How Many Hours To Find A Watch Part? ;)

[PadraicB]

I've had some fun since yesterday hunting down parts for a 1945 Bulova 10BAC movement which I've started looking into repairing/restoring. The third wheel was missing and the tension springs were too. Picked it up for a reasonably low price so there's room in the budget! Unfortunately, after looking up the darn thing in the 1952 bulova interchangeable parts catelog, it's one of those unique movements which doesn't share a lot of parts with any other movements so you literally must have either another 10BAC movement or a NOS supply, so I ended up locating the one and only Google findable #91 Upper C.S. Third Wheel on Ofrei.com which also had the tension springs in stock.

 

I'll also need a new crystal, sweep seconds hand, correct crown for this model and a nice strap. Appears to have been a real production model at the time but model name is unknown. Too small to be a military style watch though the dial still suggests an air navigation origin.

 

I spent hours yesterday running down options for this, and several other Bulova watches. It's fun in a way. Anyone else sinking ridiculous hours into parts finding?

 

Here's a complete one in excellent condition from http://www.mybulova.com/watches/1945-unknown-4206 :

 

Let's say mine is a slightly less clean though the dial looks perfectly fine and the blued hands are intact and clean ;).

 

[Geo]

I have couple watches that have taken months to source parts for. I find this part of the hobby as much fun as building the movement. I'm about to put a TAG F1 chronograph back together shortly, it's taken eighteen months to source all the parts that I wanted to replace.

[WillFly]

I've tended to try and source whole movements. I found an Enicar 1292 complete, working movement, for my Majex - much easier than sourcing the one part I needed. £26 from the US, plus minimal postage - and I have a spare movement... I've done the same with my Unitas 173 movement, for which only a replacement equivalent mainspring is available on Cousins.

[Blacklab]

Got an old Omega 19''', 2 years on still looking for a for a replacement balance or roller jewel. As for the rest (early Seikos + odd swiss from the 40/50/60's) no big problems.... so far.