Watch of Today

[JerseyMo]

9 hours ago, AndyHull said:

A fine looking watch. 1968 was a bit of an eventful year the Vietnam war was in full swing, and Apollo 7 was launched, and somewhere in the world, your Timex came off the production line, and may well not have seen a service between then and you opening the case back.

Yes, I do think of watches as not only telling of time but as piece of time as well.  Where have they been?  Who wore them?

Maybe witness to some memorable moment in history?  Perhaps this one even past my way at some point in time?

 

[watchweasol]

Nice one JerseyMo  thats exactly how i think of the clocks and watches I work on, little pieces of history. most of the clocks in my collection have been restored to working order the cases still contain the dings and dents they got in life, missing bits of the cases are made and fitted so its complete but not made to look like new again Dials are treated the same , I know where they came from and in most cases know who owned them.  

[ricardopalamino]

4 hours ago, JerseyMo said:

Yes, I do think of watches as not only telling of time but as piece of time as well.  Where have they been?  Who wore them?

Maybe witness to some memorable moment in history?  Perhaps this one even past my way at some point in time?

 

I agree , I see engraving on the back and it sets my imagination into motion . I didn't used to feel that way , and either tried to remove the inscription , or looked for another case back . 

But after seeing so many now that say "Love Always" , or "On your Graduation 1960 " , or "Congratulations" .

I now start to see a side road off of the usual business of watch Collecting . 

This great Hobby has also helped teach me patience , given me Pure Pleasure after a completed project , and lets me escape for a while into a world of quiet , beautiful parts and pieces , and the  satisfaction of having a Nice timepiece on my wrist .

[JerseyMo]

1 hour ago, ricardopalamino said:

given me Pure Pleasure after a completed project , and lets me escape for a while into a world of quiet , beautiful parts and pieces , and the  satisfaction of having a Nice timepiece on my wrist .

Yep! no technology just your hands and brain working together.

[JerseyMo]

and here was today's project - 

[Nucejoe]

Out of my collection, LONGINES admiral.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Nucejoe
Front loader

[Nucejoe]

Out of my collection, ACCURIST manual.

[m1ks]

77 Seiko chronograph.

 

[Nucejoe]

West end Diver watch, fhf905 movement. Rare piece.

[Squiffything]

My little Movado has an outing this weekend 

 

[Nucejoe]

Lip Electric. Runs for today.

[AndyHull]

1 hour ago, Nucejoe said:

Lip Electric. Runs for today.

 

Nice, is it purely electric (i.e. contact spring), or transistorised?

[Nucejoe]

46 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Nice, is it purely electric (i.e. contact spring), or transistorised?

Hi, No, BW is powered by coil in MG field. Good quality movement like eta ,Rado parts in it, I think 17 jewels.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Nucejoe
Ya, purely electric.

[Nucejoe]

Valgine eta movement.

[AndyHull]

The blue/green "Japan Made" Frankenzen is getting an airing today.

It polished up quite nicely. The timeless sands of India and the glue stains are gone and it is now running fairly well (around +7 to +15 s/day).

I'll keep an eye out for a less "interesting" dial, and if one comes up, I may return it to a more conventional look. For the time being though, I'll just enjoy its quirkiness.

Edited April 30, 2019 by AndyHull

[yankeedog]

I often wonder about  watches like that from India.

[noirrac1j]

15 minutes ago, yankeedog said:

I often wonder about  watches like that from India.

Yes so do I, but I don't buy.

J

[ricardopalamino]

1 hour ago, yankeedog said:

I often wonder about  watches like that from India.

noirrac1j  is correct . You get plenty of glue and possibly a surprise movement in a lot of those watches . ....

Although the exception to the rule is that if you need a part , you can get a whole watch for close to the same price as the part . If the correct movement is in the watch . 

One more thing , the caseback may not necessarily go with the case it is installed on . Having said that , I have been lucky more then half the time with the correct part . 

[AndyHull]

1 hour ago, ricardopalamino said:

noirrac1j  is correct . You get plenty of glue and possibly a surprise movement in a lot of those watches . ....

Although the exception to the rule is that if you need a part , you can get a whole watch for close to the same price as the part . If the correct movement is in the watch . 

One more thing , the caseback may not necessarily go with the case it is installed on . Having said that , I have been lucky more then half the time with the correct part . 

I totally agree, they are a complete lottery. However if you buy them with the full knowledge of this, and don't get carried away with the bidding (none of the ones I've picked up cost more than the magical £4.04), then you almost can't go wrong.

Bid low, and bid on a bunch of them, and you are almost certain to get one at pocket money prices eventually. I can't even source a cheap strap locally at that price.

I do have a "Seiko" with an Allwyn movement, and I also picked up one that had the dial rattling around loose inside, 'cos the glue they had used in place of dial feet, had come loose, but if you need a balance, mainspring or some other part, or even just a good stainless steel case, they are often a way cheaper source than any alternative. 

Be aware though that the "Fortis", and other "Swiss" brands are often HMT, Citizen, Seiko or Allwyn watches with franken dials.

If it comes from India and looks like an HMT, but it says it is a "Favre Lueba" or a "Rare Fortis", then it is almost certainly an HMT with a franken dial. Bid as if it is a franken.

[yankeedog]

Thanks guys...I wouldn't buy anything that didn't show the movement.I would think of them more as raw material..a case.a dial ,hands.that sort of thing. The cases do look like a decent grade of stainless steel .

[ricardopalamino]

2 hours ago, yankeedog said:

Thanks guys...I wouldn't buy anything that didn't show the movement.I would think of them more as raw material..a case.a dial ,hands.that sort of thing. The cases do look like a decent grade of stainless steel .

You're Welcome Yankeedog .  To expound on what you just said about the parts or raw material . 

I think you understand what fellow members are saying based on experience . The value is there for raw parts .

In my experience , the glue I mentioned before is mainly to hold the dial , and in many instances , also a dial spacer that came from anybodys guess . The glue is used to hold a dial because usually the dial feet are gone . 

I have used the cases and associated parts with some success

[Nucejoe]

Jenco manual.

[yankeedog]

Besides India there is Latvia. This 2214 came from there.Running nicely on synthetic motor oil.

[noirrac1j]

1 hour ago, yankeedog said:

Besides India there is Latvia. This 2214 came from there.Running nicely on synthetic motor oil.

 

Oh jeez...I've had my share of movements that smelled like WD-40, but not automobile engine oil!

Its likely quite difficult and/or expensive to get Swiss Moebius oils in India and Latvia, so they've gotta be resourceful.

J

[Nucejoe]

2 minutes ago, noirrac1j said:

 

Oh jeez...I've had my share of movements that smelled like WD-40, but not automobile engine oil!

Its likely quite difficult and/or expensive to get Swiss Moebius oils in India and Latvia, so they've gotta be resourceful.

J

Over here we get watch oil said to be made in India, some say its fake pakistani passed as Indian make.