Jump to content

A spring bar or NOT a spring bar? (OASIS B270)


wilding

Recommended Posts

Hello and good afternoon to all.
OK, here is another little horological teaser for you to get your heads around.

I have this great OASIS lady's (?) B270 watch that I got in a set to be repaired. It actually only needed a battery and works great.

However, the strap DEFINITELY needs replacing!

AND here is my problem.

I just CANNOT figure out HOW to get the spring bar out.
Actually, I am not sure it IS a spring bar. I have tried hard with all manner of tools (spring bar removers, screwdrivers, sharp knives etc.) to get the spring to release, but no joy.

I took the strap off by hand, so you can see the photos to see what I have. I really HOPE it IS a spring bar, but if so, HOW to get it out??

And if it is NOT, then HOW to fit a new strap on other than by glue?

Also, as an aside to all this, does ANYONE know how to set the date on this watch? 
But first things first eh! As far as I can tell, there are NOT two positions that you can pull out the crown to. But I could well be wrong.

20181018_143801.jpg

20181018_143738.jpg

20181018_143708.jpg

20181018_143657.jpg

20181018_143904.jpg

20181018_143910.jpg

20181018_143808.jpg

20181018_143831.jpg

20181018_143839.jpg

20181018_143849.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Wilding,

I am probably the last person to offer advice on your watch but I know what I would do.  I believe you do have spring bars on this watch.

If they do not come off easily, why not gently pry them off, protecting the watch and replace them with generic bars. As for the date, I assume you've tried the rotate the time to change the date?  This watch is a nice but simple watch and therefore I assume all of the parts and functions are also simple.  Someone here knows better than me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you sure they are spring bars and not fixed bars? If they are fixed you need an open ended type strap. 

Sometimes with fixed bars you can see the ends on the outside of the lugs unless they have been plated over.

If they are fixed and you break them out you could make a lot of work. I would be tempted to just get an open end strap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks to me like those are spring bars, but they are too large. That is, the "bar" part is exactly the size of the lug space, and the springs are in the holes. If that's the case, you should be able to rotate them. And in that case you can do as suggested above, pry them out, then replace with better fitting bars which can be removed without destroying them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree with @eezyrider that if you're struggling this much then an open ended strap might be the way to go! This type of strap slots through a bar and secures with a tab.

Your pics don't show the underside of the strap to check if it is already an open-ended design but a quick look on ebay and item 223189626008 is the same as yours and the strap looks 'normal'. This means the bars should remove (also very likely since a mass produced fashion watch wouldn't employ a design that made things difficult to put together). What if you get a pair of needle nose pliers and grip a bar tightly ... can you get any side-to-side movement?

As to the setting of your watch it's a Miyota 6P29 movement so easy to track down a spec document for: http://miyotamovement.com/pdf/spec_6P25.pdf. In this case it's the single-click out to set the date; two clicks out to set the time and day.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From experience I would say that this is 99% a non-telescopic spring bar.  See this picture. http://blog.esslinger.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/single-shoulder-spring-bar.png  Usually they are used in watches with holes drilled right through so they can be removed by pushing a pin in from the outside.  However some watchmakers like them as once they are in, they won't come out... unless they are ripped or cut out.  So the solution is to cut them out and replace with a normal spring bar.  I would say I have to cut these bars out for maybe 1 in every 50 straps I change, so the issue does come up.

 

However you need to be sure.  Fixed bars would be very unusual on a watch of this style and age.  Does the bar twist?  If so then likely  spring bar.  But cut at your own risk as cutting bars on a case with fixed bars will screw up the case.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They should still be spring bars, just a different type without a shoulder.  They are usually used when there are drilled lugs like this, but always be very careful before cutting out.  Old watches, often gold cases have fixed bars but they are usually obvious.  Very rare to find fixed bars on something modern like this with a relatively modern quartz movement. image.png.08e1438c2f519ffca85009be2ee0f221.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Similar Content

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Have you ever seen grease spread?  I use Molykote DX on the keyless, cannon pinion, etc and cannot imagine it spreading. Similarly, HP1300 should not be a problem, as long as you don't splash too much about.  9010 does like to travel though. I've recently re-serviced a couple of my watches I first serviced about 5 years ago. I was a bit too liberal with the oil and grease back then, but it hasn't spread everywhere. I only epilame on balance cap stones, escape wheel and pallet stones (and auto wheels if they need it).   If you use it all over, the oil might bead-up and travel even further - think of using RainX on your car windows.
    • Polish it where the old part cracked as well. Get rid of the stress-raisers.
    • Sounds great! And yes, I would use grease for the keyless as well although treating the parts with epilame would make the grease less likely to spread in the long run. Not critical but won’t hurt. My current strategy is to epilame treat all parts getting in contact with oil or grease.
    • Hello everyone, for what it's worth, here is my approach: 1. Escape wheel submerged in Epilame, then dried quickly with a hairdryer. Then the final tip of the pivots are cleaned by poking into pithwood. The logic being that the Epilame is removed at the intended contact point (to avoid any residue that may mix with the oil), but remains in the areas where oil is not supposed to spread to (further down the pivot towards the wheel). The escape wheel teeth also benefit from having Epilame to keep the 9415 in place.  2. I use a syringe to treat only the pallet stones. I suspend the pallet fork with some Rodico so that the stones hang downwards. I notably use a rather thick needle where a drop WON'T form, but rather where the Epilame liquid stays in the needle tip, which I then dip into the pallet stones. It requires some practice to get the right amount of Epilame into the needle tip, but it works for me now. This way, no drop will "jump" onto the pallet fork and potentially go all the way to the pivots.  3. I let the movement run for a few minutes without lubricating the pallet stones... to scrape off the Epilame in the intended contact "channel". Then I remove the balance again and lubricate the exit pallet stone with 3-4 successive drops. See the "channel" that forms on the pallet stone in the picture -- not so easy to see, but it's visible.       I am conflicted about the use of Epliame in balance jewel settings. My impression is that the two jewels sufficiently suspend the oil (even 9010). Apparently Rolex recommends NOT to use Epliame there (heard from a former Rolex service center watchmaker), as it could cause additional wear. Apart from that, I follow specific instructions where I can find them. E.g. the infamous Rolex reverser wheels or sometimes (parts of) the seconds wheel. Exception: I'm currently servicing an Eta 2824 and will probably ignore the service sheet that recommends treating the whole keyless works with Epilame and then using HP1300... I'll skip the Epilame and use 9504 grease.        
    • I'm going to give this a try today/tomorrow on my UTC33/Seiko 66, thanks!
×
×
  • Create New...