17 Jewel Ebauches Bettlach 8800 Walk Through.

[noirrac1j]

OK, I can't just leave all the ETA, Valjoux, and Seiko heads get all the posts! I came across this watch one night on ebay with bidding starting at $9.95...

I put in the lone bid and didn't even notice when I had won it. Well, I figured it would be good for at least the parts as I hear that the bezels are almost always missing on this particular model. The Sapphire Beach has a 17 Jewel pin lever--my specialty! I got it and it looked pretty good on the inside so here go the pictures:

 

 

 

It a rather big case for such a small movement.....its running like a charm and even has quick set date just like the real thing! This watch is something that I've seen only a few times, so I'm lucky to run across it so cheaply. The "jeweled" pin-lever movements being made in the 70's were mostly Baumgartner and Bettlach, and all it takes is a cursory glance on any bidding site and check out what some of these things go for the the 'bay to know that pin-levers are collectible. It is of course true they don't sit and give timegrapher readings like an Omega Constellation...but they've got plenty of personality!

 

 

Regards,

JC

Edited February 24, 2015 by noirrac1j

[clockboy]

Noirrac  the movement you are working on a EB8800 was the movement that drove my very first watch i.e. over 50 yrs ago.

While my Rolex is still on my bench I have been wearing watches I have repaired and never sold and just kept. Over that last couple of days I have been wearing the EB8800 (see pic) and as I look at it now it is spot on time. It was in very poor condition rust etc but a very easy movement to work on.

 

[Geo]

Another excellent insight into the inner workings of these rare beasties. A good job well illustrated, well done Joe! :)

[jnash]

nice restore, this is the one movement i seem to have tonnes of but no watches to put them in!  - this was my first movement i worked on when i started out.. thanks for posting

[noirrac1j]

Thanks for posting and sharing your own pin-lever stories. I think the design of many of these are fantastic...and the fact that so many of them are still running after many years gives proof that these movements are actually quite robust.  Clock boy you're right: these can be easy to work on, but they can also give an unbelievable amount of angst! Replacing the top plate over the drive pivots, placing the pin pallet and getting the balance to sit properly on the impluse are particularly tricky on these. With higher quality movements, I have simply moved the balance near its position and it practically jumps in and starts up--not so easy with these. Alot of fun. I'll be trying a mechanical alarm wristwatch next.

 

Joe

[bobm12]

Great job JC, amazing what a good service and elbow grease can do for an otherwise to-be-discarded watch! Now this one is not just a keeper but a good "wearer"!

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

[Mark]

Great walkthrough Joe, thanks for sharing :)

[Blacklab]

My gang of pin lever resurrected wrecks:

 

L to R

Ingersoll Triumph. New strap & crystal, cleaned & serviced.

Waldman Submarine. New strap & crystal, cleaned & serviced. A ruby mine - 23 of them inside the EB8021 movement.

Cronel. This one was bought as is for £5 and appears to be recently seviced. Haven't identified the 21J movement yet.

Ingersoll Triumph Pocket. The case was so tarnished when it turned up it was almost black, also it didn't have hands, crystal or bow. The hands aren't correct, but they work.

 

The great thing about these is they are all cheap to buy & repair, none have cost more than £20 including parts.

[clockboy]

Nice collection Blacklab.  

The pin lever movements although built for their cheapness seem to be very robust, last for many years & can be surprisingly accurate.

[Geo]

That's a very well presented group of watches BL. :)

[bobm12]

Nice watches BL. Interesting and in my to do list: a pin lever watch!

[Blacklab]

Thanks for the kind words. Give em a go chaps! There's a lot out there & they are as cheap as chips.

[Don]

Nice watch, with a lot of character. And good write up. Thanks for posting.