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Two watches for a friend - one like I've never seen before, that also has fragmented radium lume!

rjenkinsgb
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rjenkinsgb Watch Enthusiast

rjenkinsgb

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Hi,

a friend has just left these with me to see if I can get them going; they were his Father's and they have sentimental value. He apparently tried to get them serviced a few years ago and was told they were too old. (No idea where he tried).

The first one is a Borea, which I've started disassembling. The movement has a number BF158 - searching for that brought me back to this site! An entry in the 404 Club topic for a Shelton watch. This one has the same basic movement, but in a 17 jewel version - though still with a pin pallet ??

This looks to be generally OK, just gummed up with old lubricants.

It's in a well worn and  tarnished gold plated brass case.

IMG_2254.thumb.jpg.af966a2c44f61be36de2a1435932fa13.jpg

 

The other is really strange; a Cyma, what seems to be a "Cymaflex triple date" from what @ve found on google? There are two flush pushers in the side, presumably for date setting?

This one had radium lume, and it's giving the highest count of any watch I've ever had; near enough one millirad per hour at the crystal.

The speckles on the dial appear to be lume particles, as the hands don't have much left in place... I'm not really sure how to safely proceed with this one, to avoid contaminating anything? It does have a separate bezel with a knife groove.

It tries to run with a gentle rotation, but only 10 - 15 seconds at a go.

 

IMG_2255.thumb.jpg.002bf02ce7008210a13bbaeee6f6c586.jpg

 

 

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Nucejoe Distinguished Member

Nucejoe

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 The Cyma is rare and collectable, though its complicarions are not complex, you still should be careful to put each spriing in the jumper mechs  back where it came from. Take plenty of pictures as you disassemble, I be surprise if a schematic diagram for complications or spare parts to it can be found. Seems like the dial can be cleaned a bit.

The lume isn't  a  big deal just saok the  hand in water to remove the lume.. 

Good luck

 

 

 

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VWatchie Distinguished Member

VWatchie

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13 hours ago, rjenkinsgb said:

This one had radium lume, and it's giving the highest count of any watch I've ever had; near enough one millirad per hour at the crystal.

Just curious as I've never been near a watch like this. Does it still glow in the dark?

BTW, what would you recommend to measure radiation?

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Neverenoughwatches Distinguished Member

Neverenoughwatches

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13 hours ago, rjenkinsgb said:

Hi,

a friend has just left these with me to see if I can get them going; they were his Father's and they have sentimental value. He apparently tried to get them serviced a few years ago and was told they were too old. (No idea where he tried).

The first one is a Borea, which I've started disassembling. The movement has a number BF158 - searching for that brought me back to this site! An entry in the 404 Club topic for a Shelton watch. This one has the same basic movement, but in a 17 jewel version - though still with a pin pallet ??

This looks to be generally OK, just gummed up with old lubricants.

It's in a well worn and  tarnished gold plated brass case.

IMG_2254.thumb.jpg.af966a2c44f61be36de2a1435932fa13.jpg

 

The other is really strange; a Cyma, what seems to be a "Cymaflex triple date" from what @ve found on google? There are two flush pushers in the side, presumably for date setting?

This one had radium lume, and it's giving the highest count of any watch I've ever had; near enough one millirad per hour at the crystal.

The speckles on the dial appear to be lume particles, as the hands don't have much left in place... I'm not really sure how to safely proceed with this one, to avoid contaminating anything? It does have a separate bezel with a knife groove.

It tries to run with a gentle rotation, but only 10 - 15 seconds at a go.

 

IMG_2255.thumb.jpg.002bf02ce7008210a13bbaeee6f6c586.jpg

 

 

Beautiful Cyma date pointer.

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rjenkinsgb Watch Enthusiast

rjenkinsgb

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The Borea is cleaned and ready for re-assembly, but after mentioning the radium lume on the Cyma to the owner, he's decided he wants to sell is as it is, so I'm not doing anything to that one. It would have been interesting, but also probably pushing my skill level.

 

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Neverenoughwatches Distinguished Member

Neverenoughwatches

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9 minutes ago, rjenkinsgb said:

The Borea is cleaned and ready for re-assembly, but after mentioning the radium lume on the Cyma to the owner, he's decided he wants to sell is as it is, so I'm not doing anything to that one. It would have been interesting, but also probably pushing my skill level.

 

Serious collectors of rare watches may very well want untouched lume original dials. 

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rjenkinsgb Watch Enthusiast

rjenkinsgb

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5 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Serious collectors of rare watches may very well want untouched lume original dials

OK, thanks, that makes me feel better about not having chance to renovate it!

 

The movements for both the Borea and the Gruen Precision I posted in another thread are now assembled and running nicely.

The Borea has a very unusual (to me, at least) motion works - no canon pinion, but a free spinning brass pinion of similar dimensions running on a fixed sleeve, driven by a second (steel) wheel that's part of the barrel. That is mounted on its back (dial side) with some form of friction drive? 

The keyless works switch between driving the crown wheel for winding, or the steel wheel side of the barrel for time setting.

This is part assembled, without the ratchet wheel etc.

IMG_2260.thumb.jpg.f76db11471e779a3199e09fd172ed4a3.jpg

 

And the dial side, without the pinion in place:

IMG_2259.thumb.jpg.79052433b5873b73b533a0b42d1ce757.jpg

 

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