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automatico

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Everything posted by automatico

  1. They should call it the BIG Gulp because it gulps deep water and all your $$. While the 42.5mm TechnoMarine Abyss (about $650US) goes as deep and they only had to fill it with whale snot to make it work.
  2. My lady size 'asian 21 jewel' watches had 8 3/4 ligne Seagull ST6DL in them. Search for a picture of the Seagull ST6DL on the 'net for comparison. If the ST6 is clean and oiled they will keep good time and last a long time.
  3. High quality gold cases are almost always die struck, not die cast. I have seen quite a few fake omega constellation, seamaster, and rolex cases that were cast with porous threads and voids in the main case where the gold did not flow properly although they looked fine on the outside where they had been polished. Many of the bezels and casebacks on quickie gold knock offs are made in rubber molds and do not have sharp detail. Matter of fact, I traded into a fake solid cast gold 18k omega 'Geneve' automatic in June 2003. I put it away without looking inside it until 4-1-2006 (April Fool's Day by chance). It had a 100% fake cast case with a genuine cal 1480 movement in it. The case did not have a separate bezel and the plastic armored crystal pressed down into a machined groove in the case. The screw down caseback looked fine on the outside but was rough on the inside with rough threads on the caseback and case. The guy I got it from gave me a 6694 for it back and he had no idea the case was fake either. No telling how many owners had it without knowing. I used to see simple snap back gold manual wind fake omegas for sale at watch shows along with gold filled cases stamped 14k or 18k but this was the first screw back fake gold omega case I actually owned. I had seen solid cast gold fake constellation cases with fake dials and genuine movements at watch shows but not this type of geneve model. I have seen a lot of die struck solid gold rolex replacement cases and they were all top quality and all originally came unsigned (to be lettered later by a crook of some sort). I paid $900 for an 18k unsigned gold DJ case for a 3035 complete with back and bezel in February 2001 and now the same case is $4215 at StarTime. Back then an 18k submariner case with back and bezel was $1200 and now StarTime has them for $5455!!! I have seen them for less on eBay. There used to be a web site called 'Apples of Gold' that sold Italian made die struck rolex look-alike cased watches under the Geneve brand back before gold prices went crazy. I got one of their submariner style watches in to work on a few years ago and it was made just like the rolex replacement cases except it was made for an eta movement. I have one new die struck prez style non oem spec case left from back then and it weighs 29.1 grams with back and bezel but I do not remember how much a genuine case weighs. This one has the dial opening a little bit bigger than genuine and came with a black diamond dial and eta 2836-2...it accepts genuine case tubes, crystals, and bezels. They were $1200 new in 2001 on a strap...with a prez style bracelet they were $2400...with bracelet and diamond dial/bezel, $3000. I remember the prices because a gold/diamond/watch trader friend had a lot of them back then. Tutone eta DJ with 14k bezel and center links were $750....with 18k bez/links, $900. If there are many threads left on your case, you might run a steel caseback into the case and run the gold caseback down in a steel case and straighten the threads enough to work...providing the threads are all the same. I've done this a time or two. If you can weigh your case...see how much it weighs and post the result.
  4. "Is a genuine 5512 dial the same diameter as a genuine 5513 dial (26mm)? If 'yes' then ass-uming a 5512 dial is also 26mm wide... How does it stay in place with a 26.13mm hole in the case?" After looking at the genuine 5512 case with the 26.13 dial window in the post above, I wondered how this could work with a 26mm dial. SInce I have a DW 5513 case that I got from a member (we both thought the dial window was too big), I put the 26mm IG44 5513 dial on a 1520 and mounted it in the DW case with a 26.0mm dial opening. It works fine. Everything lined up...stem, case clamp screws etc. How can it work with the dial window as big as the dial? The movement is a precision fit in the case and this holds it all in place. The dial might be almost the same size as the dial window but the movement is not...and it is clamped against the front of the case. This is probably why a 26mm dial in a case with a 26mm dial opening using an eta movement and spacer does not work out every time...there is too much slop in the fit and the movement and dial will not stay centered. I measured this 'new MBW 1680' and here are the sizes: lug tip to tip...47.7mm on both sides lug hole center to center...42.4mm on both sides 20.05mm between lugs at 6 20.06mm between lugs at 12 springbar hole size...1.2mm+/- (submariner sb will not go in) case thickness...5.0mm at 3 and 9, also at 6 and 12 case thickness at 3 and 9 including case neck (where crystal mounts)...6.5mm case neck od (where the crystal mounts)...28.2mm dial window opening...25.5mm this case has the O ring groove on top of the case under the inner bezel Inner bezel: id 30.2mm where it presses over the crystal. overall od...35.43mm high...2.03mm I did not remove the insert. rotating bezel: id where is snaps over the inner bezel...35.38mm overall od...39.6mm inner shelf just under the insert...31.1mm thickness...2.2mm The DW 5513 case is machined inside to accept genuine parts although the outside is out of spec as far as crystal, inner and outer bezel are concerned. The MBW case is closer to genuine on the outside but not very close to genspec on the inside. Imho it is not worth the trouble to install a genuine dial and movement in this particular case. It is a good candidate for an eta 1680 or 5513 though. As I said before this particular case is a lot closer to being a 5513 than a 1680.
  5. "From VRF 5512 PCG" I have a couple questions... Is a genuine 5512 dial the same diameter as a genuine 5513 dial (26mm)? If 'yes' then ass-uming a 5512 dial is also 26mm wide... How does it stay in place with a 26.13mm hole in the case? Maybe I know... Flash back to my DW '5513' case (not made to the same spec as a DW 1680 case)... The dial opening in the DW 5513 case is about 26.0mm (I always thought it was too big for the 26mm dial). So...I get my trusty/rusty 1520 out and look closely at it and the overall diameter is 28.5mm. Fine and dandy. Same size as it was yesterday (you never know). So...maybe the dial just sits IN the opening and the movement seats against the case. Clue...the movement is only 27.1mm just under the dial and is not the full 28.5mm until a few tenths mm lower. May-beee the hole in my DW 5513 case ain't too big after all. Maybe someone with a gen-u-ine 5513 or 5512 knows about the dials/cases and can post the answer. (Dumazz me never paid attention when I worked on genuine sub-mareener watches and now all I have are reep-lick-as's) Q...What goes down on a submarine? A...140 men. Q...What comes up on a submarine? a...70 couples. (my neighbor retired after 20 years on submarines...he told me the joke) Somethin' else... My 'new' MBW 1680 case is a lot closer to a 5513 in spec than a 1680 and the dial opening is 25.5mm. There is a shallow dial seat cut back from the edge on the inside and if you remove this by machining it...a 26mm dial will drop through this case too. The DW 5513 caseback fits the MBW '1680' case perfecto except it does not have a proper gasket groove in it. The caseback from my DW 1680 will not fit my 'new' MBK 1680 (that now seems to really be a 5513 case in disguise) or my DW 5513. The DW 1680 case is true to spec as far as dial and mvt fitting goes. Every time I take my tin foil hat off...I am bombarded with conflicting factoids.
  6. "How about some washers around each of the dial feet? Since there is an endless selection of washer sizes/thicknesses, you should be able to select a pair that provide the exact spacing you require &, unlike gaskets, they will maintain the spacing without compressing when you put everything together." That's a good idea. Since the dial feet are at 6:30 and 11:57 and the case clamp screws are within about 5 minutes of them, it would probably work out Ok as the pressure from the case screws would be close to the dial feet and not bend the dial. There might need to be some support at 3 and 9 too...dial dots etc I also thought about installing a taller hour wheel and cp from a date movement and making a spacer out of an old dial to go under the 5513 dial with hoiles drilled for the dial feet to pass through. The catch then is would the dial foot screws still reach the dial feet? After I thought about it, there is really no need for the dial foot screws anyway as the case clamp screws put enough tension on everything to hold the dial down. The only time dial foot screws are needed is when handling the movement and this particular 5513 dial is a fairly tight fit on the movement. I had to sand the dial feet down a little to allow them to go into the holes in the movement. I'll probably keep this project going and see how it works out since I have gone this far. I need to put a gen spec case tube in the case and stick a no mag crystal on it. If it all works out it will be quite a bit less $$ than a Yuki etc case and a pretty good hollow link 93150 came with it too.
  7. 'New' MBW 1680 revisited... I tried the 1520 in the MBW case with an IG44 26mm x .5mm thick 5513 dial and here's the scoop: The dial fits into the dial seat just fine. The IG44 dial that I have is .5mm thick and oem is .4mm thick. The thicker dial is Ok in this project because the movement sits too far to the front anyway. The movement fits into the case just fine. The case screws will need thicker heads to back out against the rail in the groove in the case because of the movement sitting too far to the front. The stem is about 1mm too far toward the front of the case tube and will be in a bind. What can be done? Maybe use a spacer between the dial and movement. So...a 5513 dial with a 1520 is possible but not a drop in. Will a 1575 OPD/sub date spacer work? No, it is too thick. I tried an OPD calendar spacer on the movement with the IG44 5513 dial and the movement is too far to the back and the stem is about 1mm too far to the back of the case tube. The 26.5mm x .5mm dial does not fit precisely into the dial seat relief cut in the case (it is made for a 26mm dial) but this really does not matter as the difference is only .2mm or so. I also tried the OPD calendar spacer with an IG44 26.5mm x .5mm 1680 dial and the movement is still too far to the back and the stem is about 1mm too far to the back of the case tube. The case clamp screws will not fit into the groove in the case either. What's next? With no spacer and a 5513 dial... You might space the dial away from the movement a little bit with a spacer of some sort or a row of dial dots to move the movement toward the back and see how the stem lines up in the case tube. If you use dial dots the clamping screws will flatten them out as you back them out against the case rail to hold the movement so they need to be a little thicker than necessary to start with. Maybe make a dial spacer of some sort keeping in mind that any spacer is going to cause the hour wheel and minute wheel to sit lower below the dial and maybe cause hand clearance problems. What do I think about this case now? It is a pretty good case for an eta powered project.
  8. "I agree with some of the comments above - that is a lot of money to spend on a franken when a gen is not much more. I have put 157x movements into MBW cases (1665 & 5513) &, while it can be done (& made to look quite gen), it is ALOT of work (grinding, sanding & polishing)." I removed the movement and dial from my 'new' MBW Polex 1680 and the dial window hole is 25.5mm. There is a shallow step machined under the dial seat cut back from the 25.5mm window opening to 26.25mm. The dial is between 26.0mm and 26.2mm in diameter and shows signs of having been roughly ground down to fit within this 26.25mm step. The od of the etaclone 2836-2 is 26.0mm with a 28mm brass spacer. The od of a rolex 1520/70/75 is 28.5mm. The id of the MBW case where the movement mounts is 28.7mm The rolex movement drops into the MBW case just fine. I used a 1520 with a 26mm dial and it is pretty close to fitting this particular MBW 1680 case. When you add the date works and spacer thickness of a 1575...the movement might sit too high in the case to be workable...but maybe not as I have not tried it. It looks like this case is pretty close to accepting a 1520 and genuine spec 5513 dial. I may give it a try sooner or later.
  9. "To be honest this new and old MBW/MBK thing confuses me as I had an old one as a 1680 with lug engraving 5513 which I converted to a 5513 and then uses a newer case engraved 1680 which I used to build my 1680 and modeled after my gen and all the parts swapped over no problems so I don't think there is a difference." I just looked at my 'new' MBK 1680 Polex L382301 and it has an eta signed etaclone 2836-2 of some sort. If they used the same 2836-2 movement with the dial spacer still attached and day/date guts removed in the 5513...the cases are internally the same except maybe for the dial window as the 1680 dial is 26.5mm and the 5513 is 26.0mm iirc. The mvt/dial is still in mine so I did not measure the dial window diameter.
  10. "I have emailed Yuki for several months now and so far he's never had them in stock. The gen ones that come up on ebay and VRF that I have seen so far have been too much $ for me." Maybe JMB would crank out a few for sale. The spring can be made from a pocket watch mainspring etc and the O ring is easy to find. I just looked at the Yuki site... $100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hellofuzzy.
  11. "I estimate your 1680 franken would cost $3800-$4200 not including a servicing for the movement and a gen white dial instead of red. add a red dial and you might as well just buy a gen 1680 white with the same amount." I agree. Imho if you get close to this much $$ in a project 1680...go for a genuine white letter 1680. I posted a few times about the 1680 project I stuck together on the cheap but it ain't much of a trophy. It looks Ok and runs fine though. Here is approximately what it cost: no hack 1570/75 movement with 'Mk I' dial and hands from a rotted out 1680...got it in a trade = about $900 DW case...from another trade = around $100 including tube and crown, not much of a case (not gen spec) but the mvt/dial/case tube all fit fine and it was cheap c/o mvt + mainspring = about $25 (I did it) drill lugs (me) aft/mkt springbars, hoods and cheapo hollow link bracelet with fair clasp...$40 or so Comments: As everyone knows by now the DW 1680 case is not made to genuine specs. The bezel is a spring wire affair and the case is 'pot bellied' like a DJ or over polished submariner...not flat sided. Gen spec crystals will fit the case but not the inner bezel. It is well made, has a good finish, repels water, and is perfect for an everyday watch that might live a rough life. I had a slightly used Yuki 1680 case a couple years back and it was just fine but I traded it away on a 1655 project. I looked it over carefully and it was very well finished. When I read they cost $34, smoke shot out of my ears. If this is true, there is no way I could pay $500+ for one now. I have a new 'L' serial number MBW 1680 now but doubt I will put the 1570/75 and dial in it. It would probably not be much trouble but the DW 1680 case with 1570/75/dial is worth about as much as the same watch made with the MBW case because most of the value is in the movement and dial. The dial in the MBW does not have dial feet. It looks pretty good. The numbers etc between the lugs are not nearly as good as the Yuki case I had or the DW case. In order for it to pass casual inspection the numbers would have to be seriously scuffed like the MBW 1680 case that FxrAndy posted about a couple months back. I have a red 1680 dial from IG44 and it is about as good as any non genuine dial I have seen. I would go with one of these in place of genuine and save a lot of $$ on a 1570/75 red sub project. Maybe someone who has put a 1570/75 in an MBW 1680 case can tell what had to be done.
  12. I would rather have a $wisseta in a watch I planned on wearing for a few years. That being said...I would not pay the extra $70 to $100 for a $wisseta over an asian etaclone when buying a new watch. Why not? 1...It might not be a $wisseta after all. 2...It might need service anyway. 3...If you have to pay to have a 2824/36 type movement serviced...get a $wisseta serviced. 4...Asian etaclone = hard to find parts. 5...$wisseta = parts everywhere. What I would do is buy the asian etaclone model and find a genuine $wisseta in a used watch on eBay etc and stick it in the watch (after having it serviced) when the asian etaclone goes south. What if the asian etaclone keeps on keepin' on and you do not need the $wisseta? There is always another 'keeper' on the horizion. My asian etaclone score: So far, two went south out of five. #1 'The Winnah!' is still running after three or four years. A friend wears it daily. #2 'Runner Down!, Runner Up!' went south immediately (winding rotor fell off the bearing). I repaired it and traded it away. Never heard anything so I count it as a runner, not a doa. #3 'Runner Up!, Runner Down!' ran fine for about two years and quit dead in its tracks. I got the watch back but never fixed it. #4 'Fell At The Gate!' never kept good time. The hairspring etc looked Ok but the rate was no good. It runs, but that's all. #5 'Waiting In The Wings' is in a blue dial/bezel modern submariner style watch but it has not been worn. It seems to run Ok. Fixed one asian etaclone I never owned...a pallet stone fell off the pallet fork. This can happen to any brand.
  13. 1...If you assume that genuine submariners with open lug holes and SEL bracelets used the exact same SEL bracelet as submariners with blind lug holes...the holes in the lugs will be at the same exact location on both types of cases. The question is...did both case types use the same exact SEL bracelet? I do know that open hole/SEL cases were slightly different from regular stamped hood cases as they had a groove machined in them to hold the SEL in place. Here are some good pictures of an SEL case with open holes. The three piece 801 SEL is also clearly pictured. http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=115588&drgn=1 2...Assuming again that a TC case is made to genuine specs...the lug holes for either a genuine spec SEL bracelet or genuine spec bracelet with stamped hoods should match when drilled all the way through the lugs using the original blind lug holes for reference...but only if #1 is true and I do not know. Another catch being that some replica SEL bracelets may not fit a genuine/genuine spec case and some replica bracelets with removable stamped hoods might not fit a genuine/genuine spec case either. One good thing is that removable stamped hoods can easily be modified to fit by grinding if there is enough metal where needed.
  14. "...just don't like the idea of sending it to rolex for a service to never see it again." 'Stolen' or not they can keep it for any reason and you are screwed. No matter what you say...the authorities will always side with rwc. I would not trust them with a rusty Vostock. It's kinda like owning a patek-o philippe-o... "You never actually own a rolex...you merely look after it until they catch you and take it away." ...then they throw you into a dark dungeon, beat you with a cat-o-nine, and force you to eat frog eyes from a brass bowl. Good luck with the auction!
  15. "A few months ago I asked the terrible "Where do you get an MBW Case Set?" and I got some evasive responses like "do a search." Might keep a daily lookout on the watches for sale and parts for sale forums on RWG. I know it is a pain but sooner or later one will turn up. I have owned a few '1680' cases...Paul/Abay, Yuki, DW, a few of unknown origins, and MBK. Iirc the MBK is the best of the bunch especially if you count the extra expense of a Yuki, Phong etc case. I never tried to put a 1570/75 in the MBK case but I doubt it would be a whole lot of trouble and besides, I have read where Yuki etc cases were not exactly the same every time. I am sure there are detail differences between 1680 MBK cases and high $$ Yuki/Phong etc cases but doubt if the MBK is 'bad' enough to justify the Yuki/Phong etc price differences, especially if you plan to use an Eta movement. Otoh, if you plan to use a genuine 1570/75 and are not interested in making the 1570/75 fit into the MBK case...you might be better off with a Yuki/Phong etc case. The DW case would accept a genuine 1570/75 and dial but the crystal, inner and outer bezel etc were not oem spec and the case had rounded sides like a DJ.
  16. LH knows 1016 crystals. His advice is spot on! I made up a few franko 1016 and tried a few different crystal combos...genuine 25-22, GS PA 464-64C, GS PA 463-12A, no name generics etc. What I've learned: Genuine 25-22 'flat top' is Ok but costs too much. Original domed 25-22 cost waaay too much and may be brittle from age. GS PA 464-64A is nearly identical to 'flat top 22 for about $10US. GS PA 463-12A is a 'short cut' crystal...slightly domed and iirc works with standard 1600/16000 etc bezel as it is not as thick on top or sides as a 25-22 iirc again. This might have been a replacement for the rolex 25-21 used on the old 1018. It's been a long time since I used one so the details are fuzzy on bezel fit. Various no name aft/mkt = hit or miss, some good, some not so good. 'Flat top' 22 with edges rounded off are Ok but it thins them down quite a bit. After you find what you like and if you plan to keep the watch, get a couple identical spares. I use swiss made generic submariner springbars with the tips shortened and rounded off. If the hoods/bracelet do not line up...sometimes you can curve the springbars slightly by laying them one at a time in a spoon and pressing a similar spoon down on top to make a gentle curve in the springbar. You can also use a #55 drill instead of 1.3mm on the lugs for a hair more 'wiggle room' if the springbars are a tight fit.
  17. "Based on price, GEN is overrated for a "tube" that no one ever sees." That's the truth for sure. I bought a few aft/mkt tubes a while back that looked like they did not have a full compliment of threads where they screw into the case...2 or 3 threads short. Every one broke. Always had good luck with tubes from J Borel and StarTime.
  18. I agree with Freddy. Perception and bias... Imho, the only way to really be fair would be to perform a blind test without knowing what brand was being tested...very hard to do. It seems when the brand name 'rolex' gets involved, things may not be 100% on the level sometimes. If this particular watch was just a run of the mill brand...it would not have raised an eyebrow. I am going out on a limb here but the rolex brand is a bit like current USA politics...if this president was just a Regular Joe he would have been run out of town on a rail by now because of his efforts to support money losing 'green ventures' (when we really need cheaper oil), the insane increase in the national debt etc, etc. While the USA press/TV fell in love and decided he is a 'hero' and not a Regular Joe...a 'rolex president' in other words. I have a SAR/CCG watch (eta 2824-2) made by Horoswiss/Marathon and it is 'sterile' (unbranded). No matter who looks at it, no one shows much interest in it. It does not have a brand name so no one knows where it fits in the pecking order although it is a pure 'tool watch' with a no BS 200M rating, rotating bezel etc. It also has a double O ring non screw down crown and this upsets some because they believe 100M or more requires a screw down crown. Otoh, if I wore a fogged up rolex 16610, the lookers would probably oooh! and aaah! and whiz down their leg. As for our current president...it looks like he's a fake rolex. We would probably be better off with Nixon's head in a fruit jar. "I am not a crook!" The top of my head just blew off.
  19. "I can plainly see the problem with the hairspring, but what is the cause? Is it magnetized?" The section of the hairspring between the attachment point and regulator pins has a kink in it where it should be a smooth arc. The kink is partially covered by the spoke in the balance wheel in the picture in this post. This kink is causing the hairspring to be out of center and after the guy straightened the kink out, the hairspring centered over the balance wheel. The hairspring was Ok when it was mounted on the balance wheel and not attached to anything else...it was just being forced out of center by the kink when mounted. This is a common 'flat' hs and not a 'Breguet' overcoil hs so it is easier to deal with. Look down at the bottom of the thread at the post titled 'Your hairspring appears to be out of center' to see exactly what was wrong.
  20. "Auto - Would you care to do a tutorial guide (on how to change that center sweep second pinion bushing?" pics) I never had to replace one but I would guess you might be able to broach it out using a small broach like used on hands and then press a new one in with a small shouldered tool from a staking set. You might have to turn the tool down because the bushing is so small though. The rolex oiling chart shows to keep the ss pinion dry and do not oil it where it runs in the bushing. Sometimes little jobs like this can turn out to be a real headache. Next time I have a 1520/70 apart, I will take a close look and see what's what.
  21. There is a good thread on TZ Watchmaking and Repair titled 'Low Amplitude on Rolex 1520' that shows some common trouble spots with this particular movement. The part about the center sweep second pinion bushing etc also applies to cal 1570/75 etc. The advice on spotting and correcting minor hairspring trouble is also very good and the pictures make it easy to follow. Anyone who owns a 1520 or 1570/75 could benefit from reading this thread and looking carefully at the pictures in order to remember what to look for. Something else to look for is an out of round hole on the dial side where the mainspring barrel arbor runs in the mainplate. When this hole wears out of round, the MS barrel can bind or drag on the plate and cause power reserve problems etc. I have converted a few 17 jewel 1520 autowind assemblies to fully jeweled and it is not hard at all but you really need a jewel setting tool set to get it done precisely. All you have to do is remove the jewels and measure the OD of the bushings and the OD of the arbor that runs in them (plus the thickness) and order the jewels from a supply house and be sure to order jewels with oil sinks. Keep in mind the replacement jewels for converting 17 jewel auto assemblies are not the same as the jewels used in 26 jewel models...the OD is bigger for the conversion jewels. I made up a few Frankensteins with rolex 1520/1575/1575GMT in the past and had pretty good luck with the donor movements that I bought here and there but I have just about stopped using rolex movements because of the parts situation...hard to find and high prices. Future projects will probably have eta/AS/Bulova etc movements. http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&th=1756140&mid=6051783&rid=0&rev=&reveal=
  22. The swiss made springbars from StarTime they are basically identical to genuine. I have used them for years with no failures and the springs stay strong after many r/r. Springbars for late no hole submariners are also good for projects where you need a stronger/thicker 2mm od x 20mm lug size springbar for rubber/nylon straps etc.
  23. Always remember that a case made for a 3135 will not accept a 3035 and a case made for a 3035 will not accept a 3135. If you buy: "My Sub case set 16610 only can fit ca.3135 or 3035 movement, not eta movement." ...it will fit either the 3035 or 3135 unless there are two different cases available.
  24. Go to VRF and look at the post titled: Bronze dial and some lost gold... It looks like RWC has figured out how to remove every 'spare' nanogram of gold from inside their modern gold cases. They even remove metal from behind the case clamp stands and hollow out the lugs. All you get for your $$ is a thin gold shell for a case. They have been doing this for a long time as my early 1970's 14k OPD is machined inside the case...but nothing like this. To add insult to injury, if a DD has a 5 digit reference number, the Prez bracelet has cheapo hollow links. Later 6 digit models have solid links. Current list price for a new DD is around $30k. In my experience with vintage watches...1960's/1970's Bulovas seem to have the most gold in their solid gold cases. Rule of thumb: The higher the grade of the watch...the lower the amount of gold in the case. Exception: Some of the newer solid gold front loader 'oinion skin no name' quartz watches are made out of what is basically gold foil with lugs stuck on them. Wear one too tight on your wrist and the case or lugs will bend when you pick up something heavy or flex your wrist. No kidding. When you remove a springbar, you have to support the lug on the opposite side to keep it from bending or breaking off (a good idea anyway). I changed out a battery in an 'onion skin' a while back and here are the steps: 1...remove the acrylic crystal with a crystal lift 2...remove the hands 3...drop the dial out of the case (had dial feet but no screws or clamps) 4...shove the movement to the 9 o'clock side, hold the stem with very thin needle nose pliers, and unscrew the crown (no two piece stem) 5...drop the movement out and change the battery If it has a two piece stem...to avoid marking the crystal you can uncouple the stem and blow the crystal out with a Bergeon 5011 crystal pump on the case tube. Replace the crystal with a crystal lift being careful not to let it slip on the crystal. Some acrylic crystals are hard to remove with a crystal lift but easy to replace with a lift.
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