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I want to get a Precisionist or maybe an accutron II--I do like this watch. And what a write up--Oh My! JC

Dear Al, I have a microset unit and have spoken to Bryan many times. This unit is okay and may work very well for clocks. I used it for many years maybe 6-7 but found it lacking for watches. I currently use a Watch Timing Machine Multifunction Timegrapher 1000 and an very happy with it, but again I work on watches not clocks I did buy the same expensive clamp you did and just had it upgraded 8 months ago. I still prefer the timegrapher when doing watch work. At this point the microset sits on the shelf. That being said I think the microset unit can be used for hairspring work which may be helpful in the future if and when I ever start making my own hairsprings. One other point Bryan makes an accutron adaptor that is very nice. I don’t work on accutrons anymore but when I did it was very useful. Hope this summery helps. Sincerely, Jim

A while ago I posted that I had trouble with my Accutron bought in May, the "electroplated" gold on the sides of the watch had worn off leaving it in a poor state and the crown was similarly affected. With no real expectations I contacted the seller who expressed surprise and asked to see the watch. In my message to him I advised that I did not think the case had ever been electroplated properly and I thought it was poorly brush plated. Now, I got the best surprise as he mailed me back and said he could not disagree with me. He had not realised originally and had been taken in by its original fine appearance, as was I.He then sourced a new properly plated Bulova case and crown and sent photos to me asking if it was acceptable and it certainly was. I have it back now looking good and humming away nicely. Just thought I would post a true and positive story about an ebay seller. Cheers, Vic

Hello Lee, the oils are a much discussed subject on the forum and if you trace through you will find a wealth of info. However, you will also find differing opinions and suggestions for alternatives. I have bemoaned the fact that it costs more than gold for Moebius oil. I think that Mark the forum leader and a pro as you will know if you have watched his Vids, would recommend the exact three oils you mention and he may suggest that you could use Molycote DX as a grease. He may also advise that if it is a quality watch you should as far as possible find out the recommended oils for the movement. For instance I downloaded the PDF for an Accutron 2181 and it told me exactly what oils to use. The PDF's are often obtainable from Cousins UK and other suppliers as well and from traces on the internet. After that I was given a Chinese Rolex that had ceased working I had avoided looking at full mechanicals up to then and I used that as my first complete dissassembly, clean, and re-assembly and to my amazement I got it working. However, if you are going to start off with a teardown, try a really cheap movement, perhaps one from ebay without a day and date display for instance, then clean all the parts and put them back together, in my opinion it would a waste of Moebius oil and I would start off experiments using one the cheap watch oils available for a few quid being very carefull not to drown anything - you will get the idea from Marks Vids. One of the great things on this forum is that if you get stuck, lots of folk will rally round to help. I am by no sense of the word an expert and I would call myself a hobbyist that is willing to have a go, but I would be rather scared of pulling my Glycine Airman apart in fact it will never happen. I am sure some of the other lads will kick in and offer some advice on oils etc. as well. For the record the Moebius I have are :- D5,8300 grease, 8030, Quartz oil, 941, 9020, 9010, most of which are connected with my Accutrons but useful elsewhere as well but I will also admit to having D&L Watch oil 9551 and some silicone grease that I use when playing with scrap movements. I use the Cheap Bergeon Oilers. As for your question about the drivers, I bought Bergeon ones but not a full set, I found that I get away with just four and I bought the ones that come with replacement blades. The AF ones may be as good, I don't honestly know. Really its a matter of choice but I started out with really cheap ones but found I was continually having to get the oilstone out. Cheers, Vic

Just a few observations and please pardon me if its stuff you already know. I have a few Accucell-1 batteries and when I started messing around with Accutrons the main thing I had my attention drawn to was the battery choices and Voltage which is 1.35 as opposed to the Renata 387 which is 1.55. There is a handy table on another site: Model Mercury type Silver Oxide type 214 387 387S, 394**, SR936SW** Accucell 1 218 343 344, 350. SR1136SW Accucell 1 219 343 344, 350, SR1136SW Accucell 1 2210 388 329, SR731SW*** Accucell 2 230 343 344, 350. SR1136SW Accucell 1 224 343 344, SR1136SW Accucell 1 ESA 9162/4 343 344, 350, SR1136SW ESA 9210 343 344, 350, SR1136SW Omega 1220 343 344, SR1136SW Omega 1300 313 357, SR44 Omega 1301, 1302 343 344, 350, SR1136SW ***Not a perfect fit, but there is no direct equivalent to the 388. ** These are not supplied with the little plastic spacer. Re-use the spacer from your old 387 mercury cell. You note that for the 218 they advocate use of Accucell and also the 344/SR1136S but the main difference between the batteries is the Voltage ie 1.35 as opposed to 1.55. The use of either battery on a 218 is possible (if not recommended) but if the watch is normally phased for 1.35 and if you then use a 1.55 then it can lead to double indexing on the index wheel. Some repairers re-phase the 218 to use standard Renata 1.55 cells. I suppose what I am saying is replace like for like as if it has been re phased and you put an accucell in then it could lead to a problem. I have a few movements that are humming nicely but even though they are only movements without cases I always check them out with an accucell. The 214 has a similar sort of choice, if you buy a Renata, the 387 is shown on the package and it has the black plastic spacer disk on it but the positive side of the battery shows the number 394 and it is 1.55v. I have just returned my Accutron (bought in May) to the dealer I bought it off because gold on the case and crown was literally rubbing off. It looked great when I got it but it had obviously been brush plated to give it a thin gold coat. Give the guy his due and the benefit of the doubt he appeared quite surprised when he wrote back to me after inspecting it and agreed that it was not acceptable. He offered to source a replacement case which he sent pictures of and I have accepted. It makes a nice change to get customer service - I had expected a bit of a struggle. Anyway its nice to see the hummers getting a bit of attention. Lee put me on to the Stereo Microscope which has made a great difference for examination of the index wheels. They are not easy watches but definitely have less bits inside that the Mechanical ones :D Cheers, Vic

Just noticed that my Accutron which is humming nicely still no longer looks as "golden as it used to". The sides are really worn now and look more like nickel or SS whilst the back which is separate is still in really good condition, this after only about 8 months, though I did wear it continuously for about a month in LA and was hot and sweaty most of the time. I have a couple of 10k Accurton cases and may swap it over. But I would not sell this case on to anyone. I think that the person I bought it from must have used an immersion kit to give it a good but quite temporary shine. I was wondering if anyone has dabbled in home plating. I have a bit of old gold in my drawer so the raw material is there. I believe the solution can be made up by dissolving gold in a Hydrochloric / Nitric acid mix and then you are looking at the transference via a current through the liquid. Has anyone tried this ? Cheers, Vic

Hello Al, It may not be really necessary for you but I recently purchased a long arm stereo microscope and it brought a new dimension into the hobby for me and many things just got easier. If you search through the forums all the posts are there to answer some if not all the questions. In general I was surprised at the field of Vision and workspace even at higher magnitudes. Just something you might consider it definitely takes the strain off working on the small stuff, I can even see the teeth on an Accutron index wheel ! Cheers, Vic

Hello lr1022, The cost of oil is one of the problems that hobbyists have all wrestled with and I spent hours searching the web for small amounts at reasonable prices but regrettably I found a remarkable similarity in pricing from all suppliers of Moebius oils for instance. If you are just practising, a cheap working watch is a worthwhile purchase, strip and clean it then use a cheap generic watch oil when putting it back together. It is hardly worth spending much on oil for a cheap Chinese movement for instance, however, you will still gain the learning experience. If you trawl old postings in the forum you will find good reasons to spend more on oil for treasured watches. I used to try to restrict my interest to just a couple of makes - Accutron and Tissot and only bought the oils for them but over time I weakened and started looking at other movements. You will find guidance on the forum for the subject. Mark has covered the topic for instance and we have an oil specialist who gave quite a detailed post on oil generally. Just put in a search. In conclusion, if the watch you work on is expensive or treasured you probably should use good oil and that I'm afraid comes at a premium. Cheers and welcome, Vich

I love working with stripboard and doing stripboard layouts. Somehow it's more fun that making PCB layouts. The one I'm most proud of is this one, which was part of this project: http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/paia_stringz_n_thingz.html I did two large stripboards for that one and managed to not need a single diagonal wire. Looking at the Accutron supply schematic, I think I would have dispensed with the LM317 and used a Zener diode and voltage divider to feed VR1, and then used an LM358 instead of LM324 for the voltage follower (same op-amps, but only 2 per chip, and only 8 pins, so a lot less unused stuff to work around).

Hello Svorkoetter, Read through the postings with interest. I have just finished the Accutron variable power supply from the drawings by Rich Helzer and Rob Berkavicius (http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/Modified%20Bulova%209920_6604%20Variable%20Power%20Supply-l.jpg) had to convert it over to stripboard and after a few schoolboy errors it worked, the LM324 was a swine to use on a stripboard - there were more cuts and solder bridges than I care to mention but it works really well and I feel the urge for a new project to keep the brain working. I tried Kello on my iPhone but it was hopeless trying to get the amplification needed, I note your concerns for the software as well. The Korg contact mike with your set up seems to be a good choice even though it is a tad more expensive than DIY. Still loads cheaper than buying a timing machine. Hope you give us the chance to fund your efforts, I don't mind paying for good work and your software looks soundly thought out and what is better it comes down to ease of usage. Not all watch tinkerers are maths experts or programmers but most can get their heads round the instructions for use of a timing machine even if they don't actually understand what is in the box. I look forward to following your progress - really interesting thread ! Cheers, Vic

At 35x I can just about see the teeth on the index wheel of the Bulova Accutron which is just what I needed.

Thats very nice Lee and I feel very tempted. There is a chapter on the accutron watch in "Practical watch repairing" in case you were not aware, which is very interesting. The book is available as a PDF file should you not have it.

Hi Lee, I'm not an authority on anything much less in watches authenticity but it looks like a regular Accutron to me. One thing is certain, it is beautiful and very well preserved! Even if you decide not to get it, I congratulate you for such a nice find! Cheers, Robert

I can remember my father telling me why he never wore rings at work. He was a turbine engineer and obviously working around serious electricity. He said he saw a guy lose two fingers when electricity arced through his rings. I don't know which fingers they were, hopefully he could still make a victory sign or whatever. I am in the process of making a variable power supply for use when testing accutrons. Converting a schematic to use on a linear board - such fun. Luckily someone posted the schematic on an accutron site so here's hoping I get it right. Really interesting post svorkoetter.

I have a feeling that it is going to be special - perhaps guided tours with free watch repairing advice and an inspirational video of the dismantling of a genuine clockwork watch, (Accutron 11ANACB would be outstanding) and on departure a free bottle of Moebius oil - ok it would have to be £50.00 a head but oddly enough a lot of us would probably pay ! Ps I used really BIG tiles and got the floor done quite quickly for me - mainly because the adhesive was the flexible fast drying stuff. Don't forget when you knack up a tile you throw it on the floor swear loudly and continuously and stamp your feet, then turn round and find your wife just about rolling on the floor laughing at you - that's the problem with a 62 year old body with a 10 year old brain.

Hello Adam, Welcome to the forum. I had some experience of problems with local watch repairs when I took an old Tissot my late mother had given me to get it fixed. To cut a long story short I ended up fixing it myself and developed the "Bug". I personally decided to restrict myself to two makes under the mistaken premise that It would be easier to learn about two vintage types, Tissot and Bulova. Little did I know that there are loads of different movements under each brand name and Bulova in particular is a peculiar animal, especially on the Accutron side of things. I do sometimes get caught up in it, and though I have refrained from buying new (old ) watches to make up a collection, the temptation is immense. All the tools are wonderful things and my addiction is to the old tools for Bulova's. I am however happy with my new hobby and I am sure that you will enjoy it. There is nothing quite like a good repair job even if you find yourself cursing while you work. There are some wise heads in the forum that have helped me out. Cheers, Vic

Welcome home Vic, I can see you becoming our resident Accutron specialist! That book was an excellent buy.

Back in Geordieland but after being up and travelling for 33+ hours I am knackered. Bought far too much over there but got it all back unscathed including the boxed Accutron 700 tester. Bought loads of parts in radio shack to make a variable power supply to use in tandem with the tester - hope my brain still works.Also bought an old but mint copy of Practical Watch Repairing for $6.75 dollars (£4.22) so I will now sit in the chair and read it (code for snooze).

Hi, I've decided to take a couple of days vacation this week. After fixing a leaky bathtub faucet (some vacation) I started to work on a 7750 movement that I bought especially to practice on. I've worked on watches from Accutron 214 to Omegas and lots in between but never had enough confidence to tackle a chronograph. Bought this movement non-running. Got it going fairly quickly but as soon as I engaged the chronograph it quit. First question is was there one made that used dial screws to hold dial? The normal eta hooks are nowhere to be found. Movement is marked with eta logo as well as 7750, also a v2 mark(if I am remembering properly). Next question is does the big end of the oscillating pinion go in first- toward the dial? That's the way it was when I removed it but looking at the manual I have it seems to show it going the other way. I tried to put it back the way it was but that didn't go well. Sure won't sit up as nicely as one I saw in the video. Thanks, Charles K

Camra have three festivals in Newcastle. Spring, Summer and Winter but various Wetherspoons have something going on somewhere all the time so I can spend my 50p CAMRA tokens. Our main real ale festival is at Northumbria Uni and is massive - hundreds of beers. I have to say that I have had some good ales at the festivals but also one that tasted a bit like Covonia Cough Medicine - 11.5% and really overhopped to get rid of the sweetness needed for fermenting the beer to get the high proofage. Oddly I usually feel ok the next day but the after effects if you can call them that, due to consumption of lots of yeasty beer give my wife great cause for complaint - I am sure we have all been there, usually without gas masks cos we are real ale supping men. Off to the states soon to pick up a shed load of accutron goodies (including a tester) from EBay.com that I have had sent to my son in LA, will keep up to date on my IPad hopefully. Cheers Chaps

Hello Folks, I will have to broach the problems about the pawl finger and index finger at some stage but perhaps not quite yet. I have a 400x USB scope that allows me to look at them but I don't feel confident yet. The Accutron 214 and 218 service manuals are in the public domain so I expect that someone has uploaded them by now. Made my last purchase of spare parts today and eagerly await the booty to inspect. My son is amassing the items, parts and watches, I have bought in the USA and I wiil bring the stuff back with me. Thanks for the warm welcome, Vich

Welcome Vich to the forums, Nice intro, and as Geo mentioned the Bulova accutron has an extremely delicate drive mechanism which I believe can only be seen or adjusted under a microscope, so be very careful. Watches can become addictive so keep a close eye on expenditure as it can easily run amok.

Hi Vich, that' a nice set of watches you've got there, I particularly like the Glycine! That is a well written introduction. You will find this forum friendly and most informative. It will be interesting to see if you can continue to limit your spend, I set out parameters in the beginning but these soon got blown out of the water! I don't know why, but it's is a very addictive business. You must keep us informed with the progress of your Accutron projects. I have a nice one myself, but it is one type of movement I will not interfere with due to the incredible sensitivity of the driving pallets.

There cannot be too many working Bulova Accutrons around these days, so well worth keeping. Should you be interested there is a chapter on the Accutron in Donald de Carle's FBHI book "Practical watch repairing" with lots of information about them.

I thought I would post a shot of my entire collection of watches and pocket watches. The picture is not great but hopefully it conveys what my ethos on collecting watches is which is diversity. I love all forms of horology and can get as passionate about my humble Timex easy reader as I can about my Air King for they all mean something different to me. I hope you like the watches and if you want to see better shots of any then let me know and I will post better pictures on this thread. So! Top row are: John Forrest Lever Fusee Sterling silver pocket watch made in 1894, Next to it an Omega Canadian market pocket watch in Nickel silver made in 1916 Main row left to right are: Archer Watches Sterling ( Hand made in Canada) Timex Easy Reader Bulova Accutron (1971) Rolex Air King (114200) Birks ( Canadian equivalent of Tiffany's or Mappin & Web) branded Fortis Manual wind (circa 1970's) Cathode Corner Nixie watch (As worn by Steve Wozniak of Apple Computers fame) Sekonda manual wind (made in the Poljot #1 factory Moscow late 1970's) Cartier Tank (mid 1970's) Bulova American Clipper (1937) Election Chronometer (Mid 1930's) And last but not least, Casio G shock mudman. Hope you like my humble collection. I get a huge amount of satisfaction wearing all of them and new or old they all get lots of wrist or pocket time! Thanks for looking.