automatico

Good to see you back again! Many of the hardcores are still here but things have slooowed down a lot since you left. Things sorta stand still sometimes. I'm still here but don't work on watches much anymore because...well, the fun has gone out of it. High Price$ and No Parts have ruined it for me. Besides that, I have property to take care of (always have) and age is catching up with me, so I've slowed down too. I still try to wear mechanical watches now and then but cleaning out fence rows, mowing, hauling wood, working on houses etc. is not good for them so they are put away most of the time. I carry a plastic quartz watch in my pocket to tell time when working...don't want to work past quittin' time. Ha!

"Was it from some jeweler in Texas? I bought a couple of watches from them in the early 90's." Yep, Dallas. I bought a few too, pretty good deals back then.

Red Sky at morning...

I am glad not to be the only one to have noticed this. Looks like Rolex info is being dumbed down like everything else. I have also noticed quite a bit of 'disinformation' (political term Ha!) on many forums lately. One exception is 'Xeramic' on VRF. That guy is sharp. Something else...it seems like there are more 'Frankensteins' claiming to be 'genuine' and 'all original' now than in the past. If I can spot one, it's just not too hot.

Blasts from the Past... L to R...14K Hamilton 'Wesley' from the 1940s, 9K Buren Grand Prix from the 1930s, 14K Pierce from the 1920s/30s, 14K Lord Elgin with 'step side' case from the 1950s. The Hamilton looks like new. The Buren has a 15 jewel high grade movement with 'three finger bridges' and uses a 'sew on' or one piece strap, the strap bars are soldered in the lugs. The Pierce has 15 jewels iirc and is in fine condition. The Lord Elgin is in fine condition except for the 'age spot' on the dial, it has not been wet as far as I can tell. The dates are a guess and info on the Hamilton and Lord Elgin can be found but I am too lazy to chase it down. Many Hamiltons have the model name engraved inside the case back. After the current 'Gold Rush' pans out, there may not be many of these old classics left.

I might have posted this before, can't remember. Anyway, this is from the early 1990s iirc, can't remember exactly when either. I have more, maybe I'll post a couple with dates. NOS Slinky w/box, American Racing magnesium/aluminum wheel catalog from the 1970s, Baylor 17 jewel RR style watch from 1970s, radiator tube from a WW II Lockheed P38 Lightning fighter plane, candy cigarettes from the 1970s (leaning over, far right), Bob Marley coffee cup from Jamaica etc. P-38 Lightning. Lockheed P-38 Lightning - The American Heritage Museum

NOS 14K Bulova from early 1980s... Original strap with 'homemade' 14K buckle...

Horo is right. Vintage Omega Rules: Rule 1: Nothing Fits. The part might look right, but it usually won't fit. Rule 2: Many 'front loader' dress Seamasters have rusty movements. I call them 'Rustmasters'. Q...How do they get rusty? A...The two piece crown wobbles, the gasket wears out, and water gets inside. Rule 3: Stay away from them unless they are complete, running, and oem spec...or cheap as dirt. Something else...on many models the crystal helps hold the bezel on. The crystals are 'mushroomed' at the top. If that is not bad enough, most no longer have oem spec crystals (no 'shroom top) so the bezel falls off.

"I want to share my latest project. Not ready yet but gives a clue how it comes out." Looks like it's off to a very good start!

"5513 Comex with gen dial"

I'm planning the same build, only I can't decide between the Yuki or Mochacha dial. Yuki dials are fine, the prices are Ok, and I would like to have one for my SD except... "Flat rate shipping cost: USD 48.00 to worldwide." It would be Ok if ordering 4 or 5 dials...unless they try to charge $48 for each dial. This Higher and Higher priced 'hobby' is beginning to $Burn Me Out$.

This is not about the milsub, but a '5513' type case can also be used to put a 'pre COMEX 5514' submariner together if anyone does not want to hunt down the $$ milsub case, dial/hands and bez insert. The fixed spring bars can be made using stainless steel rod stock similar to eBay item 284520669214 or a bracelet can be used. A short piece of SS rod can be polished on one end and pressed into a hole drilled in the case for the He valve.

Stuck this together in late 1990s, Croton/Nivada base with quick set Swiss ETA. Stainless 36mm screw back case with GS Ever-Tite acrylic tension ring crystal. Dial refinished by an outfit in Atlanta, GA (no longer in business). Genuine Ingenieur... Fine watches...except for no parts. Vintage IWC automatics had a winding setup using the same principle as the Seiko Magic Lever. Images from Connoisseur of Time.

Here is most of what is left of my vintage Omega 'collection'. May it RIP. Iirc, I do still have two or three running Omegas somewhere, one being an old bumper wind Seamaster. Used to wear a vintage Omega now and then before parts went n/a. It has been said that Omega (back when it was Omega, not Swatch-O-mega) went down the street with wheelbarrows, buying parts from anyone who had them. Then they all met in a back alley and stuck watches together using the parts. Of course it was just a joke, but after working on them... Even if two Omegas look exactly alike...they are probably not alike. The 5xx movements were their Heroes. The 1000 series was their Downfall. Imho. Quartz watches were rapidly killing off mechanical watches back then anyway. Today's Coax is cool but who is going to fix it when it blows up? Not Uncle Bob's Watch Repair down the street, all he does now is swap out dead batts because he can't get parts. Oh, I forgot...Swatch-O-mega Inc. will fix it for only $950 (just a guess). Plus tax and shipping charges. It's no wonder why replicas are such a Big Hit today. Color me cynical. Just a little bit. Ha! Omega's Biggest Mistake: Calibre 1000 (youtube.com) 4-19-24...Pic of the old bumper wind Seamaster mentioned above... Ratty redial but the watch is in good condition, no case corrosion or rust on movement.

Another Gold Rush deal... Rolex rivet bracelet 7205 with 71 end links for £3,769 for sale from a Private Seller on Chrono24 £3,769 (4762 USD) "Very rare" "Worn with little to no signs of wear"

It might cost a LOT less to buy another case. By the time your case is totally taken apart, polished, detailed and plated, you might be in Deep $$ Water. Example: The last YGP over steel Prez (with Asian 21 jewel mvt) I bought was $99 iirc. Do not know how good the plating is because I never wore it. Also...if you get another case, be sure it has the 'half hooded' lugs if yours does, or the bracelet will not fit. Btw...I kept an aftmkt 18K Prez case that I got in February 2001 but the dial seat is about 1.5mm too big to accept oem dials. It weighs a hair over 30 grams so I've been thinking about scrapping it...30 grams 18K gold is over $1600 today and a jeweler friend will pay 85% for it = about $1350. Why in the world they made the dial opening too big I'll never know.

"An interesting item, but definitely a case for buy the seller before you buy the watch." Yeah. Prices like that give me a rash. After all, it is an obscure watch with maybe three (3 ) buyers in the whole wide world at that price. So, a buyer better like it 'cause they're probably stuck with it. Imho. I peg it at $3K to $4K...but I admit to being cheap and stuck in the past.

FS : 6429 Explorer COMMANDO - Vintage Rolex Forum (tapatalk.com) Only 46650 euros. ($50,405 USD) Shipping included, no box/no paper. It has been said: "There is a cowboy for every saddle." This looks like a bareback ride to me. Not saying it is not 100% genuine and original...it just seems pricey since they probably sold new for a few $100 bills. Besides...this watch is basically unknown and very good fakes are not hard to find, diluting the original examples. Or...someone pays the $50K price and sticks it in their safe. A few years later they drop under the radar and their goofy grandson pawns it for $200 to buy 'medication'. This happens every day in many variations. I've seen it happen. Imho...basically unknown 'collectorcrap' like this is better flipped while they are Hot rather than saved in case their value drops. If I wanted one of these watches to wear...I would use an aftmkt dial, hands, similar case, and go with an ETA, Seiko etc. movement so it does not end up being sold as 'genuine' down the road. Fyi...the 6429 has cal 1220 that runs at 21600 bph and many older 34mm 64xx watches have cal 1200/1210 and run at 18000 bph. Escapement parts for the cal 1200/1210 are getting hard to find and relatively high $$. The 6429 and most 64xx have 34mm cases with 6.0mm crowns and are basically identical in appearance except for dials/hands. The Rolex Reference 6429: Small, Simple And Scarce - Hodinkee rolex 6429 6422 watch for sale | eBay Heritage Time Works pays tribute to the Rolex Ref. 6429 "Commando" - Acquire (acquiremag.com)

I do not have a horse in this race, but I wonder just how good a properly oiled etc. Daytona clone movement really is? If they are pretty good, maybe just go with the clone in original condition, hope for the best, and leave the 'suicide buttons' alone unless something really needs to be timed. Relatively low cost insurance... Buy another similar movement for parts if trouble arises later on. If the clone movement is running fine and you are Feeling Lucky... Buy a lottery ticket. You might get Big Time Lucky, then go out and buy twenty steel or 18K Daytonas for your RWG friends. Next day...after realizing the question was not about a Daytona clone movement. From what I have read, the 3235 clone seems to be pretty good and being a lot less complicated than a Daytona movement, I would definitely stick with an unaltered clone and see how it goes. Since I never have owned one, a few things that might cause trouble are the winding rotor bearings, reversers, setting and date works. Maybe not.

The fix is much easier when you see how all escapement parts work together. The first video explains how the Etachron escapement is made and shows how to check and correct hairspring misalignment, a common ailment: Adjusting the Etachron Regulator: A Beginners Guide (youtube.com) Beat error explained and how to correct it: Beat Error adjustment and the theory behind it. (youtube.com) Beat error correction is much simpler than escapement adjustment but the escapement must be in proper order first.

Today's gold watch, Rhapsody Royale in 14K gold... Front loader 'waterproof' case', 21 jewel, manual wind (afaik, never opened it), seems thin for an automatic. Paid $100 USD for it May 4, 2003. Gold was $341 to $342 per troy oz on that date. Today it was $2185 USD. Today's 'iron' watch... Faux 'bubbleback' with ETA 2550. Bought three of them from Yahoo auctions 20+ years ago. Very well made and I have seen quite a few for sale claimed to be genuine over the years. Case ref # is 5015, serial # is 545383. The minute numbers are not fully visible because of the angle of the reflector ring but they all show up straight on. ETA 2550 Watch Movement - EmmyWatch

"I found the culprit! It was the bent base of the pallet fork as seen in this image" Cool! As they used to say out in LA. (pre Gov Gruesome Newsom) I had a pallet fork war with a Rlx cal 1210 a while back...broken arbor. I broke it. Got an oem replacement ($) but it would not fit, too small in the waist. (?) Bought an assortment of Bulova pallet arbors, found a good fit. Lost it. (!) Passed over a few PFs evidently made out of 'unobtanium alloy' while on the hunt'. ($$) Finally found one 'affordable' PF on the Bay after looking every day for a couple months.

Nos SMP, 12 or 15 years old... Two more still in plastic wrap... The San Luis Obispo County road map is from the early 1940s when my father was in artillery training at Fort Ord, Monterey Bay CA. He landed at Utah Beach August 1944 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Patton's Third Army (Lt. Colonel). Have a picture he took of a wooden road sign shaped like an arrow out in the middle of nowhere with 'LEMANS' painted on it. He also visited the first concentration camp liberated by the Americans...rough going for all involved. One of the guys under his command made the deepest incursion on foot into enemy territory during WW II and returned safely. The same guy used to come to cook-out parties at our place when I was a kid. I remember they had some he!! raising parties. The old B-B-Q fireplace from back then is still standing in our back yard...full of nicks from gunshots. There was a three door chicken house behind it that caught most of the stray bullets. We tore it down, it was shot full of holes. Learned to drive out back on our Ford 8N tractor. No chickens, no cows, no goats, no horses...just neighbors now. We got rid of the goats because they climbed on top of Mom's Jeep. We got rid of my horse because it kicked a Zippo lighter out of my Dad's shirt pocket. We ate most of the chickens. The rest got away. Can't eat the neighbors...I heard it's against the law. Pics taken 2-24-24. Did not put them in the Omega section because it is not very busy.

Current gold Rlx replacement unsigned case & bracelet prices on S-T: Lady size 18K yellow gold case with bezel...$2895 Same in 18K white gold...$2945 DJ type 36mm 18K YG case, no bezel for 3035...$5245 Prez case in 18K WG for 3155, no bezel...$4000 Submariner case in 18K YG for 3035 or 3135 with bezel...$6795 DJ type 20mm 14K hollow mid link jubilee bracelet...$4715 Prez type w/hidden clasp/hollow mid links in 18K WG...$6950 Prez type w/hidden clasp/hollow mid links in 18K YG...$6595 14K YG...$4750 Prez type jubilee w/hidden clasp in 18K YG...$7490 (solid or hollow mid links not specified) Prez type w/hidden clasp with solid mid links in 18K WG (90.5 grams)...$9135 Prez type w/hidden clasp with solid mid links in 18K YG...$8995 (90.5 grams of 18K YG gold is $4442 USD on 2-24-24 @ 12:05 PM EST) Prez type w/hidden clasp with hollow mid links in 18K YG...$6595 Submariner type bracelet in 18K YG with flip lock oyster bracelet...$7250 Sub type 18K YG case and bracelet...$14045 USD

"I would disagree somewhat with your description of the 23-300 as being delicate. I have overhauled 2-3 of them (1 sitting on my bench now) &, while not in the tool watch class, I would have no qualms wearing 1 as a daily driver. " You are right of course, but I have never liked Patek Philippe watches and will admit to having a strong bias against the brand. Why is that? Because they are vastly overrated and overpriced, much like many other 'high grade' brands today. Imho. I never thought of Rolex being a 'high grade' watch because I can remember when they were the same price as a nice Omega or Longines. During the 'quartz crisis' they were one of few brands to survive and not long after they got over the crisis, it seems they decided to go upscale and advertise to Watch Elites (Ha!) instead of 'Watch Knaves' like me. Imho again. Any Rolex watches I have left are mostly older models with cal. 15xx movements because that is what I started with and have stayed with. I traded in later models but never did care much for them although I will admit to having three sapphire crystal models left. I dropped out of the Rolex Race quite a while back and will buy one now and then only if it is an absolute bargain. I am basically just an observer now.