Jump to content

Which Watch Have You Got Coming In The Mail ? Show Us !!!


SCOTTY

Recommended Posts

 

7 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

Not working usually means better price. This allows us that can fix watches to pick up things cheaply or hopefully cheaply.

I've no idea where an old Fortis with a Venus 180 are going for, but for $40 I thought it would a nice little project. The movement look pretty undisturbed and I've seen a new balance staff, if that's the problem, for a tenner 😉

Edited by Endeavor
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/2/2023 at 10:28 AM, AndyHull said:

CatorexPWCropped1.jpg.c56765bfd8f04f46b9b224ac2b8fb1b4.jpg

Another little bit of  a gamble. This is a "Catorex" pocket watch. The brand appears to have produced mainly midrange or high quality watches, with a fair few having Unitas UT 6310 or similar quality movements. I have no idea what is in this, but then again, that is reflected in the price. It may be white gold, it may be made of old soup cans. Time will tell.

Neither made from gold, nor baked bean cans, it showed up today and is a very attractive, high quality, very well made,  Peseux 320 based stainless steel cased little watch.

As the "least expensive Catorex on the web", it was certainly worth the gamble. I would guess it is from the sixties or early seventies, as it has a fixed stud, rather than the later moveable one.

I'll post pictured once I have it cleaned and serviced.

CatorexDialSidePeseux320.thumb.jpg.75ae7104b81430fb23c40452ce88b749.jpg

CatorexMechanismPeseux320.thumb.jpg.33a39809d69a1cf3eef19062ced41ca9.jpg

 

Here are a couple of teasers just in case I forget to post the finished result.

Edited by AndyHull
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/4/2023 at 6:07 PM, HectorLooi said:

You should have held off buying the platform first because the symptoms described might be due to other things. Like insufficient depth of engagement between the contrate wheel and escape wheel pinion.

Broken balance staff pivot, downwards tilted pallet fork jewel failing to lock the escape-wheel, broken pivot on bottom escape wheel pinion and some damage to the tops of the contrite-wheel teeth (which are hopefully repairable).

For the rest; perfect and very nice ! No real wear and I'm the first one in since the clock left the factory 😉

 

Edited by Endeavor
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Endeavor said:

Broken balance staff pivot, downwards tilted pallet fork jewel failing to lock the escape-wheel, broken pivot on bottom escape wheel pinion and some damage to the tops of the contrite-wheel teeth (which are hopefully repairable).

For the rest; perfect and very nice ! No real wear and I'm the first one in since the clock left the factory 😉

 

Sounds exactly like mine. Most likely due to the clock falling off the wall hook.

I managed to reshape the teeth of the contrate wheel with the blade of a screwdriver that was reshaped to fit the space between the teeth.

But you can get a replacement wheel from the same seller in Ukraine. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is one I've been chasing around eBay for a while. It's so perfectly 70s weird.

Bidding didn't go as high as I expected, so here's hoping it's not a scam! As far as I can tell it looks correct. No pictures of the movement, but the seller seems reputable so I took a chance.

Winging its way across the pond from the UK, so we'll know in a couple weeks.

 image.thumb.png.ebb71f5b260e5720f95f7e7c2f28403a.pngimage.thumb.png.5b7b9c0ec095c382f10c504f7229a002.png

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, oldhippy said:

Why the hell would anyone want that ugly looking watch. 

Hi OH,  The Spaceman audacieuse is a much sought after piece. Its futuristic designe by Andre Lemarquand resembles a helmet that the spaceman is suppose have on when he visits us. 

They also come in square case, boys, gents and ladies.

Usually an AS 2060 or variant of it beats inside.

Starp are impossible to find, as it is the first part to wear out.

I think I have about fifteen pieces and some parts, movement and case parts.

I agree though its sure is ugly.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, rehajm said:

Oh man, that watch 60s-space-show rocks!! Did you also order the shiny onesie to complete the ensemble, Dr Smith???

Haha Lost in space was one of my favourite Sunday morning re runs in the 80s along with Land of the Giants. 

14 hours ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

This is one I've been chasing around eBay for a while. It's so perfectly 70s weird.

Bidding didn't go as high as I expected, so here's hoping it's not a scam! As far as I can tell it looks correct. No pictures of the movement, but the seller seems reputable so I took a chance.

Winging its way across the pond from the UK, so we'll know in a couple weeks.

 image.thumb.png.ebb71f5b260e5720f95f7e7c2f28403a.pngimage.thumb.png.5b7b9c0ec095c382f10c504f7229a002.png

There was a guy on Ebay selling new old stock Tressa Lux versions of the Space for around 100 quid a couple of years ago. 

11 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

Usually an AS 2060 or variant of it beats inside.

Spot on Joe, i found the nos seller not the Tressa version.

Screenshot_20230617-072102_eBay.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, oldhippy said:

Why the hell would anyone want that ugly looking watch. 

Because some of us don't think it's ugly at all and chose to spend money on it? Just guessing here.

19 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Fibreglass back?

Sure is.

17 hours ago, rehajm said:

Did you also order the shiny onesie to complete the ensemble

Turns out I already had one in my closet.

6 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

There was a guy on Ebay selling new old stock Tressa Lux versions of the Space for around 100 quid a couple of years ago

I still see a lot of them around, especially out of Brooklyn, NY. They're mostly the brown dial and strap and not as much fun as this one.

17 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

They also come in square case, boys, gents and ladies

This was the one I originally (and still) wanted, but almost all of them come out of Pakistan and look like exactly the same photos, so I'm hesitant to test my luck there.

Edit: also quite a bit more expensive in general. E.g. image.png.df1c37f6f311b262b50ea568100a41fa.png

Edited by ManSkirtBrew
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

Because some of us don't think it's ugly at all and chose to spend money on it? Just guessing here.

Sure is.

Turns out I already had one in my closet.

I still see a lot of them around, especially out of Brooklyn, NY. They're mostly the brown dial and strap and not as much fun as this one.

This was the one I originally (and still) wanted, but almost all of them come out of Pakistan and look like exactly the same photos, so I'm hesitant to test my luck there.

Edit: also quite a bit more expensive in general. E.g. image.png.df1c37f6f311b262b50ea568100a41fa.png

 Some back plate on these are aluminm some SS, either case you want to see the back plates before you buy as some aluminum ones are badly worn. 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eyup watch peeps. Just arrived in the mail this morning.  A Smiths Astral  Natonal 15 in reasonable condition,this was my focus for buying the job lot. A 70s Sekonda , the others Rone, Sabro,Emka and Mentor. All running but 3 of the dials a bit rough, the Emka looks like someone has used tongs and a hammer to remove the dial so beyond any real improvement. Shame as the movement is a nice FHF. Not 404s but the way inflation is in the UK at the moment they are certainly within our inflation increase of the last 2 year at just under a tenner each.

 

 

20230622_104031.jpg

20230622_104015.jpg

20230622_103941.jpg

Edited by Neverenoughwatches
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Eyup watch peeps. Just arrived in the mail this morning.  A Smiths Astral  Natonal 15 in reasonable condition,this was my focus for buying the job lot. A 70s Sekonda , the others Rone, Sabro,Emka and Mentor. All running but 3 of the dials a bit rough, the Emka looks like someone has used tongs and a hammer to remove the dial so beyond any real improvement. Shame as the movement is a nice FHF. Not 404s but the way inflation is in the UK at the moment they are certainly within our inflation increase of the last 2 year at just under a tenner each.

Come on, @Neverenoughwatches, you know we want photos. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of pocket watches are on their way.

AsPurchased5-l1600.thumb.jpg.c296760e2beb4df6953a5c4d88007df5.jpg

AsPurchased3-l1600.thumb.jpg.7305fbcb6de58da77e2495a769fe146c.jpg

The first is a cylinder movement, which I would guess is possibly from the 1950s, maybe a little earlier.

AsPurchased1-l1600.thumb.png.d4ae9203c341f066e54d70f027416af4.png

AsPurchased2-l1600.thumb.png.1b51a0716431b92b4448cc522d8cb7cc.png

The second is a Ruhla - East German pin lever, probably from the 1960s.

Both are non runners, but they look to be complete. They both also look filthy and in need of a service, a thorough clean and a crystal.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • So please we have that comment.    Eccentric59.  Great work.
    • Thanks @nevenbekriev. I did some further reading and I think I kinda understand it now. Basically, if you were to fully fill the entire barrel with a super-long mainspring, you can't actually wind it anymore. Hence zero power reserve. Likewise the other extreme (mainspring too short to be wound around the arbor). This explains in very basic turns why there is a sweet spot in the middle of the curve you drew. Importantly, this is relative to the barrel diameter (and arbor diameter). In other words, if you have a larger barrel you should have a longer mainspring and hence also longer power reserve. So Longines' statement isn't entirely wrong (longer mainspring = more power reserve). BUT you can only make the mainspring longer if you also increase the barrel diameter. Thanks again for making me think about this a bit more and learning something. That's why I love this forum!   However 😉, there is still some truth to what I said (I think! Please correct me if I'm wrong!): according to my reading, the key parameter is the share of the space between barrel arbor and barrel wall. Half of which should be occupied by the mainspring (based on Theory of Horology by WOSTEP, quote in depth here: https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/mainsprings.php).  The space occupied by the mainspring in the barrel is a simple function of mainspring length AND thickness.  This implies that increasing length, but keeping the same thickness, will lead to occupying too much of the barrel space and hence reducing power reserve. This is what @nevenbekriev 's drawing correctly shows. However, if you increase length AND decrease thickness in the correct ratio, you can maintain the correct mainspring proportion vis-a-vis the barrel (i.e. occupying half of the space between arbor and barrel wall).  This would indeed lead to an increase of the number of barrel revolutions (when unwinding) and hence a potential increase in power reserve. However, you loose torque. And a loss of torque will also lead to the watch stopping earlier (when torque can't overcome the friction in the gear train). Thus, these two opposing effects may cancel each other out. Which again makes this statement probably true:    FINALLY, we still want to help @Zendoc with his very concrete decision:  GR4485 (same thickness but shorter than original) or GR4477 (slightly thinner and a bit longer than original).  I would still advocate (considering modern lubricants and potentially stronger metal alloys -- and consequently the risk of knocking at full wind) to choose the latter.        
    • 🤔 I'd say it's more like.
    • Thats a good record Michael,  i always do a quick scan through sone of the  feedback comments to make sure there are a good few of them relating to sales and not just purchaese.  Feedback can be faked but you can usually spot the dodgy sellers. I have heard that before about lots of orphan watches in Australia 🤔. How far overseas are you going with buying ? There are lots of good sellers here in the UK, shipping is a bit prohibitive though. Main reason for seeing non cased vintages watches would have been the scrapage of the precious metal cases. I think we decide early on what we want from the hobby, whether that is to repair for the fun, enjoyment and sheer challenge of learning something obscure.  To collect watches and have that ability to maintain them, to gain financially from re-sale or a mixture of those. Its also important to remain aware of how deep the rabbit hole goes and how much money it takes to continue the descent. 
    • No, trus me, this is totally wrong. Firs of all, there is theoretical lenght for a fixed other parameters (spring thickness, barrel internal diameter and arbour diameter), which will give maximal power reserve. This is written in all text books, but I have never seen in  the text books mathematical expression (formula) of the relation lenght/power reserve. I am to lazy to generate that expression now, but will draw for You the graphical representation of it. As You can see, there is a maximum in the middle, but the slope near the maximum is really small, so even change of the lenght of let say +/- 30% doesn't lead to significant change of the power reserve. More to that, sometimes movement designers put much longer springs in the barrels than the theoretical lenght for maximm reserve.  This is ecpecially in high grade movements. You will sometimes see that the spring covers not the half, but actually 2/3 of the barrel free space. The designers compensate this loss of power reserve by usage of bigger barrels. This way they achieve much smaller difference in full wind / end of power reserve torque. In such case, reducing the spring lenght leads to increasing of power reserve...
×
×
  • Create New...