Zodiac SST 36000 hi-beat

[anilv]

Hi folks,

This Zodiac came my way and while its been over-polished, the price was right.

Inside we find a Zodiac cal.86.

Looking at the pictures, we have a puzzle. The dial is way larger than the movement so how does it come apart? Looking at the watch edge on, there's no visible seam so there appears to be no bezel to come off which will allow the dial/movement combo to come out thru the front.

Hmmmm..... let's take a closer look at the dial.

See it now?

The dial is actually a composite dial, the large square dial is fitted under the crystal, this has a large aperture thru which the 'Zodiac' brand and 'day/date window can be seen. This Zodiac brand and the day/date window is fitted to another dial which is fitted to the movement in the normal manner. To remove the movement you have to align the hands so that they will fit thru the large aperture in the square dial. The fact that this movement 'hacks' make it easier. You then remove the case screws and the movement drops out in the usual manner.

The date quick-set is not working. You can also see from the picture below the minute hand is slightly bent and the hands are generally not in good condition. The watch also looks a bit dirty as there seems to be some marks on the inside of the crystal at around the 7 o'clock area. I am loathe to remove the crystal as it seems to be an original one and I don't think it'll be easy to source a replacement.

The movement itself is running strongly but unfortunately its not so accurate in that its gaining about 4 minutes a day. In a normal movement I would not be really bothered as I know a good cleaning would sort this out and get it running well but this particular movement has me a bit pessimistic for the following reasons.

Firstly, its not that common and parts are difficult to source. Secondly, hi-beat models like these are notoriously hard to get running as per spec, they run very fast and its common for parts to wear if it is not serviced properly (and I suspect this is the case here). Thirdly, it is based on the AS1687/1688 movement and has the 'offset cannon pinion' which usually has its own problems.

On the plus side, it comes with the original bracelet with decent length and .... well thats it!

Anilv

 

 

 

[Geo]

An interesting piece Anilv, I'm sure you will have it apart and serviced in the not too distant future.  I look forward to hearing how it goes. 

[ricardopalamino]

As Geo said, an interesting piece .

I have a thing for Zodiacs , especially the SST 3600 Hi-Beat although I have never worked on one . 

BTW , I just checked the Old Swiss Watches website and Sudarson seems to have a good supply of Zodiac parts . You can always E-mail him if you don't see what you're looking for listed .

[anilv]

Doh!!!

I decided to give this watch a clean, the hi-beat movements work hard and the crystal was also bugging me as it did not seem to be 'flat' on both sides.

Well the crystal was sanded and polished, watch was dismantled and all was going fine until I tried to dismantle the 'do not dismantle'barrel. The lid came off easily enough but the arbor came away with the lid.. yep the mainspring broke.

So now I'm looking for a replacement mainspring but may need to buy a complete barrel.  Ricardo, thanks for the heads up on Sudarson. I dropped him an email !

Pretty bummed and I just left it all on my desk. Shit happens I guess.

Anilv

 

[ricardopalamino]

Sxxt  happens to all of us , but the good side is that it is a learning experience and I am sure you will have this puppy up and running in no time .

Good luck finding the parts you need .

[anilv]

update... contacted ''oldswisswatches''/ Mr Sudarson, and he has the mainspring. Probably a generic as I believe these sealed barrels would be sold complete with m/spring and arbor. Fair enough at USD12. He also had a balance bridge for an FL1188 which was a bit steep at USD35 but I've been keeping my eye out for one (see below) and they seem to be a bit uncommon so I bit the bullet and bought it. Shipping was USD2 , given the abysmal postal service between India and Malaysia I expect it sometime in February!

Cheers!

Anilv

 

 

[ricardopalamino]

Progress ,…atta boy….