Well, the question was asked. Hence this thread.

I can start with and you can be probably incensed with objection to what I have to say;
That though I haven’t actually been up with everything about watches for a very long time, my faves are actually the same basics that were the standards of the day.
Everything since has been drastic downgrades of increasing intensity to the point that to fix a watch that changing the battery doesn’t fix means that you need to replace the movement if you want to keep the case.

Back in the days of my apprenticeship, The best watch I wanted was a Certina. Kurth Frerès made very good watches. I didn’t fawn after the more famous brands. I was pulling them apart and seeing the quality of workmanship that made watches capable of actually having that done and being able to be put back together.

roughbarked said:

Back in the days of my apprenticeship, The best watch I wanted was a Certina. Kurth Frerès made very good watches. I didn’t fawn after the more famous brands. I was pulling them apart and seeing the quality of workmanship that made watches capable of actually having that done and being able to be put back together. Though I’d be the first to admit that Certina were a very upgrade ETA offshoot at a very early stage, since re-incorporated.

Don’t know why I started with C but Cyma also made very good watches.

Brand names may be everything to some.

There are so many very high quality brand name watches that I have never seen. This is not because you may think that I have been totally away from the industry.

The aforementioned Kev, happens to be my opal mining partner of decades. The other who co-owns the dugout I use to sleep in while I’m digging, happens to be the bloke who I was apprenticed to.

The real issue is to make a watch that will work for decades past the last service you missed. Show me a car that can do that.

roughbarked said:

The real issue is to make a watch that will work for decades past the last service you missed. Show me a car that can do that.

Of the electronic watches of today, I have a ute load of replaced movements for watches and not many of them fill a cubic inch by themselves.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

The real issue is to make a watch that will work for decades past the last service you missed. Show me a car that can do that.

Of the electronic watches of today, I have a ute load of replaced movements for watches and not many of them fill a cubic inch by themselves.

This in no means can be considered in sydharbs since I haven’t actually filled one yet.
Most watch movements, particularly today, would be no larger in surface area than my thumbnail. They chuck them in any size case.

Did you hear about the kid who wanted a watch for Xmas, so his parents let him.

roughbarked said:

Well, the question was asked. Hence this thread.

I can start with and you can be probably incensed with objection to what I have to say;
That though I haven’t actually been up with everything about watches for a very long time, my faves are actually the same basics that were the standards of the day.
Everything since has been drastic downgrades of increasing intensity to the point that to fix a watch that changing the battery doesn’t fix means that you need to replace the movement if you want to keep the case.

Starts a thread about favourite watches, doesn’t name any brands or actual watches.

I don’t own a watch but the skill is in the old fashioned ones that use cogs to accurately tell the time. Like the models of the solar system that use various sized cogs, levers,etc to accurately show the movement of the planets they are works of art as well as scientific instruments. Smart watches are worth sod all really, outdated in a year and worth nothing a few years later.

• Smart watches are worth sod all really, outdated in a year and worth nothing a few years later.

And first with their backs against the wall when the revolution comes…

poikilotherm said:

roughbarked said:

Well, the question was asked. Hence this thread.

I can start with and you can be probably incensed with objection to what I have to say;
That though I haven’t actually been up with everything about watches for a very long time, my faves are actually the same basics that were the standards of the day.
Everything since has been drastic downgrades of increasing intensity to the point that to fix a watch that changing the battery doesn’t fix means that you need to replace the movement if you want to keep the case.

Starts a thread about favourite watches, doesn’t name any brands or actual watches.

?

He did say what one of his favorites was

I don’t believe I’ve worn or owned a watch since 1996. Moreover I don’t believe I owned or wore one before 1990 so the window was quite narrow.

my favourite watches include forensic technique shows and those that are based around criminal psychology

I haven’t worn a watch for over 20 years… people always are good at telling you the time..

“It’s fricken 4.30 in the morning, what are you calling for?”

Arts said:

my favourite watches include forensic technique shows and those that are based around criminal psychology

Im not familiar with Forensic watches

http://www.zazzle.com.au/forensic+watches

huh., well there you go

dv said:

I don’t believe I’ve worn or owned a watch since 1996. Moreover I don’t believe I owned or wore one before 1990 so the window was quite narrow.

It took me a while to wean myself off the habit of whacking it on first thing in the morning right after turning off the alarm.

• It took me a while to wean myself off the habit of whacking it on first thing in the morning right after turning off the alarm

Are you still talking about watches?

one with a finger print

furious said:

• It took me a while to wean myself off the habit of whacking it on first thing in the morning right after turning off the alarm

Are you still talking about watches?

Whacking it on, not whacking it off.

My favourite watch is last dog

AwesomeO said:

dv said:

I don’t believe I’ve worn or owned a watch since 1996. Moreover I don’t believe I owned or wore one before 1990 so the window was quite narrow.

It took me a while to wean myself off the habit of whacking it off first thing in the morning right after turning off the alarm.

Corrected a word for you

Cymek said:

AwesomeO said:

dv said:

I don’t believe I’ve worn or owned a watch since 1996. Moreover I don’t believe I owned or wore one before 1990 so the window was quite narrow.

It took me a while to wean myself off the habit of whacking it off first thing in the morning right after turning off the alarm.

Corrected a word for you

Well that habit is a bit harder to break.

whacks on, whacks off

AwesomeO said:

Cymek said:

AwesomeO said:

It took me a while to wean myself off the habit of whacking it off first thing in the morning right after turning off the alarm.

Corrected a word for you

Well that habit is a bit harder to break.

And why would you want to

this thread just got weird

Arts said:

this thread just got weird

You might have to watch something else.

There are some very strange looking watches out there

http://www.boredpanda.com/creative-watches/

http://www.smashinglists.com/30-amazing-watches-youd-love-to-own/

http://yearwatches.com/men-watches-2016/

http://www.oddee.com/item_97808.aspx

http://www.weirdworm.com/10-unusual-watches/

Evo and Wheels mag both have a regular watch feature. Some expensive gear out there though I suppose in the eyes of the very wealthy, 30 or so K on your wrist is not much at all.

I have some watches

here is one I have

http://www.ioffer.com/i/new-mens-cti-21jewels-automatic-moonphase-swiss-watch-574288432

My iPhone is just as good as any watch

… runs away

party_pants said:

My iPhone is just as good as any watch

… runs away

iPhone?

boo hiss

Witty Rejoinder said:

party_pants said:

My iPhone is just as good as any watch

… runs away

iPhone?

boo hiss

I was reading the other day that apparently they are still making them and that they still have about 7% of the smart phone marketshare, so things aren’t as dire as you may have imagined.

I like the chromachron watches

colorful

My favourite watch is one that is accurate to one second per year.

My favourite watch displays full date and time.

My favourite watch doesn’t break down.

My favourite watch doesn’t exist.

mollwollfumble said:

My favourite watch is one that is accurate to one second per year.

My favourite watch displays full date and time.

My favourite watch doesn’t break down.

My favourite watch doesn’t exist.

How big are the smallest atomic clocks?

Witty Rejoinder said:

mollwollfumble said:

My favourite watch is one that is accurate to one second per year.

My favourite watch displays full date and time.

My favourite watch doesn’t break down.

My favourite watch doesn’t exist.

How big are the smallest atomic clocks?

probably better to just get a watch that synchronises with an atomic clock regularly

I live in the tropics and gave up wearing watches within a short time of arriving here due to having a mushroom farm develop under my watchband but …. recently I have purchased and started wearing a smart watch which allows me to interact with my phone without getting it out of my pocket. I think it’s awesome.

I’ll get stuck in.

This is what I’m wearing right now.

hers’ what I bought on ebay a couple of days ago

And this is my favourite that Mrs P bought me for our 10th anniversary.

Obviously I like mechanical things with gears and the like in them :)

None of those watches has the right time…

furious said:

None of those watches has the right time…

They’re correct twice a day.

When I was eleven, I bought myself a “Roamer” brand manual wrist watch in Switzerland. I still have it. My first wife bought me a Certina DS (waterproof, automatic) for my 21st birthday. I still have that. When I started my PhD, I bought a fancy and very expensive waterproof watch with an altimeter in it, so I could work out where I was mapping. (Before the days of GPS, we used topographic maps and altimeters.) I still have that, but it needs a new band and battery. I haven’t worn a watch since about 1998, and find since that time, I am early for appointments instead of late as I was when I wore a watch. Go figure.

I recently inherited my father-in-law’s silver-cased fob watch. It’s an “Elgin” brand, and seems to have been made in 1911. (Roughbarked – I discovered it today in Brisbane – I thought it had already been taken to Rainbow. Movement number: 16043147.)

Michael V said:

When I was eleven, I bought myself a “Roamer” brand manual wrist watch in Switzerland. I still have it. My first wife bought me a Certina DS (waterproof, automatic) for my 21st birthday. I still have that. When I started my PhD, I bought a fancy and very expensive waterproof watch with an altimeter in it, so I could work out where I was mapping. (Before the days of GPS, we used topographic maps and altimeters.) I still have that, but it needs a new band and battery. I haven’t worn a watch since about 1998, and find since that time, I am early for appointments instead of late as I was when I wore a watch. Go figure.

I recently inherited my father-in-law’s silver-cased fob watch. It’s an “Elgin” brand, and seems to have been made in 1911. (Roughbarked – I discovered it today in Brisbane – I thought it had already been taken to Rainbow. Movement number: 16043147.)

You never told me you have a PhD.

sibeen said:

Michael V said:

When I was eleven, I bought myself a “Roamer” brand manual wrist watch in Switzerland. I still have it. My first wife bought me a Certina DS (waterproof, automatic) for my 21st birthday. I still have that. When I started my PhD, I bought a fancy and very expensive waterproof watch with an altimeter in it, so I could work out where I was mapping. (Before the days of GPS, we used topographic maps and altimeters.) I still have that, but it needs a new band and battery. I haven’t worn a watch since about 1998, and find since that time, I am early for appointments instead of late as I was when I wore a watch. Go figure.

I recently inherited my father-in-law’s silver-cased fob watch. It’s an “Elgin” brand, and seems to have been made in 1911. (Roughbarked – I discovered it today in Brisbane – I thought it had already been taken to Rainbow. Movement number: 16043147.)

You never told me you have a PhD.

It’s a make of watch :)

• You never told me you have a PhD.

“Started” a PhD…

sibeen said:

Michael V said:

When I was eleven, I bought myself a “Roamer” brand manual wrist watch in Switzerland. I still have it. My first wife bought me a Certina DS (waterproof, automatic) for my 21st birthday. I still have that. When I started my PhD, I bought a fancy and very expensive waterproof watch with an altimeter in it, so I could work out where I was mapping. (Before the days of GPS, we used topographic maps and altimeters.) I still have that, but it needs a new band and battery. I haven’t worn a watch since about 1998, and find since that time, I am early for appointments instead of late as I was when I wore a watch. Go figure.

I recently inherited my father-in-law’s silver-cased fob watch. It’s an “Elgin” brand, and seems to have been made in 1911. (Roughbarked – I discovered it today in Brisbane – I thought it had already been taken to Rainbow. Movement number: 16043147.)

You never told me you have a PhD.

That’s because I don’t always tell you everything.

Oh, hang on. I don’t have a PhD. I started, I didn’t finish.

Witty Rejoinder said:

How big are the smallest atomic clocks?

I built my own atomic clock. It uses a rubidium standard, and is accurate to ±1 in 10¹² (one picosecond per second.)

btm said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

How big are the smallest atomic clocks?

I built my own atomic clock. It uses a rubidium standard, and is accurate to ±1 in 10¹² (one picosecond per second.)

How many parts?

Witty Rejoinder said:

party_pants said:

My iPhone is just as good as any watch

… runs away

iPhone?

boo hiss

I didn’t choose it. Works pays for it, so beggars can’t be choosers and all that.

Michael V said:

When I was eleven, I bought myself a “Roamer” brand manual wrist watch in Switzerland. I still have it. My first wife bought me a Certina DS (waterproof, automatic) for my 21st birthday. I still have that. When I started my PhD, I bought a fancy and very expensive waterproof watch with an altimeter in it, so I could work out where I was mapping. (Before the days of GPS, we used topographic maps and altimeters.) I still have that, but it needs a new band and battery. I haven’t worn a watch since about 1998, and find since that time, I am early for appointments instead of late as I was when I wore a watch. Go figure.

I recently inherited my father-in-law’s silver-cased fob watch. It’s an “Elgin” brand, and seems to have been made in 1911. (Roughbarked – I discovered it today in Brisbane – I thought it had already been taken to Rainbow. Movement number: 16043147.)

MST, Roamer were very fine watches. Had great waterproof cases. Certina were even finer watches. Elgin were made in the US of A and despite their age, are still fine quality watches. I repaired one yesterday. Parts are becoming hard to get in Australia but there seems to be plenty in the USA. The one I had to fix had been butchered by some idiot back in the day when sticky tape went yellow. I managed to get two replacement parts but had to hand make others.

MSR or Manufactures Swisse Reunions or Revue watch company. They made some very nice watches of which I have four. One is skeletonised.

roughbarked said:

MSR or Manufactures Swisse Reunies otherwise know as the Revue watch company. They made some very nice watches of which I have four. One is skeletonised.

MSR T56

oops the second photo was meant to show the movement of the MSR T56

Certina was founded in 1888 when Adolf and Alfred Kurth opened in Grenchen their first movement and supplies factory for the watchmaking industry. At the start Certina’s staff consisted of three employees working in a workshop that was connected to the family home. Certina did not begin producing complete watches and timepieces for a few years which they then did alongside their work producing movements for other companies. By 1938 the company had expanded and 250 employees celebrated the 50th anniversary of the company. At that time Certina were already known as pioneers.

Certina continued to expand and by 1955 the company had 500 employees working between the factory and offices, producing 1’000 timepieces every day. Certina worked up a new business plan that expanded its operations and was at the time considered the most modern and best equipped watchmakers in the world.

By 1972 Certina employed 900 people and produced 600,000 watches every year. The company was ranked first in most major jewellery watch fairs, and they obtained both the “International Diamonds Awards” and the “Golden Rose” award. By this time Certina was producing 375,000 watch components per day and used 53,000 rubies.

Their movements were simple uncluttered and very beautifully finished.

http://www.watchcarefully.com/articles/certina.html

Double Security concept, launched in 1959, has brought a new standard of a water and shock resistance into the watch making industry.

Ever since, Certina’s highly reinforced watches have successfully resisted to the most extreme conditions.

In 1936, Certina manufactured the world’s first digital watch. Driven by a standard spring movement, rotating disks bearing inscribed numbers are used to display time. (believe me, it was a pain in the bum to service due to the discs. The design was short lived, though copied by many.)

In 1971 Certina launched the Biostar, the first watch which displayed human biorhythms.

Did you see my post about the pocket watch?

Michael V said:

Did you see my post about the pocket watch?

Yep. Did you see mine about how I recently made parts for an Elgin which I reckon was produced in 1890.

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

Did you see my post about the pocket watch?

Yep. Did you see mine about how I recently made parts for an Elgin which I reckon was produced in 1890.

No I hadn’t. Interesting, and good on you! There are a couple of movement number databases on Elgin watches. One gives specialist information as well as the year.

Oh, and the Roamer isn’t waterproof, unfortunately. But I didn’t pay great heaps for it IIRC. Probably less than 10 pounds. Mum and Dad each bought Tissot watches. But I couldn’t afford that brand.

I’m thinking of starting a detective agency for senior citizens – a sort of “old people’s Holmes”.

I’ve no idea how that got in this thread. Sorry.

btm said:

I’ve no idea how that got in this thread. Sorry.

oh the ironing…

:P

Michael V said:

Oh, and the Roamer isn’t waterproof, unfortunately. But I didn’t pay great heaps for it IIRC. Probably less than 10 pounds. Mum and Dad each bought Tissot watches. But I couldn’t afford that brand.

Hmm. Roamer prided themselves on their waterproof cases. Maybe you got the boy’s watch.

Tissot were never in the high price bracket. They may have been a bit more expensive than cheap watches but Roamer would have been more expensive than Tissot in general. If I was offered the choice between a Tissot and a Roamer, I’d take the Roamer every time.

Michael V said:

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

Did you see my post about the pocket watch?

Yep. Did you see mine about how I recently made parts for an Elgin which I reckon was produced in 1890.

No I hadn’t. Interesting, and good on you! There are a couple of movement number databases on Elgin watches. One gives specialist information as well as the year.

If you have the links I wouldn’t mind seeing them. I may know about them and I may not. I block too much stuff to be able to get absolutely everything pertaining to any search I do.

stumpy_seahorse said:

btm said:

I’ve no idea how that got in this thread. Sorry.

oh the ironing…

:P

:) I enjoyed the joke.

From Wiki: Roamer was founded in Solothurn, Switzerland, in 1888 by Fritz Meyer. At first, Meyer and employees concentrated on manufacturing cylinder escapements, in 1904 Meyer began assembling watches. In 1905 Meyer joined forces with fellow watchmaker Johann Studeli to form the partnership Meyer and Studeli. In the same year Meyer won a Bronze medal at the Liege World Fair. The partnership continued to develop new calibres and enter them into more World Fairs, winning Silver Medals at the Milan Fair in 1906 and Brussels Fair in 1910.

The earliest identified watch is an unmarked Ladies pocket watch containing an MST 41 cylinder escapement that has London silver hallmarks for 1908.

In 1917 they purchased fellow Solothurn watchmaker L Tieche Gammeter (LTG). LTG had previously registered the brand “Roamer” in 1908. In 1918 the partnership incorporated into the company Meyer & Studeli SA.

By 1923, production grew to one million units. The jeweled lever-escapement watches were sold under the brand ‘Roamer’. Cylinder, and later pin-lever, watches were sold under the brands Medana and Meda. In 1932 the company started its own dial production line. In 1945, a representative office opened in New York City and in 1952 Meyer and Studeli officially changed its name to Roamer Watch Co. SA. In 1955, Roamer patented the Anfibio watertight watch case, which proved to be a commercial success. The company launched its first quartz movement in 1972.

In 2003, Roamer returned to manufacturing mechanical watches.

In 2013, its 125. year anniversary, Roamer launched a limited new edition of the Stingray Chrono Diver watch.

roughbarked said:

From Wiki: Roamer was founded in Solothurn, Switzerland, in 1888 by Fritz Meyer. At first, Meyer and employees concentrated on manufacturing cylinder escapements, in 1904 Meyer began assembling watches. In 1905 Meyer joined forces with fellow watchmaker Johann Studeli to form the partnership Meyer and Studeli. In the same year Meyer won a Bronze medal at the Liege World Fair. The partnership continued to develop new calibres and enter them into more World Fairs, winning Silver Medals at the Milan Fair in 1906 and Brussels Fair in 1910.

The earliest identified watch is an unmarked Ladies pocket watch containing an MST 41 cylinder escapement that has London silver hallmarks for 1908.

In 1917 they purchased fellow Solothurn watchmaker L Tieche Gammeter (LTG). LTG had previously registered the brand “Roamer” in 1908. In 1918 the partnership incorporated into the company Meyer & Studeli SA.

By 1923, production grew to one million units. The jeweled lever-escapement watches were sold under the brand ‘Roamer’. Cylinder, and later pin-lever, watches were sold under the brands Medana and Meda. In 1932 the company started its own dial production line. In 1945, a representative office opened in New York City and in 1952 Meyer and Studeli officially changed its name to Roamer Watch Co. SA. In 1955, Roamer patented the Anfibio watertight watch case, which proved to be a commercial success. The company launched its first quartz movement in 1972.

In 2003, Roamer returned to manufacturing mechanical watches.

In 2013, its 125. year anniversary, Roamer launched a limited new edition of the Stingray Chrono Diver watch.

So, MST produced watches under the name Gruen at first then Medana, later Roamer.

Military watches were in chrome cases because the price had to be kept down and materials were in short supply, perhaps also because most of them were going to get buried in mud and lost anyway.

Centre seconds hand adaptation.

Roamer alarm watch:

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

roughbarked said:

Yep. Did you see mine about how I recently made parts for an Elgin which I reckon was produced in 1890.

No I hadn’t. Interesting, and good on you! There are a couple of movement number databases on Elgin watches. One gives specialist information as well as the year.

If you have the links I wouldn’t mind seeing them. I may know about them and I may not. I block too much stuff to be able to get absolutely everything pertaining to any search I do.

This gives you heaps of info if you search the movement number:

http://elginwatches.org/databases/elgin_sn_intro.html

It’s worth reading his example pages and the various explanatory links therein, as well as the parent page.

http://elginwatches.org/

Michael V said:

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

No I hadn’t. Interesting, and good on you! There are a couple of movement number databases on Elgin watches. One gives specialist information as well as the year.

If you have the links I wouldn’t mind seeing them. I may know about them and I may not. I block too much stuff to be able to get absolutely everything pertaining to any search I do.

This gives you heaps of info if you search the movement number:

http://elginwatches.org/databases/elgin_sn_intro.html

It’s worth reading his example pages and the various explanatory links therein, as well as the parent page.

http://elginwatches.org/

Yes, thanks. I had this page bookmarked on my old computer, I’m sure. When I looked for it recently I was having problems relocating it by searching with this computer.

roughbarked said:

Michael V said:

roughbarked said:

If you have the links I wouldn’t mind seeing them. I may know about them and I may not. I block too much stuff to be able to get absolutely everything pertaining to any search I do.

This gives you heaps of info if you search the movement number:

http://elginwatches.org/databases/elgin_sn_intro.html

It’s worth reading his example pages and the various explanatory links therein, as well as the parent page.

http://elginwatches.org/

Yes, thanks. I had this page bookmarked on my old computer, I’m sure. When I looked for it recently I was having problems relocating it by searching with this computer.

Ah, yes. “This site doesn’t supply identity information”.

I saw a sign that said “watch for children” and I thought, “That sounds like a fair trade.”

stumpy_seahorse said:

I saw a sign that said “watch for children” and I thought, “That sounds like a fair trade.”

So how many watches did you get?

bob(from black rock) said:

stumpy_seahorse said:

I saw a sign that said “watch for children” and I thought, “That sounds like a fair trade.”

So how many watches did you get?

He didn’t have any children. Maybe he traded watches for them?

I have this watch

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luxury-Cool-JARAGAR-Moon-phase-calendar-Automatic-mechanical-Leather-Mens-Watch-/201294514033

I cannot find a way to set the 24 hour Night Day setting located above the VI (6) indicator

The top right push in button adjusts the Date

the bottom right push in button adjusts the Month

there is a flush mount button near the VIII (8) indicator that adjusts the Day of week

there must be some combination of button to press to adjust the Day Night 24 hour indicator

CrazyNeutrino said:

I have this watch

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luxury-Cool-JARAGAR-Moon-phase-calendar-Automatic-mechanical-Leather-Mens-Watch-/201294514033

I cannot find a way to set the 24 hour Night Day setting located above the VI (6) indicator

The top right push in button adjusts the Date

the bottom right push in button adjusts the Month

there is a flush mount button near the VIII (8) indicator that adjusts the Day of week

there must be some combination of button to press to adjust the Day Night 24 hour indicator

maybe you just have to wind it forward with the crown to the correct day or night setting?

a gold one. as big as a banjo.

pommiejohn said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

I have this watch

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luxury-Cool-JARAGAR-Moon-phase-calendar-Automatic-mechanical-Leather-Mens-Watch-/201294514033

I cannot find a way to set the 24 hour Night Day setting located above the VI (6) indicator

The top right push in button adjusts the Date

the bottom right push in button adjusts the Month

there is a flush mount button near the VIII (8) indicator that adjusts the Day of week

there must be some combination of button to press to adjust the Day Night 24 hour indicator

maybe you just have to wind it forward with the crown to the correct day or night setting?

In most analog watches there is only one way to get to night. It is usually the same way to notice that the date changes at midnight. This is by winding the hands two twelve hours, ie: 24.

roughbarked said:

pommiejohn said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

I have this watch

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luxury-Cool-JARAGAR-Moon-phase-calendar-Automatic-mechanical-Leather-Mens-Watch-/201294514033

I cannot find a way to set the 24 hour Night Day setting located above the VI (6) indicator

The top right push in button adjusts the Date

the bottom right push in button adjusts the Month

there is a flush mount button near the VIII (8) indicator that adjusts the Day of week

there must be some combination of button to press to adjust the Day Night 24 hour indicator

maybe you just have to wind it forward with the crown to the correct day or night setting?

In most analog watches there is only one way to get to night. It is usually the same way to notice that the date changes at midnight. This is by winding the hands two twelve hours, ie: 24.

In all digital watches, one must continue right through the whole sequence. One cannot wind the digits backwards as one can with the hands on an analog.

Cajun porn stars.. heh. This watch needs a new balance staff and a fusee chain repair. Hasn’t been repaired since 1864. Solid 18 carat gold, case. There are very few if any watchmakers in the United States, capable of fixing this watch.

To fix the fusee chain, $2,000 USD
to repair the balance staff, $500 USD
(he forgot to add that it would cost approx $100 AUD to clean and oil it)

Value of the watch as is, $10,000 USD

I’d charge about $100 per link to fix the chain. It hasn’t been fixed since 1864. That means that only one link is broken. I’d probably charge not more than $150 to hand turn the balance staff. so, I could fix it for around $500. I could most likely also provide the original real glass. Yes, made out of glass .05 mm thick.

Heh. Cajun pawn stars, presented with a watchmakers hand turned lathe. Probably earlier than they date it at the turn of last century. He fits a puller to the collet and says he doesn’t know what it does but it fits in here.

roughbarked said:

Heh. Cajun pawn stars, presented with a watchmakers hand turned lathe. Probably earlier than they date it at the turn of last century. He fits a puller to the collet and says he doesn’t know what it does but it fits in here.

The expert demonstrates one of the attachments, the watch screw head polishing attachment.

$20? fucktards! If I paid fifty for it I’d think it was free.

furious said:

None of those watches has the right time…

When selling a watch or clock, one needs to make the hands smile. So ten minutes past ten or ten to two, are preferred. Twenty past eight is a sad face.

I gave my wife “this watch”:jhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Certina-18K-Yellow-Gold-Ladies-Wrist-Watch-Vintage-Art-Deco-/151920730789?hash=item235f2e62a5:g:OHYAAOxyvSVREOxI for our 8th anniversary. It had been on the shelf for years unsold at the same price plus I got the shop discount. About a year or two later, a very mixed up young lad who played with our children stole it along with a wide range of our possessions because we had gone to the local agricultural show and hadn’t offered to take him with us. The child of Spanish fruit pickers who had just blessed him with a new sister and he felt very left out. Knew how to get into the house when we were away because he was friends with our kids who needed to do the same. It ruined the rest of the weekend because cameras to child’s jigsaws were left out in a two inch downpour because he was too greedy and tried to stash everything that caught his eye. and I had to relocate it all. Found the ruby and diamond engagement ring on the back road in the mallee, my complete set of Nikon camera stuff under a senna bush.. To cut a long story short we got back most of it though there was some water damage. Had to get the cops out to frighten his uncle into backtracking the kid’s muddy footprints to locate where he hid the customers watches(thankfully, under the house). Didn’t charge him, was thankful to get the customers watches back unharmed.

Forgot to wonder where this solid gold Certina laddies watch had gone for a few years until I repotted the mint near the sliding door he used for access. When I found it the movement was a solid block of rust. I’m currently almost finished fixing it. All that needs to be done is renovate the dial. I used to be able to send it to a dial refurbisher in Sydney. Don’t think any such service still exists. Hope to be able to give it to Mrs rb as though she hardly ever wore it, she should appreciate that it lives again. There was always something about any Certina movement that moved me. Always as simple as needed to be, as a reliable and accurate low priced beautifully finished watch, there were none better.

roughbarked said:

I gave my wife this watch for our 8th anniversary. …

Fixed.

I’ll probably have to hand make the plexi. There won’t be one of those laying about, catalogued and saleable.

I’ve always liked a fob.. they look dapper and responsible. But I haven’t worn a watch since 1995, so it seems useless to buy one just for it to sit in a drawer. I still have the watch my dad wore.. it is quite old now, but probably still works since it is one of those old wind up jobs…

My Dad collected antique pocket watches, had some very nice ones. The older sister inherited them.

Bubblecar said:

My Dad collected antique pocket watches, had some very nice ones. The older sister inherited them.

He didn’t have any time for you?

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

My Dad collected antique pocket watches, had some very nice ones. The older sister inherited them.

He didn’t have any time for you?

I’d already had some nice watches from him over the years, but I don’t wear a watch. Still have some Swiss ones in a box somewhere.

Arts said:

I’ve always liked a fob.. they look dapper and responsible. But I haven’t worn a watch since 1995, so it seems useless to buy one just for it to sit in a drawer. I still have the watch my dad wore.. it is quite old now, but probably still works since it is one of those old wind up jobs…

I have fobs but no waistcoat. I’m very fond of the good wind up jobs. At least they actually work if someone services them occasionally.

The quartz watches are increasingly made to be like going back to Timex. ie: never made to be repaired.

Bubblecar said:

My Dad collected antique pocket watches, had some very nice ones. The older sister inherited them.

If they were good ones, she’s sitting on a small fortune.

Good evening to all 8 of you.

Certina really only made two ladies movements that were of my era. Both were exquisitely designed and finished. They are still the only mechanical movements they produced since the fifties because they were still in production when quartz movements took the market. All Certina movements are a joy to work on. No unrealistic complications. All parts polished to perfection. Easy to disassemble and reassemble. Rarely had any of the problems that plagued other movement designers. Hard as nails design. As long as the watch wasn’t damaged it only ever needed a clean and re-oil, no extra adjustments.

A friend of mine from school came in one day with his Certina DS that had come off his wrist in a maelstrom of a whirlpool caused by the antique irrigation canal system at the spot. A fave swimming hole because of the three kilometre high speed chute through a narrow concrete ditch into a wider canal where the small waterfall and whirlpool were. It had been there walking around on the bottom of the whirlpool for several years. I know this because the watch was still going and on the correct time. There was a small amount of rust on the winding stem which must have been the only oxygen bubble in the watch.

Bubblecar said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

My Dad collected antique pocket watches, had some very nice ones. The older sister inherited them.

He didn’t have any time for you?

I’d already had some nice watches from him over the years, but I don’t wear a watch. Still have some Swiss ones in a box somewhere.

Photos?

roughbarked said:

Photos?

I don’t even know where they are, I wouldn’t have unpacked them since moving in here. Sentimental value, like a lot of the stuff I take with me without ever unpacking :)

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Photos?

I don’t even know where they are, I wouldn’t have unpacked them since moving in here. Sentimental value, like a lot of the stuff I take with me without ever unpacking :)

…including Dad himself, who’s in one of the suitcases (in the form of a heavy box of ashes).

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Photos?

I don’t even know where they are, I wouldn’t have unpacked them since moving in here. Sentimental value, like a lot of the stuff I take with me without ever unpacking :)

Jeebers, with me if it hadn’t been unpacked from the last move it was thrown out or got rid of.

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Photos?

I don’t even know where they are, I wouldn’t have unpacked them since moving in here. Sentimental value, like a lot of the stuff I take with me without ever unpacking :)

Never had a rainy day moment where you cleaned and examined a corner you hadn’t been in for decades?

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Photos?

I don’t even know where they are, I wouldn’t have unpacked them since moving in here. Sentimental value, like a lot of the stuff I take with me without ever unpacking :)

Never had a rainy day moment where you cleaned and examined a corner you hadn’t been in for decades?

I’ll go through all that gear in my old age some time.

Anyway, the watch I’ve mentioned has been rusted onto the one time of day, twice, since 1989. It is currently keeping time to +- 3 seconds per month.

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

I don’t even know where they are, I wouldn’t have unpacked them since moving in here. Sentimental value, like a lot of the stuff I take with me without ever unpacking :)

Never had a rainy day moment where you cleaned and examined a corner you hadn’t been in for decades?

I’ll go through all that gear in my old age some time.

I’m not waiting until I need a carer to do it for me.

a word a day today is pinchbeck.

:-)

The DS Certina self winding. Fastest date change on any watch of it’s day, Date without quickset
Set by changing 23-24h
1960-1977
1960-1968: 7221 Chronometer (25-65 and 25-651)

JudgeMental said:

a word a day today is pinchbeck.

:-)

:)

roughbarked said:

The DS Certina self winding. Fastest date change on any watch of it’s day, Date without quickset
Set by changing 23-24h
1960-1977
1960-1968: 7221 Chronometer (25-65 and 25-651)

The DS was doubly strong. Extremely water resistant and shock protected. The yellow ring was a huge shock absorber. I knew a struggling watchmaker with his own shop who I saw throwing a DS Certina hard at the concrete footpath to convince a prospective customer that the watch was worth buying.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

The DS Certina self winding. Fastest date change on any watch of it’s day, Date without quickset
Set by changing 23-24h
1960-1977
1960-1968: 7221 Chronometer (25-65 and 25-651)

The DS was doubly strong. Extremely water resistant and shock protected. The yellow ring was a huge shock absorber. I knew a struggling watchmaker with his own shop who I saw throwing a DS Certina hard at the concrete footpath to convince a prospective customer that the watch was worth buying.

and of course it had not a scratch on the lens, case, or band.

You must think people are stupid.

roughbarked said:

What is the earliest a watch as complex as this would have been manufactured Roughy?

1966 -77
the basic had evolved from the circa 1950.
to
From 1955 on.

For those who like browsing naked watches, see; http://www.vintagecertinas.ch/en/kalibereng.html

jjjust moi said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

The DS Certina self winding. Fastest date change on any watch of it’s day, Date without quickset
Set by changing 23-24h
1960-1977
1960-1968: 7221 Chronometer (25-65 and 25-651)

The DS was doubly strong. Extremely water resistant and shock protected. The yellow ring was a huge shock absorber. I knew a struggling watchmaker with his own shop who I saw throwing a DS Certina hard at the concrete footpath to convince a prospective customer that the watch was worth buying.

and of course it had not a scratch on the lens, case, or band.

You must think people are stupid.

Me?

The watch was never described as scratchproof. That stuff came later.

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

What is the earliest a watch as complex as this would have been manufactured Roughy?

The first modern chronograph was invented by Louis Moinet in 1816,[ solely for working with astronomical equipment. It was Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec who developed the first marketed chronograph at the behest of King Louis XVIII in 1821. From Wiki.

roughbarked said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

What is the earliest a watch as complex as this would have been manufactured Roughy?

The first modern chronograph was invented by Louis Moinet in 1816,

Further development of the chronograph for most people was all based upon the Valjoux or otherwise named Venus chronograph basic movement.

Certina based theirs upon Basic caliber Venus 185
Coaxial single button on the winding-crown for stop and reunite of the split-second
About from 1940 to 1952
Venus 188 Venus 188 Manual winding
Cam switched
Sub second L
60s, 30min R 14’‘’
Dm= 31.60mm
H= 6.00mm 17 jewels
18’000 A/h
Power reserve 42h
Datasheet 1,2,3 From 1948 to 1966

For the rest of the world apart from those who buy the names that are hard to pronounce or spell as is writing out the cheque.

and I’m still talking about watches that sell for up to and passing the $25,000 market as well as those who can buy the base movement for a price I cannot mention here, Almost all are based upon the Valjoux 77

Ta.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Ta.

The Valjoux is probably by far the best chronograph for the money as evidenced by all the high profile brands that polish the basic movements up.

roughbarked said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Ta.

The Valjoux is probably by far the best chronograph for the money as evidenced by all the high profile brands that polish the basic movements up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valjoux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbCylItoZjg

http://www.calibre11.com/history-eta-7750-tag-heuer-calibre-16/

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Ta.

The Valjoux is probably by far the best chronograph for the money as evidenced by all the high profile brands that polish the basic movements up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valjoux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbCylItoZjg

http://www.calibre11.com/history-eta-7750-tag-heuer-calibre-16/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCv3QflKtpk

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

The Valjoux is probably by far the best chronograph for the money as evidenced by all the high profile brands that polish the basic movements up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valjoux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbCylItoZjg

http://www.calibre11.com/history-eta-7750-tag-heuer-calibre-16/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCv3QflKtpk

I’m embarrassed to have shown you this bloke’s screwdriver expertise.

I’ve been wearing one of these since ’99. It’s nothing special, but it has survived a hard life (including a couple of new mechanisms, and a couple of glasses) and still does a good job.

It was smashed (along with the wrist under it) when I put it between my face and a cast-iron bed head that someone was trying to kill me with. Seiko quoted more than the cost of the watch to replace the glass, mechanism and band, so the local agent gave it to a ‘watch repairer’ to have a go. He replaced the mechanism and glass and fixed the old band, but somehow the ‘Seiko’ badge and minute hand (in the small dial) disappeared.

Battle scars…

(Mine has the black face.)

This is the watch i wear.

My grandfather recieved it for 25 years at SABCO and he passed it down to me

Rule 303 said:

I’ve been wearing one of these since ’99. It’s nothing special, but it has survived a hard life (including a couple of new mechanisms, and a couple of glasses) and still does a good job.

It was smashed (along with the wrist under it) when I put it between my face and a cast-iron bed head that someone was trying to kill me with. Seiko quoted more than the cost of the watch to replace the glass, mechanism and band, so the local agent gave it to a ‘watch repairer’ to have a go. He replaced the mechanism and glass and fixed the old band, but somehow the ‘Seiko’ badge and minute hand (in the small dial) disappeared.

Battle scars…

(Mine has the black face.)

(including a couple of new mechanisms, and a couple of glasses) Glasses are battle scars

Replacement movements are watchmakers ineptitude until they started to make them where watchmakers would never tread.

zoom in to the bottom of the dial, at the six. You will see to the left of the six, the numbers; 7005.

I know this as Seiko 7005A

Probably the first time that Seiko only used the A series under their brand.

roughbarked said:

zoom in to the bottom of the dial, at the six. You will see to the left of the six, the numbers; 7005.

I know this as Seiko 7005A

Probably the first time that Seiko only used the A series under their brand.

..in Australia.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

zoom in to the bottom of the dial, at the six. You will see to the left of the six, the numbers; 7005.

I know this as Seiko 7005A

Probably the first time that Seiko only used the A series under their brand.

..in Australia.

This in reference to stumpy’s post; http://tokyo3.org/forums/holiday/posts/819093/

There is one Swiss manufacturer that has always made their own chronograph movement.

roughbarked said:

There is one Swiss manufacturer that has always made their own chronograph movement.

http://www.zenith-watches.com/en_en/elprimero

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Ta.

The Valjoux is probably by far the best chronograph for the money as evidenced by all the high profile brands that polish the basic movements up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valjoux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbCylItoZjg

http://www.calibre11.com/history-eta-7750-tag-heuer-calibre-16/

If you read the Tag HeUer link, you’d notice that the Valjoux name was taken over by Ebauches SA which later became known as ETA and eventually became the Swatch Group who tried to stop the supply of their watches to those who weren’t a member of the group such as companies like Tag Heuer who had been big customers. Tag eventually bought the rights to an early Seiko chronograph movement and made their own changes to the basic model.

I was a big fan of Seiko until they started making watches like the one on the right.

The one on the left is the rusty Certina mentioned earlier in this thread.

roughbarked said:

I was a big fan of Seiko until they started making watches like the one on the right.

The one on the left is the rusty Certina mentioned earlier in this thread.

Yes. I do write the date on every battery I install and sign it with my signature.

I picked up a manually wound Bulova that had been sitting in a box for 40 years, wound it up and set it, 44 hours ago. It is siting here next to me, still going and on the exact time. I will leave it go until it runs out of mainspring winds.

roughbarked said:

I was a big fan of Seiko until they started making watches like the one on the right.

The one on the left is the rusty Certina mentioned earlier in this thread.

Did the gunk come from the factory or is that after market?

Postpocelipse said:

roughbarked said:

I was a big fan of Seiko until they started making watches like the one on the right.

The one on the left is the rusty Certina mentioned earlier in this thread.

Did the gunk come from the factory or is that after market?

The rust is after market.

That Bulova I mentioned is still on the correct time without winding and that makes 52 hours.

roughbarked said:

That Bulova I mentioned is still on the correct time without winding and that makes 52 hours.

Can you get 8 day winds on wrist-watches?

Postpocelipse said:

roughbarked said:

That Bulova I mentioned is still on the correct time without winding and that makes 52 hours.

Can you get 8 day winds on wrist-watches?

That Bulova stopped an hour later. So 53 hours from the one wind. You can get 8 day pocket watches. Always have been able. Wristwatches have never needed to go for 8 days since the advent of self winding mechanisms as the slipper on the end of the self wound watches, keeps the mainspring at full power all the time.

I own a WWII RAF issue Jaeger LeCoultre pocket watch. Not the most expensive ever produced but still airforce accurate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEBdUiQx6_k

roughbarked said:

I own a WWII RAF issue Jaeger LeCoultre pocket watch. Not the most expensive ever produced but still airforce accurate.

Pics?

Postpocelipse said:

roughbarked said:

I own a WWII RAF issue Jaeger LeCoultre pocket watch. Not the most expensive ever produced but still airforce accurate.

Pics?

I’ll have to take a camera to work or bring the watch back home. Otherwise here are some off the web.

the one in the middle.

http://vintagewatchesmq.com/minhquy/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=850&category_id=85&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

What is the production year on yours?

Postpocelipse said:

What is the production year on yours?

1940

roughbarked said:

Postpocelipse said:

What is the production year on yours?

1940

Drool!

I don’t think drool is good for watches.

Divine Angel said:

I don’t think drool is good for watches.

Definitely need to use a bib and an apron. Grubby sweaty fingers aren’t welcome either.

Divine Angel said:

I don’t think drool is good for watches.

It’s a military watch and therefore designed for spit polishing. :P

It needs mustard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26RTlPgg-tA
(2.15 min)

Postpocelipse said:

Divine Angel said:

I don’t think drool is good for watches.

It’s a military watch and therefore designed for spit polishing. :P

It was designed principally to provide accurate time in a typical airforce instrument display It wasn’t dust or waterproof in any sense. Quality of timekeeping and usability was paramount. Money wasn’t spent on the case.

Divine Angel said:

It needs mustard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26RTlPgg-tA
(2.15 min)

Believe it or not, that’s how most people treat their watches.

It would never occur to me to squeeze lemon juice on a watch. But mustard? Let’s not be silly.

Apparently Tag Heuer translates from German as ‘day year’ or possibly ‘day pay’. I thought they were French.

Divine Angel said:

It would never occur to me to squeeze lemon juice on a watch. But mustard? Let’s not be silly.

You’d be surprised what I have to clean off to get inside them. In any instances I need hazmat gear. Dead skin and horrid perspiration residues are the norm. Everything from concrete to axle grease. Tomato sauce, squished prawns.. etc and etc.

Postpocelipse said:

Apparently Tag Heuer translates from German as ‘day year’ or possibly ‘day pay’. I thought they were French.

Not French.

I can understand dead skin and dried perspiration on watches. And the occasional goo from accidentally spilling something.

My favourite watches.

Left to right: from my dainty marcasite watch I wore in my late teens; my mum’s gold watch; my most favourite watch ever – yellow gold man’s watch; an old watch I picked up somewhere and another gold watch I wore during primary school. My Nana worked in a jeweller’s in the city and she’d buy watches left for repairs that were never picked up.

(I have the cases, just wanted to use them w/o the cases for this set up.)

kii said:

My favourite watches.

Left to right: from my dainty marcasite watch I wore in my late teens; my mum’s gold watch; my most favourite watch ever – yellow gold man’s watch; an old watch I picked up somewhere and another gold watch I wore during primary school. My Nana worked in a jeweller’s in the city and she’d buy watches left for repairs that were never picked up.

(I have the cases, just wanted to use them w/o the cases for this set up.)

Left to right: AS 1012 Felicia, AS 1051, probably an AS 970,
The others are difficult to spot but they are older still.

IIRC that is a Felicia, not sure about the next one, the 3rd one is the oldest and the last one is from around the 1960s. I could go over to my workroom and look closely at them, but not right now.

kii said:

IIRC that is a Felicia, not sure about the next one, the 3rd one is the oldest and the last one is from around the 1960s. I could go over to my workroom and look closely at them, but not right now.

The last one could be an ETA 1201. You can see these markings with a loupe, they are usually under the balance wheel on the bottom plate.

This Jaeger LeCoultre is from WWII it was issued to RAF pilots from 1940 on. Jaeger LeCoultre 467/2. Elegant simplicity with spot on accuracy. The regulator on this watch hasn’t been moved since it left the factory.

That’s a nice looking one.

Bubblecar said:

That’s a nice looking one.

Yeah they aren’t as common as hen’s teeth either.
There are still a few about but a lot probably ended up in the English Channel.

I said That Certina made good watches. In the period from late fifties to mid seventies they made the first DS (durable/shock resistant). Hailed to be the world’s toughest watch at the time. This is the ladies auto DS version I gave to the missus. Getting its first service in more than 40 years.

This isn’t really a favourite watch, in fact it is quite a pain to play with and judging by the boxes and boxes full of changed movements, the last watchmaker didn’t have much truck with them either.

You can see where I’ve riveted new dial feet. It i sthe only way to repair them as they are originally cast as part of the dial. When they break off, there is no way the dial is ever going to work without this change. Other than buying a new dial but these replacements were always very expensive.

It is actually one of the most common movements used in virtually every quartz watch that isn’t a major brand like Seiko but then Seiko fill all sorts of other branded watches with their movements too.

An early car clock was actually an 8 day PW mounted on the dash.

This comment is relevant for all watches that don’t have self lubricating parts.

“The early wear is the result of 7 years of use with no service. Unfortunately, many watch owners bypass the advice of the manufacturer to oil and clean the watch periodically. Mechanical watches should be cleaned and oiled every 2-3 years. You will rarely find a watch with no problem after even 5 years without servicing.

The first indications that your watch should be inspected are reduced accuracy and a smaller power reserve. Even if you feel that everything is all right, remember that oil is not eternal – it dissipates over time and parts work dry. The products of wear such as metal dust can affect other parts and spoil their lubrication. It is clear that periodic cleaning and oiling are cheaper than replacing expensive parts.”

A problem I’m currently having is the location of a replacement auto weight post for a Rolex. It seems strange that Rolex never moved to ball bearing race for this pivot point. This watchmaker photographed the problem.
ie: worn weight post

new weightpost:

Otherwise, the Rolex has many well designed and manufactured aspects.

For example; despite the weight post issue,
“Let’s look at the automatic winding module. The automatic system is perfect. It is bi-directional, in the style of ETA/Eterna. The two red colored wheels appear to be fabricated from a light alloy, and are coated with PTFE (“Teflon”) for lubrication of the outer teeth and inner clicks. The red wheels are the calling card of Rolex. Unlike ETA’s reversing wheels, Rolex’s are dismountable for better servicing. They are easier to clean and oil (only pivots should be oiled). That’s why they are more durable than ETA’s. In Fig.10 below I disassembled the first wheel. There are four clicks on two swinging levers.”

Of course the problem is; I’m having trouble finding anyone who can supply me with a Rolex weight post.

Finally in 2015, Rolex added a ball race to solve this prblem.

Unfortunately, many watch owners bypass the advice of the manufacturer to oil and clean the watch periodically. Mechanical watches should be cleaned and oiled every 2-3 years. You will rarely find a watch with no problem after even 5 years without servicing.

The first indications that your watch should be inspected are reduced accuracy and a smaller power reserve. Even if you feel that everything is all right, remember that oil is not eternal – it dissipates over time and parts work dry. The products of wear such as metal dust can affect other parts and spoil their lubrication. It is clear that periodic cleaning and oiling are cheaper than replacing expensive parts.

Not my words but read them yourself. http://people.timezone.com/mdisher/andrewb/3135/3135_1.htm

They fit the way I was taught that encouraging customers to actually think that servicing was a wise move when before I finished my apprenticeship it was all aboout encouraging the customers to change their battery at least once every one to two years.

yet the turns of the balance wheel of a mechanical watch or indeed the pulses of a quartz watch, would see the driving wheels of a locomotive, within the space of a year, circumnavigate the earth 28 times and have been in for far more numerous complete rebuilds.

The famous turtle back see the history http://www.vintagecertinas.ch/wp/en/certina-ds-2-2/

MontBlanc is a relative newcomer to producing watches. A long time maker of writing equipment.
Quite expensive upmarket watches carry their name. Not that I’ve ever had to fix one before. In fact I can find out little about them as yet. The reason I’m looking at them is that I have a watch in front of me. It purports to be a MontBlanc 4810 501.

Which as far as I can tell is a chronograph with a Swiss Valjoux 77 derivant movement. If so, one should expect this quality.

!http://www.watchtime.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cal_mbm16_2k.jpg

A fatal mistake really, to include a see through back if you are trying to sell a fake to someone who has done any research at all.

Anyway, the nub of this post is that the watch I have to fix is clearly a clever fake. ie; one that works well, looks well and looks fancy to the gullible. I told him that if I could source parts, it would cost a minimum of $200 to repair, could cost more depending on price of obtaining parts or if they needed to be made by myself. He was happy to do that so he thinks it is real enough. I’ll ask him next week whether he knows it is a knock off. I’m not unfamiliar with watches bearing fancy names using movements designed by Swiss or Japanese makers but made in China or the Phillipines. I think I may have pointed it out iin this thread that Tag Heuer uses a Seiko chronograph movement that they dress up since ETA stopped selling them the Valjoux.
Now the reason that Seiko and Citizen have dominated the world is because they made watches that work reliably for a far less expensive price. So I’m not surprised to see their movements in watches branded otherwise.

However I’m usually aware of which caliber each movement is though it may not actually be stamped with ID.
This one is clearly of Seiko or Orient origin but a caliber I haven’t seen in Australia before. The problem being that I have parts to fix most of it but that the parts that are broken are unusual, to me.

Apart from the fact that it is a Japanese base movement, the MontBlanc insignia on the rotor weight is simply a printed sheet stuck on. At a guess, the movement originally was a Seiko or Orient, though not one I have commonly seen. Then there’s the fact that though otherwise it looks like a chronograph to the untrained eye, it isn’t.

However, the fact remains that I still need to source parts or make repairs to the existing parts. The owner wants it repaired anyway.

roughbarked said:

MontBlanc is a relative newcomer to producing watches. A long time maker of writing equipment.
Quite expensive upmarket watches carry their name. Not that I’ve ever had to fix one before. In fact I can find out little about them as yet. The reason I’m looking at them is that I have a watch in front of me. It purports to be a MontBlanc 4810 501.

Which as far as I can tell is a chronograph with a Swiss Valjoux 77 derivant movement. If so, one should expect this quality.

!http://www.watchtime.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cal_mbm16_2k.jpg

A fatal mistake really, to include a see through back if you are trying to sell a fake to someone who has done any research at all.

Anyway, the nub of this post is that the watch I have to fix is clearly a clever fake. ie; one that works well, looks well and looks fancy to the gullible. I told him that if I could source parts, it would cost a minimum of $200 to repair, could cost more depending on price of obtaining parts or if they needed to be made by myself. He was happy to do that so he thinks it is real enough. I’ll ask him next week whether he knows it is a knock off. I’m not unfamiliar with watches bearing fancy names using movements designed by Swiss or Japanese makers but made in China or the Phillipines. I think I may have pointed it out iin this thread that Tag Heuer uses a Seiko chronograph movement that they dress up since ETA stopped selling them the Valjoux.
Now the reason that Seiko and Citizen have dominated the world is because they made watches that work reliably for a far less expensive price. So I’m not surprised to see their movements in watches branded otherwise.

However I’m usually aware of which caliber each movement is though it may not actually be stamped with ID.
This one is clearly of Seiko or Orient origin but a caliber I haven’t seen in Australia before. The problem being that I have parts to fix most of it but that the parts that are broken are unusual, to me.

Apart from the fact that it is a Japanese base movement, the MontBlanc insignia on the rotor weight is simply a printed sheet stuck on. At a guess, the movement originally was a Seiko or Orient, though not one I have commonly seen. Then there’s the fact that though otherwise it looks like a chronograph to the untrained eye, it isn’t.

However, the fact remains that I still need to source parts or make repairs to the existing parts. The owner wants it repaired anyway.

oops.. it is a big image.. missed one of the !

I’ll do a count of the jewels. It purports to have 27 but I’m at a loss as to where they are. Not that I bothered to look at that aspect since I was only attempting to quote on what was broken.

and now for something a little older and neither Swiss nor Japanese. Not German or French either.

Rotherhams http://www.horologist.co.uk/rotherham.htm

I have worked out that the hallmark on the case indicates 1890. More research needs to be done on when the movement was made but I have previously repaired one that needed parts hand made because they had rusted away. Found in a mullock heap at White Cliffs alongside Border Mail newspapers dating 1895 and 1901.

The Rotherhams above was repaired recently by my predecessor. I was told that he’d had it for a year and still hadn’t managed to make the customer happy as it would not go. Fair to say that he stayed at the bench a bit too long and his mind was elsewhere, mainly focusing on getting his house sold and retiring.

I’ve replaced a cracked balance jewel and still need to adjust one positional error.

Otherwise this watch is in original condition including all the dodgy scratches made by some watch repairers blunt screwdrivers. Looks like a few people have tried to do bodge up repairs to the top jewel without actually replacing it.

roughbarked said:

The Rotherhams above was repaired recently by my predecessor. I was told that he’d had it for a year and still hadn’t managed to make the customer happy as it would not go. Fair to say that he stayed at the bench a bit too long and his mind was elsewhere, mainly focusing on getting his house sold and retiring.

I’ve replaced a cracked balance jewel and still need to adjust one positional error.

Otherwise this watch is in original condition including all the dodgy scratches made by some watch repairers blunt screwdrivers. Looks like a few people have tried to do bodge up repairs to the top jewel without actually replacing it.

“ W.J. Ching, Kingsbridge, 15279: the dial signed by Ching and with the Rotherham trademark with a patent stamped dust cap. William Thomas Ching is recorded working at 28 Fore Street circa 1889. “

The serial number on the watch I’m repairing is 15029. This predates the above watch.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

The Rotherhams above was repaired recently by my predecessor. I was told that he’d had it for a year and still hadn’t managed to make the customer happy as it would not go. Fair to say that he stayed at the bench a bit too long and his mind was elsewhere, mainly focusing on getting his house sold and retiring.

I’ve replaced a cracked balance jewel and still need to adjust one positional error.

Otherwise this watch is in original condition including all the dodgy scratches made by some watch repairers blunt screwdrivers. Looks like a few people have tried to do bodge up repairs to the top jewel without actually replacing it.

“ W.J. Ching, Kingsbridge, 15279: the dial signed by Ching and with the Rotherham trademark with a patent stamped dust cap. William Thomas Ching is recorded working at 28 Fore Street circa 1889. “

The serial number on the watch I’m repairing is 15029. This predates the above watch.

By 250 builds it would seem.

Postpocelipse said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

The Rotherhams above was repaired recently by my predecessor. I was told that he’d had it for a year and still hadn’t managed to make the customer happy as it would not go. Fair to say that he stayed at the bench a bit too long and his mind was elsewhere, mainly focusing on getting his house sold and retiring.

I’ve replaced a cracked balance jewel and still need to adjust one positional error.

Otherwise this watch is in original condition including all the dodgy scratches made by some watch repairers blunt screwdrivers. Looks like a few people have tried to do bodge up repairs to the top jewel without actually replacing it.

“ W.J. Ching, Kingsbridge, 15279: the dial signed by Ching and with the Rotherham trademark with a patent stamped dust cap. William Thomas Ching is recorded working at 28 Fore Street circa 1889. “

The serial number on the watch I’m repairing is 15029. This predates the above watch.

By 250 builds it would seem.

Yes.

Sessions History
About 1900, William E Sessions and other family members purchased a controlling interest in the E.N. Welch Company, a clock manufacturer located in Forestville, Connecticut. Sessions’ father owned a foundry located in Bristol, Connecticut that produced cases for E.N Welch Co. On January 9, 1903, the company was reorganized as The Sessions Clock Company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessions_Clock

There are a lot of these about. I have catalogues from aroound 1910/11 of Asonia, Sessions, Seth Thomas. Depending on the type or case, they varied from about $10 to maybe $50 purchase price, at the time. America basically began the mass production of clocks and watches. Caused the rest of the world to play catch up in that regard.

This one belongs in a solid cast iron case. They varied from cheap wooden boxes to ornate cast iron, alabaster and marble.

Despite being sidetracked with Sessions History, the above is an Ansonia. :blush:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansonia_Clock_Company

roughbarked said:

Despite being sidetracked with Sessions History, the above is an Ansonia. :blush:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansonia_Clock_Company

http://www.antiqueansoniaclocks.com/ansonia-clock-history.php

A better quality Mauthe, German 4/4 chiming movement, with a broken mainspring.

Over the past few years I have found myself pining for a real watch.

kii said:

Over the past few years I have found myself pining for a real watch.

By real, do you mean a new one or an old one?

roughbarked said:

kii said:

Over the past few years I have found myself pining for a real watch.

By real, do you mean a new one or an old one?

real with cogs and springs instead of batteries…thinking of starting to check out pawn shops. especially around cruces.

kii said:

roughbarked said:

kii said:

Over the past few years I have found myself pining for a real watch.

By real, do you mean a new one or an old one?

real with cogs and springs instead of batteries…thinking of starting to check out pawn shops. especially around cruces.

Yes. Good idea. I’ve got a heap that customers never bothered to collect. They have money owing on them. Some I’d need to contact their descendants to see if they want grandad’s watch back.
There must be a lot of them out there.

roughbarked said:

kii said:

roughbarked said:

By real, do you mean a new one or an old one?

real with cogs and springs instead of batteries…thinking of starting to check out pawn shops. especially around cruces.

Yes. Good idea. I’ve got a heap that customers never bothered to collect. They have money owing on them. Some I’d need to contact their descendants to see if they want grandad’s watch back.
There must be a lot of them out there.

Might have to nose through some of those lost boys and pick out one or two to take of your hands. Is that a reasonable request?

Postpocelipse said:

roughbarked said:

kii said:

real with cogs and springs instead of batteries…thinking of starting to check out pawn shops. especially around cruces.

Yes. Good idea. I’ve got a heap that customers never bothered to collect. They have money owing on them. Some I’d need to contact their descendants to see if they want grandad’s watch back.
There must be a lot of them out there.

Might have to nose through some of those lost boys and pick out one or two to take of your hands. Is that a reasonable request?

I’d reckon that if someone han’t cared about it for thirty or forty years, then they have forgotten it.

roughbarked said:

kii said:

roughbarked said:

By real, do you mean a new one or an old one?

real with cogs and springs instead of batteries…thinking of starting to check out pawn shops. especially around cruces.

Yes. Good idea. I’ve got a heap that customers never bothered to collect. They have money owing on them. Some I’d need to contact their descendants to see if they want grandad’s watch back.
There must be a lot of them out there.

When I was a kid my Nana would get cheap watches from the jeweller she worked for, they were ones that were never collected. I still have some of their carcasses.

kii said:

roughbarked said:

kii said:

real with cogs and springs instead of batteries…thinking of starting to check out pawn shops. especially around cruces.

Yes. Good idea. I’ve got a heap that customers never bothered to collect. They have money owing on them. Some I’d need to contact their descendants to see if they want grandad’s watch back.
There must be a lot of them out there.

When I was a kid my Nana would get cheap watches from the jeweller she worked for, they were ones that were never collected. I still have some of their carcasses.

I owned Seiko self winding diver’s watches for years. Super reliable & accurate.
My Dad bought a new Rolex Oyster Perpetual in about 1950. It’s still going & keeps really good time.

kii said:

roughbarked said:

kii said:

real with cogs and springs instead of batteries…thinking of starting to check out pawn shops. especially around cruces.

Yes. Good idea. I’ve got a heap that customers never bothered to collect. They have money owing on them. Some I’d need to contact their descendants to see if they want grandad’s watch back.
There must be a lot of them out there.

When I was a kid my Nana would get cheap watches from the jeweller she worked for, they were ones that were never collected. I still have some of their carcasses.

A lick and a polish and this would be in immaculate condition.

I’ve had it since 1980.

This was quoted to clean the rust out of it when parts were still available to those who knew where to get them but again, that was forty years back.

I’ll be keeping these though.
The Seiko Bellmatic is a prize for any watch collector.
I don’t need to say much about the Omega seamaster.

Tamb said:

kii said:

roughbarked said:

Yes. Good idea. I’ve got a heap that customers never bothered to collect. They have money owing on them. Some I’d need to contact their descendants to see if they want grandad’s watch back.
There must be a lot of them out there.

When I was a kid my Nana would get cheap watches from the jeweller she worked for, they were ones that were never collected. I still have some of their carcasses.

I owned Seiko self winding diver’s watches for years. Super reliable & accurate.
My Dad bought a new Rolex Oyster Perpetual in about 1950. It’s still going & keeps really good time.

Hope he has kept the Rolex serviced.

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

kii said:

When I was a kid my Nana would get cheap watches from the jeweller she worked for, they were ones that were never collected. I still have some of their carcasses.

I owned Seiko self winding diver’s watches for years. Super reliable & accurate.
My Dad bought a new Rolex Oyster Perpetual in about 1950. It’s still going & keeps really good time.

Hope he has kept the Rolex serviced.

Yes. He has to send it to Melbourne to get genuine Rolex service but it’s worth it.

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

I owned Seiko self winding diver’s watches for years. Super reliable & accurate.
My Dad bought a new Rolex Oyster Perpetual in about 1950. It’s still going & keeps really good time.

Hope he has kept the Rolex serviced.

Yes. He has to send it to Melbourne to get genuine Rolex service but it’s worth it.

The problem is that Rolex are like Rolls Royce in that if they could, they’d lock it with a code that only certified Rolex technicians could toouch it. Yet I sharpened my skills as an apprentice on such watches. I have found a source for genuine replacement parts though.

roughbarked said:

I’ll be keeping these though.
The Seiko Bellmatic is a prize for any watch collector.
I don’t need to say much about the Omega seamaster.

I’ve got three rusty bellmatics. I plan to make at least one get all the best parts.

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

Hope he has kept the Rolex serviced.

Yes. He has to send it to Melbourne to get genuine Rolex service but it’s worth it.

The problem is that Rolex are like Rolls Royce in that if they could, they’d lock it with a code that only certified Rolex technicians could toouch it. Yet I sharpened my skills as an apprentice on such watches. I have found a source for genuine replacement parts though.

Yes, they have special Rolex only tools according to my son who now owns the watch.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

I’ll be keeping these though.
The Seiko Bellmatic is a prize for any watch collector.
I don’t need to say much about the Omega seamaster.

I’ve got three rusty bellmatics. I plan to make at least one get all the best parts.

One I did change to a 23 jewelled version back in the eighties. However it managed to get hung in a peach tree not long after I did it up. New champagne dial and super flexible band. The farmer pushed the trees out a few years later and found the watch hanging on an upturned root. This will be the one I’ll want to bring back.

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

Yes. He has to send it to Melbourne to get genuine Rolex service but it’s worth it.

The problem is that Rolex are like Rolls Royce in that if they could, they’d lock it with a code that only certified Rolex technicians could toouch it. Yet I sharpened my skills as an apprentice on such watches. I have found a source for genuine replacement parts though.

Yes, they have special Rolex only tools according to my son who now owns the watch.

I have the tools.

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

The problem is that Rolex are like Rolls Royce in that if they could, they’d lock it with a code that only certified Rolex technicians could toouch it. Yet I sharpened my skills as an apprentice on such watches. I have found a source for genuine replacement parts though.

Yes, they have special Rolex only tools according to my son who now owns the watch.

I have the tools.

Further up in this thread, you’ll see a Rolex that I recently repaired.

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

The problem is that Rolex are like Rolls Royce in that if they could, they’d lock it with a code that only certified Rolex technicians could toouch it. Yet I sharpened my skills as an apprentice on such watches. I have found a source for genuine replacement parts though.

Yes, they have special Rolex only tools according to my son who now owns the watch.

I have the tools.

I will tell my son the good news.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

Yes, they have special Rolex only tools according to my son who now owns the watch.

I have the tools.

Further up in this thread, you’ll see a Rolex that I recently repaired.

The Seamaster?

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

I have the tools.

Further up in this thread, you’ll see a Rolex that I recently repaired.

The Seamaster?

ID: 851333 to ….37
Subject: re: My favourite watches

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

Further up in this thread, you’ll see a Rolex that I recently repaired.

The Seamaster?

ID: 851333 to ….37
Subject: re: My favourite watches
My son also has a gold pocket watch which belonged to my paternal grandfather. I will try to borrow it & get some details.

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

The Seamaster?

ID: 851333 to ….37
Subject: re: My favourite watches

My son also has a gold pocket watch which belonged to my paternal grandfather. I will try to borrow it & get some details.

You and MV both.

Yet another fine example of the Omega Seamaster.

These are fun. pretty much what I’m working on at present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWeEb38LFco

roughbarked said:

These are fun. pretty much what I’m working on at present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWeEb38LFco

About 6 minutes in he tosses away a couple of bits he found in the clock. Well they were the two broken ends of the previous suspension spring which clearly had been replaced.

I’m interested in how he gets it pulsing again.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

These are fun. pretty much what I’m working on at present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWeEb38LFco

About 6 minutes in he tosses away a couple of bits he found in the clock. Well they were the two broken ends of the previous suspension spring which clearly had been replaced.

I’m interested in how he gets it pulsing again.

Actually 8 minutes in when he doesn’t now that the parts he found were not fitting anywhere because they had already been replaced. They were simply kept for reasons unknown. I keep heaps of the brass blocks the springs have broken between because if I need to, I can remake the spring, open the blocks and fit a new one. The reason I can keep them is that there have been a supply of them available. They aren’t cheap as prefabricated units though clearly cheaper than hand making the springs. The brass blocks are useful anyway. Benchtop blacksmithing is part of what all old watchmakers did.

This bloke knows a little about electronics but he isn’t a watchmaker.

Nice clock he’s got there though. It is jewelled which the one I’m fixing isn’t. No problems about that. I can jewel it if I deem it necessary and can find the jewels.

The one I’m fixing had been dropped and the bakelite base which has three levelling screws in bakelite colums at the corners, one of these had been broken. Whatever else is wrong with the clock, it is never going to work if the base cannot be levelled. So I drilled pinned and araldited the bakelite precisely so that the level was fixed, the base was back in one piece and I could move on. A bit better than his job of screwing a self tapper into the base for the extra leg.

Moving on, I repaired the broken suspension spring. So yes the pendulum can now swing. I replaced most of the wiring from the battery contacts to the coil and insulated the work. I now have the same problem he did in that it can’t keep up amplitude because there is no impulse. At each end of the curved metal rod that moves through the coil, there is a shiny cap. There is nothing holding the caps other than the two magnets inside the rod, which happens to be a tube. Yes, there is a magnet each end, which is held there by the same screws that hold the tube in the frame, leaving a small gap between the magnets. The coil has resistance so I’m assuming that won’t need a new coil but that there will be a need to repair the circuit by pulling the coil apart and replacing the transistor which is as the bloke in the previous video said, built in. This diagram and description tells me that I’ll need a germanium transistor. http://sound.westhost.com/clocks/kundo.html

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

These are fun. pretty much what I’m working on at present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWeEb38LFco

About 6 minutes in he tosses away a couple of bits he found in the clock. Well they were the two broken ends of the previous suspension spring which clearly had been replaced.

I’m interested in how he gets it pulsing again.

Actually 8 minutes in when he doesn’t now that the parts he found were not fitting anywhere because they had already been replaced. They were simply kept for reasons unknown. I keep heaps of the brass blocks the springs have broken between because if I need to, I can remake the spring, open the blocks and fit a new one. The reason I can keep them is that there have been a supply of them available. They aren’t cheap as prefabricated units though clearly cheaper than hand making the springs. The brass blocks are useful anyway. Benchtop blacksmithing is part of what all old watchmakers did.

This bloke knows a little about electronics but he isn’t a watchmaker.

Nice clock he’s got there though. It is jewelled which the one I’m fixing isn’t. No problems about that. I can jewel it if I deem it necessary and can find the jewels.

The one I’m fixing had been dropped and the bakelite base which has three levelling screws in bakelite colums at the corners, one of these had been broken. Whatever else is wrong with the clock, it is never going to work if the base cannot be levelled. So I drilled pinned and araldited the bakelite precisely so that the level was fixed, the base was back in one piece and I could move on. A bit better than his job of screwing a self tapper into the base for the extra leg.

Moving on, I repaired the broken suspension spring. So yes the pendulum can now swing. I replaced most of the wiring from the battery contacts to the coil and insulated the work. I now have the same problem he did in that it can’t keep up amplitude because there is no impulse. At each end of the curved metal rod that moves through the coil, there is a shiny cap. There is nothing holding the caps other than the two magnets inside the rod, which happens to be a tube. Yes, there is a magnet each end, which is held there by the same screws that hold the tube in the frame, leaving a small gap between the magnets. The coil has resistance so I’m assuming that won’t need a new coil but that there will be a need to repair the circuit by pulling the coil apart and replacing the transistor which is as the bloke in the previous video said, built in. This diagram and description tells me that I’ll need a germanium transistor. http://sound.westhost.com/clocks/kundo.html

I actually called up my old boss, the master who put me on as an apprentice taught me the basics and then spent all his time making opal jewellery. Got married to one of the shop girls who was needing to take long service leave and they fucked off for their honeymoon. All within three months of me starting my apprenticeship. Three months later, he came back and only came into the shop at 2 PM to do the day’s jewellery repairs.
Anyway. on with the story/// He’s in his eighties now. I asked You remember your accountant Ron’s eectronic Kundo?

He said, “remember he built a grandfather clock”. Me “yeah he got a kit and put it together but no, I’m talking about his Kundo electronic desk clock. You know the one with the swinging magnetic pendulum?” “You know that is when I gave you the watches and started making jewellery? It was when the electronic stuff came in”.

Great help that was. ;)

Tissot 871 Chronograph.

Was a Lemania 1281

This Longines L6192, uses the ETA 2892.

I might have to do a bit of hand polishing to make this MSR T56 skeleton shine properly again.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-21/time-is-running-out-for-watchmakers-apprentices/7765752

Time running out has always been a phrase that mysified me. Some bloke running off with your wristwatch or sundial? Tempus Fugit.. Time flees as a fugitive escaping.

The water that powered your water clock or the rope that held your weights can both come to an end as can the mainspring or the battery. Even the sun goes over the horizon.

roughbarked said:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-21/time-is-running-out-for-watchmakers-apprentices/7765752

Time running out has always been a phrase that mysified me. Some bloke running off with your wristwatch or sundial? Tempus Fugit.. Time flees as a fugitive escaping.

The water that powered your water clock or the rope that held your weights can both come to an end as can the mainspring or the battery. Even the sun goes over the horizon.

Time for State Governments to have some public initiative programs

Create a few jobs that are sustainable

CrazyNeutrino said:

roughbarked said:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-21/time-is-running-out-for-watchmakers-apprentices/7765752

Time running out has always been a phrase that mysified me. Some bloke running off with your wristwatch or sundial? Tempus Fugit.. Time flees as a fugitive escaping.

The water that powered your water clock or the rope that held your weights can both come to an end as can the mainspring or the battery. Even the sun goes over the horizon.

Time for State Governments to have some public initiative programs

Create a few jobs that are sustainable

How many watch making jobs could each State take up?

CrazyNeutrino said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

roughbarked said:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-21/time-is-running-out-for-watchmakers-apprentices/7765752

Time running out has always been a phrase that mysified me. Some bloke running off with your wristwatch or sundial? Tempus Fugit.. Time flees as a fugitive escaping.

The water that powered your water clock or the rope that held your weights can both come to an end as can the mainspring or the battery. Even the sun goes over the horizon.

Time for State Governments to have some public initiative programs

Create a few jobs that are sustainable

How many watch making jobs could each State take up?

Precious little. The time for that has passed. People no longer wind their clocks each day or week and want to squirm out of the reality of powering them up once every couple of years. Jobs and growth is no longer part of the fabric of timespace.

to add to the ramble.

Today I did something I’d never have imagined the need for with parts thta were never considered in the design of the orignal.

A bloke gave me an Edox which had a super thin movemnt, obviously from the ETA stable but unmarked other than with an Edox number. I changed the battery earlier and he brought it back saying it was still playing up. I told him it was likely that since the oil was dry that a service could help. He agreed. Upon pulling it down and after cleaning, while reassembling, I discovered something I’d never expected to see in a quarz watch. The rotor bottom jewel. (yes, a jewelled quartz analog watch) was chipped around the edge of the bore. No engineer needs to be told that this will not be scientifically practicable to pursue without replacing this jewel, being the main bearing and all that..How it happened, I’m not going into that. It probably was a bit of shit that was washed away during cleaning. Anyway, I’m in a new place learning what the previous innhabitant did with available spare parts in stock and dealing with a watch even he would never have contemplated the need to keep that jewel for that watch, in stock.

I had to draw on the resource of my own stock, inherited from decades past. Rather than find a flat jewel of the prescribed thinness (which was impossible), I chose an olive jewel designed for the balance wheel of an older mechanical watch to replace tyhe rotor jewel which indeed was the same regulator of the mechanical side of the quartz watch. It worked perfectly.

Typos aside, For me that was a great achievement in this day and age for someone, in Australia to see and be able to fix a quartz watch with parts in stock, rather than simply say, this is unfixable or “we can only replace the movement at Edox price for replacements” Which by the way is the price of buying a new Edox and I’m not talking small change.

pjm.

I’ve finally had the time to have a really good look at your watch. As far as my experience goes: This is a movement branded ETA 2789 but cannot be replaced by any known original ETA 2789.

It comes down to this. VIP parts which are required, cannot be replaced by known sourced original parts. I cannot even replace yours with an original movement without many difficulties. Realtivity presents a reality curve I’m attempting to contemplate.

Everything about the movement at first appears original apart from a couple of things. Both glaring, if you are looking or insignificant if you aren’t really paying attention.

I’m still trying to source pats but it is likely that best attempt is to find a movement from my stocks that fits the space within the watch case and will wear the same dial without visible changes.

If I can achieve the above, the visible changes would be two spots on the dial where you may observe that someone has interwoven something that the manufacturer was avoiding.

Otherwise you are going indeed to need to test your patience until the point where I sould say you should give up buying watches off the internet.

roughbarked said:

pjm.

I’ve finally had the time to have a really good look at your watch. As far as my experience goes: This is a movement branded ETA 2789 but cannot be replaced by any known original ETA 2789.

It comes down to this. VIP parts which are required, cannot be replaced by known sourced original parts. I cannot even replace yours with an original movement without many difficulties. Realtivity presents a reality curve I’m attempting to contemplate.

Everything about the movement at first appears original apart from a couple of things. Both glaring, if you are looking or insignificant if you aren’t really paying attention.

I’m still trying to source pats but it is likely that best attempt is to find a movement from my stocks that fits the space within the watch case and will wear the same dial without visible changes.

If I can achieve the above, the visible changes would be two spots on the dial where you may observe that someone has interwoven something that the manufacturer was avoiding.

Otherwise you are going indeed to need to test your patience until the point where I sould say you should give up buying watches off the internet.

I’m still not convinced thtsa it isn’t an ETA movement. I am convinced that it was never intended for the Australian marketplace.

On ETA. https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/eta-watch-movement/

History

The Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was founded in 1793 by Isaac and David Benguerel together with Julien and Francois Humbert-Droz in Fontainemelon under the name “Benguerel & Humbert” and is the oldest Ebauche movement manufacturer in the world. In 1816, FHF started industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, a move which would be the foundation for ETA, today the largest movement manufacture.

FHF expanded throughout the 19th century, purchasing a factory in Corgémont in 1838 to use hydraulic energy from the River Suze and adding steam power in 1862. By 1876, FHF was producing 240,000 ebauches per year with 400 employees. In 1900, Paul Robert modernized an FHF workshop with American machines, bringing the quality of Swiss watches up to the standard of American factories. FHF merged with Landeron in 1925 and became a founding member of Ebauches SA in 1926.

In the 1950’s, FHF was relegated to mass-production of watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-priced mechanical option which became the “standard” grade in 1955, and were precluded from advanced developments.

In 1979, FHF introduced the mini-quartz, the world’s smallest movement.

By 1982, the quartz crisis forced Ebauches SA to reorganize its movement manufacturers. Focus was moved from FHF, and the company was effectively dissolved into ETA in 1985.

This is an early non-shockproof version of the FHF ST 69 (ST stood for standard). This movement graced virtually all ladies and girls watches that were available in the mid to less expensive mechanical watch ranges. It did so between 1950 through to 1982. Millions of them were produced and most were long ago tossed on the garbage tip or are still rattling around in some back end of a forgotten drawer.

roughbarked said:

History

The Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was founded in 1793 by Isaac and David Benguerel together with Julien and Francois Humbert-Droz in Fontainemelon under the name “Benguerel & Humbert” and is the oldest Ebauche movement manufacturer in the world. In 1816, FHF started industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, a move which would be the foundation for ETA, today the largest movement manufacture.

FHF expanded throughout the 19th century, purchasing a factory in Corgémont in 1838 to use hydraulic energy from the River Suze and adding steam power in 1862. By 1876, FHF was producing 240,000 ebauches per year with 400 employees. In 1900, Paul Robert modernized an FHF workshop with American machines, bringing the quality of Swiss watches up to the standard of American factories. FHF merged with Landeron in 1925 and became a founding member of Ebauches SA in 1926.

In the 1950’s, FHF was relegated to mass-production of watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-priced mechanical option which became the “standard” grade in 1955, and were precluded from advanced developments.

In 1979, FHF introduced the mini-quartz, the world’s smallest movement.

By 1982, the quartz crisis forced Ebauches SA to reorganize its movement manufacturers. Focus was moved from FHF, and the company was effectively dissolved into ETA in 1985.

This is an early non-shockproof version of the FHF ST 69 (ST stood for standard). This movement graced virtually all ladies and girls watches that were available in the mid to less expensive mechanical watch ranges. It did so between 1950 through to 1982. Millions of them were produced and most were long ago tossed on the garbage tip or are still rattling around in some back end of a forgotten drawer.

This is your watch movement, sarahs mum. ;)

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

History

The Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was founded in 1793 by Isaac and David Benguerel together with Julien and Francois Humbert-Droz in Fontainemelon under the name “Benguerel & Humbert” and is the oldest Ebauche movement manufacturer in the world. In 1816, FHF started industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, a move which would be the foundation for ETA, today the largest movement manufacture.

FHF expanded throughout the 19th century, purchasing a factory in Corgémont in 1838 to use hydraulic energy from the River Suze and adding steam power in 1862. By 1876, FHF was producing 240,000 ebauches per year with 400 employees. In 1900, Paul Robert modernized an FHF workshop with American machines, bringing the quality of Swiss watches up to the standard of American factories. FHF merged with Landeron in 1925 and became a founding member of Ebauches SA in 1926.

In the 1950’s, FHF was relegated to mass-production of watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-priced mechanical option which became the “standard” grade in 1955, and were precluded from advanced developments.

In 1979, FHF introduced the mini-quartz, the world’s smallest movement.

By 1982, the quartz crisis forced Ebauches SA to reorganize its movement manufacturers. Focus was moved from FHF, and the company was effectively dissolved into ETA in 1985.

This is an early non-shockproof version of the FHF ST 69 (ST stood for standard). This movement graced virtually all ladies and girls watches that were available in the mid to less expensive mechanical watch ranges. It did so between 1950 through to 1982. Millions of them were produced and most were long ago tossed on the garbage tip or are still rattling around in some back end of a forgotten drawer.

This is your watch movement, sarahs mum. ;)

It doesn’t look too rusty and crap..

It has been living in a tartan hatbox. :)

sarahs mum said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

History

The Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was founded in 1793 by Isaac and David Benguerel together with Julien and Francois Humbert-Droz in Fontainemelon under the name “Benguerel & Humbert” and is the oldest Ebauche movement manufacturer in the world. In 1816, FHF started industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, a move which would be the foundation for ETA, today the largest movement manufacture.

FHF expanded throughout the 19th century, purchasing a factory in Corgémont in 1838 to use hydraulic energy from the River Suze and adding steam power in 1862. By 1876, FHF was producing 240,000 ebauches per year with 400 employees. In 1900, Paul Robert modernized an FHF workshop with American machines, bringing the quality of Swiss watches up to the standard of American factories. FHF merged with Landeron in 1925 and became a founding member of Ebauches SA in 1926.

In the 1950’s, FHF was relegated to mass-production of watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-priced mechanical option which became the “standard” grade in 1955, and were precluded from advanced developments.

In 1979, FHF introduced the mini-quartz, the world’s smallest movement.

By 1982, the quartz crisis forced Ebauches SA to reorganize its movement manufacturers. Focus was moved from FHF, and the company was effectively dissolved into ETA in 1985.

This is an early non-shockproof version of the FHF ST 69 (ST stood for standard). This movement graced virtually all ladies and girls watches that were available in the mid to less expensive mechanical watch ranges. It did so between 1950 through to 1982. Millions of them were produced and most were long ago tossed on the garbage tip or are still rattling around in some back end of a forgotten drawer.

This is your watch movement, sarahs mum. ;)

It doesn’t look too rusty and crap..

It has been living in a tartan hatbox. :)

I’d say the biggest problem was, few people were nimble fingered enough to actually wind it up. The oil dried up from lack of running use, decades past.

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

roughbarked said:

sarahs mum said:

roughbarked said:

This is your watch movement, sarahs mum. ;)

It doesn’t look too rusty and crap..

It has been living in a tartan hatbox. :)

I’d say the biggest problem was, few people were nimble fingered enough to actually wind it up. The oil dried up from lack of running use, decades past.

Probably a couple of decades since I wore it.

kii said:

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

I’ll swap your old watch innards for one that works.

kii said:

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

There’s some lovely ones on e-Bay. A bit of persistence, a bit of patience, don’t set your heart too much on any one item…

roughbarked said:

kii said:

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

I’ll swap your old watch innards for one that works.

hmmm….I have one that I’d love to wear again…a “man’s” rectangular gold one. I wore it when I was a girl. Make of that what you will.

mcgoon said:

kii said:

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

There’s some lovely ones on e-Bay. A bit of persistence, a bit of patience, don’t set your heart too much on any one item…

Too tempting! Too tempting!!!!

kii said:

hmmm….I have one that I’d love to wear again…a “man’s” rectangular gold one. I wore it when I was a girl. Make of that what you will.

roughbarked would undoubtedly know better than me, but i understand that there’s a resurgent market /trend for ‘vintage’ rectangular men’s watches, especially for those with ‘recognised’ brand-names.

mcgoon said:

kii said:

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

There’s some lovely ones on e-Bay. A bit of persistence, a bit of patience, don’t set your heart too much on any one item…

It pays to do homework. Indeed that is what I can help anyone with. I don’t really want to be trekking to ebay to be looking at them all. I can however help with so many questions you would never thought to have asked.

Be good if you could get ebay photos to link here without me needing to go to ebay.

Pommiejohn’s watch is an example. If I’d seen photo’s before he sent it to me I could have said something like, important parts for that watch are likely to be unavailable.

roughbarked said:

It pays to do homework. Indeed that is what I can help anyone with. I don’t really want to be trekking to ebay to be looking at them all. I can however help with so many questions you would never thought to have asked.

I hope that i could call on your expertise in the future?

kii said:

roughbarked said:

kii said:

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

I’ll swap your old watch innards for one that works.

hmmm….I have one that I’d love to wear again…a “man’s” rectangular gold one. I wore it when I was a girl. Make of that what you will.

Like I was well into metric measurements long before they became standard in Au, gender preference from any quarter about watches is also something that has long been in hand

mcgoon said:

kii said:

hmmm….I have one that I’d love to wear again…a “man’s” rectangular gold one. I wore it when I was a girl. Make of that what you will.

roughbarked would undoubtedly know better than me, but i understand that there’s a resurgent market /trend for ‘vintage’ rectangular men’s watches, especially for those with ‘recognised’ brand-names.

Of which I have a small number. The real ones that is.

I’m inspired to head over to the workshop and find the container of old watch innards…….

It seems that we’re getting to the stage where we might have to set up our own forum. :)

mcgoon said:

roughbarked said:

It pays to do homework. Indeed that is what I can help anyone with. I don’t really want to be trekking to ebay to be looking at them all. I can however help with so many questions you would never thought to have asked.

I hope that i could call on your expertise in the future?

If I’m still here. I was hoping poik would be around. I really need help because my greatest organ is in complete disarray.

kii said:

roughbarked said:

kii said:

Remind me to take some shots of my collection of old watch innards.

I’d like a proper watch again.

I’ll swap your old watch innards for one that works.

hmmm….I have one that I’d love to wear again…a “man’s” rectangular gold one. I wore it when I was a girl. Make of that what you will.

I have a square gold Tissot. A couple of Omega rect ones, not gold. An old Cyma.

All need a wash, examination adjustments and reassembling.

roughbarked said:

mcgoon said:

roughbarked said:

It pays to do homework. Indeed that is what I can help anyone with. I don’t really want to be trekking to ebay to be looking at them all. I can however help with so many questions you would never thought to have asked.

I hope that i could call on your expertise in the future?

If I’m still here. I was hoping poik would be around. I really need help because my greatest organ is in complete disarray.

Gosh.

Unsure as to how to respond to that.

Anyway, i was thinking of embarking again on the search for, perhaps, that elusive Henri Moser, to give to Spalding Jr. as a birthday gift in a year or two.

Whatever i might find to tempt me, expert advice would be a huge plus.

Thank you for the future.

mcgoon said:

It seems that we’re getting to the stage where we might have to set up our own forum. :)

mm. It is why my son taught me about computer stuff. and all i’ve done is chat.

There’s this photo, which I think you have seen before:

I’ll flip ‘em over and photograph their guts. I might be a while. It’s not even 7am and I am still waking up…but, listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Déjà vu

mcgoon said:

roughbarked said:

mcgoon said:

I hope that i could call on your expertise in the future?

If I’m still here. I was hoping poik would be around. I really need help because my greatest organ is in complete disarray.

Gosh.

Unsure as to how to respond to that.

Anyway, i was thinking of embarking again on the search for, perhaps, that elusive Henri Moser, to give to Spalding Jr. as a birthday gift in a year or two.

Whatever i might find to tempt me, expert advice would be a huge plus.

Thank you for the future.

It is just a rash but it has been unwavering for about 10 weeks Dr apologised to me today and gave me a reference to a dermatologist. She still doesn’t know what it is.

• listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Its the American Dream…

kii said:

There’s this photo, which I think you have seen before:

I’ll flip ‘em over and photograph their guts. I might be a while. It’s not even 7am and I am still waking up…but, listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Déjà vu

I think I told you from this photo before, that they were likely an AS 976., FHF 75., ETA 1201 or AS 1020

Another e-Bay buy that i just missed out on was a pocket watch owned by a WW2 Luftwaffe fighter pilot.

It was engraved with his name, and a date.

I was able to find a history for him which indicated that he’d been in the Battle of Britain. AFAICR, he survived the war.

That was one i’d have liked to have

mcgoon said:

Another e-Bay buy that i just missed out on was a pocket watch owned by a WW2 Luftwaffe fighter pilot.

It was engraved with his name, and a date.

I was able to find a history for him which indicated that he’d been in the Battle of Britain. AFAICR, he survived the war.

That was one i’d have liked to have

I’ve seen one like this on Antiques Roadshow that was eventually reunited with its owners German family. He didn’t survive the war but his watch came home.

roughbarked said:

mcgoon said:

Another e-Bay buy that i just missed out on was a pocket watch owned by a WW2 Luftwaffe fighter pilot.

It was engraved with his name, and a date.

I was able to find a history for him which indicated that he’d been in the Battle of Britain. AFAICR, he survived the war.

That was one i’d have liked to have

I’ve seen one like this on Antiques Roadshow that was eventually reunited with its owners German family. He didn’t survive the war but his watch came home.

Numbers in the back can be traced to who they were isued to.

If you can do Flickr, look in here. https://www.flickr.com/photos/roughbarked/albums/72157663125189941 I’ll start adding more photos. I’m scattered all over the internet with accounts multiple on many photo servers.

Photobucket isn’t working tonight or there would be photos here.

mcgoon said:

Another e-Bay buy that i just missed out on was a pocket watch owned by a WW2 Luftwaffe fighter pilot.

It was engraved with his name, and a date.

I was able to find a history for him which indicated that he’d been in the Battle of Britain. AFAICR, he survived the war.

That was one i’d have liked to have

I have a silver “bracelet/bangle made from USAF wings…like this, I think.

kii said:

I have a silver “bracelet/bangle made from USAF wings…like this, I think.

Where would you put the watch?

roughbarked said:

Numbers in the back can be traced to who they were isued to.

You see some G.S.T.P. watches on e-Bay, marked with a broad-arrow and a number.

There’s a watch in the local hospital’s museum that i was able to provide some history for (via maker and number) – American-made, WW2-issue, apparently brought home by a doctor and used by him in hospital practice for pulse-taking, etc.

mcgoon said:

Another e-Bay buy that i just missed out on was a pocket watch owned by a WW2 Luftwaffe fighter pilot.

It was engraved with his name, and a date.

I was able to find a history for him which indicated that he’d been in the Battle of Britain. AFAICR, he survived the war.

That was one i’d have liked to have

This was owned by an aviator serving for the RAAF in WWII.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/roughbarked/23929415210/in/photostream/

Jaeger-LeCoultre Elegance in simplicity.

roughbarked said:

kii said:

There’s this photo, which I think you have seen before:

!https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12190930_10153795865306030_4365839561683166240_n.jpg?oh=cde3ea825131071f80d1dc17fc0f7675&oe=589A145C

I’ll flip ‘em over and photograph their guts. I might be a while. It’s not even 7am and I am still waking up…but, listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Déjà vu

I think I told you from this photo before, that they were likely an AS 976., FHF 75., ETA 1201 or AS 1020

Yes, I remember that…

mcgoon said:

roughbarked said:

Numbers in the back can be traced to who they were isued to.

You see some G.S.T.P. watches on e-Bay, marked with a broad-arrow and a number.

There’s a watch in the local hospital’s museum that i was able to provide some history for (via maker and number) – American-made, WW2-issue, apparently brought home by a doctor and used by him in hospital practice for pulse-taking, etc.

If you have the watch in hand. GIYF type whatever data is printed on the watch into your search engine.

roughbarked said:

Jaeger-LeCoultre Elegance in simplicity.

A Jaeger!

https://memecrunch.com/meme/621M0/i-m-not-worthy/image.png?w=400&c=1

I’d be happy to sit here and talk watches all night ( or all day, in Kii’s case), but it really is time for me to retire.

It’s always astonishing to find that what you think of as a nerdy fascination of your own is shared by other people. Makes one feel almost ‘normal’.

Anyway, best go before i start getting wild notions about ‘self-esteem’ etc.

Happy watch-chat to you.

mcgoon said:

roughbarked said:

Jaeger-LeCoultre Elegance in simplicity.

A Jaeger!

Yes. I have two exactly the same hanging above my workbench. Everyone else works off the quartz wallclock but I test all my repairs against these Jaegers.

mcgoon said:

I’d be happy to sit here and talk watches all night ( or all day, in Kii’s case), but it really is time for me to retire.

It’s always astonishing to find that what you think of as a nerdy fascination of your own is shared by other people. Makes one feel almost ‘normal’.

Anyway, best go before i start getting wild notions about ‘self-esteem’ etc.

Happy watch-chat to you.

Heh. :) arrivedeci

mcgoon said:

I’d be happy to sit here and talk watches all night ( or all day, in Kii’s case), but it really is time for me to retire.

It’s always astonishing to find that what you think of as a nerdy fascination of your own is shared by other people. Makes one feel almost ‘normal’.

Anyway, best go before i start getting wild notions about ‘self-esteem’ etc.

Happy watch-chat to you.

G’night. I have noted the information this time. Will do some photos later when there is natural light. Too much glare right now with overhead lights. I need more tea.

kii said:

mcgoon said:

I’d be happy to sit here and talk watches all night ( or all day, in Kii’s case), but it really is time for me to retire.

It’s always astonishing to find that what you think of as a nerdy fascination of your own is shared by other people. Makes one feel almost ‘normal’.

Anyway, best go before i start getting wild notions about ‘self-esteem’ etc.

Happy watch-chat to you.

G’night. I have noted the information this time. Will do some photos later when there is natural light. Too much glare right now with overhead lights. I need more tea.

yes. angled light is good as long as there is plenty of it.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&FHF_75&

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&ETA_1201

and sorry, it wasn’t AS 1020, it was AS 105g1.. http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&AS_1051

roughbarked said:

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&ETA_1201

and sorry, it wasn’t AS 1020, it was AS 105g1.. http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&AS_1051

So I got the memory of numbers wrong for one of four. This was good. ;) http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&AS_976

Cool…I’ll look more closely in a bit. Thanks.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&ETA_1201

and sorry, it wasn’t AS 1020, it was AS 105g1.. http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&AS_1051

So I got the memory of numbers wrong for one of four. This was good. ;) http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&AS_976

You will note if you read this link that AS 1022 is also listed on this page.

kii said:

Cool…I’ll look more closely in a bit. Thanks.

If I could have read brand names from your photo I could possibly have given more detailed advice.

roughbarked said:

kii said:

Cool…I’ll look more closely in a bit. Thanks.

If I could have read brand names from your photo I could possibly have given more detailed advice.

I’ll check those later….might need a magnifying thingy.

kii said:

There’s this photo, which I think you have seen before:

I’ll flip ‘em over and photograph their guts. I might be a while. It’s not even 7am and I am still waking up…but, listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Déjà vu

I’m having a blown up view of this. The Melamia in the middle.. is that the name? I’d love a closeup of this. From the other side. Which from a watchmaskers point of view, are the top plates. The bottom side of the watch is what the watch dial sits upon. Any name can be on the dial or indeed upon the plates. More about this as this thread unravels.

The watch to extreme left, is an AS 1012.

The watch second from left, depending, could be AS 976 or others mentioned.

The watch right of middle fsalls into a wide range of movements including the Pre-Rolex I mentioned earlier. Most are either original

The Rolex, SA company was founded in 1905 by Mr. Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Mr. Alfred Davis. Contrary to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was neither Swiss, nor a watchmaker. Wilsdorf & Davis was the original name of what later became the Rolex Watch Company. They originally imported Hermann Aegler’s Swiss movements to England and placed them in quality cases made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were then sold to jewellers, who then put their own names on the dial. The earliest watches from the firm of Wilsdorf and Davis are usually marked “W&D” � inside the caseback only.

https://www.interwatches.com/rolex-history

add to that, the watch on the extreme right is likely the AS 1051. though it could be an ETA 1201.

If you get a 5x or 10x magnifier, you should see this data stamped into the bottom plate, under the balance wheel, from top plate view. The ETA and AS etc., will be in a stamped shield of differing shapes with a number under it.

roughbarked said:

add to that, the watch on the extreme right is likely the AS 1051. though it could be an ETA 1201.

If you get a 5x or 10x magnifier, you should see this data stamped into the bottom plate, under the balance wheel, from top plate view. The ETA and AS etc., will be in a stamped shield of differing shapes with a number under it.

Anyway, hedging my bets, the FHF 75 also mixed and matched with the size of the more rectangular one to the right

roughbarked said:

add to that, the watch on the extreme right is likely the AS 1051. though it could be an ETA 1201.

If you get a 5x or 10x magnifier, you should see this data stamped into the bottom plate, under the balance wheel, from top plate view. The ETA and AS etc., will be in a stamped shield of differing shapes with a number under it.

and if you could find the original post you made. It could even be in this lengthening thread, I’m sure that I wouldn’t have missed mentioning the AS 1012 which later evolved into the 1077. This like the FHF ST 69 of sm’s was the more delicate ladie’s gender specific, (we were the first to wear wristwatches because we were more discreet about keeping time than you flamboyant males).

As to gender specific. Not necessarily going any further for the range is wide. One day the boss came in and said, “she wanted 10mm wide wedders, two of them. I asked her why so wide?” she answered, “they are for my nipples”.

roughbarked said:

As to gender specific. Not necessarily going any further for the range is wide. One day the boss came in and said, “she wanted 10mm wide wedders, two of them. I asked her why so wide?” she answered, “they are for my nipples”.

He provided her with two perfect 10mm wedding rings to marry her beasts.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

As to gender specific. Not necessarily going any further for the range is wide. One day the boss came in and said, “she wanted 10mm wide wedders, two of them. I asked her why so wide?” she answered, “they are for my nipples”.

He provided her with two perfect 10mm wedding rings to marry her beasts.

All in a day’s work.

You don’t want to know where they are putting their diamond studs.

http://hyperallergic.com/327958/on-time-grolier-club-manhattan/

:) lovely.

The quest for precision.

http://www.bigbenfacts.co.uk/facts/

Today the automatic chronograph is ubiquitous, one of the most popular complications – forever associated with the high speed worlds of motorsports and aviation. But in the first half of the 20th Century, the self-winding chronograph was one of watchmaking’s greatest challenges. By the ’60s automatic watches were dominant, and outside of dedicated automotive, military or scientific applications, manually wound chronographs were increasingly losing ground against the more advanced automatics. The obvious next step was the race to develop an automatic chronograph. And with that, the challenge between the rival brands was on.

An industry leader when it came to precision timing and chronographs, Heuer couldn’t achieve something as complex and costly as an automatic chronograph on their own – and so, a top-secret partnership was formed between Heuer, Breitling, Büren (and later Hamilton) along with movement makers Dubois-Depraz. Together, these brands could share costs and expertise. Heuer and Breitling brought skills in making and marketing chronographs. Büren had particular expertise around micro-rotor automatic movements and Dubois-Depraz was an industry leader in making modular movements. Fiercely competitive though they were, the four joined forces in the mid-60s to work on the ‘Chronomatic’ movement, under the codename ‘Project 99’. http://timeandtidewatches.com/history-the-development-of-tag-heuers-calibre-11-movement/

For any of you who may have a waltham pocket watch your grandfather left you.

http://mb.nawcc.org/nawccinfo/LookupSN.php

Hi Roughbarked,
This was my Grandfathers watch. He wasn’t a rich man so I expect its not very valuable but anyway it’s showing signs of decay and I’d like to have it restored some day.
How do I go about that in Australia?

https://imgur.com/Zh5SrBB

roughbarked said:

For any of you who may have a waltham pocket watch your grandfather left you.

http://mb.nawcc.org/nawccinfo/LookupSN.php

i have a j g graves english express lever

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

For any of you who may have a waltham pocket watch your grandfather left you.

http://mb.nawcc.org/nawccinfo/LookupSN.php

i have a j g graves english express lever

Very nice… photo’s please and any questions you want to ask may be answered better by very eminent watch historians at the forum I’ve shared here.

Jing Joh said:

Hi Roughbarked,
This was my Grandfathers watch. He wasn’t a rich man so I expect its not very valuable but anyway it’s showing signs of decay and I’d like to have it restored some day.
How do I go about that in Australia?

Looks like a well kept Lavina. Quite a good swiss watch maufacturer.

You can carefully open the back and show me the decay inside.
The dial isn’t too bad. I’ve seen a lot worse/ There are all types of collectors and some only want mint condition, others want provenance and still yet some pay a lot more for original used condition.

The case can be rechromed. The dial can be repainted. The movement can be restored. show me more pictures.

https://watch-wiki.org/index.php?title=Lavina_Manufacture_d%E2%80%99Horlogerie

Jing Joh. If you can carefully use the right knife to pop open the back? Is this what is inside?

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Lavina_23

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

For any of you who may have a waltham pocket watch your grandfather left you.

http://mb.nawcc.org/nawccinfo/LookupSN.php

i have a j g graves english express lever

Very nice… photo’s please and any questions you want to ask may be answered better by very eminent watch historians at the forum I’ve shared here.

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

i have a j g graves english express lever

Very nice… photo’s please and any questions you want to ask may be answered better by very eminent watch historians at the forum I’ve shared here.

Can you go the one(or two) more step/s and display the actual movement?

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

Very nice… photo’s please and any questions you want to ask may be answered better by very eminent watch historians at the forum I’ve shared here.

images

Can you go the one(or two) more step/s and display the actual movement?

http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/britishhallmarkexamples.php

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

Very nice… photo’s please and any questions you want to ask may be answered better by very eminent watch historians at the forum I’ve shared here.

!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0582_zpsqazfw1hk.jpg
!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0581_zps4elb7sa5.jpg
!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0583_zpsrtensch8.jpg
!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0584_zpsvvbaxbwm.jpg

Can you go the one(or two) more step/s and display the actual movement?

I wouldn’t be asking Boris to send you pics of his movements if I were you…

stumpy_seahorse said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0582_zpsqazfw1hk.jpg
!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0581_zps4elb7sa5.jpg
!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0583_zpsrtensch8.jpg
!http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y485/ChrispenEvan/DSCN0584_zpsvvbaxbwm.jpg

Can you go the one(or two) more step/s and display the actual movement?

I wouldn’t be asking Boris to send you pics of his movements if I were you…

He’s spouted often.. !http://www.emploom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/IMG_3917.jpg!.. ;)

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

images

Can you go the one(or two) more step/s and display the actual movement?

http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/britishhallmarkexamples.php

any tricks to get the back off?

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Can you go the one(or two) more step/s and display the actual movement?

http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/britishhallmarkexamples.php

any tricks to get the back off?

If yours is a key wind., as it appears, then you will need to lift the bezel containing the watch glass and press the button to open the watch. It swings on the hinge I can see in your photo. There may or should be a dust cover to remove by actuating a visible sliding spring.

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Can you go the one(or two) more step/s and display the actual movement?

http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/britishhallmarkexamples.php

any tricks to get the back off?

s’ok i got it. works from the front.

ChrispenEvan said:

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/britishhallmarkexamples.php

any tricks to get the back off?

s’ok i got it. works from the front.

Never suggested you weren’t capable of observation and action. :)

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

ChrispenEvan said:

any tricks to get the back off?

s’ok i got it. works from the front.

Never suggested you weren’t capable of observation and action. :)

still only get down to the brass case.

http://www.horologist.co.uk/graves.htm

http://oxfordpocketwatches.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/jg-graves-express-english-lever.html

http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?7090-J-G-Graves-English-watches

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

s’ok i got it. works from the front.

Never suggested you weren’t capable of observation and action. :)

still only get down to the brass case.

You didn’t read my comment about you may or should do, need to remove a dust cover with an obvious sliding spring lock?

https://tokyo3.org/forums/holiday/posts/1013483/

Be careful. There is often an additional dust cover ring/bush around the key wind shaft that can drop out on the floor if not watching.. forgive the pun.

ChrispenEvan said:

Yep you can use any (small)tool with care not to scratch anything, to slide this spring to that second notch and this dust cover will lift off easily.

ChrispenEvan said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

post away.

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

Otherwise, you can post them there yourself. There are some really amazing researchers there who can really make things simple.

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

post away.

OK but take this image again while using an LED light source. please.

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

post away.

OK but take this image again while using an LED light source. please.

What colour LED?

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

Otherwise, you can post them there yourself. There are some really amazing researchers there who can really make things simple.

You won’t easily get anyone to put a price on your watch there as it is taboo to ask in the general forums, such questions. There is a user pays forum for such specific questions.

However, you could try places like this.. http://www.trademe.co.nz/jewellery-watches/watches/mens-watches/vintage/auction-1211508725.htm

Peak Warming Man said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

post away.

OK but take this image again while using an LED light source. please.

What colour LED?

daylight

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

Otherwise, you can post them there yourself. There are some really amazing researchers there who can really make things simple.

You won’t easily get anyone to put a price on your watch there as it is taboo to ask in the general forums, such questions. There is a user pays forum for such specific questions.

However, you could try places like this.. http://www.trademe.co.nz/jewellery-watches/watches/mens-watches/vintage/auction-1211508725.htm

Nah, that’s OK. just want info if it is a common watch for the era, 1901 i think. was granddad’s watch.

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Otherwise, you can post them there yourself. There are some really amazing researchers there who can really make things simple.

You won’t easily get anyone to put a price on your watch there as it is taboo to ask in the general forums, such questions. There is a user pays forum for such specific questions.

However, you could try places like this.. http://www.trademe.co.nz/jewellery-watches/watches/mens-watches/vintage/auction-1211508725.htm

Nah, that’s OK. just want info if it is a common watch for the era, 1901 i think. was granddad’s watch.

I’ll let you know now that I’ve never committed to memory the hallmarks thing. For me there’s allways been a book to look it up in.
The hallmarks will tell you when the case was made. The serial number on the movement will tell you everything available about the watch itself.

English watches were common enough but the actual movements were often fitted to many of them but made by only a few manufacturers.

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

It would help to get better light on this image.

I am able to ask the questions for you with these images. If you allow me to post them on the nawcc site for you.

post away.

OK but take this image again while using an LED light source. please.

Are those cuts in the balance wheel real? Is this a real compensting balance?

i have a white LED light. I’ll take some more pics when i come back from prison.

ChrispenEvan said:

i have a white LED light. I’ll take some more pics when i come back from prison.

That could be decades .. knowing your history of being degenerate.. ;)
you can read about compensating balances here.
http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/temperatureeffects.php

scroll down to temperature compensation heading.

Did you hear about the young kid who asked his parents if he could have a watch for his birthday? so they let him?

bob(from black rock) said:

Did you hear about the young kid who asked his parents if he could have a watch for his birthday? so they let him?

____________> porn

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

i have a white LED light. I’ll take some more pics when i come back from prison.

That could be decades .. knowing your history of being degenerate.. ;)
you can read about compensating balances here.
http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/temperatureeffects.php

scroll down to temperature compensation heading.

and keep reading.

ChrispenEvan said:

i have a white LED light. I’ll take some more pics when i come back from prison.

When you do this. Show me a side on vision of whether it has a fusee chain or not.
From the look of your backplate photo, this may be possible. A fusee spiral with a chain that winds and unwinds from a barrel with a mainspring in it.

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

i have a white LED light. I’ll take some more pics when i come back from prison.

When you do this. Show me a side on vision of whether it has a fusee chain or not.
From the look of your backplate photo, this may be possible. A fusee spiral with a chain that winds and unwinds from a barrel with a mainspring in it.

My favourite witches

Oh, wait, no. It’s watches

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

i have a j g graves english express lever

Very nice… photo’s please and any questions you want to ask may be answered better by very eminent watch historians at the forum I’ve shared here.

T.P.H without contour
The Lancashire Watch Co Ltd Thomas Peter Hewitt,
entered c. 1892
Prescot, Lancashire
Chester 1894 hallmark

http://www.silvercollection.it/englishsilvermarksXTDUE2.htm

roughbarked said:

ChrispenEvan said:

roughbarked said:

Very nice… photo’s please and any questions you want to ask may be answered better by very eminent watch historians at the forum I’ve shared here.

T.P.H without contour
The Lancashire Watch Co Ltd Thomas Peter Hewitt,
entered c. 1892
Prescot, Lancashire
Chester 1894 hallmark

http://www.silvercollection.it/englishsilvermarksXTDUE2.htm

The above is a sponsor’s mark.. http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/britishhallmarks.php#sponsorsmark

Jing Joh said:

Can you get a better photo inclusive of the number stamped on the bottom plate under the balance? or simply tell me what is stamped there. You may need some magnification.

Jing Joh said:

I don’t want you to get too excited. Your watch is probably worth no more than $100-$150 at the average.

However, it is a good quality movement and should be kept serviced to function well for a very long time.

roughbarked said:

Can you get a better photo inclusive of the number stamped on the bottom plate under the balance? or simply tell me what is stamped there. You may need some magnification.

I believe it is a stylised L followed by 102

roughbarked said:

I don’t want you to get too excited. Your watch is probably worth no more than $100-$150 at the average.
However, it is a good quality movement and should be kept serviced to function well for a very long time.

I didn’t expect it to have much monetary value. It’s likely that I have had it in my possession longer than my Grandfather had it anyway so I’d just like it restored/serviced and I’ll likely put it back in storage.

Jing Joh said:

roughbarked said:

Can you get a better photo inclusive of the number stamped on the bottom plate under the balance? or simply tell me what is stamped there. You may need some magnification.

I believe it is a stylised L followed by 102

roughbarked said:

I don’t want you to get too excited. Your watch is probably worth no more than $100-$150 at the average.
However, it is a good quality movement and should be kept serviced to function well for a very long time.

I didn’t expect it to have much monetary value. It’s likely that I have had it in my possession longer than my Grandfather had it anyway so I’d just like it restored/serviced and I’ll likely put it back in storage.

Knowing the average prices of services, you’ll be lucky to find someone to service it for as little as it is worth.

roughbarked said:

Jing Joh said:

roughbarked said:

Can you get a better photo inclusive of the number stamped on the bottom plate under the balance? or simply tell me what is stamped there. You may need some magnification.

I believe it is a stylised L followed by 102

roughbarked said:

I don’t want you to get too excited. Your watch is probably worth no more than $100-$150 at the average.
However, it is a good quality movement and should be kept serviced to function well for a very long time.

I didn’t expect it to have much monetary value. It’s likely that I have had it in my possession longer than my Grandfather had it anyway so I’d just like it restored/serviced and I’ll likely put it back in storage.

Knowing the average prices of services, you’ll be lucky to find someone to service it for as little as it is worth.

By the standards I work under, if it only needs a dissasembly, clean, reassembly and oiling, checking. it will be approx $85. Any more, is extra.
If it was the JG Graves that Boris has, the above would be $100+

Do your own quote checking.. this stuff can cost thousands.

but because I bring customers to the shop.. I’m a cost they can bear.. as long as I accept wages rather than commissions.

For Boris. I posted your images and they told me what I’ve already told you in the links I posted. http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?139768-JG-Graves-English-Express-Lever

roughbarked said:

For Boris. I posted your images and they told me what I’ve already told you in the links I posted. http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?139768-JG-Graves-English-Express-Lever

bump.

Cleaned this up..

Not much diffefence between before and after? At least it now compares well with the quartz master clock on a daily basis.

Watch is 120 years old.

We are going to get Sharkboy a good watch for his 18th birthday – it is a bit overwhelming making a decision – some (most) are outside our budget!

roughbarked said:

Cleaned this up..

!https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/744/32481788842_4026e5a54b_z.jpg

!https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2563/32445362710_bf44a50b33_z.jpg

Not much diffefence between before and after? At least it now compares well with the quartz master clock on a daily basis.

Watch is 120 years old.

These things must be of sentimental or curiosity value only now.. esp wrt cost of maintenance and the fact that that 1 jewel, $5 electric wall clock or watch keeps better time. Huh?

Ian said:

roughbarked said:

Cleaned this up..

!https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/744/32481788842_4026e5a54b_z.jpg

!https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2563/32445362710_bf44a50b33_z.jpg

Not much diffefence between before and after? At least it now compares well with the quartz master clock on a daily basis.

Watch is 120 years old.

These things must be of sentimental or curiosity value only now.. esp wrt cost of maintenance and the fact that that 1 jewel, $5 electric wall clock or watch keeps better time. Huh?

Hang on. The scenario you suggest has been the status quo for more than half a century and yet such items have at least rarity on their side.

roughbarked said:

Ian said:

roughbarked said:

Cleaned this up..

!https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/744/32481788842_4026e5a54b_z.jpg

!https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2563/32445362710_bf44a50b33_z.jpg

Not much diffefence between before and after? At least it now compares well with the quartz master clock on a daily basis.

Watch is 120 years old.

These things must be of sentimental or curiosity value only now.. esp wrt cost of maintenance and the fact that that 1 jewel, $5 electric wall clock or watch keeps better time. Huh?

Hang on. The scenario you suggest has been the status quo for more than half a century and yet such items have at least rarity on their side.

a) it is rare to find such a watch.
b) it is rare to find someone who can make it work as well as a quartz watch.

Hang on. The scenario you suggest has been the status quo for more than half a century and yet such items have at least rarity on their side.

———

These things must be of sentimental or curiosity or rarity value only now.. esp wrt cost of maintenance and the fact that that 1 jewel, $5 electric wall clock or watch keeps better time. Huh?

Better?

Actually I’ve got no idea about old watches and not really interested. But I would assume that there’d be lots of old cheaper non-functioning ones around; and that there would be valuable ones too if they were of very good quality in the first place, rare, very old, unusual or of sentimental or historic significance.

Now this is an electronic watch that is a rarer find. This may well relate as much to the fact that it is solid 18ct white gold with four baguette diamonds on the dial but Bulova accutrons in this condition are rare as well. http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?140008-Bulova-Accutron-18k-Gold-Watch

It is also of interest that apparently a Bulova accutron was left upon the moon after the famous first steppers made their way back to earth.

It is one bit of science history that seems to have faded into obscurity. I’d be really happy if someone could find any history of what happened to it. How long did it function? is it still there? Has it ever even been checked? Does anyone care?

Ian said:

Hang on. The scenario you suggest has been the status quo for more than half a century and yet such items have at least rarity on their side.

———

These things must be of sentimental or curiosity or rarity value only now.. esp wrt cost of maintenance and the fact that that 1 jewel, $5 electric wall clock or watch keeps better time. Huh?

Better?

Actually I’ve got no idea about old watches and not really interested. But I would assume that there’d be lots of old cheaper non-functioning ones around; and that there would be valuable ones too if they were of very good quality in the first place, rare, very old, unusual or of sentimental or historic significance.

Yeah. The first would be any proveable provenance. There were many very special watches created which in deed should have their place kept in history. Some of these are very pricey but it is also true that one can pick up a good pocket old watch for for tuppence compared to their original value. Whether it works or can be fixed are different stories. However, the shop charges as much to fix a quartz wristwatch that was purchased for probably less as it does to fix a watch that probably cost a years wages back in the day.

A $5 quartz movement still costs the customer $50 to fit.