automatico

NOS 14K Bulova from early 1980s... Original strap with 'homemade' 14K buckle... A jewelry repair friend and I made 5 or 6 of these buckles 20+ years ago. The buckle body was an unsigned stainless steel accessory buckle, the A-tron symbol was from an old buckle and attached to the steel buckle, then a mold was made from it. It took all day to make them. 4-17-24 Misc. gold buckles... The six bags at the top are from past watches. There is another box of gold buckles, .925 silver buckles, buckle tongues etc. somewhere but can't find them. Buckles in bag on bottom right are 16mm. Used to buy 14K buckles at watch shows, eBay etc. for $30 or $40 each...now they are $100 and up. Examples: eBay 115922672197 196346821333

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! My abandoned '1675/16750' project from 10 or 15 years ago, in shady B&W... In living color... Still nos, came with new Swiss ETA 2836/Asian 24H conversion. Abandoned because...closed 6/9, crystal is too tall, crown is 6.0mm, not 5.3mm, dial is fair but not properly signed (guess where). Would make a better 16750 than 1675 with the 28,800 2836. Probably a vintage submariner 1680 case. Better off with a Raffles case. Otoh...bezel turns both ways, no clicks, bezel insert is Ok and mounts flat in bez body, good spacing on lug holes, Ok to drill them out. Did I ever get started on it? Not yet. Will I ever finish it? Probably not. Crown pulled out to stop it from running. Pics taken 4-12-24.

"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 $Burn Me Out$.

Regarding uncommon vintage submariners... 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. I stuck a couple 'precoms' together using '5513' cases and non-operating H2 valves. The fixed spring bars were 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: I'll leave the fixed spring bar installation details out, but it was not too bad. Imho, a bracelet is a better choice for a '5514' anyway. A regular '5513' dial or COMEX logo dial can be used along with a standard bezel insert. I would like to have a milsub but already had the '5514' COMEX parts. My COMEX dials are not too hot, but I already had them too. rolex 5514 - Search Images (bing.com)

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)

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. What really bothers me is I have a pair of 14K Bulova automatic 'Beau Brummel' watches, one yellow, one white, and the yellow one is MIA. Or is it the white one? Bulova - Beau Brummell Series | Watchophilia.com

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 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 14K gold Waltham

"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.

"On the military side, US watches seem to me technologically on par with those of the Swiss brands, and certainly less expensive to produce. The A11 pilots watches had the same +-15 spd accuracy standard and hacking feature as the RAF 6b/159s from Longines, Omega, and JLC. And while not as flashy as a Radiomir, the Elgin and Hamilton canteens were probably the best proto-dive watches of WW2." Agree. ...and they don't call USA made Hamilton 'snap back' dress watches from the 1930s through the 1960s 'The American Patek Philippe' for nothing. I have owned a few manual wind Pateks and still have some vintage manual wind gold case Hamiltons...imho the Hamiltons are superior (in the real world), especially when you factor in the initial price, reliability, cost of parts, and service prices. My last Patek was a 'Golden Ellipse' on a Patek bracelet and the thing was so fragile (cal 23-300), I doubt it would survive one hard sneeze. They could be carried in a Kleenex box if that worries anyone. Ha! We call them 'Country Club Watches'. Here is a 23-300 movement on eBay: item number 134940359178 Bulova 'sweep second' stainless case mil style 32mm project watch, been apart for years, might finish it this summer. Many mil spec watches were 30 to 32mm. Bottom right is a military issue 'front loader' Benrus from the Vietnam era signed June 1969. Someone gave it to me and I can't remember any details on it but have 3 or 4 runners like it from the same era. They are very good for daily wear if you like genuine trouble-free mil spec watches. Problem is they have gone from $50 or $75 when I bought mine to $300+. Benrus made a run of reproductions a few years back but they have gone up in price too. Have a steel 1980s Hamilton military issue watch with a Durowe 7 jewel (manual wind) movement somewhere. You see them on eBay, but most of the time, the seller leaves out the 7 jewel Durowe movement part. A 17 jewel Durowe movement of the same type will fit in the case to make a very reliable 17 jewel everyday watch. They look like this: eBay item number 386749257465 Nos dial for the Bulova project watch...

Brings back memories. "Top shelf as always." Fer sure! Here is my SD, it is about 15 or 18 years old now. I like the models with printed markers better, but this will have to do. Still nos except for drilled lugs and oem spec spring bars. It came with a new Swiss Eta 2836...before they outlawed them.

Mooney Toons... All are nos with Seagull ST 19 except the two without bracelets, they are Seagull ST 6, not chronographs. Walk on the Moon date, July 20, 1969. 'Broad Arrow' model with 'Liar Dial. Liar Dial says 'automatic' but is manual wind. 'Chronometer' might be another lie.

"Can you suggest ant cheaper alternative one dips that you may know of?" One Dip is 1, 1, 1 - Trichloroethane aka methyl chloroform, (chemical formula CH3CCl3). Dangerous stuff, but not as bad if used outside (upwind) in an open area as it evaporates very rapidly. Some say common (also dangerous) dry cleaning fluid aka 'perc' will also work and is easier to get. From the website 'Love to Know'... Perchloroethylene Dry Cleaning Fluid In the early 1930s, the United States dry cleaning industry began using the solvent perchloroethylene, which is nonflammable. Commonly referred to as perc, perchloroethylene is also known as: Perchloroethylene PCE Tetrachloroethylene Tetrachloroethene Using perchloroethylene became the favored method of dry cleaners and in the late 1950s. It is a chlorinated solvent that removed dirt and stains without water. According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), 85 percent of the 36,000 dry cleaning shops in the United States use this chemical. Perchloroethylene cautions - Search (bing.com)

"I've found the ETA 2846 to be as reliable as the ETA 2836, but has the slower beat for vintage builds. " Me too, I have used quite a few of them and some of my older models are 17 jewels instead of 21. Can't tell any difference between 21J and 17J in day to day use though. Might need to c/o the autowind assembly more often on the 17J models to keep the reverser bushings from wearing out. A 25J autowind assembly from an ETA 2824/36 etc. will fit a 2846. I bought a few bargain priced 25J nos ETA 2879 (21600 bph) about 10 years ago and they also work fine in projects, but it seems they do not have the same winding efficiency as later 2824/36/46 etc. After c/o they keep good time and on the few I have, the day of the week spacer is made on the top plate instead of using a flimsy sheet metal spacer. They are about the same thickness as an ETA 2836. From The Ranfft website: 2846 11.5'', Dm= 25.6mm, Do= 26.0mm H= 5.2mm (calendar/dial spacer is made on the movement on mine) F= 1.65mm T= 2.25mm 17/21 jewels f = 21600 A/h power reserve 48h 2879 11.5'', Dm= 25.6mm, Do= 26.0mm H= 5.35mm (calendar/dial spacer +0.15mm) F= 0.6mm T= 2.3mm 17/21/25 jewels f = 21600 A/h power reserve 55h I tried an Eta 2879 in a case made for an Eta 2836 and it fits Ok, everything lines up, stem is in the center of the case tube etc. My 2879 movements are not hacks but the hack lever can be installed. They also need cleaning and oiling but I figure it's better to spend time c/o a nos movement than an old movement with unknown history.

"I understand your hesitancy, but I have never found most properly maintained Rolexes to be fragile." I get where you are coming from but back when I knew the head repair guy at a fairly large AD, he was ordering 15xx and 30xx balance staffs by the dozen every few months (3 for $18 back then) plus quite a few 'balances complete' ($160 at the time, still have a few for 15xx 19.8 chronometers plus one for 3035 and one for lady cal 2135). The cal 3035 was a problem because the hairsprings came loose from the balance where they were laser welded and they had to be replaced. If the owner was lucky, the 3035 HS was just tangled up (another common problem)...not counting dates flipping halfway in the window etc. I've owned 33 cal 3000/3035 watches with 4 tangled HS and 3 balance staffs plus a few other ailments...all gone now. About the same number of 3130/3135 watches with no problems other than a few needing c/o. Had a few 3035 powered DJ with serious case corrosion, no 3135 powered DJ models with much corrosion but they were newer. Saw a few rotten submariners used in salt water and not cared for. 1-16-24... caliber 3035 a white elephant? - Rolex Forums - Rolex Watch Forum Owned about 50 models with cal 15xx and they had a few problems...MS barrel arbor hole in main plate worn out of round (no jewel or bushing), broken staffs from whams & bams, worn out reversers and rotor weight axles (usually because of too long between c/o), broken rotor axle jewels (W & B)...the winding weight axle and jewels are weak points under rough service imho. RWC service centers have a device to bore and bush the MS arbor hole, or a mini milling machine can be used. The bushings are hard to find, usually have to be cut out of a similar bushing on a lathe and milling machine. Still have three 3130 AKs left, that's it for 'modern' Rlx. Last Rlx purchased? Steel ref 1500 timehead 12-14-21 $700 in gro. Probably the last unless a cheapo shows up. The AD repair guy had been at the bench 30+ years and was one of the best around. He called the cal 3000/3035 '******* junk' and also hated the 1556 type Prez day of the week works, even I can tell they are flimsy (I have one btw). The 3135 was the main movement back when I knew him, and they had very few problems. I asked him what his favorite Rlx watch was. He said: "The 1016, just don't drop it." What did he wear? Gold case Accutron 214 prototype with different case back from production models, a gift from a Bulova sales rep. "I worry more about watches developing problems because they spend too much time sitting idle rather than suffering damage from being worn." Yeah, me too. I have a safe full of 'em. Funny thing is the replicas always take off after a long snooze and the genuine watches don't want to get up and go.