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I had to give the Bulova an airing. It may not be the most pristine example in the world, but it runs, which for an 84 year old is no mean feat.

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I didn't wear it on my trip to Edinburgh today, which was a bit of a mistake, because I found myself with a couple of hours to kill while my wife was off with a friend, enjoying herself as amateur tourist guide and shopping consultant. :D

I took advantage of the time to visit one of my all time best loved places, Chambers Street Museum, or to give it is more formal and modern name "The National Museum of Scotland"

I suspect the Bulova would have gone down well with the staff member I was chatting with, who was a bit of a microscopes and horology fan. He hinted that there may be a small horological exhibition coming some time after August, so if you are interested, and live within striking distance of Edinburgh, keep an eye on the Museum website. 

I did stop and admire one of my favorite clocks of course, one that has fascinated me since I was a kid.

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It does seem to be wearing its years a little better than my 84 year old though.

Click below for more horological fun.

https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/?item_id=211198
 

I'll need to head back there soon, I'm getting withdrawal symptoms already. :lol:

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Q&Q mechanical.

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Somewhere between 1976 and 1982 would be my guess.

This is one of those late mechanical movements with various plastic parts, and they can be a bit hit and miss to get running reliably. This one appears to be fine, but a couple of others I have, took quite a bit of tinkering to get them to settle down to a reasonable rate. 

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Needless to say, it was also pretty scruffy with a scratched up crystal when it arrived. Other than slight wear on the crown, it now looks quite presentable on a NOS "Genuine leather" (but more likely PU leather) band.

Edited by AndyHull
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2 hours ago, AndyHull said:

Q&Q mechanical.
Somewhere between 1976 and 1982 would be my guess.

I knew we would have got here. It's one they first mov't I took apart, I was fascinated by something so small and cheap , yet working. I bought one fashion watch for Mrs jdm, it must have been early 90s, it's still there in the box which says Quartz. Then it was Mr's uncle one, very similar to the pic, that got sacrificed to my watchmaking career. He had been buying all the cheap watches he could for all his life.

Edited by jdm
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The watch is not bad looking, though obviously engineered to a price.

They are a little more temperamental in my experience than say, a Timex, but once you get them running at a constant rate, they are fine. 

Getting them to settle down to a constant rate however is a bit of a faff. I must have pulled one of my examples apart about half a dozen times before I was happy. First it wouldn't run, then it would run far too fast, then it would keep stopping. Even the slightest hint of dirt in that weird balance, and the thing  would throw a strop. They are also pretty delicate when compared with a Timex. I was constantly aware that even the slightest slip would have rendered it inoperable, and indeed that is what I thought I had done when it kept stopping. 

This one seems fine though. Accurate to within a minute over the course of today, which is about all I would expect from a movement of this type.

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I also found a suitable crystal for this rather tatty 8270A based Citizen (probably from 1978 or perhaps as late as 1988).

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There was a bunch of trouble inside the thing, including a rusted up stem (actually snapped, and rusted in place). A collection of lard masquerading as watch oil, which took two fairly in depth cleaning sessions to remove, and a case and face that despite my attempts to pretty them up, are still fairly rough.

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I repaired the stem using the slightly dubious method of sleeving he two halves together with the 1.2mm tubing from a spring pin, over the remains of the 1.0mm crown stem and fastening the whole lot together by dripping a tiny quantity of superglue down the sleeve.

i.e. the two broken halves are inserted into either end of a short length of 1.2mm tubing and held in place with superglue.

A better method might be to silver solder the three parts together, but given that there is as much rust as there is stem, this seemed a more likely route to success.

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Time will tell if this holds up, but if not, there is always the more sensible option of replacing the stem, but, predictably, I don't currently have anything suitable.

After the cleanup and some delicate tinkering,  it is running surprisingly well, at around 0.2ms error and +/- around 5s/day

I'll let it run overnight and check it again tomorrow, as given its general level of grime and corrosion, there may still be a few hidden gremlins I've missed.

Edited by AndyHull
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An escapee from my watchmaker’s bag of Horrible Dead Things, the only polite description for his parts stash of old broken pin-levers which he’d hoped never to need again until, to his undisguised horror, I introduced him to my old nonsenses some years ago. I always tell him that instead of just sitting there changing batteries and re-sizing bracelets on fashion watches all day, he should be grateful for my helping him maintain his traditional skills. By way of witty riposte, he tells me to “@&*# off”.

So, a forlorn Ostara which, although having lost the jaunty looks of its youth long ago, was willing to run with a little encouragement. The display back looked as time-worn as the rest of the watch so may well be original as I somehow can’t imagine anyone retro-fitting it to proudly exhibit its 15j EB 1344. The case and bezel topsides had lost their plating but have now been brightened up a little.

With that and new crystals fore and aft, new crown and the missing seconds hand replaced, it now looks almost presentable.  Oh, and it’s also had a new balance staff, because when it fell from Mr Grumpy the Watchmaker’s grasp, he expertly managed to dropkick it the length of his workspace whilst attempting to cushion its fall with his foot. Cue Mr Even Grumpier the Watchmaker.

The watch was by Walter Ris of Grenchen, founded in 1945, with the Ostara brand following in 1950. They were making watches certainly into the ‘70s before liquidation in 1997 and eventual dissolution in 1998.

Regards.

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3 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Hi  How is Mr Grumpy ?

Mr Grumpy G. McGrumpy's demeanour never changes. It's his default position and similar, I suspect, to most of his dwindling band of fellow-professionals.

We know each other well, with him having worked on some hundreds of my old nonsenses. I've never been inclined to use the smiley "watch repairs" guy who would also cut me a new key, fix a shoe, and charge me 2x what my watchmaker does before it goes to him anyway.

Regards.

 

 

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4 hours ago, balaton said:

The watch was by Walter Ris of Grenchen, founded in 1945, with the Ostara brand following in 1950. They were making watches certainly into the ‘70s before liquidation in 1997 and eventual dissolution in 1998.

That's actually very nice. Surprised that no Asian has bought the name yet, as commonly happens, maybe the holders ask too much. Even re-making it verbatim would sell in the lineup of a microbrand or Kickstarter.

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Avia quartz, 99p from fleabay, no other bids.

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Probably 1990s. Very attractive shimmering textured dial. GP case (allegedly).

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Not much else to say. It didn't take much to make it presentable. New battery, NOS real leather strap. Clean and polish. Gleaming like new.

 

Edited by AndyHull
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3 hours ago, jdm said:

That's actually very nice. Surprised that no Asian has bought the name yet, as commonly happens, maybe the holders ask too much. Even re-making it verbatim would sell in the lineup of a microbrand or Kickstarter.

Thanks, and I can't disagree with any of that.

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Todays arrival. Fuji time automatic.

It's an Orient 21 jewel movement and Orient in every aspect of its design but branded Fuji, I haven't seen another like this and really like it.

The dial is a golden brown sunburst which is gorgeous in sunlight.

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£0.99p - No other bids, secured this1985 Citizen Cryston Quartz.

This model has a very pleasing deep navy blue, almost black dial, but the camera flash makes it appear much lighter.

The "hair puller" band it arrived with, was about two sizes too small and made the watch look very scruffy.

It looks 1000% better on this NOS fabric and leather band with a black clasp.

With a little more minor cosmetic work, I think it will look almost as good as new.

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The case and crystal both need a little more work, and the back has a few "apprentice marks" from someone who I presume gave up the struggle to get the case back off to change the battery. I'll spin the case back up on the drill and polish them out.  

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Edited by AndyHull
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