Sears Jump Hour: Cheap, unforgiving and absurd.

[noirrac1j]

How's everyone doing? Great I hope. Have some time to post a watch that I've been working on. I've learned from experience that the cheaper the watch, the more difficult it is to work on. Here is something from the 70's that represents well that kooky period. The watch measure 40mm x 38mm. The power comes from a one-jewel Bettlach 8800 with a jump hour mechanism on the dial side. An example of what makes this watch a nightmare to work on? For starters, you have to press down hard--and I mean with your body weight--on the stem release button to get it to release. The movement has what I think is a dust cover(why?), which when placed incorrectly causes the balance wheel to rub and stop--but only intermittently so that you go crazy trying to figure out what's happening... 

 

Its not me, its the WATCH!!

J

Edited June 12, 2017 by noirrac1j

[RyMoeller]

Ooh, pretty on the outside but ugly on the inside.  At least you have yourself there a Swiss pin lever movement. 

I think mechanical watches from back in the day are what lead to the saying "you get what you pay for".  

[noirrac1j]

 

Ooh, pretty on the outside but ugly on the inside.  At least you have yourself there a Swiss pin lever movement. 

I think mechanical watches from back in the day are what lead to the saying "you get what you pay for".  

Yeah, it's a whole lot of chromed-shininess and not much substance! It is however, in excellent shape for being 40+ years, so it has that going for it.

J

[clockboy]

I dread working on these movements. They have no jewels for the pivots so on the vintage movements the pivot holes are nearly always worn especially the pallet bridge. This makes it really difficult to get the movement to run smoothly. 

[noirrac1j]

 

I dread working on these movements. They have no jewels for the pivots so on the vintage movements the pivot holes are nearly always worn especially the pallet bridge. This makes it really difficult to get the movement to run smoothly. 

You've summed it up nicely. These things can be a tremendous hassle, but when they run, they do the job. 

[clockboy]

 

You've summed it up nicely. These things can be a tremendous hassle, but when they run, they do the job. 

Yep they do the job and surprisingly for many years. Just don't beat yourself up trying to get nice smooth readings on your timographer. 

[oldhippy]

If the stem is that hard to move then put a little grease on the parts that touch each other, add a little oil to the stem, make sure you don’t have the wrong screws holding things together that might protrude and foul up the setting hands parts.  These old EB movements sure are bog standard, but a hell of a lot better than a ruddy Timex.

[noirrac1j]

 

Yep they do the job and surprisingly for many years. Just don't beat yourself up trying to get nice smooth readings on your timographer. 

Exactly.

J

[noirrac1j]

 

If the stem is that hard to move then put a little grease on the parts that touch each other, add a little oil to the stem, make sure you don’t have the wrong screws holding things together that might protrude and foul up the setting hands parts.  These old EB movements sure are bog standard, but a hell of a lot better than a ruddy Timex.

 

Yes I put some Moebius KT gease and also lubricated the stem. Its not as bad as it used to be but still very stiff to release.

J

[anilv]

I remember I had to kick one off the bench as its loud tick was too distracting,

Problem was they did not use jewels to save money, so they used plain holes. This in turn increased friction which required a more powerful spring. The powerful spring overcame the friction problem but led to faster wear if not serviced regularly.

Anilv

 

 

 

 

[noirrac1j]

 

I remember I had to kick one off the bench as its loud tick was too distracting,

Problem was they did not use jewels to save money, so they used plain holes. This in turn increased friction which required a more powerful spring. The powerful spring overcame the friction problem but led to faster wear if not serviced regularly.

Anilv

 

 

 

 

Very loud ticking! Yes these are not meant to last that long, and yet here they are 50 years later!

JC

[anilv]

True Noirrac1J,

Also we have to acknowledge that Oris, which was one of the main proponents of the pin-lever (some even chronometer grade!), was one of the main forces behind the resurgence of the mechanical watch in the late 80s.

Also without Sicura (another pin-lever brand), we may not have Breitling with us now.

Anilv

 

[noirrac1j]

 

True Noirrac1J,

Also we have to acknowledge that Oris, which was one of the main proponents of the pin-lever (some even chronometer grade!), was one of the main forces behind the resurgence of the mechanical watch in the late 80s.

Also without Sicura (another pin-lever brand), we may not have Breitling with us now.

Anilv

 

Right on both points!

J

[Chimni]

I have a Waltham jump hour (17 jewel) that I would love to repair. Can anyone suggest a repair person to talk to?

Jeremy

[LittleWatchShop]

What a goofy looking watch face (by today's standards), but must have been REALLY cool in it's day.

I fixed an 8800 just the other day.  It was a conventional diver's watch style.