RWG Technical

Bad crown, they are all like this. The sprung part is too weak, and the stem lock doesn't work at all...the fix is to replace the crown and tube with a genuine one. This is my SMP with the new Genuine Omega crown and tube. Wearing it today, and it works amazing since I fixed it... RG

Stunning... I love it... Here are some I restored... RG

Exposure to direct sunlight for 15-30 seconds, or a bright lamp for the same time, is as charged as it's going to get. Charge it just before turning the lights out, and sit back and enjoy the show...going from a bright sunny day to an elevator with a Super Lumed watch, is always a treat... RG

Wow, I was not aware of these models... There is nothing anyone on the boards can do, Eddie is the one that can solve this for you, unfortunatly we can't help out... Sorry, RG

Genuine Super Luminova, with a full charge, will last 8 hours and be visible all night in a dark room. Once applied, unlike Tritium, it's permanent and never needs replacing. The quantity of the lume is directly proportional to the glow, a PAM with large markers is going to glow brighter than a Rollie sub with small ones... C3 glows the brightest, C1 not as bright, but still visible all night. RG

You ordered "a watch" and he owes you $1450, that must be some rep...a lot of cash for one watch. RG

Just kidding...I am happy with the prices I have, and the workmanship I provide. I still find it amazing that some (very few fortunatly) think that this work should be done for peanuts...and they baulk at paying more than a few dollars for full restoration on a high end vintage model...you get what you pay for... That is a fair price for the skills that is needed and the quality of the workmanship. It's a dying trade, and as time goes on, the prices and demand for skilled watchmakers, is only going to increase... Plse post some pics when it's done, I have a 1905 Waltham in house now for restoration, but next to the circa 1742 model Verge Fusee, it looks outright modern... RG

@ crystalcranium Go it, I was not sure what model you were comparing it to. I did not know that the co-axial's were that accurate, amazing, but then again, John Harrison's No. 4 Chronometer was accurate to within 5 seconds after a trip from England to Jamaica, on a boat, in the year 1762...so how far have we really progressed in mechanical timekeeping... RG

I don't have any ETA specs sheets on the 2892 series, they are not available. The 2892A2 is a much better series movement than the 2836-2, and the 2836-2 movements that we have in our watches, are middle of the road quality, with an accuracy of 7 +-7 seconds per day... The 2892A2 should easily exceed this accuracy right out of the box, without any re-working... My dollar for dollar is a stock ETA 2892A2 vs a Rolex whatever caliber is made today...the ETA easily outshines it, ETA is thinner, has a better winding rotor, and if cost is a factor, is less than $200, I bought a brand new factory ETA 2892A2 for $100... I would put it up against any auto movement for one basic comparison, how well does it run, cost, and timekeeping...it can hold it's own in my view. Co-Axials are a totally different animal, don't know much about them, except the design is supposed to reduce the sliding friction that is inherant in a standard escapment and pallet arm. For the price, it's great value. RG

That may??? apply to some of the lower end cheap $2 chinese models. But it does not apply to the majority of the watches we have access to. Any ETA powered rep, will easily keep accurate time, no question about it. Omega is using ETA movements, and I would put a 2892A2 up against any automatic movement out there today, it's the best there is in my view, dollar for dollar... RG

Your right, never had this one in the shop. RG

What the hell am I thinking when I charge $80 for a manual movement service...no matter the type or age... $325 to service a handwind? Holly crap... And to think, some folks think my prices are too high as it is, when I charge the same fee of $325 to service a Valjoux 72, a much more complex and many many hours consuming job... I think that maybe some adjusting is needed if this is the going rate for a handwind watch at a commercial shop. I have restored many vintage pocket watches, complete restoration, for less than $150, and I think my workmanship is easily comparible to any shop out there. I need to re-think this repair stuff if this is what my competition is doing. RG

Yes sorry about that, 8215 it is. Great movement. RG

Understood... My intention was to highlight that it was not a straight swap. In my view, the existing movement or a Miyota replacement is just as good as the ETA...so why bother. RG

No it can't, not without new hands, the hands are not interchangeable between the Asian and the Swiss... And to add to that, the spacer ring will not fit, so you will need one of these, the stem will need to be replaced, the dial feet will need to be cut off and replaced or the movement glued to the ETA, then if that wasn't enough, the stem may not line up after all of that work... Cheaper, and easier to install a Miyota in place of the asian copy. RG

1. They could have made a mistake and sent you the wrong size hand, maybe it's 0.20mm 2. New hands are sometimes hard to get installed the first time. 3. Place the new hand upside down next to the center post, and examine it compared to the post, do they look the same size? If you think it's the correct size, you can broach the hand with a small broach (tiny cutter to open the hole in the hand a small amount), this should allow you to get it installed. RG

That's NOT the movement I was thinking of... That is a copy of a Miyota model, if you have to replace it, you can install a Miyota 2815 and it should be a direct fit. Replacing this with an ETA is an excercise in frustration... FWIW all Genuine Miyota's come with plastic spacer rings, the ring is also part of the spacer for the datewheel...it does what it should do, and just because it's plastic, it's not a downfall in quality or anything else... RG

Isn't it equipped with the "Clone" 2824-2" ? RG

First of all, by posting the pictures and description here, you have implicated yourself. If a Swiss customs officer is reading this board, he just put two and two together, and you have admitted that you ordered this watch. Big mistake, as you have no way out of this now. I suggest you erase your post, and make your decision in private. This is an open forum, customs problems should never be discussed here. Really bad idea, and even more bad was that you just posted all the information any customs officer needs to find you guilty. RG

I forgot just how long and detailed this review was...it sure covers it all...there is little else that can be said. RG

My pleasure... RG

Could be as simple as a small drop of oil on the hairspring, and somehow it caused two coils to stick to each other... Tell your watchmaker exactly what took place, he should be able to assess, and fix it while it's in the case, no reason to take anyting apart except for maybe removing the balance [censored] for cleaning of the hairspring. RG

Your hairspring is touching itself or something...have someone look at it for you. RG

Well it was an interesting project... much more work than installing a V23 into the DW case. Movement was not serviced, only installed, but doing so, and getting everything to fit and line up, and be secured in the case, took many hours. Even installing the hands, required modification and tedious work to get them to fit. In the end, it looks good, and works great. Wonderful project, and I am glad that I was able to help you out with it... RG

I too sense a change, not sure what it is exactly, but something feels different lately...not sure if it's good or bad, just different from the feelings I have had during the past 30 months I have been here. Thanks for the kind words, sometimes I sit back and wonder myself how I do some of this stuff... I watched that Rolex Watchmaker video someone linked here the other day, and as I got engrosed in it, I looked in awe at some of the stuff they were working on and doing, then it struck me, "Hey, I do the same stuff, and just serviced an El-Primero..." but watching someone else do it, it never struck me that I was doing the same stuff... Same for my paintings, I dont' see them for what others do, and always think they are so-so...but when I compare them to others, they are quite good... And the "awsome tools" dont' come cheap, unfortunatly...but you need them... RG