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Bulova 11BLC....Where did this come from?


mcass

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and it's a tricky part sometimes, too.  has to be levered off to be safe.  hand levers work if you don't want to buy a special wheel puller.

and when setting the second hand on these, you need to support the pinion from below or you'll just push it down, too.  that little friction spring isn't strong enough.

 

Edited by Hertzogpholian
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Thanks for the advice. I didn't get quite that far in the reassembly last night and hoping to work a little more on it this evening. I was pleased though with how far I did get but it wasn't without problems. I got everything cleaned. I was able to install the escape wheel, 3rd and 4th wheel, balance wheel, pallet fork, and main spring wheel and gear (pardon me if I get any part names wrong). I didn't reinsert the pinion yet. As far as I got I wanted to make sure everything was turning correctly with the crown at this point, which is what was causing an issue in the first place. After reinserting it and turning it, I could see a gear (not sure what gear it is), turn. However it wouldn't go as far as to engage the main spring. Also I could not get the crown to pull for time setting. At that point I stopped thinking something was still wrong. Not sure why the crown is causing issues.

I also noticed that I think I might have lost a screw. The screw is one the holds a small flat band across the top of the movement. Not sure what that piece is or what it does. It's about a 1/16" wide and 1/4" long, flat piece of metal secured on the one end.

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OK....I'm learning alot here. I took it back apart and was able to get the crown to move in and out. Still not engaging right but that is progress. That flat piece I was talking about i think is what holds the pinion in place. I have now lost the pinion though and am on my knees looking for it! LOL

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OK...Ive got it back together but have some questions concerning troubleshooting this thing. First either I have done something incredibly wrong or this watch runs different than any other Ive ever seen. Now that I have it back together and the crown will pull, I notice something that to me is slightly unusual. When pushed in, it looks to engage a clutch that allows for the time to be set and then when pulled, it allows you to wind the main spring. Just opposite of what I know most about how most mechanical watches function. Also, after getting some winding of the main spring, the movement never actually starts. Where am I going wrong here?

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There is something wrong there mcass. Can you post a pic? I've worked on Bulova and here are pics of what he keyless works should look like:

Check yours against these. The crown when pulled out should engage the setting wheel NOT wind the mainspring. Also check to se if the stem is properly inserted.

 

 

JC

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I can't really answer your last questions , but it seems that you are slowly moving forward in your progress . I tried to find a tech bulletin for a Bulova 11BLC with no luck yet , but I had worked on one of my Bulova's ,1133.10 as a mater of fact , and the movement being Swiss made I was able to get more info by the stamped ETA 2879 # that was under the balance wheel and then I looked up the ETA info on the O. Frei and Old Swiss Watches .com I saw some parts lists at least .

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Yes I am making progress....here are a couple of pics. As far as the keyless works, I thought something might be wrong there. I dont know what any of those components are called but I will see if I can explain. There is a top plate held in by a screw and beneath that an arm of some sort just above a spring. I did pull both of those because the arm looked like it was off based on another pic I had seen (which looked slightly different from your as to the arms position). When I reassambled it to look like the other pic, something did change. When I went to wind it, everything appeared to be winding correctly however as soon as I would let go of the crown, everything automatically unwound. Every time I wind it and let go it now unwinds. Not sure why?

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Look at the click. Its not in position! Unscrew it a little and move its teeth to mesh with the ratchet wheel on the barrel.

 

The last picture shows where the problem is...

 

JC

Edited by noirrac1j
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This attachment is the bulletin for my 1133.10 / ETA 2879 movement . It is not the same as yours but most parts are similar and it will give you a visual . I hope it helps .

The click on mine is totally different . The click on yours is more conventional .

Preview attachment Bulova 1133.10 and 1133.50.pdfBulova 1133.10 and 1133.50.pdf2.7 MB

Edited by ricardopalamino
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14 minutes ago, ricardopalamino said:

This attachment is the bulletin for my 1133.10 / ETA 2879 movement . It is not the same as yours but most parts are similar and it will give you a visual . I hope it helps .

The click on mine is totally different . The click on yours is more conventional .

Preview attachment Bulova 1133.10 and 1133.50.pdfBulova 1133.10 and 1133.50.pdf2.7 MB

I think there is something wrong with the link Ricardo, I wanted to take a look at it myself, but not working.

 

JC

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I looked at the click on not sure that that is the problem. it seen to be engaging. I have uploaded a video to show what the movement is doing. It was kinda of difficult and blurry in places but you might be able to make out what I am seeing.

 

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I had wondered about that but couldn't tell really with everything reassembled. Guess it's time to break her down a 3rd time. Also, what is the best way to find replacement parts for old watches? Is it even possible?

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I couldn't tell from the video is the click was truly engaging. Is is moving in gear, has  its little spring providing tension and locking the ratchet wheel properly? If so then the pallet fork isn't engaging the escape wheel--this would be bad. I have some Bulova parts, but not sure if I have anything for the 11BLC. I am attaching the cross reference for parts, and pallet fork from any of these Bulova calibres are interchangeable.

11 BL, ,I1 BLC, 11 BLCD, 11 BLD, 11 BLL

 

What I don't like is that the drive gears are spinning freely. If it was a broken pallet jewel or a pivot, I would think it would lock up the movement, but this one is spinning freely which mean the escape wheel is unencumbered....so what's going on with the pallet fork? That needs to be scrutinized.

 

JC

2174_Bulova 11BL etc.pdf

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Mcass,

I looked through my extensive parts bin and....I found a Bulova 11BLC. The pallet looks pretty good. You can have it free if you want it. You can have any part(s) that you see in the pictures. Pay the shipping (you live in U.S. I think) and its yours. PM me.

 

Regards

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I just finished taking everything back apart. and I don't see anything wrong with the pallet fork (doesn't mean there isn't though). I'm wondering if it just wasn't set properly. Question....the pins on the pallet fork, one short and one long, which sets in the bottom and which in the top plate? I want to be sure I don't set it upside down.

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    • I have read some suggestions that it can cause wear , particularly on the fork horns of a fully treated pallet fork. I've had half a kilo of steriac acid powder on a shelf for almost a year now, might have a little play today with a heater and a jar.  I think its because it gets into their cleaning solutions Mike. Theirs or anyone else's that services the watch next time, or if they need to strip back and rebuild. Could preclean but thats all time for a pro. I thought the idea was for the epilame to create a barrier, a wall between the lubrication and anything else, so the lube cant spread.
    • As I'm only cleaning watches in small numbers at home, I pre-clean any significant deposits of old grease and oil before using the cleaning solutions. I scrape off deposits with pegwood and Rodico, and if really dirty, wash parts in naphtha with a brush.  So I'm happy using DX, but can understand why it's avoided by the pros.
    • I think attaching a nut to the lid to pull it off is the least destructive, any damage damage on the outside is going to an easier fix than any created when trying to push it out from the inside. Scratching up the inside of the lid , mainspring or arbor bearing will be risk. Just my opinion.
    • yes the things we read in the universe I did see some where it was either difficult to clean off or it contaminated the cleaning fluid there was some issue with cleaning. I was trying to remember something about grease where as opposed to a substance of a specific consistency they were suggesting it had a base oil with something to thicken it. That conceivably could indicate that the two could separate and that would be an issue. But there is something else going on here that I had remembered so I have a link below and the description of the 9501 notice the word that I highlighted? Notice that word appears quite a bit on this particular page like 9415 has that property all so they 8200 mainspring grease and that definitely has to be mixed up when you go to use it because it definitely separates. just in case you didn't remember that nifty word there is a Wikipedia entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thixotropy   https://www.moebius-lubricants.ch/en/products/greases I wonder if what you're seeing is the boron nitride left behind after cleaning. In other words it's the high-pressure part of the grease and it's probably embedding itself into the metal which is why it doesn't clean off and shouldn't be a problem?
    • Yes and no. I use Moebius 9501 synthetic grease and it is significantly runnier than the Moebius 9504 synthetic grease (and I assume Molykote DX) that I previously used. I haven't seen 9504 spread and it is in my opinion the best grease money can buy. However, my current method of cleaning doesn't remove it from the parts, so that's why I have decided to use the 9501 instead. I believe I read somewhere that Molykote DX too is difficult to clean off. Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure my 9501 grease which expired in June 2022 is runnier now than it was when it was new, but whether new or old it always needs to be stirred before use. So, that's why I treat the parts of the keyless works, cannon pinion, etc. with epilame. That was very thoughtful of you and something that had completely passed me by. Not sure what the epilame will do when it wears off in a non-oiled hole. Anyone?
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