Jump to content

Help, an Art Deco watch after 80 years in a drawer !!

Endeavor

By Endeavor
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
Posted

Hello All;

Another new challenge ! I just bought this ladies Art Deco watch; NOS, never been worn and has been standing still for 80 years of so......

It's a cylinder escapement and the balance wheel looks rusty. I have no idea whether is runs, according to the eBay add; "it needs a service". I thought I would throw in a bid and managed to get it for £15 including postage. What are your initial thoughts, how to tackle this one ??

AD-1.thumb.jpg.511755ca9bbcd666e3ba26d46631471f.jpgAD-2.thumb.jpg.cf19b9bad9681145778f51eb3411e60e.jpgAD-3.thumb.jpg.6ce05fe982409c0351719258f51deaea.jpgAD-4.thumb.jpg.74d9f6548782317bef8aa1905b247fd4.jpgAD-5.thumb.jpg.c5791ee1cffedfd0b7340b0a5e7260c7.jpgAD-6.thumb.jpg.493aeb6652486bc12d168a0efc1cfc33.jpg

 

rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
Posted

Sure you can. Looks like a simple 6 jewel movement. Maybe that could be a problem i don't know?  Harder to find parts? But could clean up nice with a fiberbrush . Hairspring looks okay? 

Chopin Super WRT Addict

Chopin

Posted
Posted

Just separate the balance from everything else, use a special substance to clean the rust off and you're done.

I'd say that you have high chances of getting it going. :)

Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thank you both for your swift reply ;)

I was thinking of making a walk-through of this one; from start to finish ..... it would be nice to get it back in tip-top condition!

@Chopin; what may this "special substance" be? Fibre-brush is already in my tool-kit.

 

nickelsilver Distinguished Member

nickelsilver

Posted
Posted

Balance should be guilded brass. If normal cleaning doesn't brighten it try powdered chalk, wet, rubbing with fingers/ pithwood/ brush or whatever.

Don't forget you can't remove the balance with power on the gear train.

oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

Posted
Posted

You need to check the hairspring and cylinder both for rust. Check the cylinder for wear. You can clean up the balance wheel with a glass fibre pencil brush in Ronsonol lighter fluid make sure you brush the same way all the time, that way it will have a nice finish and won't look scratched.

Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Thank you all for the great tips :thumbsu:  The watch will be send from Germany to Denmark, so I expect it will be with me by the end of next week. We have to see in which condition it is in and obviously, I will report back as soon as I know more.

The luminous on the hands is another thing to watch, that has probably gone very brittle. Just in case, any restore tips here...? (I do have good white/green luminous; can one do an "age-trick" with/to the powder?)

Edited by Endeavor
Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
  • Author
Posted
16 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

Don't forget you can't remove the balance with power on the gear train.

@nickelsilver; yes thanks, I knew ...... however it is not until now that I "miss" the ratchet-wheel and the click ..... on the dial side? Hmmm ....... Interesting. Also, so far I couldn't find any information about WAP, most likely German ....... I'll ask the seller, see what he knows ....

StuartBaker104 Distinguished Member

StuartBaker104

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, Endeavor said:

Thank you all for the great tips :thumbsu:  The watch will be send from Germany to Denmark, so I expect it will be with me by the end of next week. We have to see in which condition it is in and obviously, I will report back as soon as I know more.

The luminous on the hands is another thing to watch, that has probably gone very brittle. Just in case, any restore tips here...? (I do have good white/green luminous; can one do an "age-trick" with/to the powder?)

If you are very careful you should be able to remove and replace the hands and dial without damaging the luminous paint. As you say the will both be very fragile. You can mix paint pigment with luminous paste to try and match the colour, but it rarely looks like these do now.

Hopefully you will find that the original oil, whilst dried out and possibly hard to remove will have protected the running surfaces.

Good luck, keep us posted!

S

Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

@StuartBaker104; Reading your luminous tip, I'll better stick to the "if you are very careful" part ! ;)

Will keep you posted ..... I think it's great fun to bring something this old & fragile back alive. It's not the highest quality movement, but for me this little gem deserves it. We'll see how far we get ......

Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
  • Author
Posted

@vinn3: Thanks, sounds encouraging. I may need indeed all the good luck :o ! The smallest I trained myself on is the 17mm ETA2541, or Tissot 742. I would assume this movement is within the same order of magnitude .... (?).

Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Thank you all for your advice & help; the servicing of this watch has been concluded. If you are interested you can find a walkthrough under this link;

 

Edited by Endeavor
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • RichardHarris123
      Help with repairing a quartz clock

      By RichardHarris123 · Posted

      I would remove the wheels, check for damage and if not damaged, clean. 
    • MikaR
      Help with repairing a quartz clock

      By MikaR · Posted

      Thanks for the replies! Here's a photo of the front of the clock and a GIF animation of the movement (exposed by removing the black cap in the centre of the clock). You can see the behaviour of the gears. It's a fairly valuable clock from the 80s (Braun ABW 35). I'm not sure if replacing the movement would diminish the value, so I'd prefer to keep the original parts if it's easy to fix. But since the movement itself is pretty generic, I guess, maybe replacing it wouldn't make any difference with regard to the value of the clock? Or would it? I suppose the value is mostly in the design.
    • VWatchie
      What's your thoughts on this Rolex Sea-Dweller, ref. 16600, calibre 3135 project?

      By VWatchie · Posted

      Well, my fundamental stance is that I want to go in and out without leaving any trace other than a shining, perfectly running movement. So, no scratchings on the inside of the case back lid, no marred screws, no debris, no fingerprints, and so on. That is, my goal is to make it impossible for the FBI to track me down. As a professional, I suppose you might want to keep track of returning watches, but as @JohnR725 mentioned, we can keep detailed computer records without marking the watch at all. That may not be true for every watch, but luxury and COSC-certified movements do have unique numbers. John also says it’s best to leave no sign you were ever there, and I couldn't agree more. Now, suppose the Sea-Dweller I'm working on is one day scrapped, and you want to sell the case-back separately (perhaps the case was destroyed in a plane crash). Then the scribbles on the inside no longer reflect the current movement inside the case. Also, the engraving will likely halve the market value of the case back. It had been "sleeping" for about a week and a half. Yes, the "debris/old lubricant" theory is my hypothesis as well! It will be interesting to see what I find once I have time to start disassembling the movement.
    • MikeEll
      Help with repairing a quartz clock

      By MikeEll · Posted

      I've repaired a few of these, having some success with stripping and cleaning the mechanism.  They are so cheap though, its hardly worth the effort in many cases.
    • watchweasol
      Oldhippy

      By watchweasol · Posted

      Get well soon Old Hippy, torn muscles.,  not good
×
×
  • Create New...