Bought a bodge job 70's Yema. Need some advice or a dustbin for it.

[SpringMangler]

I bought an old Yema Meangraf off ebay. Picked it up cheap as it did look as though some bits had been replaced although both the case and dial are in very decent condition.

I believe that originally the watch came with a French Parrenin X171 movement and that has long gone and been replaced with another French movement, a Jeambrun 26d. The movement runs well with a couple of issues. Think the cannon pinion needs tightening as the minute and hour hands intermittently stop, although that only appear to happen when they are directly on top of each other or 180 degrees apart, so may be the hand fitting. The hands do appear to be off a different Yema of the same vintage.

The main problem is that the movement doesn't fit correctly into the case. I suspect they have used the original movement spacer and, according to the specs I can find, the original was 4.7mm height and the replacement is 4.55mm. When pulling the winding crown out the movement shifts noticeably in the case and when pushing the winder back in the movement appears secure but sits at a slight angle. It appears as though this is caused by the crown tube being slightly too far back for the winding stem. 

The question is, can I fix this with a new spacer and possibly case screws (there aren't any), or is it worth just replacing with a movement that is the correct size? The choices for the replacement are limited as the watch features a 4 o'clock winder and a  6 o'clock date. I'm not particularly bothered about changing the movement out, it's the design of the watch and face that appeals to me although I would prefer the replacement to be mechanical.

[Kalanag]

To solve the issue with the thinner movement and therefore angled winding stem you most likely need a spacer on the dial side. 

[SpringMangler]

Thanks for the quick reply. Am I right in that the spacer fits between the dial and the chapter ring?

Looking online it appears that these are movement specific or am I, as usual, missing something obvious?

 

[jdm]

46 minutes ago, SpringMangler said:

Looking online it appears that these are movement specific or am I, as usual, missing something obvious?

Both mov.t and case specific.
Nowadays for a not so demanding repair or restoration even 3D printing would do. Not elegant, but still better than bodging stuff together.

Edited July 29, 2022 by jdm

[Kalanag]

47 minutes ago, SpringMangler said:

…Am I right in that the spacer fits between the dial and the chapter ring?…

You are right!

[SpringMangler]

Thank you both. Will look into the options after I've sorted out the sticking/slipping hour and minute hands. Time to find the wife's nail clippers and knock together a version of Canthus' cannon pinion tightener.

Edited July 29, 2022 by SpringMangler