatic-quartz with the oscillator charging the battery/capacitor. I confess, I've learned to like working on those too. I don't, however, get much thrill working on a run-of-the-mill, standard, battery-operated SMQ. But I respect what they can do. It's hard not to. So yes, for me, I like both. But certainly in different ways. Truthfully, the passion really comes out when I'm working on an old pocket watch.

There are many pulse testers available online. Get one that can check battery voltage, do line release and test for a motor pulse. Some of the newer ones can even test the timing accuracy. To test the coil, all you need is a multimeter set to resistance testing mode. But to test the current consumption of the circuit, I'm afraid there is no easy way. I use a Bulova Accutron test meter which was designed to test tuning fork watches but can be used to give a rough idea of the consumption current. A proper quartz watch testing machine, like those made by Witschi, is not something that a hobbyist would buy. My mentor explained to me why a professional watchmaker might not want to buy a Witschi quartz tester. If you test a watch that your customer brings in and pronounce it defective and then the customer brings it to another watchmaker who just replaces the battery and charges for it, the customer would think you are incompetent. Then when the battery fails after 6 months, he would just replace the battery again and tell you if it dies in six months again, you'll need to service the watch or buy a new one.

Hi I have a Bulova accutron with swiss eta 252.262 movement. The watch is having an issue with the date change function, when I rotate the crown for date change it instead moves the hour hand and not the date wheel. I can continue moving the hour hand twice around and date does changes . The date is changing every 24 hrs . Any advise how to fix this issue ?

Ha! Been wondering what this was for...Now I know. Been sitting in the drawer beckoning the inquisitive mind. After reviewing the Accutron Test setup documents...voila...

I have an Accutron 700 meter. What puck are you referring to?

I just acquired this tester and want to use it as a general tool working on quartz watches. 1) Does anyone have the schematic of the tester because I may want to mod it? 2) Can anyone tell me what is in that accessory puck that I am pointing to? @JohnR725must surely have the answer to both of these questions!!

I renamed the file when I went searching for it all I had was a PDF labeled 221. then it doesn't even start off like one of their normal manuals somebody gives us a bonus page and conveniently skips over the title page. Accutron 221.pdf

Worth just searching for Bulova 221. The zero on the end for 2210 indicates no complications but most references are just to 221. With that you'll find articles like... http://mybulova.com/sites/default/files/file/1974_Power_Cell_Replacement_Guide.pdf https://reference.grail-watch.com/movement/accutron-221 .. which look like they could be handy. Also Google watchguy bulova 221 which should point you to a Technical Letters reference of interest.

I found this on the net. Accutron 2210 uses Maxell 329 SR731SW. I also found many asking for the service manual which many can't find. I haven't found any leads to one, sorry.

From a recent junk watch lot from eBay, I found a ladies Accutron watch. I was expecting a ETA quartz movement inside but to my surprise and delight, it's an actual tuning fork watch. But my delight quick turned to disappointment when I discovered that someone jammed in a wrong size battery in. The battery is so huge that it has deformed the forks to the maximum limit. I tried prying it out but it's really stuck fast. Does anyone have the service manual for a ladies Bulova 2210 movement? I have to figure out a way to get the battery out without causing further damage. Thanks in advance.

https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/BULOVA-Accutron-Automatic-Watch-Swiss-Made-Sapphire-Crystal-100m-All-Stainless-/234164475111?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0 This is what I mean. Bulova did use the name Accutron for watches that were not using tuning fork technology. I just got a 10 watch lot labelled as Accutrons. All of them were quartz.

This is my latest acquisition. All cleaned up and lubricated. It still runs about a minute fast per day. I'm not sure if it's a phasing problem or the oscillating frequency is off. I'll probably test it with my frequency meter to find out. Is there any timing machine that can be used to regulae an Accutron other than a Vibrograf? I don't think I'd want to repair/ restore a Vibrograf and go through the hassle of using paper tracings.

I think it might help to have a definition of what the word means which is not tuning fork watch but this ACCUTRON stands for “ACCUracy through ElecTRONic". Or basically it's a nifty word that sells watches whether it has a tuning fork or not. then for phasing are using the instructions in the book or the instructions at the website below? the reason I point this out the website below tells how to phase the watch for silver cells. http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/accphs.htm

NOS stems and donor watches are getting increasingly harder to find. I've been toying with the idea of removing the old crown and cutting threads on the stem to fit an OEM crown. One day I'll get down to doing it. Right now I have an Accutron crown that sticks out by a little more that a millimeter. Obviously it doesn't belong to this case. And it's also a pressed on crown. Hmmm...

Thanks Graziano. I've watched of them before. But if you notice, when it came to the part when he set up the Accutron test meter to do phasing, the video was abruptly cut out ( end of Part 3). The video then continues with the casing up and finishing of the watch.

Thanks Graziano. That was very informative. Have you serviced any tuning fork watches before? Would you kindly share your experience? As for Nucejoe's request for a service walk through, I would be too embarrassed at this moment to post one. I was just stumbling around clueless. Maybe after a few more Accutron repairs, I may dare post one.

Hi there HectorLooi, here is some dating info for Bulova from 50s through to 2000s For Bulova watches created in 1950 or later, the manufacturer switched to a two-digit alpha-numeric code system. These codes are usually found on the backcase, but some can be found on the inside movement near the set-screw.[4] The first digit of the code corresponds to the decade. The second digit of the code corresponds to the specific year. The decade codes are as follows: 1950s: L 1960s: M 1970s: N 1980s: P 1990s: T 2000s: A The second digit of the code matches the ending digit of the year in which the watch was manufactured. When "0" is used, the end of the year was a "0" (1950, 1960, 1970, and so on). When "1" is used, the end date of the year was a "1" (1951, 1961, 1971, and so on). This pattern continues for digits "0" through "9." For example, a Bulova watch marked with "N2" was manufactured in 1972. A Bulova watch marked with "T8" was manufactured in 1998.The original Spaceview was not intended for sale at all – it was a demonstrator model, whose purpose was to appear in ads and in store display windows. The Spaceview showed off not only the forward gliding motion of the seconds hand, but also the distinctive green baseplate and contrasting copper coils for the tuning fork, as well as the transistor essential to the operation of the watch. They usually are priced on rarity, condition, and case material, box and papers etc. hence the huge price range. Bulova released an Accutron collection with quartz movements in 1976. One year later, the tuning fork Accutron production was stopped once and for all after more than 5 million pieces were sold. That year marked also the end of Bulova’s golden age.The last 214's were made in 1977. During the 17 years that tuning fork watches were made they were the most accurate production timepieces on the Earth, and in space.

After repairing 2 Accutrons recently, I've developed a facination for them. So far I have a 218, 219 and 224. I have some questions concerning Accutrons. I sometimes see on ebay a suffix like N2, N3, N4.... What does the "N" number signify? Is it a model number? Why is the price range so huge? I see some for below $100 and some for $3000. I know that the 214 was the first model produced. What was the last? I've seen some Accutrons that were not tuning fork movements. Did Bulova continue using the name Accutron for quartz watches? And lastly, do we have any Accutron experts among our distinguished members?

Would the coil resistance reading give any clue as to which oe is broken? I read that there are people specializing in recoiling Accutron coils. Have you found anyone able to that?

From mybulova.com 1962 The Accutron Tuning-fork watch becomes the first wristwatch certified for use by railroad personnel. 1962 is also the year that Bulova introduces its Caravelle line of jeweled watches. Designed to retail at $10.95 to $29.95, Caravelle competes with non-jeweled watches in the same price range.

Cannon pinion/centre wheel slip is very common on Accutron 218 series.... A nice bodge to prove it is remove the wheel take it off the cannon, reverse it and refit. You may then get it working again, but make sure you oil/lube it before use, the interface between the cannon and centre-wheel...

I balanced the tuning fork last night. I removed the gear train and just applied power to vibrate the fork. I adjusted the "regulator weights" until I got the oscillator to run with minumum current. I then put back the gear train and proceeded to phase the watch as per the instructions in the Bulova service manual. This time I managed to get the index wheel to run-stop-run. Hopefully the watch is phased correctly now. I did try connecting the spare +ve lead wire from the Accutron test meter to the test point on the IC. But the meter needle went off the scale and I aborted. 20210616_215716.mp4