RWG Technical

Almost all the lume I apply, is applied over existing lume. The only ones that are a problem is markers that are very small and a totally different colour. They would need a white base coat before applying the lume and trying to paint white on small markers can be a problem. RG

I think you have got it...only slight correction in that the hands and the bezel pearl are the same stuff, and no, it isn't a custom mix of mine... RG

And here I thought you guys were good This is harder that I thought it would be. Keep guessing. RG

Your close but not quite there...some right, some wrong, some partially right... RG

The overall lume on this one as delivered had a number of problems...so I tried to fix them as best I could...here's what was done. Here is a link to what the watch looks like as delivered. Click here for pics of the original lume And here is a link to the genuine one where you can clearly see the colour differences between the rep and the gen. Click here to see a genuine for comparison This one posed a few challenges, as they all do it seems. First up, the colour was wrong, and I didn't have any Super Luminova in stock that matched this one. After comparing the pictures to the lume patches from RC Tritec, I found that dark yellow was a match. One problem fixed... Next up, the existing lume and painted surrounds were uneven, the surround had some bubbles in it, the lume wasn't centered, and the lume patches weren't evenly placed or straight sided with the surround. And if that wasn't enough to deal with, the lume colour was off, and I had to restrict the height of the new lume to try and match the genuine dial as much as possible. Removing the existing lume is much to risky on this model, and doing so would most likely ruin the dial. So I left the lume in place, and to fix the colour problem, I painted the lume area's with white paint. Since lume is somewhat transparent, a white base would allow the new colour to not be tainted by the underlying wrong colour. Next up was the placement and shape of the rep lume markers. Because I am restricted to following the existing lume shapes when I apply my lume, I have no choice but to follow the shape of what is already on the dial. As for the thickness, I applied as thin a coat as I could, and used the high gloss finish to match the genuine dial, and even put another coat of clear gloss over the top when it was dry. Overall I like the results, it's always hard to duplicate the original when your not starting from the same place. An unlumed dial or one with a perfect finish would make it much easier for me to get perfect results, but where would the challenge be in that... Hope you like the results and thanks for reading. RG

I picked up some of the BGW9 from RC Tritec, it is a daylight White lume with a Blue Glow. I think the new SD has this for lume?? C3 lume is the brightest lume available, no matter what some may want you to believe. The ETA specs rate C3 at 100% intensity, and this new lume ranks #2 at 95% intensity. C1 by comparison only glows 33% when compared to C3. So I picked some up as I think there could be a need for it. I have been playing around with it and here is a SD dial I had laying around that I lumed with the new stuff. I find that the initial "brightness" of this lume is not as bright as C1, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, given how the BGW9 rates on the ETA data sheets. So I am not sure what is going on, maybe I am slightly blind in the blue colour band? I don't know. It does look neat and is a nice change from the standard green glow we have become used to. The long term brightness seems to stay more constant after charge than C1, so maybe it isn't initially as "bright" but keeps it's overall brightness longer. The initial brightness fades in a few minutes for all the lumes, even C3, the overall long term glow is what interests me more as it allows you to see the watch all night. I will be luming a Cousteau with it, including the bezel so I am interseted to see how it turns out. Thanks for looking. RG

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Wow, I had forgotten about this thread. Yes, "floppidy mopidy" is an ancient Greek term for "...he who has a loose lever..." it's been adopted by watchmakers everywhere Thanks so much for the kind words and compliments, very much appreciated. Lume is straight C3, looks a bit blue in the shot but is green to the eye. RG

la to al

That only applies to the seconds and minute counters, they are reset by a hammer that is indeed driven by a spring. The 12 hour wheel is re-set by a independent separate hammer that is directly attached to the bottom pusher. In other words, if you press the pusher in, the hammer moves proportianatly to the pressing in of the pusher. And because of this, you have to fully press in, to allow the hammer to reset on the heart cam. Hand slippage is typically a big problem on the seconds hand, due to the size of the actual hand, and less so of a problem on the 30 minute one, and even less so on the 12 hour one. Hope this adds to your comments. RG

Bottom subdial is the 12 hour counter. You can try pressing harder on the bottom pusher, as this one is a direct reset, the pusher has to go fully in to actually move it back to "12". If that doesn't work, the only solution short of sending it out for repair is to let the chrono run until the hand is at "12" and then stop and re-set it. RG

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Super long turn times may be standard for some, but not for me. Lume can be sent in anytime, and my turn time for lume only work is 2 weeks, actually nothing sits in my shop for months...no matter what needs to be done. RG

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I would check the date spring and see how it looks, and then I would remove the dial and test it and watch what is happening, then you should be able to see why this is happening. RG

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What I mean is that a true 7750 layout is subdials at: 12-9-6 A true 7753 layout is: 3-6-9 Therefore the A7750 has been modified to mimic a 7753 layout in the HBB, and that is where the problem is when you try and install an ETA 7750 and make it into a 7753 with Asian parts. RG

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Well I stand corrected. My hat is off to whoever did the work, because having done two of these mods, I will never do another. You need a number of donner movements to be able to get this to work as you need a number of Asian parts to install into the ETA. The problem is that the Asian models keep changing and finding parts that will fit and work into the ETA is a real challenge. So that is 3 Asian 7753 layout movements that have been upgraded with the ETA 7750 that I am aware of, so it's still a collector's item RG

During 2008 I have had 3 price increases for ETA movements and parts. If you don't need any parts or movements, then this price increase doesn't really matter to you. How you avoid needing parts is to practice preventative maintenance of your ETA powered reps. By preventative maintenance I mean servicing the movement, before something wears out and needs replacing. Some are of the belief that you don't need regular servicing to keep your watch running. As with any mechanical item, regular cleaning and replacing of dried gummed up oils and greases with fresh stuff will ensure long life. You wouldn't run your car until the oil light came on and the engine seized, and then expect an oil change to fix everything, so don't think your watch movement is any different and doesn't need regular attention. All our reps with ETA's for engines are surplus movements, even good ole Boob Frei at Ofrei sells used surplus movements. Surplus can mean pristine fresh never used, to well used, worn out, with dried oil and dirt. As the watch owner and the one person who handles your watch everyday (or couple of days if you rotate your reps) there are things you can do to help avoid a costly repair: - Handwind only enough to get the movement running, slowly and carefully, feel the crown and pay attention to what is happening inside. Is it smooth and silky as you wind it? or do you feel resistance now and then, or does the rotor start to spin as you wind (always wind with the watch flat in your palm). If you feel jerkyness or the rotor spins, this means that your click (reversing wheels) are gummed up and probably being damaged. Time for a servicing. - Does the watch keep accurate time? Has the time keeping accuracy changed? Normally as the oils dry out and gum up, they increase the resistance of the pivots and this causes less power to be transferred to the balance, less power = smaller swings, which = running faster. If your watch starts to run faster, time for a shop visit. - If it's been 3-5 years since your watch was last serviced, you should consider sending it out and having it done as a preventative measure. What does it cost for replacing parts over and above a simple service? As an example, replacing the click wheels, the rotor (the bearings can wear out) and the mainspring and barrel, which are the most common wear points as they are under the most stress, will cost about $100. Add this to the servicing cost, and the price of preventative maintenance becomes apparent. Cleaning parts will always cost less than installing new ones. I know there are some who will swear that they (or someone in their family) has a watch, that is 50 years old, never been serviced, keeps COSC time, etc, etc, etc... I have no argument to that line of thinking, although I am sure they get the oil changed in their car's on a regular basis. The information supporting regular servicing is readily available, including the British Horological Institute paper which you can read by clicking on this link: http://www.bhi.co.uk/Documents/Tech/PractLub.pdf RG

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I think like anything, the interest is based on the knowledge of the others or in the case of watches - lack of knowledge. I restore many old pocket watches, and once I am done I take them to work and share the results with my co-workers. I have been doing this for a number of years. I also research each pocket watch, and tell my co-workers a detailed account on the watch, it's quality, the history, etc. Although most of my co-workers used to care less about watches, now after my show and tell demontrations, they are very interested and I have also restored and brought back to life some of their old watches that they had handed down to them from family members. They then show their watches to friends and family, who in turn have old watches that they would like restored, and know the history on, etc... So like anything, you have to generate an interest. You can do this by sharing your knowledge... RG

I am the only one that I know of that has ever done this modification. In fact I have done two of these modifications and will never do another, it's a nightmare and extremly difficult to do, so you sir have a collector's piece RG

Great pics. I have a YM that I bought 3 years ago from MBW, which at that time was near impossible to find. I wear it once in a while, but am still torn on wheather I like this watch or not...I am undecided. RG

I joined the original RWG on Oct 14, 2004. Seems like yesterday, already 4 christmas's since that first post and in that time I have made so many great friends because of watches. All the best to everyone. RG