Jump to content

Unitas 6497 Custom Watch


Recommended Posts

Hey folks, I'd like to share a watch I put together for my Brother's birthday.

The movement is a pretty old Unitas 6497 which I picked up from the widow of a watchmaker a year or so back, the plates have been skeletonised and I'm pretty sure this was a once off job by the watchmaker.
The mainplate is brass, and the decorated bridge plates appear to have been plated (quite crudely, when inspected under a loupe).
The movement is keeping great time now that it is serviced.

I made an attempt at a logo using the film-free transfer technique Mark has used in a couple of recent Youtube videos.
The logo didn't adhere very well to the dial, not particularly happy with it. In person and to the naked eye it looks pretty good I think.

The case is a 41mm case I picked up from Ofrei, who I sourced the dial and hands from also.

Hope ye like it!

IMG_7709.JPG

IMG_7710.JPG

IMG_7711.JPG

IMG_7712.JPG

Edited by JBerry
Spelling
  • Like 12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice work, especially creating your own dial logo.
How have you found the ofrei case? I was considering one for my own project and would have paid the extra for the case (compared to the ones straight out of China), but Ofrei's international postage is criminal (around $80US if I remember rightly).
Here's mine, also built out of an old pocket watch.
fe819685d3dd950daac285633e37edc9.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/9/2019 at 12:56 AM, tritto said:

Nice work, especially creating your own dial logo.
How have you found the ofrei case? I was considering one for my own project and would have paid the extra for the case (compared to the ones straight out of China), but Ofrei's international postage is criminal (around $80US if I remember rightly).
Here's mine, also built out of an old pocket watch.

Thanks! Very nice watch, I love your dial.

I found the case pretty good, quality is better than I imagined for the price. I am in the US at the moment, so postage time and cost was pretty reasonable.

My only issue with the case was that it is designed to have case clamps which are fitted flush with the mainplate of the movement. Which is fine for more modern 6497-1 movements, however my old Unitas 6497 had elevated ledges on the barrel bridge which made the case clamps sit much too high within the case, so I had to file these down to fit my clamps flush with the mainplate... I hated to modify the plate like this, but otherwise the movement would just go back in the drawer indefinitely.

Here are the two styles compared:

 

 

old.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

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

    • Many thanks for your advice (being borne in mind at present) & offer Dell. When I was given the clock the plastic anchor was loose on the arbour (it had split at the 'hole') &, after repairing this, I have been trying to determine whether the spindle (pin) should be perpendicular when the pallet is sitting on a flat surface; or whether, when installed, its L-R extremes (or alternatively its tick & tock points) should lie at equal angles from the vertical when moved with spring absent. I can get the clock to run but in every such configuration the top block has to be turned anti-clockwise (from above) by quite a bit in order to be 'in beat' & it always runs fast (despite the pendulum being set to as slow as possible). This makes me wonder if there is any particular feature of/fault in a torsion spring clock which determines which turn direction (if any) is necessary to get it 'in beat'; & whether there would be a different set of settings that would get it running nearer to time at somewhere around the mid timing/inertia position which would then allow tweaking of the fast/slow setting.
    • Now this has happened I bet China or India just to name two will start to produce none genuine parts.  I did. But idiot Boris Johnson failed miserably in his negotiations. The E U stitched up the UK like a kipper. Nigel Farage  offered his help but big head Boris declined. So this is why we are in this mess all because Johnson wasn't clever enough.  
    • Hands up all those who voted to leave the EU 😂, oopsie.  UK has just signed the Hague convention, next year that will provide cross border clout to British courts.
    • Ive heard about that oil before for the lever pins. I found it easy to work on , it didn't have a whole lot of pivot wear but i bit sloppy on the lever cock, i think you have to live with what you have or bin it. Stiff to wind and set ?  Not a cannon pinion issue that has no friction thats made up further back and if I remember the barrel drives the hour wheel. No problem on this one .Let me know when you start it as i have another that donated to this one, i can work alongside you with it, two heads are better than one. 
×
×
  • Create New...