Jump to content

Watch of Today


mk3

Recommended Posts

RIMG0985.thumb.JPG.a37f381a38c6669192a06a76130d69af.JPG

@Bradders recently posted, looking for information about the venerable Baumgartner BFG866, and as a result I had a trawl through my spares to see if I had the makings of a complete movement. I wasn't quite there, however today while tidying up and organising things I came across this Buler 17 jewel 866(CLD) sweep second, date version.

It had a smashed crystal and the balance was loose, but surprisingly when I inspected it, far from being damaged, the only issue with the balance was a loose balance cock screw, and a slight kink in the hairspring, no doubt due to be balance rattling about loose over the years.

So unable to resist a challenge I cleaned lubricated and polished the thing, and off it went.

There is some obvious damage to the dial, and it originally had a Cyclops date magnifier crystal, which I didn't have, so I substituted a standard high dome.

It is also sporting rather annoying 17mm lugs. I had 17mm pins, but the only strap I had that wasn't glaringly obviously the wrong size was this slightly scruffy looking number. 

It wont win any beauty contests, but it does have a certain late fifties looking charm.

 

Edited by AndyHull
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks in no small part to you. It looks pretty good considering it was just lying around as scrap. I still need to regulate it, but its not miles out, maybe 80 sec/day and slightly out of beat, but it is running pretty nicely. I may have the making of another BFG 866 17 jewel date mechaism, as I appear to have one more good balance staff with wrecked hairspring, and one wrecked balance with good hairspring. I'm not sure if I can graft the good bits together without wrecking them. I'll have a go some day. 

Edited by AndyHull
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/26/2020 at 2:57 PM, AndyHull said:

Nope. I stuck with the one that is in it. From memory, Cousins have a suitable crystal. It was a pretty common size as I recall. I would go with a sapphire one if you want it to really enhance the look.

Thanks  really kind of  you, will definitely check it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RIMG1015.thumb.JPG.62d32ae7ab0ecd54e5d4537a9d667824.JPG

Initially I had it on a fairly boring tan leather strap, which sort of worked with the red, but then I grabbed this midnight blue one with red stitching.

RIMG1017.thumb.JPG.77a0ea8178a178d50125b677f2da6ddd.JPG

It actually echoes my ThinkPad laptop's styling pretty closely too. I'll leave you to decide if Timex were ahead of their time, or Lenovo are harking back to a different era.

RIMG1021.thumb.JPG.c887a4bf5940518b53ac42b320171d7b.JPG

Edited by AndyHull
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today’s watch is my longtime owned Timex Sprite. I have no idea where I got it but it’s been in my dresser drawer of treasures since I was a boy. The original plastic strap hardened and cracked into pieces years ago so it was just a case until I recently decided to bring it back from the dead. I put on this lovely black leather Bulova strap I had from another watch and think it looks sharp.  The movement was bound likely from overzealous winding and would only run for a few minutes at a time. Thanks to eBay I was able to find a trashed but running case to serve as a movement donor. 

B8DA2F4F-BE91-4D91-8028-78C2D275FE97.jpeg

0CF27E8D-0293-45E6-B8E8-152501FB5900.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That Timex has a cool dial!

I put the old 1680 away again and dug out this gem. It has to be one of the nicest dive watches available today, regardless of cost. Polishing that puts the Swiss to shame; stainless case WITH hard coating to avoid scratches; sapphire crystal; silky and precise bezel “action”; retro 62MAS inspired styling; bomb-proof Seiko movement and construction. I highly recommend it. 

image.thumb.jpg.9463973234fc73532f20dd08ddb1c1cb.jpg
 

I wear it on an Isofrane dive strap (navy blue) that looks so right on this watch. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, fishytuxedo said:

Today’s watch is my longtime owned Timex Sprite. I have no idea where I got it but it’s been in my dresser drawer of treasures since I was a boy. The original plastic strap hardened and cracked into pieces years ago so it was just a case until I recently decided to bring it back from the dead. I put on this lovely black leather Bulova strap I had from another watch and think it looks sharp.  The movement was bound likely from overzealous winding and would only run for a few minutes at a time. Thanks to eBay I was able to find a trashed but running case to serve as a movement donor. 

B8DA2F4F-BE91-4D91-8028-78C2D275FE97.jpeg

0CF27E8D-0293-45E6-B8E8-152501FB5900.jpeg

unless the original movement was damaged, getting to run again would be rather quick.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, fishytuxedo said:

Today’s watch is my longtime owned Timex Sprite. I have no idea where I got it but it’s been in my dresser drawer of treasures since I was a boy. The original plastic strap hardened and cracked into pieces years ago so it was just a case until I recently decided to bring it back from the dead. I put on this lovely black leather Bulova strap I had from another watch and think it looks sharp.  The movement was bound likely from overzealous winding and would only run for a few minutes at a time. Thanks to eBay I was able to find a trashed but running case to serve as a movement donor. 

B8DA2F4F-BE91-4D91-8028-78C2D275FE97.jpeg

d

This Accutron has a similar vibe (well, not literally) and I think the same fake crocodile pattern on the strap.

accutron.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Timex Electric 1967...

Most uncomfortable watch to wear ? and it's very loud!

Serviced it almost two years ago after purchasing it from local flea-market. Keeps excellent time ever since. Last month decided to replace the crystal. It's in the mail stuck somewhere.

 

 

IMG_9589 - Copy.jpg

IMG_9591 - Copy.jpg

IMG_9590 - Copy.jpg

Edited by Poljot
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, fishytuxedo said:

you know, I read that they weren't intended to be serviced so I figured replacement was the easiest route. I've still got it so one day I'll dive in for a repair

 They may not have been designed to be serviced. but that does not meant they can not be repaired.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/1/2020 at 9:35 AM, AndyHull said:

Initially I had it on a fairly boring tan leather strap, which sort of worked with the red, but then I grabbed this midnight blue one with red stitching.

 

It actually echoes my ThinkPad laptop's styling pretty closely too. I'll leave you to decide if Timex were ahead of their time, or Lenovo are harking back to a different era.

 

The strap is absolutely perfect for this watch. And yes, my two ThinkPad  laptops and their bags are very similar in style :-).

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.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

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

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • OK, welcome in the world of alarm clocks... I guess the 4th wheel is dished because it is from another movement. If it was not dishet, then it would not mesh with the pinion of the escape wheel, am I right? The marks of wear on the 4th wheel pinion doesn't corespond to the 3th wheel table position, at list this is what i see on the picts. Calculating the rate is easy - there is a formula - BR = T2 x T3 x T4 x T5 x 2 /(P3 x P4 x P5) where T2 - T5 are the counts of the teeth of the wheels tables, and P3 - P5 are the counts of the pinion leaves. Vibrating the balance is easy - grasp for the hairspring where it should stay in the regulator with tweasers, let the balance hang on the hairspring while the downside staff tip rests on glass surface. Then make the balance oscillate and use timer to measure the time for let say 50 oscillations, or count the oscillations for let say 30 seconds. You must do the free oscillations test to check the balance staff tips and the cone cup bearings for wear. This kind of staffs wear and need resharpening to restore the normal function of the balance.
    • Glue a nut to the barrel lid, insert a bolt, pull, disolve the glue.  Maybe someone will have a better answer. 
    • The stress is the force (on the spring) x distance. The maximum stress is at the bottom, and decreases up the arm. That's why they always break at the bottom. I used a round file, then something like 2000 grit to finish. I gave the rest of the arm a quick polish - no need for a perfect finish. Just make sure there are no 'notches' left from cutting/filing. The notches act like the perforations in your toilet paper 🤣
    • It's probably a cardinal rule for watch repair to never get distracted while at the bench. Yesterday, after finishing a tricky mainspring winding/barrel insertion (I didn't have a winder and arbor that fit very well) I mentally shifted down a gear once that hurdle was passed. There were other things going on in the room as I put the barrel and cover into the barrel closer and pressed to get that satisfying snap. But when I took it out I realized I never placed the arbor.  When opening a barrel, we are relying on the arbor to transfer a concentrically-distributed force right where it is needed at the internal center of the lid. However, when that isn't present it's difficult to apply pressure or get leverage considering the recessed position of the lid, the small holes in the barrel and the presence of the mainspring coils. It was a beat-up practice movement so I didn't take a lot of time to think it over and I pushed it out using a short right-angle dental probe placed in from the bottom, but that did leave a bit of a scratch and crease in the thin lid. I had also thought about pulling it using a course-threaded screw with a minor thread diameter smaller than the lid hole and a major diameter larger, but that may have done some damage as well.  Thinking about how this might have been handled had it been a more valuable movement, is there a method using watchmaking or other tools that should extract the lid with the least damage? 
    • 🤔 what happens if lubrication is placed directly on top of epilame ? Making a small groove so the lubrication doesn't spread across the component but what if when lubing a little overspills and sits on the epilame .
×
×
  • Create New...