freddy333

I am not sure I see how removing material from the top of the ring with sandpaper would be any different than removing it (faster) with a dremel & grinding bit, as I did. The problem was/is that if I remove any more material from the ring (regardless of what I use to remove the material or from which direction I remove the material from) I will weaken or remove the lip that runs around the outer perimeter of the ring. As it is, there is just a fraction of a millimeter left between the top edge of the lip & the top of the ring. That is, if I remove any more material from the top of the ring (to lower the ring's height), I will probably lose the lip that the bezel spring needs to latch onto. Does that make sense? Or am I still misunderstanding you? What does everyone think of this idea -- I could apply a bead of silicone sealant (not grease) around the circumference of the bezel......right along the inside outer edge, where the edge of the insert contacts the inner edge of the bezel. The silicone would fill in the empty space between the floor of the bezel & the underside of the insert and, when dry, should hold the insert in place, while still allowing me to be able to remove the insert should the need arise?

That would not help, because the problem is the height of the ring, not its width. Furthermore, if I remove metal from the inner circumference of the ring (which is where the lip resides), I will end up with a bezel that has nothing to latch onto & have done nothing to reduce the height of the ring. But I appreciate the suggestion. Please keep them coming. I am sure this puzzle can be solved in a way that will leave everything functional, but it will require some out of the box creativity that RWG members are so good at.

I am using a gen T116 (that is what you see in the pics above), but if I grind any more of the ring off, there will be no lip left for the bezel spring to latch onto. In that case, I would have to permanently cement the bezel onto the front of the case since the lip on the outside of that ring was all that held the bezel in place. By the way, here is something nice to look at while we are trying to solve the insert puzzle (note the springbars) There is just something about seeing gen springbars peeking through the side of a case that makes my heart flutter (in a good way).

Yes. No. The crystal is essentially held on by cement. Agreed. Can you suggest anything that we have not already thought of?

Ok. I will probably have to use hypo-cement to secure/seal the crystal either way, but I am not sure how to go about enlarging (adding material to) the ring or crystal to take up the slack? Or am I misunderstanding you?

No, in this case, not stupid at all. But I would rather not modify the topside of the insert if at all possible. Modding dials & shiny plastic pieces are definitely not my forte.

Exactly. But it is an option since I have been considering the removal of a ring of paint on the underside of the insert to match a couple of gens that appeared to have been worn down similarly. But the gens are just missing a bit of paint, not the actual insert material itself & I do not know how the insert would look with the material channeled out? So, while an option, this is not my favorite option.

The ring is actually the part that the bezel spring latches onto to hold the bezel onto the case. As it is, I ground the ring down about as far as I think I can go without compromising the integrity of the lip on the side of the ring that the bezel spring latches onto. If I grind it down any further, the lip is likely to collapse or tear off. Then, there would be nothing for the bezel to latch/lock onto. (I had also considered simply grinding the ring entirely off, which would eliminate the insert issue, but then I would be forced to permanently cement the bezel into place since the ring would no longer be available to hold it in place. Ultimately, I would be willing to exchange visual correctness for bezel functionality, if push comes to shove. But I decided to leave that option as a last resort.) Sorry, what do you mean by 'ID'?

As I am unwilling to pay NDTrading's outrageous prices (& cannot afford a gen dial), the plan is to vintageize & use the 1675 dial from the movement donor watch that is on its way from Josh. The 1675 dial shares the same basic layout as the 6542 with the exception of having 4 words below GMT-Master instead of the 6542's 3 words. This is a temporary option until something better comes along Option 2 is this aftermarket dial, which is obviously closer than the 1675, but it is pretty 'off' as well

Thanks, Ubi. Here is the insert backside

Glad to hear you were able to service yours back to working health. But when Ziggy says he refuses to work on a movement, I worry.

Did it have a real price or was it listed as $888,888.88, which I think is his way of saying 'out of stock'.

To be honest, for health reasons, I always replace hide straps on used watches (& thoroughly clean metal bracelets before wearing). But, as to your question, I am not aware of any way to really clean the underside of a hide. The cleaners/conditioners made for leather are intended for the outer side. But you might check with a shoe or leather store to see what they recommend. At the very least, I would wash the strap with some type of anti-bacterial soap (as long as a leather specialist says it is ok to do so).

The Silix case has an elevated ring that stands proud of the top plane of the case, which essentially sits between the lens & bezel I knew the ring would need to be ground down in order to allow sufficient room for MY's flat-bottomed plastic insert to drop down & fit into the bottom of the bezel (the case is designed for a concave metal bezel that sits above the top of this ring). But, after grinding off as much metal as I can without compromising the ring's lip (around which the tiny bezel spring clips), the insert is only just barely sitting far enough into the bezel bed to look correct. However, instead of resting, flat, on the bottom of the bezel floor, the insert is resting on top of the ring (albeit considerably reduced from its original height). So while the insert looks normal from the outside, it is only coming into contact with the bezel around its perimeter, so it is unable to 'lock' into the bezel. Because of this, the insert tends to stay in place when the bezel is rotated since it shares more contact area with the crystal than with the bezel. So, obviously, I need to find a way to anchor the insert into the bezel so it turns along with the bezel instead of remaining in place or slipping as the bezel is rotated. My 1st thought was to cement the perimeter/edge of the insert to the inner edge of the bezel, which will certainly lock the insert's movement into the bezel's. However, because it is much easier (& safer) to remove/install the bezel with the insert removed than it is to perform that operation with the insert in place, that option is not optimal. The other idea I had was to cut a channel into the underside of the insert, along the path where the insert comes into contact with the ring, which would allow the insert to then drop down into the bezel where it can lock into its correct place without the need for cement (at least, not a permanent type of cement). But, of course, for obvious reasons, that option is not the best 1 either. Anyone have a better (& realistic) suggestion? Meanwhile, is this starting to look familiar (I am using the Silix Sub dial/movement for the time being)

As far as I know, the chs version is no longer available, but between the poll & anecdotal evidence, I would say the chance of failure for either version is about 50%. You can increase the odds by not using the GMT function, but, beyond that, I think it comes down to luck of the draw - the watch you receive is either a ticking time-bomb or not. But none of these watches are more than a few months old at this point, so who knows how long the best of the bunch will ultimately last. My chs is still keeping COSC time (it is running about 20 seconds fast since I set it upon arrival in early July).

Oops, I meant 2836-2. I was searching for a 2893 for something else & obviously got my synapses crossed (again).

I hate to put a damper on your already damp parade, but remember that these GMTIICs are not the most reliable beasts in the jungle. So I would try not to put too much emotion into this adventure, because the correct watch, if/when you actually receive the right 1, has about a 50% chance of dying an early death.

Ditto. Who is the seller?

Sorry, but what do you mean by 'using the crown'? Using it to do what?

Sorry, none of the pics in your 1st post are showing up here, so I may not have gotten the whole story. So all 4 of the chrono hands are resetting incorrectly? Are they resetting to the same position each time or different positions? Is your camera able to do macro pics? If so, can you post a pic showing where the hands are stopping? By the way, I have had alot of problems with the braking system on a number of A7750s, which cause the hour totalizer hand to continue to run when the chrono is OFF. Does that sound anything like the problem you are experiencing? Update - For some reason, the link in your OP as well as the pictures did not come up here (using latest Firefox without any blocking on). But I got the link using IE, so I understand the nature of the problem better. From the sound of it, you do not really have a problem. It is just the imprecise nature of these Asian chronos. Some of mine do it as well. As long as the chrono operates & resets correctly (you said it does), I would ignore it. Sorry about the confusion. I really did read (what I could see) of your OP.

Most of these movements are used & unserviced, so it is likely that the auto-wind module is just gummed-up & needs a proper cleaning/lubrication. Unfortunately, alot of watchmakers are unwilling to even work on a chronograph these days, regardless of whether the watch is a rep or a gen. It is actually fairly easy to remove & clean the auto-wind module on a 7750, but you do need to have the appropriate tools & knowledge to be able to remove the caseback & module (you do not have to remove the movement from the case) & then to disassemble, clean & lubricate the components. I would contact the seller & see what he suggests. Otherwise, open your phonebook & start phoning all the local watchmakers or clockmakers in your area & ask them if they will work on a rep watch with an ETA 7750 chronograph copy? That will save you alot of time. Or, you could just cut to the chase & ask the Zigmeister (Ziggyzumba) to schedule your watch for an appointment.

Have you checked to see of the hands are floating (loose) on their tubes? This is a common problem with rep chronograph hands. The joint that is supposed to fix the hand in place on its tube is not crimped tightly enough & the inertia that results when the chrono is reset often causes the hand to stop in different positions every time. Sometimes, it may be off just a bit & sometimes it will come to rest half way around the dial. The fix in these cases is to either recrimp the joint (if you have a staking tool) or cement it with a tiny dab of epoxy (be extremely careful not to allow any of the cement to migrate into the tube or you will be unable to get the hand back onto its pinion) (Pic credit to Avitt)

Click me

The owner of the 1st secs at 6 Daytona treated with powdered graphite dropped his watch the other day & just dropped it off to have the scratches polished out (done). So I am wearing this (until the owner picks it up later) today Here it is with a friend

Nice find & I agree about the dial. Pity.