automatico

"Do you use the 8201 as A braking grease As well as the MS lubricant?" I use 8201 on the wall and put a few small drops of the same on the MS barrel floor and top of MS coils before snapping the cap on if the MS has been cleaned. This seems to work Ok. As long as the MS has some thick oil between the coils (after it has been cleaned) it will work just fine. New MS can get by with a drop or two of oil (just to be sure it is lubed) or you can depend on the factory dry lubricant. The barrel wall is the most critical part and needs the proper spec oil. All the above pertains to automatics...manual wind watches only need a bit of oil on the coils as the MS does not slide against the barrel wall. There are exceptions of course...manual wind watches with automatic type mainspring barrels or watches with the autowind assembly removed. I have a watch with a Seagull ST16 with the autowind works removed and I cleaned and oiled the MS barrel and spring same as a full automatic. I wind it about 40 cranks to start with then 26 or 28 cranks a day and it runs fine. "What is the difference between the 8201 and 8200?" From: http://www.moebius-lubricants.ch/en/products/greases 8200...Semi-fluid thixotropic grease with good adhesion and excellent lubricity. Ideal for mobiles and large surfaces friction. Also suitable for the lubrication of ball bearings. Can be melted used in hot condition. 8201...Semi-fluid thixotropic grease similar to 8200. The addition of Molybdenum bisulfide (MoS2) enhances its lubricity and improves the resistance to pressure.

New swiss MS come pre lubed with a dry lubricant and all you need to do is put some 'braking grease' on the mainspring barrel wall so the bridle will slip inside the barrel. I do not know if Asian etaclone MS come lubed or not whether purchased loose or in a MS barrel so it might be a good idea to lube the barrel wall at least. I use Moebius 8201 because it seems to work just fine, it is basically molybdenum disulphide suspended in oil. Some use 8212 and I have some but always go with 8201 because of habit. Moebius 8212 was/is made to be used on aluminum MS barrels but I hardly ever see one. If you do not have the 'M' brand you can probably get by with any brand of thick oil/grease made to use on MS barrels. If the MS is dry or has been cleaned, you can either pull it through a rag with 8201 etc on the rag or oil the barrel wall in a few spots and put a few small drops on the barrel floor and a few on top of the MS after it has been loaded in the barrel. I use thick oil on the MS arbor where it passes through the barrel floor and cap...D5 because I have it and it works Ok. http://www.moebius-lubricants.ch/en/products/greases The problem today with watch oil/grease is it all has jumped waaay up in price for basically no reason other than they are getting their price and Moebius is leading the parade. You might find a bottle of MS oil on eBay or from a retired watch guy at a low price. Otoh... I used to do some case work for a small watch shop and a guy who hung around the shop was always 'borrowing' tools and oilers and not putting them back. One day he was complaining about an empty oiler (not his) and after he went home we put '3 in 1' oil in the oiler and put it back on the bench. He oiled watches with it for years with no problems at all...mostly vintage LeCoultre, swiss chronographs, and a rolex now and then. I bet 90% of the 'gotta-have-it brands' of watch oil make claims that are 90% BS. Same for expiration dates...watch oil used to not have an expiration date. If you keep the cap on, do not let it get hot, and keep it out of direct sunlight it will probably last for a looong time. I know a guy who still uses Elgin M-56B watch oil in old snap back vintage watches and it is 50 or 60 years old.

"My gens are getting pretty long in the tooth, I still want to wear them, but can't justify daily use." Same here. I can't remember the last time I wore a genuine rolex for more than a few hours at a time, probably 20+ years ago. I just do not want to fool with them. "...those Lawn boys are the BOSS if you can make them rev high enough." Yep, I have one (self propelled model 10324) that revved up and down all the time so I took the carb apart and drilled the main jet out a little bit. Now it runs fine but is a gas hog. When they outlawed them in California I figured they would discontinue the 2 cycle models so I ran out and bought a new 'spare' 10324 (sure 'nuff they quit making them). My old one is still going strong 12 or 15 years later so now I have a nos Lawn Boy 10324 with b/p out in the garage. Also have a 'nos with b/p' Echo backpack blower that I traded a watch for. They might end up being eBait but shipping rates would be a killer. Here is a Lawn Boy exactly like I mowed with when I was a kid. We had it for close to 20 years. It was basically a magnesium deck with blade/handlebar/wheels etc and an OMC air cooled trolling motor. The articulated left front wheel was supposed to prevent scalping. https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/equipment/vintage-lawn-boy-mowers I had a paper route when I was 13 to 15 and mowed a few yards on the paper route. Since most of the yards were over a mile away, a friend took me to the yards on his Cushman Eagle. I rode on the luggage rack and pulled the LB behind us. The Police Chief (family friend) stopped us one time and said we were not allowed to pull a lawn mower behind a motor scooter. I said "We sure as hell ain't gonna push it in front of us." He busted out laughing and let us go. I called him 'Chief No Mow' after that. Still have the first rolex I bought in 1972 but have not worn it in 40+ years. Probably never will.

Nuq That is one super fine watch. I have shied away from a number of popular reprep projects...V72 Daytonas, 6204/6538 types and a few others for the simple reason that I had the chance to buy genuine examples of them for a song in the past...a 6204 from a watch trader in the late 1980s for a few hundred bucks and a 6202 Turnograph for a few hundred. Passed on them. Bought a dam# tutone 'round end' BB instead. Had the chance to buy a 62xx Daytona for $1500 and passed on it because it was all apart. I actually owned an original 6538 with 'tropical' dial and sold it Way Too Soon. All this has left me with a bitter taste in my big mouth so I never went after replicas of those models. Had a toot Monte Carlo way back when and awaaay it went too but I never cared much for them. I have this thing about tooters. All I have is a few old 16xx DJ etc. Most of them stuck from being stored so long. So...I went after 5512/13/1680 reeplickas in a big way. Way too big looking back. Put 'em together. Take 'em apart (to 'improve' them). Yeah sure. They're all still apart except for two or three, one being a cartel '5513' that is not worth much more than a bottle of brew. Bought a gallon of Paul's 'vintage' watches. A half gallon of DW cases. A few ounces of Yuki/IG44/Fong cases. All still in boxes. Naked and empty. No gutz and No nutz. Q So what is all the BS above about? A Athaya's soon to be 6204 case is calling me very faintly... Btw... If you ever want to trade the 6204, I'll swap you one eXmark walk behind mower (with a self steering sulky), a pair of two cycle Lawn Boys (one pusher, one self propelled), a couple Echo weed eaters (one small, one HD), and a 'Little Wonder' long reach hedge trimmer for it. ...or 20 gallons of weed/grass killer and the cartel '5513'. Your choice.

Some info... https://forum.replica-watch.info/forum/rolex-tudor-replicas/7521751-reliability-of-noob-4130

"I just spent $380 buying a 93150 rep from MQ but it’s really shocking quality, I’ve asked to return it." I hate to say this but I have some replica 'submariners' that I paid $40 for about 15 or 18 years ago sporting the same bracelets with solid mid links and no 93150 stamping. I can spot them by the ratty clasp coronets, the deep notch by the flip lock lever etc. "Wondering how MQ dares to ask a $300 and more." A guy would really need a set of bowling ball size nutz to pass off that $10 bracelet for $380. I sometimes wonder if some of the 'sellers' have ever seen the genuine article. They must think we are stupid..er than we are. Ha! MQ is getting a baaad report card. Mary has some solid link '93150' bracelets for $65USD: Posted May 15 (2020) https://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?/topic/155908-rolex-93150-braceletin-stock/ I went down a rabbit hole a while back trying to turn some of the Abay blind hole (hollow) screw links into links that appeared to have 'through and through' screws like genuine instead of blind holes by drilling through the blind end from the top side with a 1.0mm cobalt drill and pressing short 1.1mm diameter stainless steel pins in the holes and polishing them to a satin finish. It worked Ok except for a few 'hassles': 1...It took 3 or 4 hours to make five. 2...Pressing the 1.1mm pins in the links was a real pita. 3...Grinding/polishing the pressed in pin was a chore because the link had to be kept flat and not remove excess metal. 4...When you run the screw in from the top side it can push the pressed in pin out of the other side if the screws are not cut to fit. I finally just put super glue on the slightly shortened screw threads and ran them in far enough to make the screw head even with the link. They look Ok but it was not worth the trouble. I thought about just drilling the screw holes out to 1.4mm all the way through and making non threaded push pins out of steel rod, knurling the end and pressing them in but cutting screw driver notches in the centers of the rods would not be easy. Before that fiasco I had made up a few pretty good '93150' bracelets using 93150 stamped bracelets with hollow mid links from Abay/Paul and substituted the removable links that came with blind screw holes on the Abay bracelets for ST hollow center links. The ST links used to be $15 but now they are $17.50 so you are looking at close to $100 for five links but the ST links are higher quality than most replica parts. If you go with the ST links it narrows the hunt for a good '93150' down to: 1...Finding two sets (of four) hollow mid link 93150 signed permanent links. 2...Two proper bracelet to spring bar connecting links. 3...A good clasp with a rivet where the clasp is joined to the bracelet (not a spring bar). 4...A proper dive extension. 5...A set of the correct type of bracelet hoods (solid skirt for pierced lugs or notched for blind lugs). It is very hard to find all that in a ready made replica bracelet so it usually ends up being a long drawn out do-it-yourself project. ST links are higher quality than most replica parts. P/N RMOSS-LINK/OP $17.50

"... so I could do away with using that horrible novodiac spring On the 2836-2 during servicing!" The novo keeper is pretty bad but with a home made tool and a little practice they can be 'outed and inned' easily. I have made r/r tools for them out of peg wood and plastic with the peg wood being the easier one to make of the two. Peg wood is hard and does not splinter like toothpicks etc so it works Ok. Sand down a point on a piece of peg wood and then sand it flat on the end just a little bit smaller than the novo clip OD so it will go down in the jewel setting and seat against the clip. After the tip is sized, make an indention in the center of the tool so it will push down on the clip instead of the jewel. It is easy to make the indention by pressing the peg wood against a small rounded point of some sort. After the tool is made, practice r/r the clip a few dozen times and it will become easy to do. From my experience, using metal tools can put the clips in orbit. Here is a 'cheater tip' to make it a little bit easier/safer...clean, oil and replace the balance-c*ck jewels/novo clip first with the bal-cok screwed down tight with the main plate novo clip and cap jewel removed (after the plate etc has been cleaned if needed). Q...Why remove the main plate side clip and cap jewel? A...This prevents the balance staff from being jammed down against the cap jewel on the other side while when dikking with the novo clip making it easier to install the clip on the bal-cok side. Novo springs will absorb a little pressure but not much at all...it is fairly easy to break a balance staff or crack a cap jewel when you get mad and press down too hard when screwing with novo clips. For the main plate side you can very slightly loosen the bal-cok screw to give some slack. I do not know what a 'purist' would say about this method but it has worked for me. The Bergeon 31081 novo tool is metal with notches in the tip but it is $35 or so and the home made tool works Ok for occasional use and does not scratch the clips. This does not mean I worry about scratching novo clips. Ha!

"It has 'The Look'. Many do not." The RickFlorida '5513' has The Look. My MBK '5512' has The Look. My cartel '5513' does not have The Look. But they all look alike to everyone except us. Timelord: "As for the genuine Rolex movement, I would not worry about is as I find the eta more rugged and practical, I would personally go for a genuine eta..." Agree 100%. The MBK '5512' now has an ETA 2879 replacing the 1570 that was in it. It went from a $1700+ watch to a $700+/- watch with no downside at all. (MBK case--nos ETA 2879--ST bezel assembly--'Mary' folded oys with early style '8 holes in a row' cartel FL clasp--GS PA462-66 crystal--used 703 crown--WSO990 580 hoods--MBK dial to replace Yuki on 1570) Otoh the cartel '5513' with ST16 movement looks pretty good except for three and a half things that bother me but may not bother others: 1...After drilling the lug holes out to 1.25/1.3mm the holes appear to be a little bit too high in the lugs. This is really not much of a distraction and is obvious because of the beveled edges on the lugs. 2...The printing on the dial is a little bit dim...sharply defined and well done, but dim. 3...The case back has the gasket in the case instead of the back and when looking at a side view the back is a little bit thin where is screws down against the case. This is visible only with the watch off and no one notices except for me. 3.5...The letters/numbers between the lugs are laser etched (not engraved) but the bracelet hoods cover them up. The MBK is laser etched too and it always has a bracelet. The case profile, CG etc are very good and it accepts oem spec crystal/bezel kits.

"I do recall someone here many moons ago make a 2824 movement work well in a 2836 case! Not sure what happened!" A stock 2824 is thinner than a 2836 from the stem centerline to the top edge of the dial with or without the day of the week works/dial spacer because the main plate is thicker. Because of this there will always be trouble when swapping a 2824 into a precision made 2836 case. The 2824 dial will need a spacer on the front side the correct thickness to work properly in a 2836 case...thicker dial spacer etc. Spacing the dial away from the movement usually calls for taller H wheel, CP, and SS pinion on a 2824. I see cases for sale claiming they will accept a 2824 or 2836 and they must be sloppily made inside. I have made movement spacers out of brass that hold the movement in the case using case clamps/screws while at the same time being made tall enough to raise the dial up the required amount on a dial seat made on the spacer. This also does away with the flimsy stamped metal ETA dial spacer. This is one solution but you need a lathe to make the spacer. I use thick brass flat washers to start with. Best solution is to use a 2836 in cases made for 2836. Sad but true.

"Did someone convert the 2846 to a GMT for you, or did you buy it that way?" "Yodog converted it for me" I converted a couple swiss 2836 to GMT using the 24H parts from an eBay etaclone GMT movement and they have worked fine...this was the older type with non adjustable 24H hand. I read that some of the etaclones with adjustable 24H hands might not be too hot. The 1675/1655 needs the non adjustable 24H hand anyway. Seems to me the 'jump out at you' flaws with most cartel 1675 are the crown guards being too short and the space between them being too wide. Maybe they used submariner cases. All the swiss ETA 2836 GMT conversions I have seen in replicas used Asian 24H conversions. ETA 2824 movements do not have day of the week works to run the 24H conversion parts and the hour wheel, CP, SS pinion are too short for GMT conversions. A Swiss ETA 2893-2 GMT movement would be good in modern watch projects but they usually go for $300 to $400. If you had a first class modern GMT/Ex II case/dial/bracelet it might be worth it. I have a few sapphire Exp II and GMT II replicas from 15 years ago that use swiss ETA 2836 with Asian conversions and they have been trouble free. Wrong hand stack but trouble free...a pretty good tradeoff imho. Also have a few sapphire Exp II and GMT with DG 3804B and adjustable 24 hour hand (wrong HS) and they have been trouble free too but I needed to c/o a couple when new to get them in good running condition. The 3804B is a good choice for a budget build and the 21600 beat rate looks good on vintage projects. DG 3804B Ligne size: 11 ½ L Diameter: 26mm Plate Height: 5.97mm Overall Height: 7.97mm Hand Hole Sizes: 150/90/17/200 Stem: 401/DG 3804-B Tap Size: 10 Jewels: 22 ETA 2893-2 Manufacturer: ETA Switzerland Size (Ligne): 11-1/2 Round Hands: 150/90/25/180 Jewels: 21 "Good luck, a 1675 done right is a thing of beauty." +1

Something to think about... Since the genuine 116520 was made from about 2000 to 2016 there may still be quite a few replicas in the pipeline with movements that are not reliable. Word is the 4130 clone is usually Ok but it was not being made when many 116520 replicas were produced. I have a couple 116520 with the seconds at six 7750 clone and they are basically junk imho. Never had the 'New Improved Version' of the 7750 clone because the first models cured me for good so maybe a member who knows about them will chime in. Never had a 4130 clone either. Btw...I am very evasive when asked to recommend a watch (especially a replica) to anyone because of the chance they can have trouble with it. I simply will not do it. I might give them the name of a trusted dealer or two and a couple replica forum addresses so they can bone up on them but that's it, they are on their own. Why? Because I can work on watches (my watches) and if I steer anyone toward a watch and it has problems...guess who they come to? Example of a 1165xx 7750 sec@six grenade/clone...the 'New Improved Version'... https://www.pfclones.com/rlds00201-daytona-116520-ss-cer-ss-white-a-7750-secat6-28800.html

Termites! Honest descriptions abound as usual in the genuine rolex marketplace... "Excellent case that has just returned from polish." "Excellent case that has just returned from polish." https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/939yk4on/1979-vintage-rolex-submariner-1680-A3281 No need to worry about this rotten case watch being hard to sell because there is a potential buyer born every minute: "Doesn't bother me in the slightest. I feel.theynare referencing the over appearance and condition with the caeback on." https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=762147 This 'potential buyer' exhibits superior watch knowledge and intelligence judging by their typing/spelling skills.

"Very nice! Great job and write-up!" +1 Good job on the case back too. I could live with the long hour hand. ^. .^

I put a swiss ETA 2824/2846 combo movement together for a JMB '1016' and it worked fine. I used all the 2846 train wheels/escapement etc with the 2824 plates and did not even change the shock jewel assemblies to match. The 2824 had Incabloc type and the 2846 had Novodiac type. I left the balance assemblies as is with their original balance c*cks and just swapped them on the plates. A 2824/2836 combo movement is the same type of swap. I used the 2846 wheels, CP, SS pinion etc in the 2824 plates so the hour and minute hands would have more space between the dial and hands. Btw...it is the best running ETA I have. I wore it last week and it gained 4 or 5 seconds in 4 days...it beats any genuine rlx mechanical watch I ever had.

Nanuq... Here are some interesting comments on the 2892 base movement with the DD chrono add-on like used in the Schumacher speedo: https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/when-watchmaking-meets-prejudice.5225236/ Breitling put a 'transmission' on the stem to disguise this $&%@$#* movement. The giveaway to ID these things is the out of line pushers/crown and the date 'down in a hole' so they disguised it order to sneak it in on unsuspecting buyers. It's pretty bad when they have to sneak these no fixit headaches into a watch.

"Actually what I want is to chrome or whatever plate the gilt hand to match the others, so they are all 'silver'." Ok. You might also ask about rhodium plating the hands as this is what is used on diamond mountings on yellow gold rings to make the diamond 'jump' or to give white gold more 'bling'. Rhodium is very high $$...it can be 10 to 25 times more expensive than gold plating but is much more durable Chrome plating is more complicated than gold plating on a small scale. Pen plating is another option and you can do it yourself after a bit of practice. Pen plating is basically an electrified magic marker dipped into a gold/cyanide (!) mix. I have done it and it turned out fine. Just do not breathe the fumes. Ack! When you get ready...try a 'test set' or two and see how it goes. https://pepetools.com/blogs/news/gold-plating-demystified https://www.goldn.co.uk/how-to/different-applications-pen-plating-kits/ https://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Gold-plating-Super-Simple-/

"Are all generic merc hands made of plated brass?" Most are plated brass. Some are advertised as stainless steel but not many are really steel. "Are they chrome plated usually?" Yes, or goldtone of some sort. Some higher grade hands may be white or yellow gold plated but probably not many now with the high gold prices. Older vintage hands may be gold plated. Chrome is more durable than gold plating anyway. No telling what is used for goldtone plating at the factory level. "Is there anyone who can re-plate hands, for instance if a had a standard hour and second hand and wanted a "gilt" minute hand plated to match those?" Yes. Any jeweler who has a gold plating outfit can do it...if they will. Hands are delicate and many do not want to take a chance on bending them or losing the luminous paste. The hands need to be cleaned first and this will sometimes damage the lume filler. I had some silvertone hands plated with gold and it worked Ok. We did not remove the lume and it stayed in the hands and looked the same as before. I do not know what type of lume was used but it was 4 or 5 years ago and might have been Luminova. Gold plated hands (using real gold) are very easy to scratch and you need to use a small piece of plastic bag etc between the hand and hand pusher tool.

$900!! That's Speedyway Robbery!

"Remember my old adage about "save your money and wait for the one you REALLY want to come along, instead of buying a crapload of watches that are almost good enough?" That is very good advice. I have just about stopped looking for 'grails' but will jump on one if the price is right. A few examples: Wanted an Aquadive 200M cushion case diver and did not want to pay the $$ for a reissue and could not find an original at a reasonable price so I put it on the back burner. A few months later I ran upon a genuine vintage example in very good condition...for $35 (thirty five bucks). Wanted a stainless 1970s Hamilton military issue watch. None around here and too much $$ on eBay etc so I waited. Found one later at the local flea market and traded into it for $0. It came with a 7 jewel Durowe movement with plastic balance bearings (!) so I bought a $25 eBay watch with a 17 jewel Durowe movement and I'll end up with about $50 in it counting a new crystal and strap. Wanted an all original Accutron 214 Astronaut but would not pay current prices and there is a lot of junk out there anyway so I waited...and waited. I put a friend on an (unseen by me) pocket watch/wristwatch collection and it had a 90% condition 214 Astronaut with the original coffin bracelet mixed in with the others along with a '666' Accutron 218 'Devil Diver'. He bought it all and gave me the Astro and '666'. Believe me...it does not work out like this very often. Otoh if I pay a lot of $$ for a 'grail' watch, it does not make it any more of a 'keeper' even after wanting one for a long time. As soon as I get it...the 'gotta have it' feeling is gone and it is just another dumb watch. Why is that? Because when I pay a high price for a 'useless' item it can tend to breed contempt for the item, especially if I find one later for two thirds the price or try to sell it and the prices have done a 100M Deep Dive. The four examples above are exceptions to the 'useless item theory' because I got what I wanted for very little $$. Imho and experience. YMMV

Had a few nos Schumachers in the 1990s, they had an ETA 2892 base with DD chronograph module on top of the movement under the dial. They were trouble prone but sure looked good and came in a nifty Indy car tire box. They were discounted down to around $500 for steel and $750 for steel with 18k trim.

My first Zero to Hero Watch was the Bulova Accutron 214/218 back in its day. The Hamilton Electric's reputation scared many away from batt watches so my expectations started out at zero. Present day Zero to Hero is the Accutron II. Did not care for them until I bought a couple at deep discounts on eBay when they were discontinued. I am Ok with them being owned by Citizen, they are a good outfit. My Hero to Zero brand is rolex (NPFY), therefore I have no swiss watch heroes. Btw...our rlx, pam, omeg, etc forum watches are mostly china made, not swiss made so I can like them if I want to. Ha! I post mostly about rlx because I have traded/worked on them and there is a lot of interest in rlx on RWG.

"This watch below (Prez) is always my dream watch! It's such a shame that it's still unobtainable for me." I know how it feels. For what it's worth, my never ending DD project story... I always liked a yellow gold DD (Prez) timehead with a croc strap and gold buckle so I decided to put an 18k DD rep together in February 2001 starting out with an 18k replica case. Here it is mid 2020 and I still have...the empty case. What happened? The case is oem spec outside, crystal, bezel, case tube etc, but the dial needs to be 30.0mm OD because the inside of the case is not oem spec. What have I done so far? I gave up on it being a DD and bought a custom 30mm dial for a DJ 41 (cream white with goldtone Romans) and it will work in the case but the date offset is not the same as a 36mm rlx so it needs a special DWO or something. Finally found a DWO for a DJ 41 after a long search but it looks like it might be a hassle to install it on an ETA 28xx. So...I decided to go with an Accutron II 'smooth sweep' movement and make a 36mm DJ using the DJ 41 spec dial. How is that going? Pretty good except the DJ 41 DWO will not work on the A-II movement because there is not enough room between the A-II movement with a DWO and the dial. Plus...the hands would be too close to the dial if the dial was spaced away from the movement to allow for the DWO. What's next? I decided to use the A-II movement with the standard (white with black numbers) A-II DW and see how close it lines up with the DJ 41 dial window...only pretty close. The font is a close match to rlx but the A-II date offset is about 1mm too far to the right to work with the DJ 41 date window in the dial. Where is the project now? Waiting for me to make a proper size date window frame out of .4mm thick .925 silver (soft and easy to work with) and have it gold plated along with the hands. The date window frame will cover the modified (wider) date window on the DJ 41 spec dial. Btw...thought about trying to make up an ETA 28xx DD with a 41mm Prez/DD dial but the date and day wheels etc would be a real problem so I skipped it. Will it ever be finished? If I live long enough. Could give up and scrap it...29 grams 18k without a bezel = $1400 full scrap price 8-7-20. A friend pays 90% = about $1300. ST has 18k 36mm DJ cases for $5290 with a bezel...about $1600 worth of 18k. Otoh, probably be better to finish it because an 18k DJ rep on a strap is probably worth $2k+ even with the A-II movement. They were $1250 or more 25 years ago with ETA 28xx and $400 troz gold. Accutron II movement = super accurate, no mech watch hassles. Drop it, who cares? Put it on and go. FYI...sold a 14k 218 Accutron case and 18 size 1892 Waltham 14k open face pocket watch case last week for $2400. Many gold watches are now worth more for scrap than as a running watch. The PW case was sorta rough, have another 18 size 14k 1892 Waltham with a Vanguard 21 jewel RR movement. Do not need two. Vintage Bulova watches have a lot of gold in them. Average low level snap back 14k cases will bring $200 or so. I could buy them (running watches) 20 years ago for $100 or less. Found a 9k rectangle 'Grand Prix' watch with a $40 price tag on it and a 10k 32mm Croton with a $50 tag on it in my watchjunk. Times sure have changed.

"The automatic works seems a bit of a mess, but when comparing with the odds and the gods against it, there isn’t much of a choice left!" Yeah, it sure has a long string of cogs between the rotor and mainspring. Sorta reminds me of an old A. Schild 1716 but the 1716 is a lot simpler. The A/S was fine if you did not set the time a lot (offset 'canon pinion'). You see them in old Rado, Jules Jurgensen etc automatics. The omega 1000 series was like this too for manual winding and they were not too hot...many politely called them junk. The automatics were not much better imho. They were the last Hurrah! for omega before they bit the dust as an independent manufacturer. Now omegies are swatchie watchies and do not sell parties to indie shopies. NPFY! Always liked JJ watches, even some modern quartz models. This one for example: http://www.bluedial.com/7795IF.htm

"it was the cheapest rolex offered at that time..." I never have seen a Commando. If I ever have one it will have to be a project. I did buy one manual winder back then though...paid $115 out the door for a nib rlx 6430 Speed King on a leather strap in 1972 at a local rlx AD. They did not have any 34mm manual wind models in the store at the time. Friend of mine bought a new rlx 6466 manual wind date in a US Army exchange for $64 in 1964 or '65 on an oyster bracelet. He wore it two tours in Vietnam and sold it to me in 1992. Still have it but the bracelet was worn out when I got it. Seventeen years later prices had jumped up quite a bit for manual wind models... In 1989 bought a nib rlx 6694 at an AD for $900 + tax. Probably the list price because I bought it on the 'rolex plan'...one year to pay with no interest. I wanted it because they were discontinued. Still have the 6430 and 6694 in nos condition. I wore a 214 Accutron back then and just never sold or traded them. New automatic no dates... In 1994 bought a nib AK 5500 from a 'reseller' for $990 and another one later in the year for $900 nib from another reseller. Iirc they were about $1250 retail.

Found this: https://watch-movements.eu/blog/en/2018/04/15/the-ronda-r150-under-the-loupe/ Looks like it is very different from ETA 2824 and 2836 internally.