freddy333

Alligoat -- True, but is a Mystery Movement going to be more reliable than an old V23?

Freezing the hand is not a problem, but I am wondering what the price difference is between an average V23 & the mystery movement? I have never used a mystery movement, but my impression is that they are about as reliable as the average secs @ 6 7750 (not reliable). So if a V23 is close in cost, that would probably be the better alternative since I have a funny feeling that this watch may be getting more actual wrist time than the Newman does (yes, I like it that much).

Damn. I just ordered a case from him last week (which arrived in my city at 8 this morning). I guess I will have to place another order.

Thank you for the excellent tip, Repaustria.

Yes, that is exactly the problem. I purchased the watch just for the movement, but then I fell in love with the watch. (I hate to admit it, but there are times when this watch looks cooler than the Newman. I probably just need more sleep.)

Does DW sell bare mystery movements, or where can I source one? Or would a V22 or V23 be a better alternative?

What would you do if you MUST cannibalize the movement from this watch (for a Newman project), but also want to be able to continue to wear this rare & beautiful timepiece?

Considering what I had to pay for the watch (the purchase price was based on its having a V72 movement), I probably will not be able to purchase another fully-functional tri-compax Valjoux watch anytime soon. So I am looking for recommendations on a more affordable alternative movement that I can use with this dial and case. What would you do?

Both crystals are aftermarkets (clarks and Helfands, but I do not remember which is which), but look the same as the T19s being fitted by RSC. As I mentioned above, you will see either version fitted to gen 5513s and other vintage Subs if you browse Timezone.

The standard MBW crystal is good (it looks a bit like a midget superdome), but not a proper Tropic 19. There are a few variations of the T19 (even among the gens as fitted by RSC), depending on whether it was fitted when the watch was originally manufactured or added during a later service. These are aftermarket, but look like the 2 versions currently fitted by RSC

If you browse Timezone, you will see either fitted to gen 5513s.

I use the same inserts from the link that MickeyP posted and the pearl sold by ofrei.com ($12 as of last year).

(photo made on flatbed scanner, hence the 'bending' sweep hand)

Drop -- I would agree with everything Ubi said except, to some degree, his buying advice about the Clark's crystal. While Clark's IS an excellent crystal and a reasonable alternative for those on a budget, I have found the distortion of images around its circumference to be occasionally distracting. Both Nanuq and I have posted reviews (containing photo comparisons) contrasting the Clark's crystal with the gen Tropic 39 as well as some other popular aftermarket crystals.

Bottom line is this -- if you can afford the gen, get the gen (and hope the seller actually sells you a gen and not a repackaged aftermarket lens as has happened to me, twice). If you cannot, get Clark's, which is head and shoulders above any of the other aftermarket T39s I have seen or tried and gives you 95% of what you get from the gen lens.

Screech -- The MBWs come with nice CGs, but they are not accurate compared to vintage gen Seadwellers.

TTK -- I am still awaiting the word from you on a 5514/5513. Any news yet?

Difficult to tell from your photos, but if you were 'dabbling' with or near the balance, then you probably damaged it. The spring is not terribly expensive, but you are probably looking at 1-2 hours of labor to install a new one. Labor rates vary, so you will need to check with a local watchmaker for pricing.

If you have not been 'dabbling', then the spring is probably just magnetized. Magnetized coils will stick together, which shortens the effective length of the spring causing the balance to cycle faster than normal. This is a common problem that usually manifests itself in the watch suddenly speeding up more than a few seconds/hour.

If you have a tape head demagnetizer, you may be able to demagnetize the spring by demagnetizing the watchcase the same way you demagnetize a tape head. With the demagnetizer within 1/2" of the watch, switch the power on and make a few circular movements around the face of the watch and then slowly extend your arm (with the demagnetizer still on) until the demagnetizer is an arm's length away and power it off. Repeat on the other side of the watch. If your demagnetizer has sufficient degaussing strength, it should be able to remove the magnetic flux on the spring allowing its coils to separate and return to their normal positions(and the watch's beat to return to normal).

If that does not work, I would take the watch to a watchmaker and expect to pay for at least 1-2 hours of labor (some watchmakers will refuse to dismantle anything unless you allow them to overhaul the movement).

I generally prefer to use Bergeon lume paste for vintage watches. It dries to a nice, grainy texture & its relatively weak luminescence more accurately matches the waning glow of 30+ year old tritium. The trouble with the Bergeon stuff is that it is just about impossible to correct mistakes. So if it runs or you paint 'over the line', you are stuck with a possibly ruined dial. As I understand it, the Night Color produces a similar texture, but remains pliable enough to be peeled off (when dry) if you make a mistake. And with my non-artist's hands, that is a big selling point. According to the seller, the order was dispatched today, so I will know more in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you might search out Edge's original guide to reluming a dial with Night Color. He did a great write-up on this paint & his luming procedure.

Don't hire one, be one.

For the unaware (this will be old news to many of the more senior members here), let me add that Rolex is so desperate for competent watchmakers to service & maintain their watches that they will put YOU (assuming you have the required aptitude & mechanical dexterity) through Watch School (which is located in Pennsylvania). Of course, you will need to house & support yourself while attending the 2-year school, but you are almost guaranteed to be in HIGH demand upon (or even before) graduation.

Thanks, Avitt.

You have a PM sent on the 27th (need address).

Does anyone know of a source to purchase Revell Night Color in the US?

UK sellers will not ship the paint to the US and the 4 hobby shops I contacted in the US say the paint is not available here (2 of the shops contacted their Revell distributor and were told the same thing).

2 things to have your watchmaker check

1. As Avitt & Ubi mentioned, the spacing between the datewheel and the underside of the dial. If there is not sufficient space, the two will rub and restrict the date change.
   
2. Make sure no adhesive on the back of the datewheel overlay has migrated onto the gears or other parts of the movement. This will gum-up the date change gears (I have had this problem, repeatedly, with the otherwise outstanding Watchmeister datewheel sticker/overlay).
   

Nice pens. I actually ordered a beautiful S.T. Dupont fountain pen from Sash a few months ago, but never received it.

Most of the parts houses stock generic Rolex spares, but Cousin's catalog makes them easy to find.

To avoid embarrassment and minimize the potential loss of your contraband (replica) watch, I would be honest and up-front. The only question you need to ask is if the watchmaker will service a replica watch. You will nearly always get a simple yes or no. In my experience, most smaller shops need the work and will happily accept your watch. On the other hand, I would steer clear of any shop that sells the gen version of your rep watch. You are asking for trouble if you take it there. No matter how good you may think (or have been told) your rep is, the watchmaker will identify your watch as a rep the second he opens the case (if not before).

Beyond that, any competent watchmaker will be familiar with and able to repair whatever movement is in your watch, so there is really no reason to ask if he services a particular movement.

You have a PM.

Hey RG -- Good to hear from you and thanks for your input.

At the risk of beating a possibly dead horse, what do you think about using teflon as I suggested and trimming the gears that ride on it? At least in lieu of a more formal solution by the factories that make the movements.

there is always a solution.....

Yes, I agree. So I wonder why Ziggy simply concluded that these movements were destined for failure without offering much in the way of a permanent fix for owners.

Ubi -- That was where my thinking began (plastic/nylon gears as used to be used in many older automobile clocks). But I think Ziggy said that the extra friction & drag was inherent in the additional gearing, so I did not think changing torque or gear materials would do the trick. Or at least that was my impression based on Ziggy's comments.

How about a thin sheet of teflon under each of the additional gears (think about that narrow teflon strip on Mach 3 razors)? Anyone who uses a Mach 3 razor knows how much more easily it slides on your face compared to a standard razor without the teflon strip. And you could grind down the side of each gear that rides on the teflon to maintain the original gear train height & alignment. This would have a secondary benefit of reducing each gear's mass, thus lowering the overall drag on the motor even more.

The more I think about it (and how simple it would be to implement), the more I think it would be worth getting Ziggy's input.

This post is mostly directed at Ziggy, but anyone with a vested interest in the subject can chime in.

I have been brainstorming over possible remedies for the frequent problems plaguing many seconds at 6 7750 movements, such as those used in 1652xx Daytonas. In one of Ziggy's original reviews of this movement, he surmised that the likely reason the movements were installed with little or no oil was to counteract the additional load/drag on the motor caused by the additional gearing and thus allow the movement to run as freely and as long as possible (even light grades of oil add some degree of friction between adjoining surfaces).

So, if removing the oil in key locations of the gear train lowers the drag on the motor just enough to allow the movement to run (for an unknown duration) and adding the correct oil increases it causing the watch to stop running, I am wondering if there is something one could add to the oil to lower the friction coefficient below the threshold of no oil.

My belt drive stereo turntable's platter has a bearing that rides on a ceramic disc that is supposed to be coated with a 'vapor thin film of sewing machine or very light gauge oil'. And this works fine, except that a small amount of the vibrations generated by the stylus (needle) riding in a record groove migrates down the platter's bearing and into the bearing cylinder, where it can diffuse the sound (we are talking very minute, but audible effects here). So, many years ago, in an effort to tame these spurious vibrations, I started experimenting and found that the sound could be subtly improved by filling the entire bearing cylinder with heavier grades of oil (the best turned out to be 10W-40 motor oil), which effectively damped most of these errant vibrations.

Unfortunately, using so much thick oil came with a serious side-effect -- instead of taking about 3/4 of a revolution for the platter to come up to 33 1/3 rpm, it took many revolutions, or about 1 full minute, which all but foiled my otherwise brilliant plan.

So I had to figure out a way to reduce the increased friction and still be able to fill the bearing cylinder with 10W-40. I do not want to bore you with the details, but I found that mixing the oil with an off-the-shelf 'engine friction reducer' (not PTFE/Teflon) reduced the friction and the platter came up to speed in a little less than 3/4 of a revolution and still helped to quiet the vibrations.

So the question is whether you tried/considered or think something similar might be able to produce similar results in these seconds @ 6 7750s? Is there some type of lubricant that produces less friction than using no oil at all?

Ziggy?

What do the hands look like and do you have the size requirements?

And by the way, do you know what 'lejour' means? I have seen it used as an adjective in describing watches, as in 'Is that the lejour version?', but the meaning escapes me (as do alot of things).

Ubi -- I do not own this watch, but from my layman's point of view, the edges of both the screws and screw holes in the bezel look a bit sharper on the gen. And this more than the color of the screws is what sticks out the most to me. If you remove the screws again (or want to mod another RO watch), I would second the recommendation that you file the screw & hole edges to make the corners sharper. This, of course, will slightly reduce the overall size of the screw and slightly enlarge the hole. But that is actually good thing if you then replate the screws with one of the home plating systems on this page.

Knowing your modding talents and attention to detail, you should be able to reproduce the appearance of the gen bezel almost exactly. The only problem with home replating (and replating in general) is that the plating eventually wears away requiring another replating. So you may want to use a semi-permanent fixing agent when reinstalling the screws. But since that area of the bezel is so small, if you keep it clean (especially skin oil, which can break down the plating), the plating would likely outlast the watch.