Hello From Portugal

[GuiBer]

        Although I am 61 years old I am a newbie in the watchmaker hobby. And in first place I want to give a big thank to Mark Lovick, as there were his fantastic video tutorials, ( I think I have seen them all these last months ), that give me sufficient knowledge and confidence to begin it all.

        I was always interested by watches since I was 11 and my father gave me my first watch, a Cauny Prima. Through the years I bought some more watches, as those I was wearing were getting old, or a few little times for the pleasure of having a nice new one that I had seen on a watchmaker show window. Of course, that however the watches I appreciated more were the mechanicals,  I finished buying some few quartz ones. And the quartz watch that I really was fascinated by in 1992, was a Citizen 6700 Perpetual Calendar. Perpetual Calendars have always fascinated me, but having no financial possibilities of buying a mechanical one, that was the closest I could get. I wore that beautiful watch regularly until 1999 when I finally could by the mechanical watch I always desired, an Omega Speedmaster (although the reduced one!).

       The Citizen was worn from times to times and one day the perpetual calendar was not working any more. I put it in my watches box, where I keep all the watches I had since the first one, and there it rested for several years. Seven or eight years ago I decided to bring it to the store where I bought it, and ask for a repair. Two weeks later they told me it was not possible to repair it because the lack of spares. And I put it again in the box, a little sad, because I really liked that watch. Well, some more years went by ( measured mostly by the Omega ), and last year I became suddenly a “forced” retired from my job.

       With a lot of time to use, I decided to use it in some hobbies. And there was a day when I opened my watches box that I thought, regarding the Citizen, “I will not give up of you, I’ll try to bring you back to life!”. I decided to open it, and I quickly discovered that the stem was broken loose (although I couldn’t remember where that could have happened). I searched the internet and I found in Beco Technik web site the part no. for the stem I needed, and the supplier in Portugal.

       When the stem arrived my “odyssey” began. First I could not use the new stem immediately because there was the broken piece of the old one inside the movement that refused to come out without (a lot of) disassembling. Once again internet was mandatory, as I could find the Citizen Technical information paper for the 6700 movement. It was a good help for a better understanding of the parts to deal with. And really it was not so easy for a complete rookie at this kind of work. I needed to strip down the keyless work to free the broken part of the old stem, and to get there I had to take off the seconds rotor, (and I was astonished by its microscopic size!), and also the so little plastic and metal gears related. After getting out the old stem and when I began assembling I was surprised by how tricky and “temperamental” the keyless assembly was. I needed to do the all job three times, before I got the new stem perfectly fitted.

       After that and after installing a new battery came the first disappointment, the watch was not working as the seconds hand didn’t move, although I could manage to move some of the calendar functions. It was obvious that I had to start all over again. And I quickly discovered what had gone wrong: the tiny rotor and first gear upper pivots were bent/broken.  Of course the one to blame was tis newbie that was not careful enough when fitting and tightening the bridge over those gears! Well, I had now in my hands a definitely not working watch and I needed new spares, that of course I couldn’t find anywhere. So I decided to search in ebay for a possible donator watch with the same movement. After a few weeks of searching I finally managed to buy a non-working Citizen Noblia from a guy in United States, hoping that the parts I needed were in good shape.

       After a long several weeks wait due to custom procedures, when I got the watch I was finally able and fortunate to get the spares I needed, and after 2 or 3 more disassembling/assembling operations and some electronic components also changed, I finally got, for my great amusement and happiness, a perfectly working Citizen 6700 Perpetual Calendar, which I show you here:

 

 

two inside views during disassembling:

 

 

 

         All the work and time spent were really worthwhile, not only for the watch I appreciated so much, but also because I realised that perhaps in the future I could manage to deal with mechanical watches, those machines that really marvelled me since I was a young boy. So I bought some books and some tools and began searching the web for good maintenance and servicing information. And then I discovered what really mattered, Mark Lovick’s Watch Repair Channel.

        I spent many hours watching and learning as much as I could, and some weeks ago I opened again my watches box and I was sure to be able of servicing my old first watch, that Cauny that my father gave me in 1964. First surprise: that watch that I didn’t wear since 1969, (and had no servicing since then), began to run as soon as I began winding it up! I think it is really astonishing regarding that 46 years went by, and that the quality of the lubricants used those days have nothing to do with those available today! Well, nevertheless, I thought it really deserved a good cleaning and lubrication job, and so I did, based in the knowledge I got from Mark’s  tutorials!

        And how happy I was when that fascinating moment came,  carefully putting in place the balance, and seeing it begin to ”beat” and “giving life” to the escape wheel and other gears!  I felt like a pilot flying its first solo! Some months ago I could not imagine that I should one day be able of disassembling a mechanical watch and putting back all together working! Here it is my first watch, working nicely 51 years after my father gave it to me:

 

 

 

 

       Enthusiastic after that first successful job, I asked my father if, by chance, he had kept some of his old watches, and to my surprise he gave me a non-working Cauny ( it was a well-known and reliable and affordable brand in the 50’ies and 60’ties ) with a UNITAS 6410 movement. I think he had bought it around 1958/59. And so my second service job began, managing to get it working quite nicely. Here it is :

 

 

 

 

        What I didn´t dare for the moment, (as in the other Cauny), was to clean and refurbish a little the dial. For the moment I have no knowledge of the best way to do it.

 

        And as I serviced already two Caunys nothing better that go on with a third one. But this one promises surely a lot more of work and proficiency. It’s a chronograph with a VALJOUX 7733 that my father offered me when I was 15. Here it is: 

 

 

 

 

       I already got in the internet the original VALJOUX Technical and Service Manual. We’ll see if I’m up for this much more difficult job!

 

       Curiously I discovered this forum only yesterday, perhaps because I was so "embedded" in the youtube channel, but I already noticed that there is here much more knowledge and help I’ll surely need in the future.

 

       My thanks in advance, and I apologize for this long introductory post! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               

 

[Geo]

A warm welcome to the forum GuiBer and thank you for the most informative introductory post ever! Mark will be delighted to hear that his efforts have been the basis of you progressing so well in your horological pursuits.

I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

PS Just remember when dismantling the chronograph, not to de-adjust the eccentrics. The look so similar to screws. I suggest that you read up on chronograph service and repair before starting, and make sure that you understand what all the parts are doing before taking it apart. Remember also to take plenty photographs.

[GuiBer]

Thanks for your words of welcome to the forum and also by your important advices.

 

I'll be very carefull with my first cronograph service, and I'll take step by step photos on desassembling process, so that I can figure out it better when putting it again all together.

 

And I am sure I'll need some help on the way ahead!

[WillFly]

Welcome - and thanks for an excellent introduction. I look forward to hearing more from you.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

[oldhippy]

Hello GuiBer and a welcome from me. Here you are at 61 and starting out while I'm coming up to 61 birthday in August and I'm retired from watch/clockmaking.

[frenchie]

Welcome to the forum !! You have some nice watches :)

[GuiBer]

Hello GuiBer and a welcome from me. Here you are at 61 and starting out while I'm coming up to 61 birthday in August and I'm retired from watch/clockmaking.

 

 A little strange isn't it? What this means is that, unfortunately, I'll never be able of reaching the level of knowlege you have!!

 

 But I'm sure that, nevertheless my late begining, this hobby will give me many hours of entertainment and pleasure.

[Vich]

Hello GuiBer and welcome,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through your introductory post and congratulate you on the work you have achieved on your watches. I look forward to your future postings.

Cheers,

Vic