I love watchmaking. I wanted a new watch so i just cobbled one together from a bunch of parts in a drawer.

[Birbdad]

There's just a novelty to being able to do this that is so cool. Plus i think ti's gorgeous. All oem seiko parts i got for practically nothing here and there when I saw them. Movement is another 7s26 from parts from a handful of my donor/junk movements. Slightly used dial, new case i got for 25 dollars and some beat up old hands i had to do a little work on.

[VWatchie]

Very nice! 

[lexacat]

Gorgeous! Did you have to re-lume the hands to match the dial? 

[Birbdad]

  On 1/6/2023 at 11:06 AM, lexacat said:

Gorgeous! Did you have to re-lume the hands to match the dial? 

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No I actually lucked out. I"m pretty sure they're OEM seiko hands but i can't for the life of me find out from what but they definitely have seiko lumibright in them as the lume is an exact match to the dial which is an oem dial. They actually look like  homage hands to some other watch I've seen but usually homage hands have junk lume and this thing surprisingly has better lume than my other 2 seiko 5's, one of which is one of the more expensive ones. 
I would actually love to find out where they came from so I could get another set that aren't so beat up. 

 

 

  On 1/6/2023 at 10:36 AM, VWatchie said:

Very nice! 

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Thanks! you're on youtube right? I think I just saw your vid using a bergeon crystal press. Currently agonizing over what press to get and I think i stumbled across your video.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Birbdad

[VWatchie]

  On 1/6/2023 at 11:10 AM, Birbdad said:

Thanks! you're on youtube right? I think I just saw your vid using a bergeon crystal press.

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Yes, that's right! If The Bergeon press is very good, but if you can afford it, I think you'd be even happier with a Robur press (which I don't have).

[Birbdad]

  On 1/6/2023 at 12:26 PM, VWatchie said:

Yes, that's right! If The Bergeon press is very good, but if you can afford it, I think you'd be even happier with a Robur press (which I don't have).

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Yeah i actually want a screw down press. A lot of people seem to love the BB press and i just made a lowball offer on an old one on ebay for 120. We'll see if they accept. 

What dies do the BB and Robur take? I see cheap aluminum die sets on ali that seem decent.  I'm past due on getting a crystal press. ONce i got one of those and a mainspring winder set and some breaking grease i'll pretty much be set up to service any normal type of 3 hand movement.

[Vinito]

I love the look of that Seiko !

For $53, I figured this press will be worth a try. It's larger than I thought it looked. Since I'm new to this, I have to buy or make almost everything so the Cadillac stuff will have to wait. But I see decent reviews on this one.

Typical Amazon/eBay fare. Finding usable quality import stuff is a game I play lately.

 

[Birbdad]

  On 1/6/2023 at 1:26 PM, Vinito said:

I love the look of that Seiko !

For $53, I figured this press will be worth a try. It's larger than I thought it looked. Since I'm new to this, I have to buy or make almost everything so the Cadillac stuff will have to wait. But I see decent reviews on this one.

Typical Amazon/eBay fare. Finding usable quality import stuff is a game I play lately.

 

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I literally have that one in my cart on amazon for like a month now. Every time i'm about to pull the trigger on it somebody comes along and says they had it and that it was a piece of junk at the same time there are a number of people here who say it's fine and pretty solid quality. I alreayd bought one cheap chinese lever press that was utterly useless. I'm really on the fence whether to just try one of those and return it if it sucks or to just get something quality like the robur or BB that will last me a lifetime. Given the thor levels of strenth it can take to put a seiko crystal into a new gasket i'm really thinking a screw down might be ideal.

Do you ahve that one? the design on it honestly strikes me as absurd. Why on earth is the bottom die holder on an L shaped piece of aluminum that looks like it would bend really easily?that's gnoring the fact that it feels like if i have to use a lot of force (I've heard seiko diver crystals can be unbelievably hard to get into a new gasket).  If you have it yet how do you like it?

Edited January 6, 2023 by Birbdad

[Vinito]

  On 1/6/2023 at 2:15 PM, Birbdad said:

I literally have that one in my cart on amazon for like a month now. Every time i'm about to pull the trigger on it somebody comes along and says they had it and that it was a piece of junk at the same time there are a number of people here who say it's fine and pretty solid quality. I alreayd bought one cheap chinese lever press that was utterly useless. I'm really on the fence whether to just try one of those and return it if it sucks or to just get something quality like the robur or BB that will last me a lifetime. Given the thor levels of strenth it can take to put a seiko crystal into a new gasket i'm really thinking a screw down might be ideal.

Do you ahve that one? the design on it honestly strikes me as absurd. Why on earth is the bottom die holder on an L shaped piece of aluminum that looks like it would bend really easily?that's gnoring the fact that it feels like if i have to use a lot of force (I've heard seiko diver crystals can be unbelievably hard to get into a new gasket).  If you have it yet how do you like it?

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I just ordered it but haven't received it yet. I'll report back here and let you know what I think of it. Supposed to get here Tuesday, 1/10

I'm pretty sure the L-shaped bottom is clearance so you can press a back on with the strap still attached, so yeah, not a genius idea. Maybe collectors would want that more than watchmakers? I will just machine a solid block replacement if it's a problem.

I dunno, but I just have a gut feeling that for me a lever press, no matter the maker, will be somewhere between useless and much less useful than the control you get with a screw-down press.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Vinito

[Paul80]

That is actually an excellent press and most of the negative reviews are from people who have not actually used one.

You can tell that because the most common complaints are the the L bracket and the two uprights bend under pressure, and once you get one you realise that no mere mortal is going to be able to bend either part, they are just too thick to bend.

And yes the L Bracket is like that for the watches bracelet to slide under.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Paul80

[Birbdad]

  On 1/6/2023 at 8:32 PM, Paul80 said:

That is actually an excellent press and most of the negative reviews are from people who have not actually used one.

You can tell that because the most common complaints are the the L bracket and the two uprights bend under pressure, and once you get one you realise that no mere mortal is going to be able to bend either part, they are just too thick to bend.

And yes the L Bracket is like that for the watches bracelet to slide under.

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It's funny, i was gonna say you convinced me but i put a super low ball offer on a vintage bb press with a good bit of rust on it but looks to be something that can be easily cleaned up but what i really want is a screw down type. he just accepted my offer so i'm obligated. So i got an incomplete die set and a bb press on the way. A lot of people here swear by it. 

Sorta having buyers remorese as 180 bucks is a lot for me right now but oh well. The thing should last a lifetime.

  On 1/6/2023 at 3:56 PM, Vinito said:

I just ordered it but haven't received it yet. I'll report back here and let you know what I think of it. Supposed to get here Tuesday, 1/10

I'm pretty sure the L-shaped bottom is clearance so you can press a back on with the strap still attached, so yeah, not a genius idea. Maybe collectors would want that more than watchmakers? I will just machine a solid block replacement if it's a problem.

I dunno, but I just have a gut feeling that for me a lever press, no matter the maker, will be somewhere between useless and much less useful than the control you get with a screw-down press.

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From what i understand a quality lever press is fine. the issues with the cheap ones is the lack of precision. I know a guy who has one of the rack presses that's a lever press, very expensive and he says it's unbelievably easy to use and just knowing that that crystal is going in square every step of the way makes it go in so much easier. He says even on one of those though you have to REALLY crank it to get a seiko diver crystal into a new gasket, that alone would make me concerned about one of those chinese aluminum presses. 

A lot of people reuse crystal gaskets and my cheapo chinese 11 dollar lever press could handle that fine. When i tried my first crystal swap on a NEW gasket it took so much force it bent the handle and bruised my palms and the crystal is still about 2% raised up on one side as getting it in totally square is just not possible due to the posts not lining up quite right..

[RLang386]

Very nice! Is that one of Seiko's bilingual English-Japanese day-date complication (i.e., there's Japanese weekdays between the English weekdays on the ring?) I have a quartz Seiko like that, but I don't know if they did mechanical watches that way.

I have the 1900's pocket watch equivalent of a cobbled-together watch, by the way--a movement from 1905, case from the 20's and a dial that at least post-dates 1910. But I didn't do it myself, I bought it that way. Would love to get to where I can do things like this, though!

[Birbdad]

  On 1/7/2023 at 6:37 AM, RLang386 said:

Very nice! Is that one of Seiko's bilingual English-Japanese day-date complication (i.e., there's Japanese weekdays between the English weekdays on the ring?) I have a quartz Seiko like that, but I don't know if they did mechanical watches that way.

I have the 1900's pocket watch equivalent of a cobbled-together watch, by the way--a movement from 1905, case from the 20's and a dial that at least post-dates 1910. But I didn't do it myself, I bought it that way. Would love to get to where I can do things like this, though!

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Yeah, i have several of the english/kanji ones. Unfortunately they were all for a 3 oclock crown and the only black one i had for a 4 oclock was english spanish which is how they usually come in america. I have a different seiko 5 that's english and arabic.

[RLang386]

  On 1/7/2023 at 7:04 AM, Birbdad said:

Yeah, i have several of the english/kanji ones. Unfortunately they were all for a 3 oclock crown and the only black one i had for a 4 oclock was english spanish which is how they usually come in america. I have a different seiko 5 that's english and arabic.

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Oh yes, I guess I have seen that a lot of the mechanical chronograph movements come in English/Spanish. I think they switch between the two when you press the crown in past its resting position on those? I want one but god I can't justify it right now, my car needs brake drums!

I can't get used to a four-oclock crown, I'll say that. My Seiko has a second crown to set the alarm (a pointless but cute little complication, since it surely was never loud enough to wake anyone up) and that alone looks very weird to me. But I'll take it over a four-oclock date window like on some modern watches.

[JohnFrum]

  On 1/7/2023 at 6:37 AM, RLang386 said:

Very nice! Is that one of Seiko's bilingual English-Japanese day-date complication (i.e., there's Japanese weekdays between the English weekdays on the ring?) I have a quartz Seiko like that, but I don't know if they did mechanical watches that way.

 

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English/Kanji day rings are available for the 7S family

0160281 - white 

0160298 - black

above are both crown @4 

Edited January 7, 2023 by JohnFrum

[Birbdad]

  On 1/7/2023 at 7:19 AM, RLang386 said:

Oh yes, I guess I have seen that a lot of the mechanical chronograph movements come in English/Spanish. I think they switch between the two when you press the crown in past its resting position on those? I want one but god I can't justify it right now, my car needs brake drums!

I can't get used to a four-oclock crown, I'll say that. My Seiko has a second crown to set the alarm (a pointless but cute little complication, since it surely was never loud enough to wake anyone up) and that alone looks very weird to me. But I'll take it over a four-oclock date window like on some modern watches.

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On these movements the way it works is that the day rolls over two positions and there will be a day in english followed by the day in the other language printed on the wheel. 

IF you have a spanish and english wheel you can set the day to english and when the date rolls over it rolls over two positions so it will roll over the spanish one and go to the next english name.  If you change the day via the crown second position to a spanish name it will again roll over two positions and skip the english one this time. 

[RLang386]

  On 1/7/2023 at 4:49 PM, Birbdad said:

On these movements the way it works is that the day rolls over two positions and there will be a day in english followed by the day in the other language printed on the wheel. 
 

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Yeah, that's how mine works. I know it's not so for some of the chronographs. I looked at a very gummed-up helmet chronograph at a flea market once and it changed when pressing the crown... is this what it's supposed to do?

Edited January 8, 2023 by RLang386

[Birbdad]

  On 1/8/2023 at 1:49 AM, RLang386 said:

Yeah, that's how mine works. I know it's not so for some of the chronographs. I looked at a very gummed-up helmet chronograph at a flea market once and it changed when pressing the crown... is this what it's supposed to do?

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I have no idea but god i wish i could find a helmet chronograph at a flea market....
Iv'e yet to handle any seiko mechanicals with any real complications beyond day/date/automatic/hand wind. 

That will change soon when a bell matic i'm getting gets here

 Oh and as long as we're talking about projects and achievements i think iv'e achieved the hardest thing i've ever attempted while assembling the movement for this watch. 

I can now very consistently in just a few minutes set seiko train bridge diashock springs with tweezers and quite easily with a technique i found. I could NEVER set these before without fashioning a tool out of pegwood and even with that tool it could take me an hour sometimes. I wish my microscope worked with a camera because I think a lot of people would find this tweezer technique helpful. My tweezing skills however are definitely massively improving.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Birbdad

[JohnFrum]

  On 1/8/2023 at 2:54 AM, Birbdad said:

Interesting. The Pegwood tools were the answer for my frustration with the diafix. I found tweezers to be hit and miss and very time consuming. 
Can you describe your technique?

[RLang386]

  On 1/8/2023 at 2:54 AM, Birbdad said:

I have no idea but god i wish i could find a helmet chronograph at a flea market....
Iv'e yet to handle any seiko mechanicals with any real complications beyond day/date/automatic/hand wind. 

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You would be better equipped to take advantage of it than me, but it was no great piece of luck. The guy was a fast talker, a very different type of vendor than myself. I've bought a lot of stuff from him over the years and actually turned a profit on *bay or at my booth (different flea market) but we do not in fact like each other. He knows now that for antique cameras at least, I know something he doesn't know and he should mark them up when I come around.

He kept representing it as being in running condition, and saying that the champagne dial was extremely rare, but it ran and stopped, the chronograph did not engage, the hand in one of the subdials was missing, and anyways I could get a similar watch in similar condition for about 100 less than he wanted for it, on *bay. He also represents himself as a repairman but doesn't seem to be... wonder how the repairman in the next booth over feels about that.

Anyways that's cool about your Bell-matic! My Seiko is the quartz version of that basically.

[VWatchie]

  On 1/8/2023 at 12:20 PM, JohnFrum said:

Interesting. The Pegwood tools were the answer for my frustration with the diafix. I found tweezers to be hit and miss and very time consuming. 
Can you describe your technique?

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I too would be extremely interested to hear how you go about it. Don't feel like your description needs to be absolutely perfect. Just give it a try. Thanks!

[BrianS]

That is a very nice project...

[Birbdad]

  On 1/8/2023 at 12:20 PM, JohnFrum said:

Interesting. The Pegwood tools were the answer for my frustration with the diafix. I found tweezers to be hit and miss and very time consuming. 
Can you describe your technique?

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I think i'll have to draw up a little diagram, i've been looking for a way to film a movement close enough so that i could just take a video of it but so far nothing i've tried works very well so i think i'll draw a little step by step diagram. I too always would fashion a pegwood tool and sometimes the pegwood would disintegrate and i'd find there's sawdust under the jewel or it would just take up to an hour. I always dreaded that part of assembly but now I enjoy it. I've not actually seen anybody do it the way i do it exactly and christ does it make it easier.

I'm still suggesting you set them dry and then oil them with a 1a auto oiler, screw setting them wet without disturbing that oil drop.

I'll see if i can doodle up a step by step tonight and i'll post it. Kinda kicking myself for not saving a bit more and getting a microscope that can also shoot video.

[Birbdad]

Hope this is legible. I didn't want to spend a lot of time on it haha. 
 

  On 1/9/2023 at 8:45 AM, VWatchie said:

I too would be extremely interested to hear how you go about it. Don't feel like your description needs to be absolutely perfect. Just give it a try. Thanks!

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  On 1/8/2023 at 12:20 PM, JohnFrum said:

Interesting. The Pegwood tools were the answer for my frustration with the diafix. I found tweezers to be hit and miss and very time consuming. 
Can you describe your technique?

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[dadistic]

Yeppers, that's how I do it, but I don't usually use two tweezers.  Usually one tweezers, and then sometimes sharpened pegwood,  or a needle in a pin vice.