Hello everyone

[Tudor]

Hello!

 

Just signed up. I found a very nice write-up on servicing the Eta 955xxx movement, which is a tractor in my old Tag Heuer 2000 chronograph.

I do minor repairs myself, including work on Eta 2824, 2892; Rolex 1570 variants and old Omega 565.

In the case of my Heuer, I purchased another watch that was running to get mine going but I think the tractor needs a full overhaul. Since I have no experience doing that, I started my search... Seems pretty simple. However, pulling the tractor form the module I have no idea on either, so that might be done the same way I learned Rolex- the hard way...

Currently not set up for any work- my "bench" is my desk so I have to completely set-up and tear down every time. I hope to make a decent work area in my basement, under a good size (for a basement) window and add some LED lighting to supplement that. We can dream anyway...

Looking forward to learning, and I'm always on the lookout for old Rolex and Tudor parts.

[jdm]

Welcome here. I think that many of us share your issues in having a good place to work, with the minimum artificial light. Good luck and welcome to post and document here any of your work.

[ecodec]

Hi Tudor, I have just fitted up a new watch workbench in my bedroom. I have a portable flourescent lamp and have had given to me a lab quality illuminated magnifier. Very lucky there. Corners of tables are no good at all for any serious work. Best wishes for the new workshop. Regards, Mike.

[clockboy]

Welcome & enjoy

 

[oldhippy]

Welcome to this friendly forum.

[Tudor]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

I have successfully completed two restorations so far, and a few others in the works.

1) Rolex 1680. I got this from an online retailer at a reasonable price based on condition and the serial number- it MIGHT have been a "red" sub when sold new. It had a nice service dial, updated crown, wrong crystal etc. I changed the crystal first, since that's the iconic look of the 1680 "top hat" crystal. Then I had the case restored by Michael Young. Then a new bezel ring was added, with a period correct insert. The insert was missing the "pearl" so I installed an NOS Tritium pearl. An NOS 702 crown and tube complete the mechanicals. A correct for the serial range "Mark I" white dial was sourced and installed. (Mark VI red dials are very rare and cost more than I have into this entire project, but the print and color are very crisp and vibrant) I also changed the service (white) date wheel to a correct silver one.

The bracelet is also a bit of a "unicorn". Rolex guys know the bracelets all have date codes, and you want your clasp code to reflect the date of the watch head. Except, there was one bracelet without a date code... The very first use of the 93150 bracelet did not have a date code on it. Michael Young also resurrected my bracelet parts collected over several years to put the early 93150 links with the no-date early 93150 clasp I had. Now it represents all period correct. I'm quite proud of the effort and research to make this watch "right" again.

2) Tudor 9411/0 black (my avatar photo). This was an eBay "score". I took a big risk on it due to poor photos, and it paid off in spades (I bought it well under the market price at the time). This watch appears to have been serviced one time since 1978, if that. It still had the original crystal and original crown installed. (I saved those for posterity) I installed an NOS crystal and crown, leaving the original tube. Cleaned the case (which was NASTY- bezel did not rotate at all!) and replaced the gaskets. Installed a much newer 93150 that was a take-off (not a service bracelet) that was/is really mint. One of my favorite watches for sure.

My current projects include another 9411/0, but with a coveted blue dial. It's currently assembled with an aftermarket case I shaped a bit better than as it was received. The bezel insert is also aftermarket, but I did an overlay comparison with the genuine one I have, and it is so close (color, font everything!) I never bothered to switch them. Movement is a Tudor movement (not just a regular Eta 2784) and the dial is an original, first issue blue dial. These blue dials all suffered from "dial rot" and 99% of them got replaced either as a warranty claim, or at the first service of the watch. So, they are VERY hard to find in good condition- large chunks of the blue paint will fall off them. I found one in Italy as I recall, and it is rotted, but fully intact. Hour hand is genuine and I have a genuine seconds had as well for it. But, the seconds hand did not fit the pinion- it needs to be broached. I don't understand this but that's why I currently have an aftermarket seconds hand. Normally not a big deal but due to the extreme fragility of these dials, it is major anxiety for me whenever I need to pry hands off. A hand holder and broach set is on my shopping list...

The real excitement is that I just received an original case for this watch. A 1976 9411/0 case in VERY good condition. Some crevice corrosion on the back and top (which helps confirm it's genuine in the Rolex case minefield). I will install an NOS crystal 702 crown and tube and then continue my hunt for a genuine bezel assembly. I have another NOS pearl to add to the original insert, so that's covered. It currently wears a Navy blue Isofrane strap, which is quite nice, but I'd like to find 9315 folded link bracelets for this, and the black, Snowflakes (with those correct date codes!) to really call them "done".

The last project that has taken me literally years to collect parts for should have been the easiest. An Omega Seamaster 300 (166.024). When I started it, Ofrei had all the parts, including complete cases. Then the case price rose sharply, and finally, no more stock. I procrastinated too long, focusing on my Rolex projects. But I have everything but a case tube in stock now. The mid-case is aftermarket, but everything else (down to the movement clamps!) are Genuine Omega parts. The old 565 movement runs strong and it's fun to have a movement that is not just like every other movement- the quick-set date operates by pulling the crown in and out). This has a new production dial, hands and bezel, so it has very bright Superluminova. You really get the experience of how bright these things were when new back in the late 60's.

Some may argue it's faster and easier to save some money up and then hunt down the best example of the watch you want. But you know what? I enjoy the process of hunting down the right parts, at fair prices, and putting things "right" on otherwise neglected watches. I hope to expand into other Rolex and Omega watches, to then offer them for sale. I prefer that path to repairing or restoring customer's watches as I can do my job in my time; and only when I'm ready to, will it be offered for sale.

Thanks for reading my life story!

[anilv]

Welcome Tudor.. not many people like to mess about with Rolex and the current thinking is 'send it to an authorised agent' but apart from sourcing parts its not that much different from other watches.

Love the 9411, I had a blue one but sold it on. Regret it to this day.

Anilv

 

[Tudor]

Well it’s a bit of a double edge sword. Due to popularity, original and aftermarket parts are reasonably easy to get. Old Rolex 15xx movements are big old farm tractors and easy to work on. Worst repair so far was a stem retainer plate screw. It broke and you have to tear the movement half way down just to change it... 

Tudors are all Eta movement so parts are plentiful from before Swatch stopped the flow. But there is so much old stock Eta parts I have not had much trouble finding anything. 

Visual parts- Case parts, bezel parts crowns and dials- that’s a mine field. You have to be quite knowledgeable about the fakes because they are getting better every day. On the plus side of that, impossible to find and/or pay for parts can be found to complete an otherwise  neglected watch. 

[dadistic]

Greetings and Salutations!

It will be fun to have you here, you seem very knowledgeable about restoration work. Always good to have people around who know what's what :-)

[Tudor]

I am a graduate of the School of hard knocks. I am by no means an expert, but I have immersed myself in the minutiae of the vintage (read: plastic crystal) Rolex and Tudor offerings. I may get a 16610 in the future, but not sure.

I started out about ten or 12 years ago with a case back opener, hand levers and a set of screwdrivers. (still have the hand levers!) I buy new/better tools as the need arises. My latest purchase was a crystal lift- I need that to compress the Omega crystal for my Seamaster 300. Unlike Rolex, where the crystal sits on the outside of the rehaut, the Omega sits on the inside. So, it needs to be compressed (SLIGHTLY) to drop in place. It also has the Omega symbol in the center and I would like to keep that oriented correctly. Maybe it could be pressed in, but as you press a crystal, it expands, so that's great for Rolex; bad for Omega.

My Grandfather was an inventor (which I never knew until I saw patent documents in his name while clearing his house after his death); Dad was an auto mechanic with his own "Foreign Auto" repair shop. I was rebuilding engines before I could drive, and one of his employees was doing two VW boxer engines a day- tear down and rebuild. I learned a lot from him... I was an inventor of sorts for a while in a previous job. I really enjoyed that actually.

I just figure stuff out. Yeah, I break stuff and loose it under the bench, across the room or in my shirt, but that's how you learn. You can watch youtoob videos until your eyes bleed, but until you "get your hands dirty" it's frankly worthless. to get the most from a video like that, you need to have a first-hand knowledge of what you are looking at.

So, start with plentiful cheap movements (eta's are quite cheap, especially when not "working"); get two or three of the same reference number and make (at least) one good one out of them. 2824's are plentiful but expensive as they are desired by the replica guys. Go for older references, which can even be found NOS for less (I see 2784's quite a bit and have parts for such as well)... I'm a 2892 fan, as it's the refinement of the 2824; however, since it's thinner overall, the parts are too. You need to have experience with the more robust 2824 and earlier variants first in my opinion. Better still, pocket watch movements but parts can sometimes be a challenge, although on average, they are quite a bit less than wristwatch movements.

One of my projects in this vein was a swamped Omega 2500 (gen 1 Co-Axial 2892-A2 variant). It was a cheap eBay find. I tore it down and rebuilt it without doing further harm. Maybe I could have restored it (I did not clean or lubricate it) but I had no need for it at that time and sold it on for what I paid for it. Free lesson for me! But, I did that after working with several Eta movements prior, so I had a good idea what I was in for.