RWG Technical

Yes it was yours. No, the cracked jewel wasn't a show stopper...I removed it, and installed a fresh new un-cracked jewel. The old jewel will be returned along with the watch so you can inspect it. I consider this good luck, had it not been sent in for servicing, the cracked jewel would cut into the pivot and eventually cause the escape wheel pivot to fail, when it failed the mainspring would be disconnected from the escapment and free to turn, and it would unwind in a milisecond and destroy the movement, and probably destroy the dial and hands as well. It goes to show once again how important servicing is, and how important it is to look at everything under a 10X loupe, nothing should be taken for granted, even on a new movement. Cracked jewels are very rare, I suspect that whoever cut off the seconds post, didn't remove the escape wheel, and with the seconds post wheel sitting under the escape wheel, you have to force it out of the movement, which put pressure on the escape wheel, and it's pivot, cracking the jewel.... Watch is being tested and monitored and working perfectly so far.

Oye! or ouch!

That would be great, I would like to see a few more of these to find out if they are all modified the same way and to the same standard. It will be interesting to see how your pinion is cut off...

Just finished servicing a 390 and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the removal of the running seconds post was done correctly. Although the pivot was not rounded and was left square, at least it was correctly cut off with enough of the post remaining to allow correct height and finishing. On the same movement the top escape wheel jewel was cracked in half...very unusual to have cracked jewels, so I am guessing this was done by whoever modified the post...can't win for loosing sometimes...

Yes, a "Qualified watchmaker" can certainly handle an A7750. The problem is in finding someone who is qualified...there are many wannabe watchmakers out there and there are many more who do nothing but happily take your money. You can ask a simple easy question to determin if the individual knows anything about a 7750 caliber. Ask "what is the depth of the engagement of the tilting pinion", and see what you get in response. The answer is 2/3 of a tooth depth, this is simple stuff and should be easily answered by a competent watchmaker. I would be curious as to how you make out...good luck...

There are many variables when it comes to timekeeping accuracy. Rule 1, if the movement is not properly serviced, you can't expect it to keep accurate time. Rule 2, the person wearing the watch has a large effect on timekeeping, especially when considering an automatic movement. Some people don't move enough to wind the watch, others move just enough to wind it only enough to get it running, and others move a lot and have no issues. Automatic watches are designed to run accurately at full wind. If you haven't had the movement serviced, and the beat and rate adjusted, your wasting your time trying to get it running accurately. Stay away from any running seconds at 6 movements, or plan on having the watch serviced and possibly removing the running seconds gears.

A lot of members, here @ RWG and on the other boards, would strongly disagree with that statement...which is why I prefer to keep a low profile and browse...

Thank you so much, really appreciated...now I have some reading to do...

Well what? Members like me can't log into those sites, is it possible for you to cut and paste the info for those of us who are not welcomed...

Interesting, for an orginazation that stands for what it appears to stand for, that is disapointing to hear. I was thinking exactly the same thing...

Not only is it not gen, it's in terrible condition and missing parts, definetly not a good value for that price. You can get virtually pristing V72's in lesser known brands, for much less money. For someone who is a member of NAWCC it's surprising to see the fake chrono bridge with "Rolex" engraved...

You don't want to know how much I have tied up in tooling... Very well said and great suggestions. Although I use Zenith cleaning fluids, I have been told that their oils etc are not up to the same standards as Mobius. It is truely an art and science when it comes to servicing. If you haven't already, take the TZ course, my understanding is that there is now a Part 3, that goes into further detail. And if you have time, read and read more about watchmaking and servicing. Above all keep in mind that these older movements tend to be neglected for many years, and parts are getting very difficult to find, all the more reason to make sure the movements you have, won't wear out, and with proper servicing, at 5 or so year intervals, they will outlast you.

Congradulations on getting it back together and running. Most points have been covered, run time is exactly as already described, slower beat = runs longer. If you don't have a watch analyzer and can't see the beat and rate, it's anyone's guess what the timekeeping is and how much it varies over the run time. After 24 hours of running the timing will be totally different to what it is at full wind. As for oiling, I can guarantee that on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being a perfect oiling of all the jewels, the escapment, the reversing wheels, and the cap jewels, without a doubt a detailed examination of the movement would be graded at 1 or less. This isn't an insult to your skill or talent, it's reality. Oiling is the most difficult part of any servicing, and requires a detailed understanding of the oiling requirements, what to oil, quantity, what type of oil, and above all a lot of practice, years in fact. If not done correctly, mis-oiling will cause problems, running problems, or wear problems. A red oiler is way oversized for almost all of the pivots on this size movement, so it's probably over oiled, excessivly. Without a timer, you have no way of seeing your results, and without knowing what the requirement of proper oiling is, no way of knowing if you did the right thing or not. Slow beat movements tend to be much more forgiving than today's fast beat movements, they will run under most conditions, for a while, evey when completely dry. The most critical part of servicing is full teardown and ultrasonic cleaning in watch cleaning solutions, rinses (3 of them) and complete drying. You didn't mention what you used for cleaning, correct oiling can only be done in a clean jewel and pivot. Watchmakers charge what they do because of the huge outlay in tooling and shop supplies and training. Cleaning solutions run $50 a gallon alone, servicing is very complex and isn't as simple as dabbing some oil on the jewels. You had success, but that in itself doesn't mean that it's done correctly. The question remains, how well is the movement lubricated and in 5 years will there be any wear, wear to parts that are becoming more scarce by the day...I see worn irreplaceable parts all the time, simply due to incorrect or lack of servicing.

Why do I spend hours writing and editing the text so that it's understandable to everyone, when no is bothering to spend 3 minutes reading what's been written. If you actually read the post, the answer is right there, in fact it's just above the picture...surprisingly most of the valuable information and insight is in the text, but to gain that valuable information and insight you have to read the post, not just look at the pictures... The pictures only support the text, they don't replace it.

Lets hope the only reward is a good quality movement...

I believe there is a new trend to make these watches more self sufficient, therefore just like your car carrying a spare tire, the movements now come with spare jewels, just in case you have a blown out jewel away from home and need a quick repair... Like Panasonic, the Chinese are slightly ahead of our time. At least it wasn't a pube like I found a while back, yeach!

>

Known and delt with Francois for many years, while he's not always punctual, he's never scammed me for anything. I would say work and life have taken over, but I have no doubt he'll come through for you, keep the faith...

Excellent write up. Very detailed, easy to follow, all the items are covered in depth and you have provided insight on your experience and solutions. Thank you for this, well done.

In addition, I don't accept previously worked on watches, no matter who did the work, without prior approval. In the case of certain modders, I won't go near any watch they have touched. And I only accept previously worked on watches with the understanding from the customer that a pre-work inspection will be done and all issues noted - BEFORE - any work is undertaken, and I retain the right to refuse to do any work if the inspection indicates serious issues. My experience shows an almost total lack of the very basic skills with many so called experts and modders (like blowing the dust off the movement and caseback), most have no idea of what is expected in terms of watchmaking quality, skill, care, ability, and workmanship standards. This is nothing new, it's been like this as long as the forum has existed...however if you read the forum carefully, all the information you need to make an informed decision is here. I have literally hundered's of pictures that serve as examples of the garbage that these people do, a real shame. And that, is all I will say about this topic.

Same rule applies to all handwind models: Rule 1, wind the watch fully as soon as you get up, before putting it on your writs and before you wear it for the day Rule 2, a full wind is NOT a few turns, or a dozen turns, or 20 turns, a FULL WIND is when you wind the watch and continue to wind the watch until you can't turn the crown any more that is a FULL WIND Rule 3, if you ignore Rule 2, you will have poor timekeeping and there is risk of the balance escapment being damaged due to low amplitude More problems with handwind watches are caused by owners who are too scared to wind their watch fully... The mainspring is secured to the side of the mainspring barrel, when you reach full wind the spring is held secure and tight against the barrel. You would have to be super human to accidentally break a mainspring from fully winding it.

Every 7734 I have serviced has been neglected for many years...they just don't seem to get the regular attention the movement deserves, probably due to the value of the watches the movements are installed in...

Why do they always get the dial relumed by someone who can't lume if their life depended on it...a nice dial ruined by incompetent hands, what a shame. And I don't doubt the VRF boys will have a new hole fabricated for the owner by the time they shed their insight on the watch.

GMT hand is below, against dial face, same movement and design is in the new 029.