Jump to content

Repair of a Bombay Co. quad watch winder


Recommended Posts

Hi,

I recently purchased a previously-owned quad watch winder to keep my automatics fresh overnight.  The price was very attractive and the pictures were good but, since the article was in a different city, I was not able to see it in person before I purchased it.  When I received the package, I found out that one of the winder motors spun without driving the watch holder.  The seller hadn't disclosed this problem, even though I specifically asked.  It was an obvious mechanical problem which I set about to repairing.  I'm documenting my findings here so that if someone in the future experiences the same problem, they might have a clue as to how to repair the problem.  These winders are common and manufactured in China as per the "Made In" sticker.

The winder consists of two 6V DC 10 RPM universal motors configured to drive a dish shaped watch holder.  Each motor is capable of winding up to two watches simultaneously.  In my winder, the right watch holder just remained stationary as the motor spun, indicating that either a belt had slipped or a clutch mechanism had failed.  In either case, it was necessary for me to extract the motor assembly.  I began by removing the watch holder from the shaft of the motor (remove the foam insert and then loosen the screw holding the part to the shaft of the motor).  Then I removed the bottom panel since there was no other means to access the insides.  Once opened, I disconnected the motor from the driver board and removed the four screws holding it to the baseplate (see photo 1 below).

Once extracted and on the bench, I proceeded to inspect it.  The motor is clamped in a plastic base and is coupled to an axle using a drive dog (see photo 2).  When I disassembled the plastic base and removed the motor, the cause became apparent - the rubber drive dog was stripped. You can see the rubber residue that was dug out by the shaft. The receiving hole for the motor shaft should have been shaped to fit the keyed shaft  (see photos 3 & 4).  The rubber dog was just too soft to accept the torque of the geared-down motor.  Any stalling of the watch holder transferred to damage to the dog.  My solution was simple.  I drilled a hole in the coupling housing and inserted a screw that would act as a key to prevent the motor shaft from rotating relative to the coupler (see photo 5).  I decided to do this to both motors to prevent a similar fate for the operational assembly.  Once repaired and back together, the winder was as good as new.

20181208_174233.jpg

20181208_174107.jpg

20181208_174147.jpg

20181208_213331.jpg

20181208_213459.jpg

Edited by robmack
refine verbiage.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • in general this shouldn't be any change. but in general questions like this it be nice to know the specifics of the watch in other words how was it performing before it was cased up and what is it doing now.
    • just as a reminder this watch is a Swatch group product. This will bring up a problem like spare parts and technical information. that I found some links to some information on when I talk about your watch and some of the technical and basically your watch is equivalent to 2834-2 for which I'm attaching the technical sheets. But equivalent does not mean exactly the same you want to do a search on the group for C07 as we discussed this watch before including the technical differences how it's supposed to be regulated and basically because it's watch group there is no parts availability. https://calibercorner.com/eta-caliber-c07-xxx/   https://www.chrono24.com/magazine/eta-movements-from-the-2824-2-to-the-powermatic-80-p_80840/ https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/h-10-movement-details.4636991/ eta CT_2834-2_FDE_481857_15.pdf
    • people be honest.... Swatch is evil for the watchmakers and repairers, BUT not everything in watches from Switzerland is from the Swatch-Group. As far as i know, Selitta got sacked by Swatch as a Movement-Assembler for them and they started to produce Movements in their own Name with slight Modifications. As far as i know, they sell Parts to the Market for their Movements. In most cases, if a ETA-Movement fails, it is a valid Option to replace it with a Selitta Movement, which i consider the Solution for this Mess with the Swatch-Group...... I have no Connection to anybody at Selitta, but being a Swiss-Guy, i still like to have Swiss-Made Watches, but not from the Swatch-Group.   ok ? regards, Ernst
    • Just one more greedy act by Swatch. They started a number of years ago here in the US..cutting off supplies to watchmakers that could build complications that many Swatch houses couldn't even touch. Old school masters who had gone through some of the most prestigious houses in the world. Otto Frei has some statements on their page about it. I tell all my customers to avoid new Swiss watches like the plague,..unless they just want an older one in their collection that still has some parts out on the market, or they have really deep pockets and don't mind waiting months and paying through the nose to get it back. Plenty of others to choose from..IE Seiko,..or other non-swiss brands Even a number of Chinese brands are catching up with the Swiss,..and I think that in time, their actions will be their downfall
    • Yes. If that's not what you are experiencing...start looking for something rubbing. A 1st guess is that one of the hands is rubbing against the hole in the center of the dial. Especially if you now have lower amplitude in face up/ face down positions.
×
×
  • Create New...