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Posted
15 hours ago, stroppy said:

Jeff...I've had a bad bout of insomnia this past night but the reading material you gave me helped the night pass by.  Thanks!  I was engrossed by all the details...especially about the founders of the company and how one went a bit kooky.

It's certainly an interesting read!

Posted

Wearing my Vostok Komandirskie today. Pulled a sharp looking brown leather strap off another watch that seems to be a perfect fit for her.a82fdfd58d4966af8f6d403eefafda15.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
Posted

Today its a lovely mid size 'Services Navigator' for me. I got it for a steal as a none runner of the bay it had a few teeth missing on the ratchet wheel replaced that and stuck a cleaner dial on I had laying about in my spares tubs. the movement is a ORIS 292 and keeps amazingly good time for a 60-70 year old a pin lever.IMG_0296[1].JPG

  • Like 1
Posted

IMG_0299[2].jpgToday one of my many Helvetia's don't know why I have a softspot for them I think its the movements I like.

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

My Sekonda today, with Poljot 2612.1 alarm movement.

sekonda-apr-22-3.jpg

This was the first watch I ever serviced. When I received it, was running 28 minutes per day slow, amplitude was 86°, and beat error was 10ms. The acrylic crystal was also really badly scratched up. Now it's running +/-5s/d, amplitude is around 280°, and beat error around 0.5ms, and I've polished the crystal. I also recently overhauled the very stretched folded-link jubilee bracelet.

sekonda-apr-22-1.jpg

I did a write-up of the service here, http://www.stefanv.com/watches/restoring-a-russian-alarm-watch.html, and the crystal polishing here, http://www.stefanv.com/watches/polishing-an-acrylic-watch-crystal.html.

Edited by svorkoetter
  • Like 6
Posted (edited)

@svorkoetter Amazing write-up and site there!  I'll have some fun going through it this afternoon, we seem to have similar interests:D

Edited by jeffc83
Posted
4 hours ago, svorkoetter said:

My Sekonda today, with Poljot 2612.1 alarm movement.

sekonda-apr-22-3.jpg

This was the first watch I ever serviced. When I received it, was running 28 minutes per day slow, amplitude was 86°, and beat error was 10ms. The acrylic crystal was also really badly scratched up. Now it's running +/-5s/d, amplitude is around 280°, and beat error around 0.5ms, and I've polished the crystal. I also recently overhauled the very stretched folded-link jubilee bracelet.

sekonda-apr-22-1.jpg

I did a write-up of the service here, http://www.stefanv.com/watches/restoring-a-russian-alarm-watch.html, and the crystal polishing here, http://www.stefanv.com/watches/polishing-an-acrylic-watch-crystal.html.

The entire presentation of this Sekonda is just great.  Really snazzy looking watch there.  Do Sekonda still make watches?

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)
15 minutes ago, stroppy said:

The entire presentation of this Sekonda is just great.  Really snazzy looking watch there.  Do Sekonda still make watches?

Thanks Stroppy.

Sekonda never made watches. :)

Back in the 70s to 90s, they imported mechanical watches from the USSR, like my example above.

These days, they import quartz watches from China.

Apparently they had a lot of funny TV ads for their watches back in the day. You can search for them on YouTube.

Edited by svorkoetter
Posted
2 hours ago, ro63rto said:

 

 

Yes× but nowhere near as nice.

 

http://www.sekonda.co.uk/

× Loose meaning of the word "make"

Looks like they are all Chinese watches coming out of the factory with makes "Jaragar" and "Kronen & Sohn".  Both European-sounding brands for what are Chinese watches through and through.

Posted
2 hours ago, svorkoetter said:

Thanks Stroppy.

Sekonda never made watches. :)

Back in the 70s to 90s, they imported mechanical watches from the USSR, like my example above.

These days, they import quartz watches from China.

Apparently they had a lot of funny TV ads for their watches back in the day. You can search for them on YouTube.

I just watched the 80's commercials featuring Ronnie Barker (RIP) ...what a hoot!:D

Posted

NICE!

2 hours ago, stroppy said:

Looks like they are all Chinese watches coming out of the factory with makes "Jaragar" and "Kronen & Sohn".  Both European-sounding brands for what are Chinese watches through and through.

I saw a kronen & sohn on auction site, (not the bay), looked good until I searched, not against china brands, just don't try to make something out to be what it isn't, Brandfoolery?

Posted

Today one I haven't worn in ages and I'd forgot about it's in case 2 and I usually wear what's in case 1. One of my first repairs my old PEEREX IMG_0315[1].JPG

  • Like 2
Posted

I couldn't find anything about them either except for a couple of more expensive gold cased ones. Its a really nice watch clean and simple to read I can't even guess when it was made maybe the 60's it also keeps excellent time.

Posted

Wearing a new acquisition today..

 

A Mondia 'Top Second'...the hole in the dial 'blinks' as there is a red panel that is fixed to an extended pivot of the escape wheel. "Poor man's complication!".

Powered by an AS1913...not my favourite movement but this is the only one used for these watches. Apart from the movement construction, which is a bit fiddly, I'm not a fan of the quickset by pushing in the crown. Also the clutch wheel is a weak point in these movements.

I've known about these watches for some time but they've usually been priced more than I was willing to pay. This turned up at a local flea market at the right price (about what I would spend for a night out with the boys!) so I snapped it up. The dial condition probably didn't help the seller as its a bit spotted. Case is pretty scratched and the crystal could do with a replacement as there is yellowing of the glue around the edges but no urgent need to fix it...one of these days I'll get around to it!

Have a good weekend !

 

P_20160430_173825.jpg

P_20160430_173826.jpg

P_20160430_174030.jpg

  • Like 4
Posted

I like that watch. The little eye blinks every second then? What a useless little complication---love it! I'd like to see the workings of how they managed to power that little blinker using the escape wheel. Thanks for sharing this.

 

JC

  • Like 2
Posted

Hi Noirrac,

I won't be opening this watch any time soon but there's some good write-ups if you Google 'top-second'. 

As far as complications go, this one isn't complicated at all! Something like the waving Mao Tse-Tung.

Cheers!

  • Like 1

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