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

Endeavor

By Endeavor
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

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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 ??

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Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

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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.

 

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oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

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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.

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Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

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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?)

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Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

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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 ....

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StuartBaker104 Distinguished Member

StuartBaker104

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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

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Endeavor Distinguished Member

Endeavor

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@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 ......

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