RWG Technical

Thanks Ubi. It's easy to fool those like me who are uninformed about the more subtle area's to look for. The markings always throw me off, thanks for the details. RG

So, I was assembling the latest run of AR crystals into the watches...and Jennifer who does the final inspection and shipping is checking them over...polishing them, looking for lint, etc... Jennifer picks up this one watch, and says to herself: "WOW, this AR is amazing, I can't even tell that there is a crystal installed (you know where this is going)... I'll just give the crystal a GOOD wipe down and make sure it's all ok...ahhhhh....." The only problem was that I hadn't installed the crystal on this particular watch... So be careful with your Chieftang AR'd watch, double check that the crystal is actually in place, before you give it a polish. (The watch was unharmed, slightly bent hands which were easily fixed). RG

I couldn't say, gen hands for sure, where they are from...I don't know. Maybe the owner will let us know. RG

As always, thanks for the nice words and feedback. The dial and hands were relumed with my mix of vintage Tritium, I also relumed the pearl to make it match the dial and hands. The bezel and insert were simply installed on the case, they were assembled when the watch arrived. Case lug holes drilled, gen spring bars installed, no work needed to fit the 2mm bars to the bracelet. Gen crown and aftermarket tube installed, CG's inner and outer modified and polished. Gen T39 installed. Movement modified (read machined down) to fit the case, it needed about 1mm removed from the outer edge so it would seat far enough down in the case. No servicing of the movement, it's working good and nice and clean. That's about it, looks good, I hope the owner likes the end results. Got to run... RG

Well your leaving me hanging...are the dial and hands gen? Yes, always busy with some neat stuff, wish you were here to help out. RG

EDIT New Pictures. Does this make it easier, or confuse the issue... RG

The hands slipping are all too common, so your analysis is 99% of the time correct, it's unusual to have the hammer not work properly (if that is the problem). I could be way off base, will have to wait for feedback to know exactly what is going on. RG

That is my understanding. The back of the dial had the correct markings, and it fit the El Primero perfectly, dial feet and all...I have never claimed to be an expert on anything Rollie related...so I can only go by what I see. Maybe it's a redial? RG

Based on the above statement, if the subdials and the center seconds hand both fail to reset to 12, the problem is with the reset hammer, there is one hammer for both the center seconds and the 30 minute subdial. If the hammer isn't moving all the way where it should to reset both gears, this is what you will see. Why is it happening, don't know, only way to know is to look at the movement, something could be loose, something could be bent, there could be many reasons for this problem. Not common at all, I have only seen this problem I think once in 3 years of fixing A7750's. It can't get worse, but depending on what the problem is, something could be damaged. If your going to want to use the chrono, it would be a good idea to have it looked at, or return it to the dealer. RG

oki your movement is OK. The factory specifications for this movemnet if it's serviced and adjusted properly, is about + - 20 seconds per day. Meaning as long as the movement keeps time within 40 seconds per day, it's working just perfect. Your way ahead of that specification. RG

I have seen at least 2 versions of it, this one appears to be a newer model (the one I posted) as it has a different reversing wheel arrangement from others I have worked on. RG

Functionally, there is no difference as far as I know, a silver (Nickel plated) movement is as reliable and accurate as a Gold plated one. My supplier did tell me once (supplier has been in business since the 1920's) the following: Gold plated movements are produced by ETA in Switzerland. Nickel plated movemenst are produced in the far East. The supplier sells 2 variants of ETA's, regular and "Swiss" (factory sealed ones). The Swiss ones are all Gold coloured, and the regular ones are all Silver... In reality, I have never seen any noticeable differences. I have seen Gold and Nickel movements that were pristine, and others that were in dire need of servicing. It's anyone's guess what you'll get in your rep... RG

I only assembled this one...nothing else was done. It does have a number of Genuine parts, they include: Genuine Dial Genuine Hands Genuine Crown and Tube Genuine El Primero Aftermarket case assembly RG

You are correct. I got a press release from Tritec a few weeks ago (have since thrown it out) and I think it concerned them buying the worldwide rights or something for Super Luminova... or developing a new product...I can't remember the exact details now. But yes, SL was developed in Japan, but I am not sure exactly what RC Tritec does and doesn't do in their shop, it appears that they do have a development section. RG

So what do you make of this one? Kind of hard to hide this part, I love these El Primero's a clear caseback would be so nice. The sound of a 36,000 BPH, 10 ticks and tocks per second on the timing machine is something to be heard...simply amazing. Thanks for looking. RG

A few mods and upgrades, what is genuine (if anything...) can you tell? Kind of hard to hide the origin of the movement... Thanks for looking. RG

Interesting and great comparison. If the Genuine watch manufacturer's are all using Super Luminova, then I have always been of the opinion that SL is the best there is. It continues to amaze me that some claim to have bettered the scientists and RC Tritec and mixed up a batch of lume that out-glows and out-lasts Super Lume. I like to think RC Tritec are the experts, if they can't make it any brighter, then no one can... Thanks for posting this. RG

Congrats andreww, sounds like a good deal. I find the rubber straps sticky and uncomfortable to wear, but maybe the rep ones only suffer from this problem. RG

As far as I know, all payments have been received and all the packages are being sent out. Half were shipped yesterday, and the other half are being shipped out later today. The tracking numbers will be sent out probably tomorrow earliest. You can double check with J on email on the payment question. Thanks for understanding. RG

You have been a member of this forum since March 2006. Having been here since that time, why in the world would you send a watch to RBJ? He's been banned from RWG for months, and for good reason...

I think Noctiluma, despite what some modders insist, is crap. It's too thick and too grainy. It's cheap, for a reason... Super Luminova from RC Tritec is the only product for me, and it's no surprise that all the Genunine watches use SL, I have seen lots of "L" marked dials, but never a dial marked as "N" for Noctiluma. Two things: 1. Practical experience under a loupe, hours and hours of practical experience makes all the difference, as well as hand eye skill and coordination, and yes, a bit of artistic talent helps. 2. Using Super Luminova you would have had much better results. The biggest failure is that you used Noctiluma, not your lack of skills. You can also buy AF Lume kits, they are cheaper than Super Lume kits, but have the same fine grain quality as Super Lume does... Your experience is why I dont' believe the hype associate with modders who use a "special" blend of lume to achieve what "appears" (think long camera exposure times) to be amazing results. All you have to do is go to the RC Tritec site and read about C3 Super Lume, it's got the best long term glow, period. Adding anything to C3 only makes it duller, not brighter, it's like mixing 20% alchool with 15% alchool and expecting something stronger than 20% in the end. If there was something brighter available than C3, I think RC Tritec scientists would have invented it by now. I don't believe for one minute that anyone on any forum has the skills or chemicals to suddenly mix up a "Super Bright lasts 36 hours Glow" lume mix...in their kitchen no less... but some people will believe anything, especially when the pictures appear to validate the claim. RG

It will have to be in late April after I open my PM again, I have a lot on the go for the next number of weeks. RG

Most models come with the longer cannon pin already installed... As for lume, it's a personal issue, some like it, some don't. Why not get the best out of the box 111 out there, and wear it a while and see if you really like it, and then consider some upgrades. You may find the lume and cannon pin to your liking out of the box. Unfortunatly I can't help with who has the best model, but those who have already responded, can... RG

The swap is possible, only if you have a standard 7750 layout, 12-9-6 subdials. Is it worth it? Only you can answer this one... consider that the majority of ETA 7750's sold are used and surplus, the fact it's an ETA doesn't mean it doesn't need to be serviced, and maybe right away...add the servicing cost to the movement price, add the cost of the swap from Asian to ETA, and you can easily eat up $500 or more... One solution is to service the Asian 7750, at some point, preferably before it quits, or if it's working fine, just wear and enjoy the watch as is. The only failure stories I have are of unserviced movements, either Asian (majority) or ETA (minority). After servicing the A7750 is as realiable as the ETA, at least from my experience it is. RG

I would think there was a risk if you used silicone on the compression ring. The ring and crystal are friction held in place, and I can't help but wonder if the silicone would allow the ring to be more slippery and risk having the crystal pop out of place if the watch was quite warm. I have never seen anything written where silicone is recommended anywhere but on the o'rings, and Silicone is only used to lubricate and keep the o'rings supple, silicone does NOT seal the case this is a misconception, the o'rings and compression ring does the sealing. I can't tell you how many watches I have seen with so much silicone packed in them it isn't even funny, all done in a misguided attempt to "seal" the watch and make it watertight. Caseback Silicone is a lubricant that's all, it's like K-Y personal lubricant, if the gap is too big, all the lubricant in the world isn't gonna fix it...or seal it... Use sparingly and only where recommended for best results RG