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Converting 2824-2 from Elaboré to Top grade?


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I have a watch in my permanent collection with an Elaboré grade ETA 2824-2. I had given thought to upgrading the movement rather than servicing it, but as I get into this stuff I think there may be a better way. I found the following listed as the differences between the grades:

STANDARD GRADE AND ELABORATED GRADE

  • Mainspring - Nivaflex NO
     
  • Balance - Nickel gilt
  • Hairspring - Nivarox 2
  • Collet - Nivatronic
  • Shock protection - Etachocs
     
  • Pallet Stones - Polyrubies, Epilame-coated

 

TOP GRADE AND CHRONOMETER GRADE

  • Mainspring - Nivaflex NM
     
  • Balance - Glucydur gilt
  • Hairspring - Anachron
  • Collet - Nivatronic
  • Shock protection - Incabloc
     
  • Pallet Stones - Red ribbies, Epilame-coated

It looks to me like a mainspring, pallet fork, and balance would be all it takes. The mainspring is an easy swap, as is the pallet fork. The majority of the differences are in the balance, and aren't quite as straightforward. A timed balance with hairspring and collet is available, but I think I'd need to press it onto the balance staff. I believe the Incabloc settings would also need to be pressed out/in. Can anyone confirm these assumption to be true or false?

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In theory it would work to do these altercations, but the looks of it still would be the same as a elaborated movement.
The balance and the heat treated anachron hairspring together with the better quality jewels is what makes the biggest difference.

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5 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

I have a watch in my permanent collection with an Elaboré grade ETA 2824-2. I had given thought to upgrading the movement rather than servicing it, but as I get into this stuff I think there may be a better way. 

Similar discussion below. I understand that you never too apart, inspected, lubricated reassembled a mov't before, so my recommendation would be that you first learn how to do that repeatedly and safely to build the skills foundation needed to move up with of mastering the art of adjustment.

 

Edited by jdm
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10 minutes ago, CaptCalvin said:

You would really only do this for the satisfaction of knowing you have these parts in your watch.

Yes, and good luck finding them. Much unlike special parts for petrol engines. 

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I'm planning the project schedule. There are at least a half dozen projects in front of this one should it make the list. This job requires tools in addition to those I've already sourced, so that puts it on the second tier anyway. It appears parts sourcing is one of the more challenging aspects of this hobby, and this is a great exercise in just that.

Speaking of... I've already found a source for, and bookmarked all the individual links to either all the separate parts or a complete top grade movement that I could just drop in. None of the parts are astronomically priced (at least not to my mind). The cost of buying the individual parts AND the tools to do the job are more than the movement, but that's not quite as much fun, and I don't come out the other side with a tool to show for it... Still, we'll see. In my mind, a watch is 90% movement, 10% other. If I were to completely replace the movement in my watch, is it still the same ship? Hot rodding it a little though...

I'm fully aware that a standard grade movement can be regulated to top grade standards. Continuing the car analogy since JDM brought it up, I can build a small block to make big block power, or I can just get a big block and tune it to a comfortable state. I'm not trying to make money with this project, or anything else. It's just fiddling to fiddle and have fun. I'm the kind of guy to void the warranty on my brand new car before I even have plates.

 

Edited by spectre6000
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8 hours ago, HSL said:

In theory it would work to do these altercations, but the looks of it still would be the same as a elaborated movement.

The caseback is solid. Truly the only person who will know or appreciate the difference is me. I'm thinking of it kinda like a ratrod. It's a Bulova, so not anything anyone is really going to get excited about... but I'll have finessed the engine a bit and I think that's cool.

Edited by spectre6000
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40 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

The caseback is solid. Truly the only person who will know or appreciate the difference is me. I'm thinking of it kinda like a ratrod. It's a Bulova, so not anything anyone is really going to get excited about... but I'll have finessed the engine a bit and I think that's cool.

Can't say I haven't done this conversion either just out of curiousity, and even tried to get an Elabore' into COSC standard but sometimes it is as cool to just pop in a ready pimped Hemi under te hood where people least expects it, took a look at the inofficial dswiss site and the checklist there seems to be correct enough.

https://www.dwiss.com/blogs/news/eta-caliber-2824-2

There are more cool engravings on the TOP-Grade which makes it more attractive with a glass case back.
Otherwise what can one say go for it..
Here is some inspiration ... 
492728604_TOP_ANDELABORATE.thumb.jpg.34b0aa0c2617fa3d3b4e78c74a4035e7.jpg

Edited by HSL
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3 hours ago, HSL said:

Can't say I haven't done this conversion either just out of curiousity, and even tried to get an Elabore' into COSC standard but sometimes it is as cool to just pop in a ready pimped Hemi under te hood where people least expects it, took a look at the inofficial dswiss site and the checklist there seems to be correct enough.

https://www.dwiss.com/blogs/news/eta-caliber-2824-2

There are more cool engravings on the TOP-Grade which makes it more attractive with a glass case back.
Otherwise what can one say go for it..
Here is some inspiration ... 
492728604_TOP_ANDELABORATE.thumb.jpg.34b0aa0c2617fa3d3b4e78c74a4035e7.jpg

The "TOP grade" you thought you have there isn't in fact a TOP grade. You can tell by looking at the spokes on the balance wheel. The decorations and movement grade aren't mutually exclusive. They make standard and elabore grades with decorated finish as well as TOP and chronometer grades without.

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lol well in the picture is the test setup for the kind of thing he wants to pull of so some "inspiration"  , looking at the spokes on the balance is a god tell as you say since the original is a glycudur and that in place right now is not, guess just to jogg my bad memory a bad close up on the differences in the two balance spokes is in place too. ;)

Spokes.thumb.jpg.11687ba52c4c0ce9a3c1c06268e960a7.jpg 

 

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