freddy333

I had to recondition some Twinlocks for various projects & I thought others might find a tutorial useful. The Problem The spring action that ejects the crown from the case tube when the crown is unscrewed for winding/time-setting is not working, the crown feels like it is slipping during winding, or you are unable to fit a stem because the tube shaft is damaged or the threading stripped In either case, your options are to replace the crown, recondition the crown's internal components or transplant them from another crown. Once the crown is disassembled & the individual components are cleaned & inspected, you can then decide whether they can be reconditioned or whether you will need to replace them (I am not aware of a source for replacements for any of these components, so transplanting is the only real option - note that while the tube shafts may be interchangeable between like crowns, the shaft diameters often differ between the various crown versions, which may require refitting of case tubes & gaskets). Crown Disassembly To disassemble the crown, secure (snug, not tight - too tight & you will deform the shaft) the tube shaft in a vice (a pin vice will also work) & unscrew (counter-clockwise) the crown cap from the tube shaft. In most cases, with the tube shaft secured, you will be able to unscrew the crown by hand. If not, use a pair of rubber-jawed pliers (if you use metal-jawed pliers, be careful not to scratch or damage the crown's surface) After the crown is separated from the tube shaft, you can remove the inner plunger & spring assembly (I needed to transplant the spring assembly from 1 Twinlock over to another, so what you see below are the components from 2 Twinlocks) Tapping a Stripped Stem Hole If the stem hole threads are stripped, you may be able to rethread them with a Crown Reamer. This is essentially just a tiny tap that you screw into the hole to freshen the threading. Fortunately, in this case, it was successful The Cleaned/Reconditioned Parts Ready for Reassembly When reassembling, do not overtighten the tube shaft into the crown - hand-tighten (with the tube shaft secured in a vice) only The Reassembled Brevet Crown

I do not want to sidetrack the midweek wristies (too much), but do the case dimensions (especially the height) approximate the 6536/5508? I think that most of the Silix cases are more nearly similar to a modern Sub than these early low-profile case versions. You will almost definitely need a drill press to drill the lug holes. I posted a brief tutorial early last year, but the basics of my hand aging process are pretty simple (though dangerous since you can easily damage the hands if not careful) - Remove hands from dial Apply Iodine to the lume areas (try not to get too much on the metal) Bake at 550 degrees Fahrenheit until they reach the desired patina Let cool Reinstall hands on dial (note that, like vintage tritium lume, the lume is now rather delicate & it no longer glows)

Based on your description, it still sounds like some of the parts are either dirty, ill-lubricated (not lubricated with the correct oil) or installed incorrectly (gears upside-down). Disassemble the entire auto-wind module & clean ALL of the disassembled parts (including the reverser gears) in your ultrasonic with a proper cleaning solution (if you do not have the proper solution, mix 2-3 drops of liquid dishwashing detergent (not dishwasher machine soap) with a tablespoon of pure ammonia in 2 cups (16 oz) of warm water. Clean for at least 10 minutes. Dry all parts completely. Unfortunately, I do not have a 7750 oil chart, but the auto-wind module is not too dissimilar to the 2846 (I am assuming you have the proper oiler & know how & in what amounts to apply oil) (Note - apply the oil to the sides of the vertical pivots on the bridge, not to the face of the bridge itself & apply 9010 to 2 points around the rotor bearing after reassembly) Once properly cleaned, oiled & reassembled, you should not have a problem with the rotor spinning when the watch is manually wound (which should be done slowly & only as needed).

I have seen a number of complicated, vintage Pateks. High end watch sightings are pretty common where I am & in most major cities.

Wore something special to break the monotony of the mid-week hump

Looks good Kruz.

Nice sighting by southcoast & congratulations to Nanuq. It just goes to show that if you snooze, you loose.

Slide the datewheel in from the right side so that the teeth slide underneath the curved metal guide on the right side of the movement While holding the datewheel in place, use a small pair of tweezers or a pin to gently press the sideways-facing 'V' spring clip to the right as you lower the left side of the date wheel into place. Once the datewheel is lowered, slowly release the 'V' spring clip so that it fits between a pair of the datewheel's teeth It may take a few tries (this procedure is tricky) to see what each of the parts are doing, but, eventually, you should be able to fit it in.

Did you disassemble, clean & lubricate (with the correct oils) the entire auto-wind module (including the bridge)? If not, then there is your problem. If you did, then something may not have been assembled correctly. Make sure you have the reversing wheels installed facing the correct direction & test the module to be sure all of the wheels are freely spinning (in both directions) before reinstalling it onto the movement.

Newer, yes, but I have never seen 1 of these for sale & I agree with Nanuq

It would be nice/helpful if Yuki provided more pics (from different angles) of his cases (not to mention more cases), but I suspect his cases are the same that Phong & NDtrading sell. There is nothing about Phong's or NDtrading's cases that make them any better than a standard rep case, except that they will fit gen parts (& they are constructed out of the same quality metal & come with the same crummy inserts, crowns & crystals as any off-the-shelf rep). And there is absolutely no reason to be paying 4 times more to Phong or NDtrading for the same quality you get with a $200 rep watch. For reference, I paid about $200 each for MBW 5514 & 5513 cases (both of which accept gen parts & contain gen movements)

Yes, just get some watches, watchmaking tools (ofrei.com, cas-ker.com, cousinsuk.com, etc) & go at it. Or, enroll in Timezone's online watchmaking school. There are also a number of watchmaking schools around the US that are sponsored by Rolex, which even pays your tuition.

Nice work. A standard polishing cloth also works well.

Definitely Stephane for the Single Red (my mostly gen double red is not for sale) nejad - Your quickest option for an assembled red franken would be to buy from Phong or NDtrading. The upside is that you get an assembled Red or Double Red that is as close to the real thing as you are going to get (short of building it yourself). The downside is that commercial franken builders all tend to cut alot of corners & quality suffers. However, you can always buy 1 of these assembled frankens & then have a reliable watchmaker perform a full service to correct all of the problems. Either way, as Nanuq said, if you want a good Double Red & you want it quick, it will be expensive ($3,000-$4,500).

In my experience, dials & handsets are more often sold separately than together. But it may be worth the price premium to get a matching set. This, of course, assumes that all of the parts actually did come from the same watch, which, also in my experience, is often not the case.

Of course, Ziggy could do wonders for a glow-challenged gen dial. But, in the long run, I think you will be happier with a more nearly totally gen (except the case, which will be our little secret) watch. I also think that while the dial you are considering would probably be perfect for you (since you value glow over originality & that 1 is a later service/replacement part), it seems a bit on the pricey side. Not overly so, considering the pristine condition. But I think that, with patience, you could get a similar dial (with the present economy in the state it is) for a bit less on ebay or from 1 of the sources I PM'd previously. The handsets looks good, too, though, again, also a bit on the pricey side.

D - I have to join Nanuq

Great review (as always), Zig.

Monday

Buyer beware. I have purchased a couple of parts from him & while they were nice, neither part matched the pictures on his site or auction page. His explanation is always that the pictures were old & the item is new. In his defense, he did offer refunds (though the buyer will be out return shipping costs).

Sunday night A different view that I think Stephane will enjoy

My thoughts exactly (Clark's Superdome)

Cold here, too. But when the thermostat heads southward, I just lite up a pair of the old barbees Wearing the same watch today (something for Stephane)

You did well to toss the rep bracelet. If you plan to keep the dial, you might consider having the index markers relumed so they do not shine so much. They make the dial look like it was spray painted (which it probably was). If that is not an option, you might respray it with a matte varnish to tone down the shine. Of course, this will reduce the gloss appearance of the dial as well, but I think having an entirely matte dial will raise fewer eyebrows than will having shiny index markers.