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Today I show off what is probably the most accurate Seiko NH35 in existence. Let's see what this brand spankin' new Invicta does on the timegrapher: Oof. Ya hate ta see it. I know these numbers aren't anything to cry over for an 80 dollar automatic, but considering how these days microbrands stick this movement in watches costing hundreds more, and Seiko themselves with the equivalent 4R in watches costing even more, it's just not great. The rate itself to me is a trivial matter as nudging on the regulator is a trivial task. But what speaks to the quality of a movement in my eyes is the consistency of that rate in different positions. With 12 seconds per day difference across positions, middling amplitude, and fluctuating rate while static, albeit slight, is all just a bit "meh" to me. Let's crack it open and see what we can do. . Hairspring seems to be pulling towards stud. Hairspring removed from balance and mounted on cock and we can see the full extent of the malformity. That collet is a good ways off from the jewel. Few hours of sweat later: Much better! Regulator now runs the full length of the terminal curve without disturbance and collet is centered on jewel. Let's check out what else I saw: Some places are absolutely flooded. While others just barely got any. A good thing I intervened. This thing needed to be redone top to bottom. Stripped apart, ready to get rid of the crappy factory lube job, and get a real, proper lube job. All put together, lubed, and few rounds of dynamic poising later: Massive boost in amplitude, runs on rails and a measly 1 second difference across all positions. Wasn't lying when I said "probably the most accurate Seiko NH35 in existence." See for yourself. Isn't it at the moment a bit of a waste that this souped up NH35 is being trapped inside its Invicta skin? What do you think?

Hello to all. I've just purchased this Invicta on eBay and although the watch feels really nice I have a couple of things with it that brings a doubt to my mind, and wanted to know what are you folks thinking about it? It has what seems a screw caseback and after trying with not much success I've looked with the magnifier just to find this tongue which popped the back with no problem. After opening the back as you can see at the bottom of the movement that is a rectangular cavity and a little flat metal on top, which seems to me that t something needs to be there and to be held by this piece of metal. Othe than that the watch is working fine, but these two things kind of make me kind of worried. Thanks for your help in advance.

Sharing two watches I won off the bay. Both were advertised as needing work. First off is an old Invicta handwind. Older Invicta are good buys but typical of watches from the 50-60s era is they are usually let down by base metal cases and the dials usually have water damage. This one caught my eye as it has a decent dial in good condition. Even the minute track is in good order. The case is stainless steel. This type of dial has a copper coloured finish which I really like as it changes colour at different angles. The hands have been re-lumed but I think its not the radioactive type of lume as it no longer glows. The caseback indicates 'stainless steel back' which usually indicates a base metal case but this one is a stainless steel case. Waterproof, anti-magnetic and Incabloc...all good stuff. Inside we find an AS1194 movement. A good, well designed solid workhorse movement. It was not running and when I opened it the reason was quite apparent as the ratchet wheel was loose in the case with its screw lying next to the balance. Returning the ratchet wheel to its place and gave it a few winds of the crown and its running like a champ! It's been on my wrist for the past 8 hours and its been keeping good time. I got lucky here! Looking at the caseback, its a bit different in that the threaded male portion is on the case instead of on the caseback, which in this case holds the female thread. It uses a lead seal which is visible outside the threads in the case picture below. The second watch is a Longines. I bought it because the case was in great shape, these gold filled cases usually don't wear well and the caseback and lugs usually have the gold worn off on the rear. In severe cases even the upper edges wear. This one is pretty pristine. It came with a period Speidel. I'm not a fan of these generally and they can sometimes damage the case but for the limited use this watch will see I think I'll leave it on. The facetted glass crystal has some scratches but not enough to warrant sourcing a replacement. Pic of the rear.. the only visible wear is on the caseback near the crown. Not too visible. Dial has seen some sloppy handling, hands are slim and look delicate! Inside we find a nice Cal 9L. Picture below shows it running strongly (balance blurred). The seconds hand 'ticks' but the hour and minute hands don't move. The lack of resistance when setting the hands indicates the cannon pinion is slipping and needs tightening. Not normally a problem but with a sub-seconds movement the cannon-pinion has a closed end and this needs more force than a traditional open pinion so more care is needed. The barrel bridge and train bridge have different hues in the picture below but it is not noticeable with the naked eye. Final picture is the inside of the caseback. The case is made by Wittnauer in the USA, which was a way to reduce taxes. This association led to a lot of 'Wittnauer' branded watches being labelled as Longines-Wittnauer despite Longines not being involved in these watches at all!. A detail visible in the picture below is the recess drilled in the caseback, this is probably to clear the ratchet wheel screw. Cost for the Invicta was around USD40 and Longines about USD65 (shipping included). While bargains on ebay are not as common as before there are still good buys if you're patient (and willing to take a chance!). Both brands are still in existence but they are juat shadows of their previous past. Invicta is famous for 'homage' watches with cheap movements while Longines is basically banking on their name and buying ebauches. Anilv