RWG Technical

It's been a long time, welcome, RG

It looks great on that strap. Wear it well and enjoy. RG

Nothing more to add, it's a genuine ETA. RG

I say genuine as well. RG

The resolution to all those problems is to have it replaced. RG

If you haven't removed a pallet and balance before, I strongly suggest you don't risk removal. These two parts are a challenge to re-install, and the balance with it's pivots as small as a hair is so easy to break off. It could very well be a gear, but with any defect you have to start somewhere. If the hands are not touching, then you have to start with the gear train and make sure it's 100% and then move to the rest of the parts. Not much else I can offer from this end...maybe a good blow with your dust remover and a detailed exam under the loupe will help isolate the problem. RG

As you know it is very difficult to troubleshoot without actually seeing and being able to inspect the movement in person. Your description is excellent, so I will offer the following: My guess is that you have a damaged gear, and probably it's the second wheel that is damaged. If you can, I would do the following testing. Let down the mainspring, meaning unwind the movement fully. Remove the dial and hands to prevent damage. Then remove the balance and the pallet cover and pallet fork. With the stem in place, turn the crown 1 turn and monitor the gears, do they move or are they jammed? This is the only way to diagnose this problem, first you have to make sure that the gear train is free and working as it should, with one turn on the crown, you should get a lot of movement and when it stops spinning, the escape wheel should turn in the opposite direction 1-2 turns. If this is not true, then you have to investigate and fix these problem(s) before moving on. Forget the balance and anything around it, until you are positive that the motion works is free and not defective. RG

Count me in. RG

A clockmaker is NOT a watchmaker. The two are completely different trades. My mentor was a watchmaker for over 60 years, and he didn't have 1000's of watches, like most watchmakers he had a few cabinets of spare parts, but not 1000's of movements. It does amaze me that this fellow was able to service a A7750 without any noted difficulties. The A7750 is a very specialized movement and it does take a lot of skill to service, the Asian 7750 has a number of quirks and problems that need correcting and repairing when being serviced. I find it a bit odd that not only was he able to service a very challenging movement, but didn't run into or report of any difficulties. The problems I am referring to are defects that must be corrected, since ETA parts don't fit the Asian models... RG

Wow, very nice. Congrats on such a nice piece. I had a nice DJ as well (my GF has taken ownership of it), all stainless but with the fluted bezel, it makes the watch and is much nicer than the smooth bezel. RG

Until we have one in our hands and torn down to analyze and yes, even count the jewels...I am not convinced that this is anything new, or improved... RG

I always look forward to these posts, since I know the pictures are going to be great. They look wonderful. RG

Personally I don't buy any of it, marketing hype. Truth be known, there were already a number of extra jewels in these models, at least in the latest versions of seconds at 6. I think 29 is actually too low a number, it's probably more like 34 or more jewels. The problem has always been, and continues to be the design, you can put all the jewels you want in the movement, but when the gear sits in the jewel but is sitting flat on the movement bridge and rubbing against the movement as it turns, all the jewels in the world aren't going to fix that friction. The fact they use 5 instead of 3 gears to get the seconds at 6, and one of those gears can never be jewelled since it sits in the center of the movement and has a ton of friction, means any upgrades are pointless. Use 3 gears only for the modification, have all of them pivoted in JEWELS like they should be, and your problem is fixed. Easy, simple, but they don't seem willing to do what it takes... RG

Beautiful strap, I can see and smell how soft it must be to the touch. Well done - again. RG

My suggestion would be to re-install the caseback and have a watchmaker look at it for you. The 7750 is a very complex movement, and not something you want to try and fix yourself. Without the proper training, tools, work standards, etc, you stand a better chance of causing expensive damage, than you do of fixing it. As to what is actually wrong, very difficult to tell, it could be one of many many things. RG

Neat tool. Although more expensive, I still stand by the Vibrograph B200A that I use. I did buy one of the "Modern" Wichi style readers, it was a complete and utter piece of junk. At $1200 for the unit, it was worth no more than $50 and didn't work worth shit. Total crap...I sent it back and got a refund. Have fun adjusting your watches. RG

C3 is the correct Super Luminova colour on this one. If you get it lumed, the C3 replaces the lume presently on the watch dial and hands. RG

Very well documented. I would never have considered using wax to fill the lettering, great tip. RG

If the watch was a "keeper" for me, I would install a ETA 2892 in place of this one. This is only my opinion, but looking in my spares scrapped out watch cabinet, there are a number of these movements sitting there...un-repairable and just plain troublesome. It could be something really simple causing the problem, like a hand or hands touching, but then again, it could be a major issue with the movement. I hope it all works out in the end. RG

It could be anywhere, but certainly somewhere close to the center line of the stem. If you can't find it, then one option that I have used is to simply grab the stem with small pliers, and unscrew the crown and remove the movement this way. It does the trick and there is no risk of damage to the movement. RG

There is a release somewhere, look on the center line of the stem, and follow it and look on each side of the stem where it enters the movement, somewhere there is a release...on some models there is a hole, and if you pull the crown to the time setting position, you will see a lever to depress and release the crown. They are all slightly different, but the principles are the same. Some have an arrow marking the release button... RG

I have a 4-holer watch winder that I keep my automatics on. The bottom holds 6 models and I reserve these spots for my handwind models. I like the winder because it reduces the wear and tear on the screw down crown models. RG

Not totally unusual for this model to have problems... The rotor is bi-directional winding, so it shouldn't move freely, but you have to handwind a 2892 about 75 turns on the crown for a full wind. There are no issues on this one for handwinding, so first I would hand wind it and see what it does. If it doesn't work, it could be one of many problems, and probably not something you can fix anyway. Disapointing, but I have replaced a number of these movements with genuine ETA ones over the years, they aren't very good in my opinion. Good luck, RG

Nice collection, those boxes look all to familar for some reason, as do most of the watches RG

Great job and nice pics RG