Ladies Accutron tuning fork watch

[HectorLooi]

From a recent junk watch lot from eBay, I found a ladies Accutron watch. I was expecting a ETA quartz movement inside but to my surprise and delight, it's an actual tuning fork watch.

But my delight quick turned to disappointment when I discovered that someone jammed in a wrong size battery in. The battery is so huge that it has deformed the forks to the maximum limit. I tried prying it out but it's really stuck fast.

Does anyone have the service manual for a ladies Bulova 2210 movement? I have to figure out a way to get the battery out without causing further damage. 

Thanks in advance.

[oldhippy]

I found this on the net. Accutron 2210 uses Maxell 329 SR731SW. I also found many asking for the service manual which many can't find. I haven't found any leads to one, sorry.  

[WatchMaker]

Worth just searching for Bulova 221. The zero on the end for 2210 indicates no complications but most references are just to 221.

With that you'll find articles like...

http://mybulova.com/sites/default/files/file/1974_Power_Cell_Replacement_Guide.pdf

https://reference.grail-watch.com/movement/accutron-221

.. which look like they could be handy.

Also Google watchguy bulova 221 which should point you to a Technical Letters reference of interest.

Edited September 4, 2021 by WatchMaker

[HectorLooi]

Thanks for the effort everyone. Ebay still has parts for the 221 but the prices are crazy. The price for a coil/circuit assembly is more than half the cost of the whole watch.

I managed to pry out the battery after removing some parts. It took quite a bit of effort to get the battery out. The previous repairer must have installed it with a hammer.

The gear train is really weird. It has two worm gears in it. I wonder what the proper lubrication method is.

Anyway, the coils appear okay, measuring about 8K each and the feedback coil around 1K. In place of the usual transistor, capacitor and resistor, there is a black, squarish block with an integral switch sticking out of the bottom. 

I powered it up but it doesn't oscillate. I'll check if I missed anything later.

[HectorLooi]

I worked on it a little this afternoon. The circuit is really sneaky. There is a normally closed switch projecting out of the bottom of the IC. If the switch is closed, oscillations are inhibited. So when testing the circuit, if the switch is not wedged open, the oscillations will not start and gives an impression that the circuit is spoilt. I wonder how many good coil assemblies were thrown away because of this design.

The oscillations are very weak and current draw is very high. I'll need to do a thorough cleanup and check it again. I hope the oversized battery didn't damage the tuning fork.

[JohnR725]

22 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

Does anyone have the service manual for a ladies Bulova 2210 movement?

I renamed the file when I went searching for it all I had was a PDF labeled 221.   then it doesn't even start off like one of their normal manuals somebody gives us a bonus page and conveniently skips over the title page.

Accutron 221.pdf

[HectorLooi]

Wow! Thanks John. This more than I was expecting. It's so detailed and expains everything so clearly.

I really appreciate it.