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automatico

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Everything posted by automatico

  1. "...there is always a v2." The Official Motto of the Replica Aficionado!
  2. "Wtf is going on in Essex?!" After days of research I have concluded... In Essex they perform a lot of Hooker-sex in the street. ...and when they perform Hooker-sex in the street, their watch falls off and goes down the drain. At home, it just falls on the floor.
  3. Seiko makes a clear two part crystal epoxy that stays clear and transparent. It is pricey though.
  4. Much of the work to setting parts...set lever replacement etc should be done from the dial side (front side), but if you shove the set lever etc out of whack when r/r the stem...you can sometimes reset it from the back side by removing the autowind assembly, ratchet wheel, and plate over the mainspring barrel to get to these parts. This is easier than r/r the hands, dial, and date works. You can also r/r the winding pinion and clutch wheel from the back side. The hack lever should be installed only from the back side and be sure the hole in the hack lever is placed properly over the post made on the plate. Make sure the hack lever lightly touches the rim of the balance wheel when the stem is in the setting position. Hack levers for 2824 and 2836 are the same...p/n 9433. Always put the 2824 etc movements in time setting position when removing the stem and be careful not to push the detent button in too far. I will always remember what an old timer watch repair guy told me 25+ years ago... "The main thing is to not get excited." True. He also said... "The smaller they are, the easier they are to work on." For him maybe but not for me.
  5. You did not say if it started running slow after 8 hours of wearing the watch without winding it to start with or 8 hours after winding it manually and wearing it, so I would recommend that you wind it 35 or 40 revolutions of the crown, then put it on and see how long it keeps good time before slowing down. If it keeps good time for 30 hours or more it is probably Ok. Most automatics need winding before wearing them. One exception is a Seiko 5 that can not be wound manually, they have a very efficient winding system.
  6. "For someone who is a member of NAWCC it's surprising to see the fake chrono bridge with "Rolex" engraved..." I was a member of the NAWCC for about 20 years. I saw a LOT of crooks come and go in that time and I turned a few crooks in myself. Palo Alto Micro for example. Buyer beware... I saw a guy at the Philadelphia National a few years ago selling fake tooter rangers for $600 or $800 with fake dials, hands etc with genuine cases and movements. He claimed they were "100% genuine" and never would admit what they were. Now most of the fake tooter rangers are 100% fake and sell for around $200 to $300. A friend of mine went to an NAWCC National a couple years ago and came back with 3 fake rangers and he said the guy selling them had 10 or 12 spread out on his table. Fake stuff is everywhere but sometimes you have to know the guy who has it because it might be in a box under the table. Frankenstein rolex watches and fake parts are everywhere too and much of the time the seller will play dumb and not tell you what's what. I learned watch trading in the 'trenches' and this forum has the best bunch of 'watchguys' I have seen so far.
  7. "I have a 1964 6694 and might try that. The crown is tiny on it." I put a 6mm crown on a 6694 a few years ago and it made it easier to wind.
  8. If you want to save $$ when starting out, you can go the 'Seiko route' with 4 basic lubricants...heavier train oil (such as Moebius 9020), a thinner oil for escapements etc (like Moebius 9010), grease (KT 22 etc), and maybe Mobieus 8210 for mainsprings. You might also need pallet fork/escape wheel lube such as Moebius 9415. You can change brands and save a whole lot. Zenith oil for instance is highly respected and the cost is a fraction of Moebius. You can buy a bottle of synthetic Zenith oil big enough to get drunk on for a few bucks. Zenith Vacu-Seal is one of the best silicon gasket lubes too. You do not need a whole lot of 'watchmaker stuff' to do a good job. Imho, you need a steady hand, a good eye, good optics, a few good tools, good light, good instruction, a LOT of practice...and a HUGE sense of humor about mechanical watches. ...and I mean HUGE! I have an L&R Ultramatic/Ultrasonic cleaning machine but good used examples cost too much now that mechanical watches are popular again and they are hard to keep up (vacuum tubes, hydraulic pump, relays etc). Something smaller and simpler is better for cleaning jobs now and then. Even an old L&R 'milkshake maker' is pretty good if you can find one for a good price.
  9. "Just to confirm, the 6020 tube and 7030 tube use the same tube for installation/removal?" The 6020 (6.0mm crown size) and 7030 (7.0mm crown size) tubes have 3.0 x .35mm threads where they screw into the case and both use the same installation tool. All 5.3mm tubes have 2.5 x .25mm threads and use a smaller installation tool no matter if they have a 5.3mm crown or later 6.0mm crown like on sapphire DJ etc.
  10. "He hasnt replied a single email for weeks. DW/Steve owes a lot of people watches and parts." I sent DW a note in December about a V72 case and got a quick reply but I chickened out after reading about them closing up. Sad to say but "family/medical/emergency problems" on internet deals usually means the $$ went down a gopher hole. It sure would be nice if someone in the USA would crank out precision made cases for a fair price. Without trademarks it is probably 100% legal. But then we would need a 'trademark guy'. For example, I saw that Star Time has unsigned '16610' type steel cases that accept genuine dials and 3135 mvt for $175 (without bezels) so they could not be that hard or expensive to make. (Product No.RSCSS (3135) Stainless Steel Replacement Case for Rolex Sub Type 3135) The crystal retainer ring is $39 and the rotating bezel is $69.95. Total for a basic case = $283.95.
  11. Special parts like the Hub Evo screw may have to come from a donor watch. I have a black Hublot BB that I parked after a couple screws fell out (do not remember which ones), but if you want the empty case, send a mailing address by pm and I will shoot it at you. I side with JMB and stick to rolex replicas because they are relatively easy to find parts for. Loctite is good too. What really makes me mad is the way genuine swiss watch brands are holding back parts and forcing watch owners to send watches to factory authorized repair depots for their Super Friendly $crew You $ervice. There is no way I will pay some sob watch company $1000 to fix what I can fix for $100 just because they will not sell me the parts. Another sign of the times...thanks to the Geniuses in Charge of rwc, every genuine rolex I have left (except for a 1675) is probably worth more for parts than as a running watch. Charter Member of the Frankens Forever Club.
  12. I used a 2846 (17J) with a 2824 autowind assembly (to make it 25J) in a 1016 project with a 16220 case. The sweep second pinion needed to be shortened a little bit so the second hand would not sit too high above the M hand. The H and M hands were Ok with the H hand about the right distance above the dial. I used a spacer from Stilty and everything fit fine and I cut a couple flat spots in the spacer so the case clamps would fit into the groove in the case. I left the 5.3mm case tube in the case along with the original 6mm crown and used a GS PA 464-64C crystal with a bezel cut to fit. The lug holes were drilled out with a #55 bit and a 7836 folded oyster bracelet from Mary was fitted. The bracelet worked fine but I put an older type clasp cap on it with the coronet at the leading edge (where the lift tab normally is) and I bent the center of the last link when I was flexing the bracelet back and forth trying to make it a little bit looser where the clasp cap snaps down between the clasp and first link. It is fairly easy to put a dent in a center link of one of these bracelets, genuine or replica.
  13. Follow up... I spread the center of the last link apart on my cartel bracelet to see if I could install a connecting link and short center link like in the Yuki bracelet (my cartel bracelet is just like the one in the pictures above). The center link that I pried apart is the goofy looking hooded link that connects to the clasp with a press pin. There is a pin at each end of the folded link but none in the center for a short center link like the Yuki model so there is no easy way to install a short link in the center of the cartel bracelet. An oem type connecting link can be installed but you would end up with the last link with a space in the center that would look real bad...like a boxer with two front teeth knocked out. I put the center link back in the bracelet but spread it apart a little so there would be a little more room between the clasp cap and the bracelet link. This helps a little but not much. I thought about trying to drill a shallow hole in the inside center of the last link and trying to fit a pin (small springbar?) and short center link but decided not to try it. So...it looks like this type of bracelet works best with a regular clasp. On the good side... The cartel bracelet has a much better set of connecting links at the end of the bracelet where it connects to the springbars.
  14. "What size do we get? 20mmX1.5?" Measure the od of the rivet tube and get one the same od and about 22mm long and grind it to fit...get 3 just to be on the safe side. Use the old rivet tube for a sample but still cut the new tube a hair longer, you can always grind it shorter it if needed. I use a 75mm x 25mm diamond type knife sharpener to trim tubes down a little at a time after rough cutting them with a cut-off disc in a Dremel tool. If the rivet tube is cut too short/tight, the flip lock 'flipper' binds and will not flip...sometimes it binds against the clasp cap rivet head where it connects to the 'Z' blade. If no rivet at this location, the flipper may bind against spacer tabs made on the clasp blade or the clasp cap itself. Too loose and it slides to one side. The 'flipper' pictured has cutouts for a rivet so if it has spacers you will also need a pair of matching spacers if one is missing. When there are no spacers, the 'flipper' usually butts against a tab made on the clasp blade. The 'flipper' may have to be drilled out to fit the new rivet tube, some do, some don't. Install a rivet in one side of the rivet tube, install spacers (when used), then fit the tube to the clasp leaving just enough play so it will not bind. Press the other rivet in only after you are sure the rivet tube is the correct length. It is better to press the rivet in the tube than to drive it in. Driving the rivets in will sometimes flatten the rivet head and can bend the rivet tube or cause it to swell. I use 'RoboGrip' parallel jaw pliers with the teeth removed...or you can pad the jaws with tape.
  15. It is sad to see that a 'pro' watch/parts seller can not tell the difference. Judging from the price, he sure is proud of it too. FYI some prices... I looked around and found some receipts where I bought three of these clasps a few years back (receipt was not dated), two marked for 18k/ss and one for steel...the AD charged me $51 each otd and I thought that was too much at the time. Another receipt showed I paid $3865 otd for two new steel Zenith Daytonas in 1992. One in 1996 and one in 1997 cost me $5120 each from the same AD otd. Last one in 1998 was $5120 otd. Paid $3315 for a 'like new' tutone 16523 Zenith Daytona w/bp in 1999...tutones were doa compared to steel. They still are. Paid $990 otd for a new leftover 5500 AK in 1994, $900 for 6694 otd. 'otd' = out the door In 1997, new steel 5.3 and 6.0 crowns cost me $20, new gold 5.3 and 6.0 crowns were $35. New steel 7.0 were $35, gold $75. Tropics $15.50, cyclops $17.50. Balance complete w/hs $160. Reverser $25. set of 3 hands $23 set of 4 hands $ 30.50
  16. Imho, it's all about pecking order... Patek and A Lange owners look down on AP, Breguet and VC. AP, Breguet, and VC owners look down on JLC, cartier, and rolex. JLC and rolex owners look down on TAG/Heuer and omega. ...while snooty cartier owners look down on Maurice Lacroix and Raymond Weil. TAG/H and omega owners look down on Seiko and Citizen (just a guess, who knows?). ...while Maurice L and Raymond W owners look down on Movado. Movado owners look down on...well that's a hard one, Breguet maybe? After all, now it's just a $watch. Seiko and Citizen owners look down on Fossil and Armitron. Fossil and Armatron owners look down on...? Two dollar yard sale watches maybe? Yard sale watch owners look own on...? Got it! Down on the ground for a free! watch. I remember when Seiko brought the snotty swiss brands to their knees in about 6 months with the Seiko Astron and what soon followed. Almost all of the swiss brands would be gone today if they had not decided to reinvent their obsolete, fragile, maintenence intensive mechanical malfunctions as 'handmade heirlooms', 'mechanical masterpieces' etc to a gullible, upwardly mobile clientele. Out of all the names above, I probably have the most respect today for Timex, Seiko, and Citizen because they still offer fairly priced, no BS products and Seiko and Citizen sell parts. No parts needed for Timex. Here's the fix... I wore mechanical watches when that was all there was (except for A-trons and Ham Elecs) so I sorta have a soft spot for mechanical watches. Now I usually wear a quartz watch. Today it's a steel Citizen RR Special.
  17. "Rep case is way too thick to even look gen like. Its about 4 -5 mm thicker IIRC." I used eta cases from 'Abay' 7 or 8 years ago and they were pretty close, a little thick maybe but not much with a genuine spec gasket and crystal. I have a few ST6D lady DJ cases that look like little double bacon cheeseburgers though. I finally found the leftover tutone lady DJ projects from back then and the swisseta 2671 case is a hair over 10mm thick with the crystal that came in it while the ST6D lady DJ case is 12.2mm thick. The swisseta case is threaded for a standard 5.3mm case tube (2.5mm x .25mm). A new heavy center link SS/14k lady jubilee (made in Italy) is now $535 from where I got mine. Back when I bought the last one they were about $275. I paid $90 for the 'like new' (dealer take off) 18k lady DJ bezel...21.4mm id. A gents SS/14K 20mm jubilee heavy center link bracelet is now $915! I paid less than half that much back when I was working on this stuff.
  18. I put a few of these together and knowing what I know now, I would advise you to consider a ready-to-go steel replica with a swiss eta 2671 in it. Why? 1...Because it avoids all the hassle of fitting an eta into a genuine case and if you use a genuine dial on an eta in a genuine case, you will have to stick the dial on the 2671 with glue etc, find hands, movement spacer, case clamps etc. 2...Sad but true but it probably does not really matter if the case/dial is genuine or not mainly because no one can tell much difference anyway on a small watch. 3...The lady model watch is so small that common 'replica defects' like the date window/magnifier being off .5mm from genuine etc is usually not that important. If the magnifier is centered over the date properly, all is well. Another thing is that on a small lady size dial, the printing is not bold enough to show flaws in the application like on a full size watch. 4...The big catch today is to really get a 'swiss' eta for your $$ and not a sorry clone of some sort. I would look for a good case,dial, and bracelet combo and go from there. When the watch arrives, it is always a good idea to replace the springbars with high quality stainless steel springbars, check the caseback gasket, and put Loctite on the bracelet screws before turning it loose. If you are inclined, it is also a good idea to remove the hands and dial so you can cement the markers to the dial so they will not fall off. It is embarassing when markers fall off a 'gift watch'. I almost forgot Gift Watch Rule #1... Most women do not really like automatic watches. A quartz cartier is usually a good bet.
  19. I have three genuine TAG Heuer quartz (Eta 955.xxx) watches...one WK1120, one WK1111, and one WK1112. The WK1120 was made in 1998, the other two in the early to mid 2000's. I have $60 in the 1120, $150 in the 1111, and $200 in the 1112. The 1112 was nib when I got it, the 1111 was slightly used, and the 1120 was about 90% and had a short bracelet. I wear the WK1120 when I need a watch I can count on...no 'mechjunk' that may or may not be running when I need it. mechjunk = any mechanical watch, genuine or replica Hundreds of quartz watches will work just as good or better than a TAG Heuer 1120, 1111, 1112. I just like them and got good deals in them. I know G Shock etc are more rugged. I just can not get used to wearing a plastic watch that looks like it fell out of an alien's azz on liftoff. My favorite 'mechjunk' watches...gold cased USA made Elgin and Hamilton. Too fragile (for me) to wear though.
  20. "I have a proper bezel removal tool and it still messed up two noobmariner bezels." The trick is not to use a bezel remover of any sort. Noob bezels are held on the case by a spring wire and there is simply not enough room between the bezel and case for the spring wire to pass by when prying the bezel off. On F520117 'noob' cases you can remove the bezel (if you feel like taking a chance) by: 1...Remove the movement. 2...Remove the crystal and gasket. 3...Remove the bezel insert by prying it out a little at a time being careful not to bend it 4...Insert a 50mm+/- long by .005 to .007 thick strip of feeler gauge between the bezel spring and bezel using a high power magnifier and bright light to see what is going on between the bezel and case as you slip the gauge strip between the two. There is not much room so make sure to get the strip pushed in far enough so that the bezel spring is pushed out against the bezel about half the way around the bezel. 5...Gently pry the bezel up mid way between the strip with your fingers or a blade while pushing all the slack to the side with the gauge strip in it. If the bezel does not come off easily, it will bend or chip the case. No guarantee that this will work the first time but this is one way to do it. The feeler gauge will cut fingers like a knife. The 50mm length is an estimate but it needs to go about half way around the bezel. As always...practice on someone else's watch.
  21. Can I look myself in the mirror when I am wearing a genuine watch? Yes...but I feel like I've been screwed. Can I look myself in the mirror when I am wearing a replica watch? Yes...but I close one eye.
  22. "The U shaped spring under the keyless works cover can travel several yards in any direction at near the speed of light. I used a piece of tape to hold it when reinstalling. That tamed the beast a bit." I have lost parts to these things that I will never see again. If this is the U shaped spring that puts tension on the calendar index pawl located under the 'key hole' shaped slot in the cover plate over the calendar works etc...it goes in through the slot after the plate is installed. During disassembly...after removing the cover plate, take the U spring out first thing before it goes into orbit and note if one side of the spring is longer than the other.
  23. "...I wouldn't hate on the DG3804B movement. It's really not 'cheap', but instead inexpensive. It is as accurate and dependable as the converted ETA 2836-2 we get, 'Swiss' or Asian. The DG3804B has two advantages over the Swiss/Asian ETA. It is designed to be a genuine GMT movement from the ground up, not a conversion. In 3 - 5 years when a service is needed you just buy a new DG for $25usd versus an ETA service for at least $75usd from a very friendly watchmaker. To get a genuine ETA GMT designed from the ground up, the ETA 2893-2, you'll need to spend over $250usd with no real clear advantage in accuracy or durability." I agee. From what I have seen, DG3804B are pretty good movements and with 21600 bph, they are good for vintage gmt/expII projects. I have said before that I do not like to work on DG/NN Miyota clone movements but if they are clean and properly oiled, they will run for years. I think most of the trouble experienced with these movements is caused by being dirty and/or dry. I did not have much trouble with the older DG models that had a non-adjustable 24 hour hand either. I still have a couple from an internet dealer who called himself 'Cal' about 10 years back and they still run fine too. 'Cal' had a guy named 'Benny' in the USA and you sent the $$ to 'Benny' and in a few weeks the watch would arrive from China. Iirc, Sub, GMT and ExII were $100 and DJ were $55. All the DJ had Seagull ST16 movements signed 'Pusan Co. Korea...18 Jewels'.
  24. !!! You would think he could put a little $$ in with it to make up for the shortage.
  25. If this don't beat all: "Dear automatico, Unfortunately your registration at RepGeek.com did not meet our membership requirements. Therefore your registration was deleted. Sorry, RepGeek.com" ...maybe I just ain't low class enough.
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