Jump to content

Watch of Today


mk3

Recommended Posts

Today, in place of the Swatch Irony that has been acting as buddy to check the accuracy of the 1967 Timex Viscount, I'm wearing another "freebie", that was in a listing which stated "Watch, Watch Parts, Watch Strap, Watch Tool" and included the Lorus, a ladies Timex, six brand new leather straps, and a watch holder, amongst other stuff.

RIMG0665.thumb.JPG.0fb92ddccb6c8f6e9c5587b89164d2ff.JPG

The whole lot fell within the magic 404 budget, and the Lorus certainly cleaned up nicely. A full scrub and polish, a new battery and off it went. It is almost perfect, other than a few scratches on the case back.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Luch is made in belaruss, I got this in moscow where obviously it retails for more. I think the price was about seven dollars back then( sixteen years ago) also got ten manual winds in minsk for five dollars a piece. 

Day/ date  jumps real good and feels like you would expect from an expensive brand, low quality glass, and the chrome is decent quality.

IMG-20190402-WA0000.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, ricardopalamino said:

I'm sure you're right , but why not wear it on the right wrist ?

I asked on a post once either here or another forum about which wrist members wore their watch on , and the consensus   , if I remember correctly was that right handers wore their watch on their left wrist and visa versa for the left handers . 

This was not a scientific study so you don't have to nominate me for the Nobel Peace Prize ,...if you don't want to . 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, ricardopalamino said:

I asked on a post once either here or another forum about which wrist members wore their watch on , and the consensus   , if I remember correctly was that right handers wore their watch on their left wrist and visa versa for the left handers . 

This was not a scientific study so you don't have to nominate me for the Nobel Peace Prize ,...if you don't want to . 

 R-handed wear watches on the left, and L-handed wear watches on the right. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, ro63rto said:

I'm right-handed and wear my watches on the left.
Bothers me if I try it on the right wrist as it gets in the way when I write.

For what little it may be worth, if I'm testing a watch, I put the test watch on the left and the known, good watch on the right.
Normally (I'm right handed), I'll have my watch on the left wrist.
If I'm doing anything that involves electricity, I'll have the watch in my pocket, or not be wearing one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, ricardopalamino said:

O K , but I still don't understand why you said that ro63rto's Seiko Chrono wasn't made to be worn on the right hand . 

 

No, I was merely confirming what he said about the left hand crown at 8' being normal for Seiko 7a28 & 7a38 models. I would indeed assume it was made to be worn on the right hand!

J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today, I'm sporting the latest "fixer-upper" from the 404 club. This is a Newmark "Aviation" from around 1950. A bit of digging around online suggests it might be slightly earlier, as later versions apparently had Newmark stamped on the movement, and this one doesn't. 

RIMG0674.thumb.JPG.a54e016ced6628977d65ad3a24d00d07.JPG

I doubt if it is WWII era, though it does have that vibe,  since I think the company only started up just after the war, but information about them is a little thin on the ground.

The crystal is a huge improvement on the condition it arrived in, but still has some pretty deep scratches.

It beats at a rather languid but loud 17280 bph, a rate which the tg-timer software is not aware of, so I had to download the source and re-compile it. 

In the unlikely event that anyone else wants to do this, here is the diff between the online source and my modified version.

Quote

diff --git a/src/tg.h b/src/tg.h
index ab86ce6..0951770 100644
--- a/src/tg.h
+++ b/src/tg.h
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
 #define MIN_CAL -1000 // 0.1 s/d
 #define MAX_CAL 1000 // 0.1 s/d
 
-#define PRESET_BPH { 12000, 14400, 18000, 19800, 21600, 25200, 28800, 36000, 43200, 72000, 0 };
+#define PRESET_BPH { 12000, 14400, 17280, 18000, 19800, 21600, 25200, 28800, 36000, 43200, 72000, 0 };
 
 #ifdef DEBUG
 #define debug(...) print_debug(__VA_ARGS__)

 

This watch, like may others was dead on arrival, but after a good "wash and brush up", a little light rust removal, and a little lubrication, it is now working pretty well.

2057912454_Screenshotat2019-04-0910-32-29.png.4025c8a35c99603570729c1160187a51.png

It is sporting a period correct NOS leather band that also received a little cosmetic treatment and some leather rejuvenation therapy.

The beat error appears high, but bear in mind that is a beat error of 5.8ms out of a very slow beat  of around 0.20  seconds, so as a percentage, it is relatively low. The swing however is enormous.

Edited by AndyHull
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Today, I'm sporting the latest "fixer-upper" from the 404 club. This is a Newmark "Aviation" from around 1950. A bit of digging around online suggests it might be slightly earlier, as later versions apparently had Newmark stamped on the movement, and this one doesn't. 

RIMG0674.thumb.JPG.a54e016ced6628977d65ad3a24d00d07.JPG

I doubt if it is WWII era, though it does have that vibe,  since I think the company only started up just after the war, but information about them is a little thin on the ground.

The crystal is a huge improvement on the condition it arrived in, but still has some pretty deep scratches.

It beats at a rather languid but loud 17280 bph, a rate which the tg-timer software is not aware of, so I had to download the source and re-compile it. 

In the unlikely event that anyone else wants to do this, here is the diff between the online source and my modified version.

This watch, like may others was dead on arrival, but after a good "wash and brush up", a little light rust removal, and a little lubrication, it is now working pretty well.

2057912454_Screenshotat2019-04-0910-32-29.png.4025c8a35c99603570729c1160187a51.png

It is sporting a period correct NOS leather band that also received a little cosmetic treatment and some leather rejuvenation therapy.

The beat error appears high, but bear in mind that is a beat error of 5.8ms out of a very slow beat  of around 0.20  seconds, so as a percentage, it is relatively low. The swing however is enormous.

Cute , How about the movement, looks? caliber?  I guess it is collectible?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The movement looks to be based on the Baumgartner 677 series, with no shock protection to speak of, and what someone described as a "rather agricultural rate" of 17280 bph - I have no idea about the lift angle, so I estimated at 52 degrees, which will be in the right ball park.

It arrived with the minute hand rattling about under the crystal and suffering from damp ingress, probably condensation rather than a dip in the sea. Its construction is pretty basic, so there is no dust or water protection to speak of.

RIMG0671.thumb.JPG.0b67fb19a70f9c98f6484cce3b7fa0dc.JPG

This is a picture after the first cleanup and removal of most of the rust on the screws and winding gears. I dived in a little deeper after this. There are no jewels to worry about, so it got a liberal dousing of kerosene and the pinion "bushings" got a poke with some nylon toothbrush bristles. 

They are collectible, but I doubt if there is any significant value in it. Unscrupulous sellers sometimes advertise them as WWII pilot watches or even trench watches, but they are neither. The factory was based in Croydon, and manufactured these from just after the second world war to the early 1960s. I believe they also sold other brands like Avia, and later Swatch. The company name, like a lot of others seems to have risen phoenix like from the ashes at least once, and a "Newmark" produced some much more recent watches. I'm not sure what the connection between the recent offerings and the original Newmark company is, if any.

These watches were low end, and pretty popular. Similar to Smiths, Timex, Westclocks and the like. One more thing, if you like your watches to tick comfortingly loud, then this is the watch for you. I was surprised how accurate it still appears to be after nearly seventy years. Not bad for a bit of "agricultural machinery". :P

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

There's a charm about the loud tick of a pin pallet escapement.

20 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

 

These watches were low end, and pretty popular. Similar to Smiths, Timex, Westclocks and the like. One more thing, if you like your watches to tick comfortingly loud, then this is the watch for you. I was surprised how accurate it still appears to be after nearly seventy years. Not bad for a bit of "agricultural machinery". :P

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Todays. First new watch bought solely on appearance in a while.

Vostok komandirskie. Nothing says RUSSIAN like a big red watch.

(I do have a Helgray coming, kickstarter micro brand, which technically I bought before this but it's not due for another month)

1554808215608-1584926389.jpg

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Nucejoe said:

Out of the drawer now for stem removal, will ask for advice in proper sub-forum. Watch out, it is passed as genuine on ebay. It is not.

Got a miyota movement, watch looks clean if you don,t mind wiping everyday.IMG-20190409-WA0005.thumb.jpg.d73830fedc5f7388b98857a685355a85.jpg 

If not genuine, do all of the sub dials work?

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.

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

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • although not in this case.  It was the Lugano Convention and its deficiencies that allowed a Swiss court decision in the first place.  This isnt really a Brexit issue at all.  A decision that affects both the EU and the UK should never have been heard in Switzerland.
    • Hi guys I think that old hippy is correct, it opens the gates for china to manufacture aftermarket spare parts. considering that they already do work on behalf of the Swiss I guess this decision gives the a little more legitimacy to tool up and I am sure they will take advantage of the situation either with or without the blessing of the Swiss watch industry  Having read about the protectionist machinations of the Swiss in the history of Europe they were the only ones to get fat at everybody else’s expense. I think the outcome could have been guessed at but ,  fair play to Cousins UK for standing up to them.  Now the question,  will everybody boycott Swiss watches and Swatch, no way they will still fill their coffers.  Me I stick with the Japanese once renowned for cheap shitty watches who came good through industrial effort and don’t for get the Russians that most dismiss as low grade crap. Wouldn’t buy a swatch product ever how about you all.? a
    • Hold the crown when in winding position, move the click away from the crown wheel, and then while holding the crown let it slowly unwind. I recollect that you must remove the automatic device bridge first, but maybe I'm wrong. You can first try without removing the automatic device bridge.
    • nevenbekriev- You nailed it with your description of me and my reaction when the clock started ticking again. I am a newbie.  I love the sound and idea of mechanical clocks but the idea of owning one and trying to keep them running has never appealed to me. My wife bought this one and an antique German wall clock.  When I looked into having someone repair them for me, the universal response was "it's really expensive to work on them, you should just replace the movement". So, I had nothing to lose, I started researching them and opened them up. The wife is happy because she hears the sound of the clocks again. But I have gone down the "accuracy" rabbit hole. In the vertical position, the balance wheel was not floating. It was sitting on the bottom of the frame. I adjusted the lower spring collet and got it floating. It easily passed the 270 degree 3 to 5 minute oscillation test. It took 8 minutes for the wheel to completely stop moving.  I put it the unit back in the movement and checked the safety pin. It does not touch the safety roller anywhere in +/-270 degrees rotation from neutral position. But the amplitude of the rotation with the spring fully wound is weak based on what you are saying. It rotates +/-90 degrees from the neutral position.  No, I did not take the movement completely apart.  That seemed way outside my skill set at the time. There is a reason I became an electrical engineer and not a mechanical engineer. I am much more comfortable with moving electrons than tiny moving metal parts. Will I do it in the long run? Anything can happen. I don't seem to be able to let it go.
×
×
  • Create New...