Zodiac 70 - 72

[Cad101]

I was lucky enough to win on the bay a Zodiac 70/72 automatic at a reasonable price. I knew the hairspring was shot but wasn't expecting what I found.

On receiving the watch and opening the bag I thought I know that smell "OIL"

Looks ok dial needs a bit of a clean but the case is in good Nick.

The back shows hardly any wear so a good polish should sort that out.

So I open it up and once again the over powering smell of 3 in 1 hits me like a slap to the face. The stud holder has come off but luckily is in tact.

I start to strip down the movement.

Out of the case and case ring removed.

Dial looks ok hopefully dust a light wash in soapy water will get rid of the oil and remove alot of the spotting.

Dial removed and my first glimpse of oil.

Flip it over and take a closer look it the movement the hair springs a mess and the balance is wobbling like a 16 year old on a night out.

Rotor off.

Reversing wheels a bit of staining and more oil.

Auto wind wheels and balance removed now like a fool I forgot to take a photo of the spaghetti mess of the hairspring and the staff had a broken bottom pivot. I decide to drop John at obsolete watch parts an e-mail and luckily he has a complete balance at a very reasonable price and further more if I post the movement to him when I've cleaned it as we are unsure whether its the correct one for the movement as according to J boreal the base caliber was a AS 1649 he will try it before I buy bit now that's service for you .

Look at the oil its dripping in the stuff.

crown and ratchet wheels

Now the barrel on this caliber is a sealed unit and has wrote on it very faintly do not open. But I'm not worried about it being oiled it has enough oil on it to last forever. Look at all that oil its been dipped I'm sure.

Barrel out.

Train bridge off.

That side is stripped just alot of oil and a bit of staining.

Dial side more oil date ring a bit stained.

Oily

That's It stripped down and ready for the ultrasonic.

The cleaning went well and the assembly was just a reverse of the strip down.

I then sent the movement of tho John and he fitted the balance and returned it all within 2 days the man's a star.

On reassembly and leaving to run after I had adjusted it on the timing machine I noticed the hands were only moving 5 minutes in the hour.

This was the culprit a slipping clutch wheel on the offset cannon pinion. Luckily Rogart69 heard my call for help and directed me in the right direction as to how to tighten it many thanks to him.

So here it is running nice and looking good.

 

Edited August 1, 2016 by Cad101
Duplicate pics

[Marc]

Nice job, and a really nice looking watch.

[MeticulousOne]

I have received watches from sellers on the Bay like this one.   I think people soak them in oil in hopes that they will run...

But with a broken staff it was not going to help this one.  Nice job on the Post !!

[clockboy]

Good result & lucky watch. Well done.

[DJT2]

Those darn slipping clutch wheels, last time I did one i managed to crush & snap the tube whilst trying to tighten it. Took me ages to find a replacement. Well done & great looking watch.

[avion]

Weren't you able to find a new hairspring / complete balance on the bay ?

[Cad101]

 

3 hours ago, avion said:

Weren't you able to find a new hairspring / complete balance on the bay ?

Yes at twice the price John charged me. They are hard to find i only found 2 on the bay and i wasnt sure they were correct and i wasnt paying close to £50 with postage for something that was wrong. So john offered to try it before i bought that's why his service is amazing. 

 

[Claytonc]

Nice Job! Thanks for sharing.

[anilv]

I would be interested to hear how the dial cleaning went..for me it usually starts with some light soap and a fine brush and ends with sandpaper before hitting the internet for a replacement.

Anil

[Cad101]

Just weak soapy Luke warm water and a very soft size 6 artists paint brush dial was left to soak for a while then gently brushed you don't want water too hot it strips the old varnish.

[Geo]

Great walkthrough and nice end result Cad.  Thanks for taking the time to photograph and document your journey.  I wish more would do this!

[Vich]

Thanks for the posting and instruction, good piece of work,

Cheers,

Vic

[bobm12]

Thank you Cad, I didn't see this one! Great job!

Cheers,

Bob

[Ves]

On 8/1/2016 at 11:24 PM, Cad101 said:

y Rogart69

ll,I have the same problem with that slipping clutch wheel.Can some one helps me,I need one!My one is broken.Please let me know if some one can help me find one for the same movement?Many thanks in advance.Ves

[Nucejoe]

I too, discovered WRT, through this very same post of cad101, learned to tigthen canon pinions and joined the forum.