RWG Technical

That is normal on this model, the movement only has enough power to effect one calendar wheel at a time, first the DATE at 12 am, and then the DAY later on... Each calendar gear is offset to work this way, if they both worked at the same time, the movement would come to a grinding halt... All due to the fact it's not a quick date change, but a slow one. RG

I just finished servicing a 2892A2 with the power reserve module... The mainspring barrel and the thrid wheel need to be modified to run the PR module...it can be done (since they did it to the 2892A2) but not by me, you would need a lot of new parts and of course the PR module as well... RG

I have many customers in Germany, no problems with customs... RG

I am wearing my 24 month old TTK supplied 188 on my wrist as I type this....and it still runs great... It has the older Asian 7750, I use the chrono at least 10 times a day, and this watch keeps working and working...now I did service it 24 months ago, so far so good...no serviced Asian 7750's have been sent in for warranty, except for 1 from Kruzer00....I fixed it... I also have a lot of spares...including running seconds at 6 models... There is NO quality issue with the parts on any 7750, it appears to be a servicing issue (except for the running seconds at 6 models...), from my perspective, ETA 7750 is a 10, Asian 7750 is a 8. EDIT, the cannon pin can be defective on the Asian models, if so, I replace it with an ETA one and this fixes the problem. Servicing cost is $200 from me, it's not cheap, but compered to other shops, half or less of the price...servicing a ETA 7750 is $325... RG

I stay away from Ofrei and don't recommend him to anyone...they simply like to make everyone's life miserable...They will scold you at every chance they get, and in my experience, they overcharge for shipping. Charge $14.40 and it's postmarked $5 or less... Every chance I get, I tell people to go somewhere other than Ofrei. RG

If the GMT hand moves when you move the hands in the 3rd position, then it should move all the time. If the dial washer is missing, the GMT Gear will fall out of engagement with the other gears if the watch is turned over (meaning dial down). You can test this by turing the watch face down, while trying to set the time in the 3rd position. IF the hand does NOT move (the GMT one) then the dial washer is missing...so you may not be crazy after all... RG

What movement is in the watch? Pull the crown to the second positon, turn it, does the GMT hand move? Pull the crown to the 3rd position, turn it, does the GMT hand move? If you have no movement in either positon, good chance the GMT gear has slipped out of engagement with the other gears. RG

You can fill the hole with epoxy, screw the screw in place, clean off the extra epoxy, let it harden, and the screw won't fall out. There is no real practical way to insert new threads, a helicoil is not available in that size... RG

445/2 is the correct part number. I am not familiar with the 2890, but it's the same idea on these models, the part functions the same on both of these models, meaning it's got the notches in it for the detents on the set lever... If your ordering from Ofrei, for gods sake, dont' mess up the part number, or good ole Bob will have to call you and scole you in person (he did it to me, and many others... which is why I do my business elsewhere now...). RG

I agree, which is one reason why I get such satisfaction from working on mechanical movements, and I am still amazed at how it all works, being so small... Taking a movement apart, under the view of a 4X loupe, and then removing the loupe and not being able to even see the teeth on some gears or the pivots on the shafts with the naked eye, still amazes me each and every time. I remember working with my late uncle under a 35X microscope on a Accutron movement and adjusting the small pusher arms and jewels...and this is '60's technology...wow. Not totally a mechanical movement, but certainly a mechanical miracle no less... Even more fun, is having a movement that has a problem and won't work right, and spending hours trying to figure it out, and finally finding and correcting a defect, sometimes moving a pallet stone 0.001" of an inch, and fixing the watch...well it don't get much better than this now does it. But I guess, to each their own...when the magic goes for me, I'll put my tweezers away... RG

WOW Randy...amazing workmanship.... And such a clear photo from accross the room... Your skills never fail to impress me, are you taking orders?? RG

I am not registered either, but I can get in and look at the docs...must be a firewall problem... ETA will never let you register, I tried many times, they are tighter than the military on who they let in... I have the doc in PDF if you have a way to get it from me. The part you need is 445/2 ETA 2801-2 this part should make the stem work in 2 positions vs 3. RG

Removing the calendar gears has nothing at all to do with the keyless works. Expecting the stem to suddenly have 2 positions, when you did not replace any keyless works parts, is impossible. A quick review of how the keyless works operates, what part makes the stem set in 3 positons, and reviewing the ETA data sheet for the 2801-2 series will give you the answer you need, and the part you need to replace. ETA site is here...https://secure.eta.ch/CSP/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=28 Have a look, it will be readily apparent. RG

This fellow is playing RWG folks like a fiddle... Imagine someone spending upwards of $750 on genuine crystals for the want of a $50 press...not likely... I think he's having a good laugh at our expense. The quality of the pics, his camera only has "Landscape" but no "Flower" setting, can only take a crappy picture etc... trying to convince others here to use a hockey puck and a vice as a crystal press, no wait, even better - epoxy and bathroom silicone to hold the crystal in place... I dont' believe a thing this person says or posts, nada... Come on folks, am I the only one that sees this for what it is? Someone having a lot of fun at our expense. RG

Interesting, then I guess it does have a Asian movement in it, and would be 0.90mm stem size. Learn something new every day... RG

All you have to do is remove all the datewheel parts... As above, remove the datewheel and all the gears for it... RG

I just re-read your first post...this is a PAM 005 with a 21 Jewel movement? Should it not be a 6497 17-Jewel movement in this model, I have never heard of these with any other movement in them... If it's a 6497, then the stem is 1.20mm, not 0.90mm RG

Very nice looking bench. RG

Should be 0.90mm, all the ones I have seen are this size. RG

Sorry I wish I had better news... Not sure what the rotor problem is, I have never seen a rotor unwind like this. Have your watchmaker check that the mainspring click is working fine. If that is good, I would have him remove the dial and hands, and take the bridge off and see if the watch runs (doing this will remove the 5 gears for the seconds at 6). If the watch starts and runs as soon as he removes this bridge, you know what the problem is... I have seen this happen, watch stops, remove gears, watch starts again... Or it could be something like a bad beat, unlikely as it does run for 1 hour...most likely the seconds at 6. Good luck. RG

Seems like you have a number of problems, most likely the biggest is the running seconds at 6. No idea what is going on with the rotor, that is a first for me. If you wound the watch 40-50 times, it should run for 40 hours or more... RG

All I can offer to the above discussion is the dimensions, it should be about 39 inches high, 20 deep, and 35 or more wide. Drawers along the whole right side is good, a lip around the left right and back sides is good, as well as a notch into the front edge, to stop stuff from rolling off... My late uncle's bench had an neat feature, a slide out tray at waste level, this tray was a frame of wood about 2" wide, with a white leather center piece, tray would be about 24 inches wide (or whatever width you have left in the cubbyhole after you install the drawers). Whenever working on the bench, you pulled the tray out to your belly (how far depends on if you have a dickdo or not) and the idea was that if a part fell, it would fall on the tray, and the loose leather allowed it to not bounce out and it was easily visible against the white of the leather... RG

I guess I'll see one later this week... RG

To clairify, the 2892 COPIES I have had problems with, are NOT the one in your picture... The ones I have had problems with, are UNMARKED, no hallmark, no ETA, no 2892, nothing...they look like a 2892, but are copies that's all... The one in your picture, could be perfect and run great, I can't say as I have never had one of these in the shop (actually I have never seen a hybrid like that until today). It would be interesting to tear one down and see what it exactly is, and how much is ETA and how much is Asian... RG

I dont' think anyone is jumping to anything. The question was, "How can you tell if it's ETA or Asian", I think my info shows the answer to that question. I have provided my insight, based on my firsthand experience with these movements. Reality is, we have great sellers here, and I will continue to buy from them, as I have always gotten great value for my money. I have no complaints (excepting my 007 with the copy 2892, which was very expensive for those who remember these models). Personally I look at all the pictures before I buy, not the description as I tend to go on what I see, not what I read about a particular movement. Even Ofrei doesn't know if it's a Genuine ETA, millions of these are bought and sold on the surplus market, in various forms...complete movements from ETA, to ETA Ebauches with aftermarket parts...my supplier can get me Genuine ETA's (for now) but at twice the cost of the "Surplus" movements, I will stick to the cheaper ones... As for solutions to this particular issue, I have no idea, all I can offer is what I see based on what I know. RG