Doctors Chronograph Pocket Watch

[Geo]

An old friend of mine (98) who recently had to move into a care home gave me his old Paragon watch as a keep sake. It was his preferred timepiece for navigation purposes when he was in the airforce during WW2.

It is not a name I am familiar with and there is very little information on the web about it. It transpires that the movement is a Excelsior Park caliber 19 first made in 1929 and is very high quality. This company supplied chronograph movements to the likes Girard Peregaux and Zenith. One most unusual feature is the small built in container For spare parts. I assume they are probably jewels, but I'll find out later. Unfortunately the tip has been broken off the hour hand, but apart from that it runs and the chronograph works. I think my old pal has over oiled it at some time as it is running quite fast. I'll leave as is just now as I currently have my hand full with other things, but I will clean and service it later on.

If anyone has any information on this type of watch or knows where I could get a correct hour hand for it, please let me know.

[bobm12]

Nice watch Geo, did you open the spare parts compartment yet? Was there any parts in there? Gosh! It's like traveling in time...almost H.G.Wells style!

[matabog]

A friend's grand father received a similar one in the ww2 from a camarad.

 

see attached.

Edited September 3, 2014 by matabog

[matabog]

http://www.ceasuripentruromania.ro/ceasuri.php?id_article=102   try google translate 

[Geo]

A friend's grand father received a similar one in the ww2 from a camarad.

Wow! Thanks for posting that Bogdan, I now know what the correct hour hand looks like in case I have to make one.

[Geo]

That article is an excellent find, many thanks for that!

[matabog]

It's a very, very nice watch!

 

My friend's one has a problem with the crown - it doesn't start the chronograph. I had to open the back case and push the lever directly. And it worked! And I mean that watch doesn't eveN know what an overhaul is!

Beautiful movement. It was the first time I was so close to a chronograph movement, imagine the emotional impact. Hopefully I will get to be confident enough to open, clean, oil and put back together one of those! It's an Everest on my list!

 

I am a little envious ( :) ) of you to have received such a beautiful and rare piece of history! He must be a very close friend of yours, your older friend.

 

Enjoy it!

 

 

p.s.

And tell your friend that if he has other similar beautiful watches to be taken care of, we are here to help!

Edited September 3, 2014 by matabog

[bobm12]

Excellent article and nice complement to Geo's watch! I'd love to see Geo's watch with the new hand!

[WillFly]

It's not a million miles removed from my Hamilton 23 from 1942 - also a push-button in the crown pilot's watch:

[ro63rto]

A friend's grand father received a similar one in the ww2 from a camarad.

see attached.

What's the history on this one? I know Tavannes was Swiss but as far as I can tell "kilometri pe ora" is Romanian.

[Geo]

I have managed to find sets of hands in the style required, but all of the measure about 20mm for the minute and 16mm for the hour.

The minute hand on my watch is 17mm for the minute and my guess is the hour hand should be 12mm.

[matabog]

@ro63rto: From my knowledge the watches were made by Tavannes for the romanian army (around 1940-1947).

[Geo]

I had look through a box of old pocket watch hands that I had forgotten about and managed to find an open diamond hour hand. The only problem was the hole was way too small and the centre was not big enough for me to ream out to the required 2.5mm. My solution was to break off the centre of the hand that I found, then glue the hand to the back of the original stub. I'm well pleased with the result, even using a loupe you can hardly see the repair. There is a slight bend in the chronograph second hand, but I'm not about to straighten it for fear of breaking it. It probably would straighten OK, but I don't know what it's been through before.

[bobm12]

Geo, that's fantastic work! You've just got yourself a whale of a watch! Way to go!

[matabog]

What did you use to glue the hand to the stub? I need a way to glue back the feet on a dial.

[matabog]

Another stupid question:

 

The dial has some darkened marks around the center and the second hand rotating center. Any idea where those are from?

 

I saw this kind of darkening, but much more amplified, on a watch dial that had had radioactive material instead of phosphorus on the hands (http://www.hamiltonchronicles.com/2013/10/wwii-military-tea-cup-overhaul.html)

 

I don't think this is the case, but still, why the darkening?

 

p.s. any of you vintage watch lovers have a Geiger counter? :):):)

[WillFly]

Dirt and damp creep into watches through the bezel and the case back. This dirt and dampness tends to manifest itself at the edges - which includes where the hour wheel and the cannon pinion emerge through the centre of the dial.

[Geo]

Another stupid question:

 

The dial has some darkened marks around the center and the second hand rotating center. Any idea where those are from?

 

Hi Bogdan, the staining on this particular dial is from oil. The watch has been over oiled and it is seeping everywhere, also the watch is running way too fast because there is oil on the hairspring. All I did today was repair the hour hand, I will get around to servicing and refurbishing it properly in the winter.

[matabog]

When you do, please, and I mean PLEASE!!!, take photos and share them with us. I am sure they will also help you put the movement back.

 

Thank you in advance!