404 Club

[markr]

On 7/22/2020 at 4:46 AM, AndyHull said:

Cousins may well have something suitable.

https://www.cousinsuk.com/category/watch-glasses

Failing that, post the dimensions, I may have something in the stash.

I also may have one.  Size please.

[eezy]

2 new members, Sekonda and Lorus. Cost £2.24 + postage.

The Sekonda looks nice. Works fine until the hour hand gets to 6. The minute hand and secondhand keep going but you can't adjust the time if the minute hand is between 2 and 4, the stem just spins.

I tend to think Miyotas are throwaway but might have a look at this one.

The Lorus looked sad, no crystal and bent hands. I've straightened the hands-ish and fitted a temp crystal made from a DVD disk to see if it worked. Surprisingly it's working.

 

[AndyHull]

Cousins probably have the crystal, but it will almost certainly cost more then the two watches combined. I like the DVD crystal idea, I may borrow that.

[eezy]

43 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Cousins probably have the crystal, but it will almost certainly cost more then the two watches combined. I like the DVD crystal idea, I may borrow that.

DVD's are actually 2 discs, easy to separate but a b***er to get the material off. I tend to have a few hanging in the garden, the weather fetches them clean. Otherwise boil them up in a pan (Mrs eezy now has a nice blue ring around the pan ). They cut and pare easily with a craft knife.

[AndyHull]

 

When you think of ladies vintage Swiss watches, probably something small, delicate and tasteful comes to mind.

This is not that watch.

This thing is so bizarrely bad and entertaining that I think I'm going to have to make it a custom fabric strap. I wonder what is the most "trippy" fabric I can dredge up with from my wife's extensive collection of quilting fabrics. I had a quick rummage, and this is what I came up with, but I'm sure i can do better.

There is also scope for some kind of bezel, as that gap around the dial looks as though it should have something spectacularly tasteless embedded in it. In case you are wondering it has a "one jewel wonder" BFG 866 hiding its embarrassment inside. It was described as not running, but a quick clean sorted that out.

The next question is, do I splash for a replacement crystal and double the cost of my "investment"?

[Pauly]

12 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

 

When you think of ladies vintage Swiss watches, probably something small, delicate and tasteful comes to mind.

This is not that watch.

This thing is so bizarrely bad and entertaining that I think I'm going to have to make it a custom fabric strap. I wonder what is the most "trippy" fabric I can dredge up with from my wife's extensive collection of quilting fabrics. I had a quick rummage, and this is what I came up with, but I'm sure i can do better.

There is also scope for some kind of bezel, as that gap around the dial looks as though it should have something spectacularly tasteless embedded in it. In case you are wondering it has a "one jewel wonder" BFG 866 hiding its embarrassment inside. It was described as not running, but a quick clean sorted that out.

The next question is, do I splash for a replacement crystal and double the cost of my "investment"?

Wow, that is quite something... can't get away from the BFG 866s at the minute... Pampas grass bezel insert?

 

[HSL]

Swinger! huh here in Sweden that sentence has a double meaning. I read in an evening paper about a group of people with a hobby called swingers. They obviously had just like other secret societies as illuminate some secret signs which identified them to other likeminded. Maybe this watch is one of those signal pieces?

Edited October 7, 2020 by HSL

[Pauly]

13 minutes ago, HSL said:

Swinger! huh here in Sweden that sentence has a double meaning. I read in an evening paper about a group of people with a hobby called swingers. They obviously had just like other secret societies as illuminate some secret signs which identified them to other likeminded. Maybe this watch is one of those signal pieces?

Same in English  Pampas grass is also one of said 'signs' apparently...  https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/pampas-grass-sales-swinging-sex-connotations-seventies-houses-front-garden-a7764796.html

[watchweasol]

That's  Hot   I have some pampas grass in the garden  It was in ten years ago when we moved in, best get out the  flame thrower, 

[eezy]

Looks more ''Flower Power'' than swinger.

 

[Pauly]

50 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

That's  Hot   I have some pampas grass in the garden  It was in ten years ago when we moved in, best get out the  flame thrower, 

Aha... claim ignorance...

 

[luiazazrambo]

3 hours ago, AndyHull said:

The next question is, do I splash for a replacement crystal and double the cost of my "investment"?

I would certainly recommend that!

[AndyHull]

3 hours ago, Pauly said:

Pampas grass bezel insert?

Hmmm... Maybe not the bezel, but perhaps you could weave a pampas grass watch band.

On second thoughts, maybe that might attract all the wrong kind of attention.... 

Then again who am I kidding, there's no chance that anybody is ever likely to wear this unless they have just flown in from the 1960s.

[Michael1962]

Where do you guys find all of these cheap watches?

I can't find anything in Australia.

[HectorLooi]

Just got 13lbs of non working watches from ebay for USD$208. Over a hundred watches  All quartz movements except 2 Timexes. 80% ladies watches. Some fitness trackers, a couple of clock movements, 1 Seiko, 1 Benrus, 2 Bulovas and 3 Fossils. The rest... bleah! So not sure if it's a win or lose deal. Anyway, I'm restoring them for Christmas presents for a couple of orphanages.

I found an interesting one which I've never seen before. Not signed at all. No visible dial. LEDs just shine through the gaps in the bracelet links. 

 

[Pauly]

That is bonkers... Looks like it is working though!?

[Pauly]

3 hours ago, Michael1962 said:

Where do you guys find all of these cheap watches?

I can't find anything in Australia.

Ebay... With patience, I know ebay can vary a lot by country though, so maybe Ebay Aus doesn't have so much. I search for 'job lot' or 'watch spares repair' or sometimes just look at watches in general, with a price limit of say £10 and sort by ending soonest... Have found a couple of sellers that sell a lot of old/used watches so have saved them too

[AndyHull]

Those LED bracelet watches are a neat design. This of course means that there are a lot of clones of the design, some much better than others.

If anyone wants to look on ebay for something similar, try some of these key words.

"JAPANESE IRON SAMURAI Faceless black/red Modern LED watch"

Some examples are really cheap and flimsy looking, but there are a few much better quality versions. Its a bit of a novelty item though, and I suspect the batteries wont last terribly long.

There seems to be a bit of a trend for LED watches at the moment, so maybe time to dig out that old 1970s TexasInstruments/Beta/Timex/Omega/HongKongSpecial and get it going. My advice though is to leave the bell bottomed trousers, flowery shirt, kipper tie and platform boots in the wardrobe. Some things are best forgotten. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by AndyHull

[Tudor]

I've got an old LED watch that was my Dad's (maybe); though I never saw him wear it.

Then I put batteries (yes, TWO) in it and realized it probably only worked two weeks before they were dead... So that's why I never saw it on his wrist- it was waiting for batteries.

(Still works when fed electrons)

[Pauly]

Weren't some of the early ones 'push to activate' i.e. time was only displayed when you pushed a button, to save battery? Bit of a parallel to today's smart watches and fitness trackers!

[Tudor]

Yes; at least mine is that way. Push to read the time.

Still eats batteries faster than anything. I thought about making a back pack loaded with D batteries and a cable to the movement...

[AndyHull]

I would think that most LED watches require you to push a button to see the time.

LEDs draw tens of  milliamps but LCD watches and conventional tickers typically draw a few microamps so battery consumption when the display is on, is far higher for an LED display.

With the display off, they are slightly less of a battery muncher, but still not that impressive. Six months would probably be typical for a "good" LED watch.

Edited October 12, 2020 by AndyHull

[HectorLooi]

This is another interesting one that I found in the same box of used watches. 

A Bulova Accuquartz 2241. It appears clean inside but the crown is stuck. I put a new battery in it and struck the case on its side and the watch started humming. 

I'll probably take my time and restore this one.

[Nomad1001]

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mens Citizen gold plated watch broken glass_files

[markr]

Todays yard sale find.  $20  The ones above the stretch band all work.  2 10k gold and one 14k white gold.