New to Watch Repair - Currently In Search of a Very...Tiny....Screw....

[OldButSt111Sprightly]

Greetings.

Thanks for having me.

I recently started volunteering at a local non-profit thrift shop (near Baltimore, MD, in the US),  that needed someone to replace watch batteries in quartz watches.  i had done a bit of that for my late wife, so I applied and got the job.  Their previous person had quit -- several years ago, so there was a backlog of perhaps 800 watches, perhaps more. I started slogging through them, learned many of the ways watch backs are removed and -- theoretically -- closed again. I've also gotten more competent at prying batteries out and prying them back in. And I am beginning to sense just how little I really understand.

Because they'll be sold in a limited space, I try and pick out the more visually striking pieces, older watches, unfamiliar brands, old classics. I really enjoy working with them and putting them pack in service.  Because they're donated, we get all kinds, ages, dates and mechanisms.  So each new watch is a mystery to be solved. Some don't recover, even if they're donated. I hate putting them into the bin to be sold as parts for "crafts."

I was working on a really striking older Anne Klein-branded watch with -- I discovered -- a Rondo 723 movement -- the gold-plated one. With a screw-down battery clamp. (I'll provide a photo on Tuesday, when I'm back in the shop, ) It had a Very Tiny Screw -- that immediately launched itself into the void, never to be seen again. (I found an article how to prevent this, but too late.)

After several hours of research, I found the service manual for the movement online, and located the part number. (4010.102), but it didn't include dimensions for the screw.

My problem now is finding a firm who will sell me this two-dollar part. I'll be paying for it myself, as a "donation" to the non-profit. 

The Swiss supplier will only do business with commercial entities and their US affiliates don't list the screw anywhere on their websites. I don't know if their "assorted" screw selections they list would fit without my stripping the threads. Any advice you could offer would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

 

[RichardHarris123]

Hello and welcome from Leeds, England. 

[HectorLooi]

Hi, welcome. 

Could you show where the missing screw is from?

Since you have a for "parts and craft" bin, you could search for a suitable donor screw.

[AndyGSi]

Welcome to the forum.

Can you confirm the movement as I can't find any details for a 723? Do you mean a 732?

[Neverenoughwatches]

41 minutes ago, HectorLooi said:

Hi, welcome. 

Could you show where the missing screw is from?

Since you have a for "parts and craft" bin, you could search for a suitable donor screw.

How I would love to look through that  " parts and craft bin " my mouth is just watering thinking about it

[mikepilk]

5 hours ago, OldButSt111Sprightly said:

It had a Very Tiny Screw -- that immediately launched itself into the void, never to be seen again.

Those screws are not that small, there's much smaller! - you get used to handling them

You must have some scrap movements - can't you find a similar screw in them?
As with @AndyGSi, I can find no reference to 723. If it's a 732, then the new version is 1032 (pic)

Cousins have the screw you listed for this movement

 

Or you could buy a selection of screws, they come in very handy. These are from Cousins UK, but you should be able to find something similar in the US.

 

Edited April 14 by mikepilk

[AndyGSi]

44 minutes ago, mikepilk said:

You must have some scrap movements - can't you find a similar screw in them?

Sounds strange but even though Cousins lists these screws as suitable
for other movements it appears they're only used on the 732 and 1032.

Edit

44 minutes ago, mikepilk said:

Those screws are not that small, there's much smaller!

Should have added in the OPs defence that these are
tiny screws being the movement is only 9mm wide.

Edited April 14 by AndyGSi

[OldButSt111Sprightly]

22 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Hello and welcome from Leeds, England. 

Thanks.

[OldButSt111Sprightly]

20 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

Hi, welcome. 

Could you show where the missing screw is from?

Since you have a for "parts and craft" bin, you could search for a suitable donor screw.

Thanks. The movement was a 732; I didn't proofread adequately.  This is the first 732 I'd come across. It looked more carefully designed than most of the others.

partslist - ronda-732-1032.pdf

[OldButSt111Sprightly]

Thanks, all for the suggestions. I just re-read the rules and remembered I shouldn't reply to each of you in turn.  My apologies to the moderator. 

I uploaded a copy of the parts listing from the Ronda 732 manual in my previous comment.

The Cousins search function doesn't bring up that part number (4010.102). I'll work my way through the list of US subsidiaries I found, rather than trying to place such a small order internationally.  

I appreciate that quick and cordial replies.

[mikepilk]

1 hour ago, OldButSt111Sprightly said:

The Cousins search function doesn't bring up that part number (4010.102).

Look up Ronda parts here https://www.cousinsuk.com/category/filter/ronda-harley-re-rl-movement-parts

enter 1032 for the movement

[AndyGSi]

1 hour ago, OldButSt111Sprightly said:

The Cousins search function doesn't bring up that part number (4010.102).

[JohnR725]

there are quite a few places to order parts from in the US online. This happens to be one of them.

http://cgi.julesborel.com/

from here you look up your movement brand go through the lists and ultimately end up on this page

http://cgi.julesborel.com/cgi-bin/matcgi2?ref=RON_732

landing click on your part number they don't always have the screws. But looks like it's listed.

this number is the typically bestfit cross reference number versus is a number you'd use on their main website X/14189.  Then we get the rest the numbers which you already recognize  SCREW NO. 102  4010.102/RON732  and finally get the price which has appointed out on the homepage is always going to be out of date  Price Each $  4.20

then armed with your part number you can go to the homepage and it looks like it's available.

http://www.julesborel.com/s.nl/it.A/id.29278/.f

On 4/13/2025 at 8:37 PM, OldButSt111Sprightly said:

I recently started volunteering at a local non-profit thrift shop (near Baltimore, MD, in the US),  that needed someone to replace watch batteries in quartz watches.  i had done a bit of that for my late wife, so I applied and got the job.  Their previous person had quit -- several years ago, so there was a backlog of perhaps 800 watches, perhaps more. I started slogging through them, learned many of the ways watch backs are removed and -- theoretically -- closed again. I've also gotten more competent at prying batteries out and prying them back in. And I am beginning to sense just how little I really understand.

Because they'll be sold in a limited space,

I think you really need to formulate a plan. like for instance ordering one screw is not a good plan. Typically when people are ordering from online places they like to find additional things to order tools, in your case a heck of a lot of batteries and supply because otherwise that's a lot of shipping for just one screw.

Then 800 of them how many of those do you expect are going to work? Fortunately I believe you said volunteer that means no pay this also would mean they would want you to fix every single watch no matter how long it takes because they have no cost in this venture at all other than the battery. But realistically you should pick and choose your battles so you lost the screw from this watch set it aside and? Several things conceivably will happen down the road you might find another one of the same movement in worse condition and you could use that one for parts. Or conceivably additional watches are going to need things and you could make a larger order as you're buying more than just one thing.

Then as you're dealing with a quartz watches you want to be really careful of the super clean with them. In other words do not leave them playing around with the backs off. Plus you want to be very careful with brushing off everything around the case back before you open because quartz watches really do not like to have stuff falling into them.

 

 

[AndyGSi]

34 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

Price Each $  4.20

Wow!!!

[JohnR725]

1 hour ago, AndyGSi said:

Wow!!!

that is the old price the second link takes you to where you can order the part for a price of $5.44. This is why it's not practical to fix every single watch if a screw battery strap or some other thing goes missing. Basically this watch becomes a parts watch for other watches or some other watch that perhaps  rusty or something you could remove parts from that watch.

 

 

 

[AndyGSi]

Just now, JohnR725 said:

that is the old price the second link takes you to where you can order the part for a price of $5.44. This is why it's not practical to fix every single watch if a screw battery strap or some other thing goes missing. Basically this watch becomes a parts watch for other watches or some other watch that perhaps  rusty or something you could remove parts from that watch.

Here in the UK from Cousins they're £3.60 for 3 including VAT.