offshore

Uh Uh, no it doesn't. Dave, you are more than welcome at our little home. However this is not the wild west, nor kiddys korner! We invite all watch lovers to enjoy our little abode, however if they mess up the lounge, or piss in the sink, they then are invited to move on. Enjoy your time wih us, and use the facilities for what they are designed for. Offshore

Today I received an updated price list from my HK supplier of quartz movements. Whilst all the Asian movements have remained relatively static, the ETA pricing, (regardless of whether the movement is of Euro or Asian origin) has dramatically increased.....like 50-100%!! My supplier explains it thus. So make of that what you will.... I sent him an email asking for an update on mechanical movcements to try and ascertain that the increase is across the board, but have not heard back yet. My own take on it, is that ETA are driving this, and the exchange rate is a convenient excuse. As an interesting side note, my Asian contacts, have never shown much interest in having a cross reference chart, of quartz movements... any information has been at best patchy... a sort of scatter gun mentality. Attached to the email today is a most comprehensive conversion chart, with alternatives to ETA movements highlighted. They have even gone to the trouble of showing dial feet positions( which I have never seen before) and have a series of side notes showing where a date or D/D may be used inside a no date case, with the dial covering the date discs! One note even specified "This replace 978.002 (ETA P/N) completely" He also included a huge (10 pages) cross reference of hand sizes->specific movement, again something I never felt the Chinese had much interest in supplying, so it would appear our Asian friends are gearing up for life post ETA! Another point made, was that my minimum quantity requirement per model for Asian movements has been reduced (something I have been pushing for for a while) Whether that is just from my particular supplier (He is a watch parts trading house, who purchases from each of the manufacturers,) or whether the Asian factories have reduced his quantity requirements, is unknown. The above is just my take on it. Given the price escalation; I will speak with another supply house next week to try and get a better feeling of the situation. It all feels rather strange, because as noted elsewhere, one would not imagine the CEO of a major corporation making a carte blanche decision to increase pricing by this magnitude (especially when ETA were in most cases at least double the Asian pricing previously) Surely it must have major impact on the companies bottom line? I would be selling Swatch shares right now, if I had any Offshore

Was chatting to my local parts supplier today re a retrofit on a quartz movement, which was no longer available. The subject of non aligning dial feet was raised, and I suggested I would just use dial dots to overcome this. This old timer said, " Don't mess with dial dots, or any rigid adhesives, the 1st time you drop the watch, the movement will seperate! Try a couple of small dots of silicon ( silastic) They will absorb any shocks, and last infinetly longer" Was wondering if anyone else has tried/ used this? I well understand that resoldering dial feet is the "best" method, however a lot of these quartz watches will not stand ( price wise) the time put in to do the job as it should be done. So anyone tried silicon for attaching dials? Comments? offshore

Welcome aboard! We certainly look forward to seeing new members offerings. Enjoy your stay. Offshore

Please forward me your preferred new mailing address -C/-(*insert here local penitentiary address*) One or two...maybe.... 100,s?....Go to jail...Go directly to jail.... Do not pass Go.....Do not collect $200! Offshore

Great review D4M, as usual. thanks mate! Offshore

There was discussion recently @ NAWCC forum, that the Bergeon blade quality had dropped off of late.(but i'm sure they were still happy enough with the drivers) I have an old set, which are great, and fortunately got a large supply of older blades (but not all sizes) May pay to ask the question, and also see if Horotec blades, (or whatever your guy stocks) will retrofit! I could spare you a few, (although the popular sizes are light on) Offshore

Just had a quick look thru this...from the outside, it appears OK. However so did Pay Pal...at the outset. It does look as it has been running a while, so may be on the up and up. Be interested to see others comments. Offshore

@baz, As I stagger round the'bay, on my nightly walk.....I note these posted today. http://cgi.ebay.com/GS-Pocket-Watch-Wristw...1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/A-very-fine-older-GS-C...1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/Vtg-Watch-Repair-G-S-T...1QQcmdZViewItem So there is a great starting point... now do your homework... ask questions....RESEARCH There are also many of the "cheapies" up from around $10. Finally you will live with your purchase/decision. S'pose its time for my line................See my siggy! Offshore

Actually a P R U B is a F A R T, which then makes a T R A F a B U R P Go figure. O/S

@baz, It depends on the style of press, but broadly you need die sets around the OD of your crystals. So if you are pressing say 38mm crystals, you need die sets spanning say 35-40mm. It is all really subjective, and very dependent on the press type/style. Measure the OD of a few of your Pam crystals (even the OD where it fits into the case)(which whilst not accurate, will give you a better idea) Then when you settle on the press type you want, make sure a set of dies in that range is included. A lot of the ebay cheaper sets, only cover crystals to around 32- 34mm, and would therefore be useless for larger crystals. offshore

WARNING. Do not click on this link unless you have quite some time to spare. This link takes you to a video of the reassembly of a 7750. On this site, particularly in the " Under the loupe" section is a wealth of useful info. But beware, you will need some time to absorb it all. http://www.alliancehorlogere.com/en/index...._Loupe:ETA_7750 Offshore

If you only want to press sapphire crystals on your Pams' a press like this with nylon dies ( make sure you get dies to suit the size crystals, as a lot of presse come with only smaller die sets) will do the job. These are presure friction style presses, and most suppliers have an economy model or there are many on the 'bay. (bottom photo on this page from Cas Ker) However, if you want something a bit more versatile, which can do multiple jobs, one like this from GS, which operate in a different manner ( the crystal is compressed to reduce the OD and then the watch case is slipped off or on to the crystal), are a better compromise. GS agents and BB agents will sell these types, although they are pretty pricey new. They come up fairly regularly on the 'bay and will sell from $10 - $100! As there are various models with a wide range of die sets, be very aware of what you are getting. Details are on the GS site http://www.gssupplies.com/hand_inserter.html Offshore

Well T is away 'til Monday, so unless he logs in, it won't be seen 'til then. Will send him a message. Offshore

Depends on the context... I have always immediately thought of New Taiwan (or new territories) when I see it. And of course, living in Oz.... Northern Territory! Offshore

Realise that this is from 2006. Can't remember it being posted before. http://www.petemillar.com/fakes.htm Offshore

Some random surfing revealed this. Everything you wanted to know.... and probably a lot you didn't! Great list however. http://www.timedesign.de/info/abbreviations.html Offshore

And some more (Swiss) movement info. http://www.zeno-watch.ch/en/html/body_zenomovements.html Offshore

Try that! (You will need a PDF reader installed to open it!) Offshore

Found this whilst surfing, may be of interest to some. 4_ChineseMovementChart_1_.pdf Offshore

Funniest experience I have had with a used watch ( and have bought hundreds), was a Seiko that a guy shipped to me here in Oz, but he decided to save on postage, wrap it in some bubblewrap, and send it letter mail. Don't know about the rest of the world, but here, anything sent in letter form, gets a ride through "processing" machinery. It arrived..."disassembled".... and no amount of refurb, new crystal or nay, was ever going to get the poor b*stard up and running again. Simple cost cutting error, the seller admitted his mistake, and refunded all costs! Can I interest anyone in a 1mm thick Seiko? Offshore

Ahhh yes, A wonderful insight in to our world, that we probably already knew! However (aside from his PO)..... probably more suited to OT. Moved. Offshore

Well, then you would be far better served with an ETA movt, in a gen case/dial/bracelet!....sort of a reverse Franken And far more easily achievable! Offshore

Nah, Just send him a replica email.... which says...Go and f**K yourself! Scum bags! Offshore