Jump to content

404 Club


Recommended Posts

On 11/29/2023 at 5:19 AM, RichardHarris123 said:

One crown wheel screw corroded, a bit of surface rust but looking good. 

Screenshot_20231129_121607_Chrome.jpg

I have one of those movements in an Alben watch.  Such a thin movement.  Sadly it has a broken balance staff and case and dial are trash.

My pile of 404's is growing.  Another obscure brand, Ovivo.  Paid $4.40 for it.

s-l1600.jpg

Edited by gpraceman
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was a good day today. Got to golf and had a great round of 3 over par. It got to 64 F here in Tucson. Went to the local swap meet and picked up this lot of 4 watches for $20 US which just gets them in the £4.04 club. It rained last night and was sunny today and the Sheffield was in the sun so had condensation on the crystal, but really did not know if the inside would be rusted. It ran and the hands moved. Anyway has a very interesting double bezel.DSCN56152.thumb.JPG.f00eaa82231a3d66634a95074a509824.JPGDSCN56112.thumb.JPG.61e129920a676f8cf246b719a5320e4a.JPGDSCN56122.thumb.JPG.504e989312c068bbc28330ab86285e8d.JPGDSCN56132.thumb.JPG.b3853164744dbdb5bb9cef469d7784d7.JPG

Got it dried out and found the the hands are pretty easily moved when in setting mode and don't move when in winding mode so probably is a loose cannon pinion. The Rams (American football team) watch is a Bulova Sportstime by Prestige Time Co., Ltd. With an ISA 1198. Just needed a battery and it still had the plastic crystal protector on it. Had to ground the battery and give a quick zap with a blue demag to get it started.

DSCN56192.thumb.JPG.1fa4a9eae7948b0c4a3d44ad5fc224d6.JPGDSCN56182.thumb.JPG.674c34c0d030324f089c199660c6f057.JPGDSCN56172.thumb.JPG.d09c90b6cd70758176772748b7afad62.JPG

The timex is a 02579 and i have an exact watch already. Wasnt working but opened it up and fiddled around and added some oils and got it going. The last one put a new battery in it but is pretty much just a crappy fashion watch.

DSCN5610~2.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/25/2023 at 8:47 PM, gpraceman said:

Surprisingly, I got another 404 club entry on the way.  This one I paid $3.75 for, plus a minor shipping charge.  No info on the movement yet.  Seems that I find the obscure brands.

s-l1600a.jpg

s-l1600b.jpg

 

On 11/26/2023 at 8:53 AM, spectre6000 said:

That dial says the movement is jeweled. No count means one to meet the minimum definition, so it'll be the balance cap jewel opposite the dial, and may not actually interface with the balance staff. Pin lever.

Yep, you guessed it correctly.  One jewel.

The movement is swimming in oil and has lots of fibers in it.  I'm going to have to do a good job degreasing it before I put it in my watch cleaning machine.  Also has a rather bent hairspring.  I guess, It'll give me some practice on straightening a hairspring.

Glad that i didn't pay any more for this one. lol

2023_0101_000204_001.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/1/2021 at 1:22 PM, Plato said:

Don't think I've ever seen a garage sale in my part of the UK, only thing close is when people leave stuff at the end of their drive with a sign up saying to help yourself. Shame! 

Don't you guys have flea market in UK ? 

We got plenty of mosquitos here, all you can catch for free.😂 lol.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

Don't you guys have flea market in UK ? 

Not as many as there used to be. They all seem to have gone up market, and the prices reflect this. Phrases like "Upcycled" and "new to you" seem to add an extra zero on the price. 
There are car boot sales though, which often have some interesting stuff.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a place to look to find such markets and auctions etc in the UK that have watches. I'm planning a visit to the UK in the summer and hope to get the opportunity to pick up some non-eBay watches. I assume people directly posting locations etc would break the rules of the forum and open the door to spam, but maybe it would be ok to let us know an external web site where these locations are regularly posted and updated? Or maybe a better way to ask the question is, how/where do you find out about places to buy watches?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Waggy said:

Is there a place to look to find such markets and auctions etc in the UK that have watches. I'm planning a visit to the UK in the summer and hope to get the opportunity to pick up some non-eBay watches. I assume people directly posting locations etc would break the rules of the forum and open the door to spam, but maybe it would be ok to let us know an external web site where these locations are regularly posted and updated? Or maybe a better way to ask the question is, how/where do you find out about places to buy watches?

Depends where you are going waggy. Check for local carboots in the area you are visiting usually very busy in summer, tend to have more clocks than watches . Birmingham has a watch fair a few times a year and Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have plenty of antique fairs placed throughout the year. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Depends where you are going waggy.

Doing the university tour with number 1 son, so will be hitting Newcastle, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool and Leeds. Hope to do a Dell Boy and head home with a suitcase full of moody watches ha ha

image.png.b11a7f82c40ce3550d8a524e7dc8de7f.png

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Waggy said:

Is there a place to look to find such markets and auctions etc in the UK that have watches. I'm planning a visit to the UK in the summer and hope to get the opportunity to pick up some non-eBay watches. I assume people directly posting locations etc would break the rules of the forum and open the door to spam, but maybe it would be ok to let us know an external web site where these locations are regularly posted and updated? Or maybe a better way to ask the question is, how/where do you find out about places to buy watches?

https://carbootdirectory.co.uk/car-boot-sales-near-me/

http://www.carbootjunction.com/

Also look for "junk" shops, charity shops and local auction houses. You can find all manner of stuff at these places. 

It seems with the advent of online shopping, and post covid that in some areas there are as many charity shops as genuine retailers. 

Edited by AndyHull
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, I realized a while ago that car boot sales are to the UK as garage sales are to the US. We don't have have the former, you don't have the latter. I got curious and did an image search for car boot sale though, and we DO have them, and I've been to several! I've even participated as a seller! Car show swap meets. 100% one for one analog with the sole exception that swap meets are obviously very focused on car parts and automobilia, and I guess the cars associated with the boots are typically less pedestrian. The only time you'll see a Volvo wagon is at a Volvo oriented car show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

So, I realized a while ago that car boot sales are to the UK as garage sales are to the US. We don't have have the former, you don't have the latter. I got curious and did an image search for car boot sale though, and we DO have them, and I've been to several! I've even participated as a seller! Car show swap meets. 100% one for one analog with the sole exception that swap meets are obviously very focused on car parts and automobilia, and I guess the cars associated with the boots are typically less pedestrian. The only time you'll see a Volvo wagon is at a Volvo oriented car show.

Have you not bought yourself that field yet Spectre ? 😅

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure why all of a sudden I am winning a bunch of 404's, but I'm up to my 4th one recently.

Diamond tooled?

Tropicalized?  I assume that means water resistant.  The scuba diver would allude to that.

This one at least has 17 jewels to it.  Non-runner though.  From a bit of info I found online, it may have a Soviet movement.

s-l1600.png

s-l1600g.png

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Leeds is my alma mater, which subject is he considering.  Depending on what day you are visiting Leeds, we may be able to meet for a pint. 

He's planning on following in my footsteps and doing Mechanical Engineering - pint sounds good! 🍻

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Waggy said:

may need you as a reference then

Unfortunately it wouldn't do you any good.  I  was studying for an MSc in fire engineering, passed all my exams, completed the research project, only the design project left.  Then a perfect storm of illness and a difficult work / personal life got in the way, I  never finished.  I  don't think about it because if I do , I  kick myself. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
3 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

The issue with the Indian watches is always that they've taken serious abuse, then got a spit polish, and are sold as freshly serviced or something. That one looks close to new. Score!

HMT is an Indian company that seems to sell budget watches primarily to the Indian market.  I guess that Citizen makes (or just designs) some of their movements.  I don't think this is the usual "Mombai Special" that one would get from India.  It is shipping from California, not India, but that doesn't mean much.

This one does look to be in good condition, with little wear.  It has a 17 jewel movement that should be pretty easy to service.  Hopefully, a good score.  It is said to be in "working condition", so that's a plus.

Edited by gpraceman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

AsPurchased1.thumb.jpg.64fcbec8201563b43fb53fd46882bd77.jpg

HMT watches were made entirely in India. The movements were produced under license from Citizen Japan and the one you have is an HMT 02X movement, a licensed copy of the Citizen 0201 series of movements.

GoldenSun.Small.thumb.jpg.bfff25c0e0d6f44e54bbf529e6129eaf.jpg


Parts movements are easy to come by, and they also seem to be interchangeable with their Citizen equivalents.

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.adeef59c0f54808ea8e653975bf3b3fa.jpg

HMT 6906 Automatic, "as purchased" and  in need of some TLC including a stem and crown.

HMT also produced a number of automatic watches based on the HMT 6906 which is a licensed copy of the Citizen 650x series.

By and large, original condition watches are well made, but due to the large numbers produced, there are quite a number of bodged together bitsa-this and bitsa-that watches with weird "reconditioned" outlandish dials, which are the so called "Mumbai specials", some of which are quite amusing. Others are frighteningly badly put together, and at least one of the ones I encountered had half a sack of potatoes worth of dirt in it, despite being described by the seller as "recently serviced".

Interesting watches, with an easily serviced movement, with a relatively large balance. The movements are almost indestructible, and, if serviced and cleaned correctly they can perform very well.

I've included a couple of the "several" that I have collected over the years. I have a bit of a soft spot for them.

Edited by AndyHull
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
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.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

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

    • Yes, barrel size.  A 11mm spring will push out into a 11mm barrel, no need to go 0.5mm smaller. 
    • Hello All, I’m looking for advice about how to interpret the mainspring specs described in the GR documents and in the catalogues of online sellers such as cousins.  My problem relates to interpreting the value describing barrel size - I’m unsure what the last number REALLY refers to.   For example: 1.10x.0105x360x11  (This refers to GR2628-X) Does the “ 11 “ here refer to the barrel inside diameter of the calibre OR to the diameter of the wound mainspring before insertion? For example if my measured barrel inside diameter to 11mm, I would normally select a wound spring size a little smaller, say 10.5, wouldn’t I?  Or, does the barrel diameter described in the catalogue specifications take that into account and I would therefore order a catalogue size 11 for an 11mm barrel ID? Hope this makes sense. I can’t find clarification of this anywhere. Many thanks for any enlightenment. Cheers, John
    • Let's say, like in a watch, you have  a 70 tooth 4th wheel, which needs to make a turn in one minute, with an 18,000 beat escapement. 15 tooth escape wheel as usual, and a 7 tooth pinion on it.   70 x 15 x 2 /  = 300  That's 300 beats, and there are 5 beats per second, so divide and you get 60s, one minute- all is well. If we do 70 x 15 x 2 / 8 that equals 262.5. With an 18K balance, which will let the escape wheel move one turn in 6 seconds, the 4th wheel will have made like 1.14 turns. So the time display is running fast. But this comes to like 7.5 seconds over per minute, which is about double your gain (maybe I'm wrong- I'm mathing on my phone while writing on my phone 😄) but pretty sure the gain is more than you are observing.   A possible culprit is that crown/4th wheel isn't running true, and a tooth is slipping past a pinion leaf once per revolution. I've seen this. If the platform is original and it's a nice piece they are often pinned, so the depthing isn't an issue. If the platform isn't pinned, check the depthing. And at any rate check the crown wheel between centeres and make sure the teeth are running true.
    • Fast responses - thank you. Yes, I mentioned the 18000bph to illustrate that it's not a matter of touching coils, over banking, shortened hairspring etc. I even took off the platform and temporarily fitted a another NOS one also with 8 leaves and beating 18000 but the colossal gain is the same. I'm resigned to buying and fitting a new Gorge platform plus a 7 leaf pinion escape wheel but only if I think it will work; otherwise it's a waste of £200 and a couple of hours work. Hence the underlying question is: all other things being equal, what would the timekeeping effect be? Is it a simple 7/8ths as fast? Logic tells me it is but can it be that linear?
    • Sorry to jump in here guys, but I've read through this whole thread and it seems there are a lot of people who think joining Facebook means everyone will have access to their lives. You could make a Facebook account with a fake name. You could even use your real name if you wanted to and set it to completely private so people can't even find you in a search and you don't have to add anyone as a 'friend', so you won't see anyone's posts. Literally use it to join a group full of members of this site. Admins could even set the group to private and require a password of some sort to gain acceptance into the group, so you can be sure that it's only members of this site that get in. @tomh207 is right, the form with email addresses and names is a bad idea. That will be abused by scrapers. Facebook is only as personal as you let it be. You can be completely anonymous on there if you wish. Don't think of it as Facebook. Just think of it as a watch repair group as that's all you'd use the account for. It doesn't even have to be set up with your current email address. Make a random one on Gmail or any other free provider just for the Facebook account. Tagged you by accident and now it won't let me remove it 😂 @Neverenoughwatches
×
×
  • Create New...