Why do Collectors HATE Timex Watches?

[JerseyMo]

1 hour ago, clockboy said:

This link has a YouTube vid and clearly shows that they can be disassembled BUT you can see why I said I find them fiddly. Most just clean the entire movement , dry and lubricate and remarkably this method  works for a Timex.

 

PS yes I did strip my first Timex and it took me hours to reassemble and the performance (by luck) was certainly better than what this guy achieved.

 

 

https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/timex-m33-movement-assembly-service.5258238/

there is one lingering question which often comes up with Timex repair.  "How was the movement put together in the factory?"   the answer is they had special jigs to hold everything in place.  This has been confirmed by both former workers at the Dundee plant and Waterbury.  

 

 

[JerseyMo]

6 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

It looks as though I picked the wrong type of Timex movement to use as an example. I will now go and stand in the corner awaiting punishment.   

there is no wrong type nor any reason to stand in the corner because no Timex movement was held together by rivets.   

None, nada, zip, zilch etc.   and aren't hippies promoters of love and peace?  

[oldhippy]

I'm sorry to say but you are wrong. Perhaps rivets was the wrong word, there were old Timex movements that you couldn't take apart. They looked as if where screws would have been, the metal was pressed over which made it impossible to take apart.  My master always said you can't take them apart because they don't have screws. 

[JerseyMo]

4 hours ago, oldhippy said:

I'm sorry to say but you are wrong. Perhaps rivets was the wrong word, there were old Timex movements that you couldn't take apart. They looked as if where screws would have been, the metal was pressed over which made it impossible to take apart.  My master always said you can't take them apart because they don't have screws. 

 I stand by what I stated previous and I have provide samples.  Can you provide a sample?  Which I'd bet if found would not be a Timex or US Time movement at all. Instead it would be from an early dollar watch maker.

 

[oldhippy]

No I can't. They were from the workshop which I worked in back in the early 70's and even before that. They were old Timex which my master had kicking around in the workshop. 

[JerseyMo]

2 hours ago, oldhippy said:

No I can't. They were from the workshop which I worked in back in the early 70's and even before that. They were old Timex which my master had kicking around in the workshop. 

check mate!

[oldhippy]

I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I'll keep looking on the net. 

[dadistic]

I remember someone who added jewels to a Timex movement, I believe he was in the UK but can't find a reference right now.

I think he did it just because he wanted too, don't know the circumstances with customer etc.

Cheers!

[dadistic]

Got it. It was Greg at Woodland Technical.  http://www.woodlandtechnical.co.uk/

His website is definitely worth perusing, especially the section "What Customers Say" and "Derek **BLEEP** Answers Your Questions"

Have fun!

[dadistic]

Darn nanny filter

[JerseyMo]

On 8/18/2021 at 12:54 PM, dadistic said:

Got it. It was Greg at Woodland Technical.  http://www.woodlandtechnical.co.uk/

His website is definitely worth perusing, especially the section "What Customers Say" and "Derek **BLEEP** Answers Your Questions"

Have fun!

yes, I recall Greg posting about this.  He had mentioned how much the beat rate had improved. 

[RichJensen]

On 8/16/2021 at 11:18 AM, JerseyMo said:

 they had special jigs to hold everything in place

Every now and then I try to disassemble and then reassemble one of the 'junk' M24 and 24 based movements that I have.

I have enough working parts to build a 31, but I haven't done so yet because I'm still learning how to finesse the balance wheel into its pivots & then properly pin the hair spring with that splinter-sized bit of brass.

Anyway, as I've nudged and tweaked and tapped and cursed those gears into their pivots I've always assumed that the workers at the factory had jigs to hold those gears in place when they assembled the watch.

And I've also wondered whether any of them ever escaped--or if anyone ever came up with one for their own repairs. Because good lord would it make life easier for a hack like myself.

[HectorLooi]

6 hours ago, RichJensen said:

Every now and then I try to disassemble and then reassemble one of the 'junk' M24 and 24 based movements that I have.

I have enough working parts to build a 31, but I haven't done so yet because I'm still learning how to finesse the balance wheel into its pivots & then properly pin the hair spring with that splinter-sized bit of brass.

Anyway, as I've nudged and tweaked and tapped and cursed those gears into their pivots I've always assumed that the workers at the factory had jigs to hold those gears in place when they assembled the watch.

And I've also wondered whether any of them ever escaped--or if anyone ever came up with one for their own repairs. Because good lord would it make life easier for a hack like myself.

It can be very frustrating to get all 6 pivots in at a go. It used to take me forever to reassemble the plates until I learnt a trick. If you arrange all the gears on the bottom plate and stand them upright as best as you can, then "hover" the top plate until the holes are directly over the pivots, then drop it. Some times it just goes straight in. A hole-in-one!

And if it doesn't go straight in, lightly tap the plates to jolt the pivots in.

I swear this is not a joke. It works.

[JerseyMo]

14 hours ago, RichJensen said:

Every now and then I try to disassemble and then reassemble one of the 'junk' M24 and 24 based movements that I have.

I have enough working parts to build a 31, but I haven't done so yet because I'm still learning how to finesse the balance wheel into its pivots & then properly pin the hair spring with that splinter-sized bit of brass.

Anyway, as I've nudged and tweaked and tapped and cursed those gears into their pivots I've always assumed that the workers at the factory had jigs to hold those gears in place when they assembled the watch.

And I've also wondered whether any of them ever escaped--or if anyone ever came up with one for their own repairs. Because good lord would it make life easier for a hack like myself.

yes the factory workers had jigs to hold the parts in place.  No, not a single one has ever surfaced for sale.  A tip for you is to backout the brass cap screw to allow one end of the blance to sit lower. This helps went placing the pallet fork into postion.