gregers

I'm guessing that gays are not necessarily staring at people's wrists.

I can't get the stem back into a 7750 so it's a reasonable assumption that I've gummed up the keyless works. There are lots of excellent visual tutorials around on how to do this for ETA's, but I've not been able to find anything specific for the 7750. Has anybody come across something to help me with this. They might be very similar jobs but it would be much safer to have the exact methodology to hand. Thanks.

Polari! I can't believe that you are old enough to remember Julian and his 'friend' Sandy.

PM sent.

You are right about it being loud, mine was loud enough to hear me coming. It made a metallic rattling sound a bit like a charm bracelet and was effectively unuseable in that condition. Even if the 'fix' had gummed up the works (and I suppose it still might) I wouldn't have been much worse off, and would have just replaced it with an inexpensive Miyota movement.

Metaphorically speaking. I only used a grease gun because I didn't have any left over lard to hand. Actually, there was an informative thread quite recently on how to do this simple fix properly.

It's 1000 AILGIM. I presume that this is a bad thing to the cognoscenti, but I hadn't actually noticed that there were any markings on the crown. I needed a magnifying glass to detect what it said so for me this defect wouldn't be a deal breaker.

If you read the previous post you might manage to detect the merest hint of a clue regarding a possible scource. As for price, well that does seem to be a secret and any further clues on this subject would be most welcome.

All this and a very iffy movement under the hood (unless Ziggified). It looks to be a very problematic purchase with big potential for big bucks repairs.

There seems to be quite a few of us who are interested in these wondrous MBK's but can't find out the supply details. Does it require some kind of initiation ceremony involving blood products and funny handshakes?

I've just had the A21j version of the Chopard MM via Josh's lightning inter-continental service. It is just about the cheapest, serious rep available and for the money it really is a great buy. I've never seen the gen or the more expensive version (and quite probably never will) so I can't compare it directly to either of those, but on its own it stands as a pretty decent looking watch. The stainless steel case looks reassuringly solid, is well finished and generally gives it a look of quality. The markings are very bold and are possibly the most legible of just about any watch that I've seen. They contribute to what overall is a fairly simple, yet striking appearance. I believe that the strap is somewhat slimmer than the gen but it is nevertheless pretty substantial at over 6mm thick. Its 'tyre' markings make it look distinctive and different and for me it wore very comfortably. There is a pretty complicated deployant buckle but in practice it worked well. I can even report that its timekeeping is better than any mechanical watch I have owned-it is, so far, dead accurate straight out the box. The one problem has been the quite astonishingly noisy rotor, but this has been completely silenced by the application of a dob of grease. In all, this is a great value watch.

Similarly, could somebody be kind enough to PM me the how much and from where details. Thanks.

They are the two classiest reps around at the moment. And I want them.

I've got the Double Eagle silver version from Josh, who was good enough to source it for me. It was dispatched very promptly and it arrived in UK within 6 days from ordering. It is rarely mentioned on here but it is a really excellent dressy/smart type watch. The newer version Constellation is a very clean, coherent and contemporary design. Though 'only' 38mm wide it gives the impression of wearing much larger because of the way the case tapers elegantly into the bracelet. Nevertheless, it does not have the overall bulk of most of the usual Omegas and presents a reasonably restrained and not overly showy appearance. The overall finish is very good and with it being a pretty accurate rep it certainly looks like the real thing under anything other than a very close inspection. The only issue might be with the bracelet connecting pins, which look like they have a tendency to fractionally slide out, though this is probably a minor problem that is fixable. For me, this watch is a welcome change from the usual big, bulky chronos and it has been very well regarded by all who have seen it. It looks expensive and classy and is very good value for money. All that is missing is a good quartz engine to ensure that it lasts more than a few weeks! More seriously, it is an 'ETA' copy and with a bit of luck should avoid some of the problems that dog the 7750 (and don't get me started on that for now)

I've just had the same problem with the Asian 21j Chopard. It rattled like cheap jewellery and the horrid noise was clearly audible to everyone wihin the City limits. On examination the rotor was obviously the culprit-it was flapping around and spun like a perpetual motion machine. An application of grease succeeded in damping its signature soundtrack but.... the rotor has now been virtually immobilised. From one problem to another.

Thanks for that The Zigmeister. Is there one specific Miyota that is likely to do the job or are there many variations depending on which watch it will be going into?

Some people have suggested that there is the possibility that this old workhorse is very occasionally less than 100% reliable. If it does crap out on you what are the alternatives? Am I right in assuming that the best bet would be to forget this throwaway movt. and just replace it. I've seen it mentioned that a Miyota (8215?) is a viable alternative but I don't know if this is always a straightforward swap. Is there anything else that is worth considering? I suppose the third alternative would be to have it Ziggified, but though effective this might necessarily be more expensive than simply buying a replacement watch, which in any case would simply leave you again with an inferior movt. Therefore can anybody share any knowledge about the first two, cheaper alternatives. Thanks.

Could you also post the full lug to lug width, please? It's all right for you butch types, but I'm worried that it might overlap my puny wrists and look daft on me. I'd love to have it though.

I was thinking in terms of the basic Asian 21j/non chrono with date. This seems to be a somewhat fallible movement and I was hoping that there might be a number of drop in quartz equivalents. From what you indicate, however, I'd clearly and rather naively under- estimated the variables involved. Possibly a non-date version might conceivably be easier to scource. Thanks.

Clearly, this idea is somewhat less than inspired. Paperweights it is, then.

In practise, what degree of waterfroofing does silicon greasing the o rings give? Presumably it doesn't make the watch waterproof to 500 fathoms. I assume that it gives a bit of extra protection against say, a quick dip in the bath, but probably not much more than that with any degree of safety.

You've got a watch that stops. It's not the love of your life but you quite like it. A repair is uneconomical. The parts or the whole movement are not readily available. Or maybe you are just sick of the damned, unreliable thing always stopping and requiring expensive ministrations from your local watch guy. Is it a viable option to swap out the movement and transplant a quartz one? What's involved and is it sraightforward? It seems to me to be a reasonable alternative to yet another piece becoming a useless paperweight. But what do I know. I am thinking that it should be feasible because one or two of our favourite reps do come in either mechanical or quartz versions. Can anybody put me right on this?

Mr. P., Sir! Thanks for the excellent sequence of photos on this topic. You have no idea just how helpful these are to a relative newbie. Without information like this, unless one has an intuitive mechanical bent most of us would be just blundering around, scared to death that our next move would be the one that wrecked the watch. Much kudos to you and all the others who take the trouble (and it clearly takes a fair bit of effort) to share their valuable knowledge.

Thanks very much for that. I 'think' that should give me enough information to start bashing away. Cheers.

I've looked in most places on here but I can't seem to find any specific info about removing the new 7750 chrono movement. There are lots of good tutorials about other movements but nothing that I've been able to find about chronos in general or this particular movement. I know that the principles are fairly similar, but it would be useful to have something more specific before I set to work with my lump hammer and chisel. Can anyone point me in the right direction for this?