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peterlonz

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peterlonz New Member

peterlonz

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Introducing myself from Queensland Australia

My Dad was self taught in watch repairs but I never quite inherited the know how.

As an engineer & lover of good looking well designed watches I have accumulated many tools & some know how.

I actually prefer watches that will accommodate either a 2 or 3 year battery life, mainly due to their superb time keeping.

I also try to buy water proof watches (ie screw down back & crown).

Unfortunately I have short arms & deep pockets so this interest has not resulted in ownership of any "Great"watches.

Having watched the video "building from Ebay components" I strike an immediate problem - the watches that I'd like to start on all employ really low cost Chinese movement which are not labelled so I don't grasp how or where to start in finding superior movements. Worse the similar movements on Ebay are devoid of size data.

Any suggestions?

Peter O

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Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

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Welcome. 
 

Check retailers local to you. StarTime in Texas  has a good inventory of ETA quartz movements and I’m sure others near you do too. Regulating them for highest accuracy requires specialized equipment specific for quartz. And due to the higher plastic content in the movement, you need “quartz oil” to avoid damaging the plastic ( or its just marketing but I’m not sure). 

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peterlonz New Member

peterlonz

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Update: I finally managed to read the details of one movement that I want to replace:

Epson Corp, AL33A, no jewels, hand style no 1, size of plastic base 22x22.6

Located only on AliExpress @USD4.98 - This seems rather expensive for such a basic quality movement which I'd guess cost the watch manufacturer less than $1.00.

I know this will fit as it's a direct replacement.

From your comments I may need special oil & the movement may not be properly regulated as received; still it's a low cost exercise.

Will advise how things turn out & thanks,

Peter O

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peterlonz New Member

peterlonz

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"Isn't a "little more pricey" an understatement for a wind by hand movement.

For me anyway i'd rather start with a simple quartz movement for several reasons including I want my cock ups to be not painful.

I had always thought Seagull product was pretty good but I see several not so hot reviews of this movement that is also IMHO rather pricey.

I recently bought a cheapo (Brand name: Winner, cost about USD25) automatic which failed immediately, could not keep it running for more than a few hours.

Pity because it's a pretty watch, I knew the risks but considering the volume of such internet offerings I expected better. Now on the lookout for replacement movement but unsure where to start.

Go on laugh, i do feel a bit of a dope falling for that.

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jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

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1 hour ago, peterlonz said:

For me anyway i'd rather start with a simple quartz movement for several reasons including I want my cock ups to be not painful.

You can practice dexterity on a quartz module but not more that that. It's actually more difficult to put back together because especially for the cheap ones these are not made for that after the factory does. Alignment of thr magnetic rotor can be difficult, and they do not have almost anything of the traditional elements that a repairer must learn. However a batch of 10 or 15 cheap watches can be had for very money, so plenty of materials to play with. 

 

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I recently bought a cheapo (Brand name: Winner, cost about USD25) automatic which failed immediately, could not keep it running for more than a few hours.

 

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Not a surprise when looking at the absymal quality of these, for little more you can get a Seiko SII NH35 watch of good reliable quality. blockquote widg

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peterlonz New Member

peterlonz

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I intend for the moment anyway to stick (primarily) to quartz movements. My hands are not as steady as they once were so I will not attempt disassembly/reassembly of any movement, stick to simple "change out", one movement out replacement in. Can't afford the equipment to measure or adjust regulation.

For now I am gathering info on the movements suggested/recommended here. Not as easy as I expected, especially size & as supplied condition (oiled?, regulated? etc). This all takes time & views do differ surprisingly.

Is there any reason I should not consider Banggood, AliExpress, Ebay etc reasonable sources so long as description & price indicate legit product?

And many thanks to those who responded, much appreciated.

Peter O

 

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