RWG Technical

If it's a gen, you can easily get a gen replacement pusher...problem solved. Since this is a replica forum, I assumed it was a rep, not a gen... RG

The odds of finding a replacement pusher that looks like the lost one, is not good. The only hope you have is to get one from a dealer. CAUTION: Note that the inner part of the pusher screw is now loose inside the case, if it falls out of place, it can and most probably will get jammed into the gears or balance etc and damage the movement. RG

This happens a lot on the day/date 7750 models. The date wheel is secured to the movement with covers and screws, but the day wheel is not secured with anything and sits loose on the movement, the only thing that holds it in place - is the dial. If there is any extra space between the dial and the day wheel, the wheel can fall off the movement and get stuck as yours did. This is your problem, it's had nothing to do with anything you did, it's a common defect. The fix requires the dial and hands to come off the movement, and fixing the dial and day wheel space so that the wheel doesn't fall off anymore. This is not a do-it-yourself job if you don't have experience taking movements apart. RG

Totally normal...it's an automatic which means that there is a slipper clutch on the mainspring, once it's fully wound, the clutch just slips and slips on the side of the mainspring barrel. As for lack of tension while winding, again normal, it varies by movement type. ETA 2836 series, you can feel the tension, ETA 2892 series you feel nothing at all, no resistance while winding via the crown. It's all in the gearing, 2836 winds fully in about 25 turns, 2892 100+ turns for the same full wind... See above answer... RG

Slowly and only until you get the watch going is not going to damage anything. Handwinding just for the sake of handwinding will eventually damage the clicks. More of an issue with the ETA's in reps simply due to the fact the movements are all surplus and have questionable servicing to start with. A bit of old oil and gummed up wheels can damage them very quickly. If you catch it soon enough, and clean the wheels throughly, it can be fixed without parts replacement. If you can open any ETA automatic watch you have, have a look at the click wheels under a loupe when you hand wind the watch, you'll be shocked at how fast the bottom half of the clicks spin...when you see what is happening, you tend to be more careful. RG

I dont' think there is anything to debate. Hand winding an automatic will eventually damage the click wheel(s). The rotor is geared down from the rotor to the mainspring, meaning many turns of the rotor are needed to turn the mainspring gear once around. Reverse the flow and what do you get...geared up of course... When you handwind the watch, this gearing down is now geared up, and 1/4 of a turn on the crown, makes the click wheels spin like crazy. They are not designed to withstand this speed or friction, they are designed to work with the slow rotor turns. The click wheels are two parts, the bottom half is connected to the mainspring gear, and the top half connects to the Rotor. If you remove the rotor the damage issue is gone, since the complete click wheels turn while handwinding and the wheels are locked together, it's when the rotor is attached that the click wheel bottom half freewheels and the clutches are getting spun around and get damaged. I see this type of damage all the time, if you handwind constantly, then eventually you will hear and feel the rotor spinning due to the click wheels failing...it's a well documented fact. Click wheels are anywhere from $30 and up...as long as they are available. This is why most Japanese automatics, do not have the capability for handwinding. There is nothing wrong with s-l-o-w-l-y handwinding an automatic a few turns to get it started when you first put it on, anything beyond this, and your damaging the watch. RG

I can't picture what a 164 looks like, so offhand I am not sure if I can do this or not...maybe? RG

It isn't an ETA. Check the stamp out below the balance wheel, DG ??? maybe? It's not even a copy of a 2824, actually it's not a copy of anything...Asian for sure. RG

There is always a chance, but honestly I have never had any issues with customs. Once in a while they don't read the customs form and levy duty on the declared value (thinking that I have bought the item), and with most everyone using "reasonable" amounts in the value ($300 or less), I end up paying the duty (13%) out of my own pocket, and the customer never knows the difference... I am always looking for a better price also, $150 to service a 7750 is one hell of a deal. Considering the amount of time that goes into the servicing alone, and the skill level necessairy to dismantle and reassemble this movement, $150 is a fantastic price. With the known problems and issues the Asian 7750's have, my guess is that the $150 would soon turn into $200 or more (known issues include: bad cannon gears that need to be staked, chrono levers and springs that are not aligned, escape pallet stones that are not secured in the pallet fork, and recently all A7750's have had pallet stones positioned incorrectly which requires me to move them to get the escapement to work, moving them in increments of 100th of a mm each time), all of which takes time, and is out of the "norm" for shops not used to these particular movements. They are basing the price on a known entity, the A7750 is no where near as simple or straightforward to service at the ETA 7750. It takes me 4 hours for the basic servicing, add another hour or two for the fixing of the known problems and testing, then add the disassembly and re-assembly of the dial and hands (and the invariable problems with defective hands), and your easily into 6-8 hours per 7750 service... which realistically works out to $25 or so an hour. Good rate given the expertise and tooling needed for the job. As for postage, I have a long time USA based customer who only ships to me airmail, postage runs $1.96 on average. When his parcel arrives, I will check the ship date, and it will be the same as another USA based parcel that arrived the same day, but sent via Priority at a cost of $25... It all depends if tracking is important or not... I wish there were more options for USA based members for servicing, but that doesn't seem to be the case. RG

It can't be fixed... RG

Care to elaborate on what this customs "issue" would be?? If you know of someone who will fully service a 7750 for $100, why not use their services? That is a great price, especially when most shops start at $450 and up for a chronograph movement. RG

You can't install a ETA 7753 in this watch for a couple of reasons: 1. The ETA is not as thick as the Asian 7750, the stem won't line up 2. The 7753 datewheel is larger than the 7750 one, the date will not line up with the dial cutout. RG

Glad to hear you like the results. That is your original crystal, all I did was remove the rep AR. Wear it well. RG

Yes. RG

Very well done, fantastic results... RG

You can PM me anytime...may be better sooner rather than later. RG

From your description I would guess your referring to the 12 hour subdial timer as being the one that is hard to reset, or sticks at 1.5 hours... If this is the case, consider the design of the 12 hour counter and how it resets. Basically when you push, your moving a lever that presses on a "Heart" shaped cam, the cam has a flat spot (the reset position) and it has two lobes (one for each side of 6 when the hand moves around). If the 12 hour gear has any friction on it (for whatever reason) the pressure you need to get the cam to move to the reset position is higher, as the time advances, your pressing on a thicker part of the hear shaped lobe, the gear has to move further to the reset position, and therefore feel more resistance. Not meaning it needs to be serviced, it's just got a defect that can be corrected during service. RG

Dial dots are very soft and squishy. So much so that the dial will slightly move around when it's attached with them, in other words, the dots are shock proof so to speak. Glue works well and in some cases is the only way to attach the dial to the movement (think MBW and Singer dials). Consider this as well, the dial sits in a recess inside the case, it can't move but towards the back, then the movement is attached to and sits on the back of the dial, and any space between the movement and the case is filled with a spacer ring, which prevents the movement from sliding side to side inside the case and only allows the movement to move towards the caseback, then the stem and crown act as an alignment pin and center everything...then you insert and install and tighten case clamps (2-3) and the whole works locks together as one solid unit, it can't move from side to side, and can't move towards the caseback anymore. In other words, I can assemble a watch, with no dial feet, no glue, no dial dots, line everything up, tighten the case clamps, and you will never move any of the pieces around by dropping the watch, it's impossible for the parts to move due to the design and the fact they are all locked and held together. Sounds like an old wives tale along the "You overwound your watch..." RG

Wear it well D. RG

It looks great, congrats on getting it all together. RG

Great news, congrats for solving your problem. RG

Just to clarify (because it's happened before where someone filled down the "other end" of the stem). Unscrew the stem from the crown, and file down the "Threaded end" of the stem the required amount. Keep in mind, if you do this, the CG lever many not touch the crown anymore and flop around... Make sure you hold the stem in a pin vise, and file carefully, or you risk it snapping in half. RG

I sold my Bergeron screwdrivers and replaced them with the Horotec ones. Horotec in my opinion is far better quality, the Horotec ones are all ball bearings on the rotating heads, and you can really feel the difference when your using them. The Horotec blades are also so much better than the Bergeron ones. Most of my tools are Horotec, bezel remover, bracelet tool, crystal press etc... expensive YES, high quality YES YES... I bought the 9 piece Horotec set in the wooden box, and installed them in my Bergeron holder, they were just over $100 for the set. And I sold the Bergeron ones for $75...so I got a good deal. RG

Installing some sort of spacer will probably fix it. The other solution, could be to use a bit of epoxy on the threaded part of the post, screw the screw down, until it just touches the click and the click is free to move. Leave alone until the epoxy hardens, and the click won't loosen the screw anymore. The odds of you ever having to remove the click are so remote, I would not worry about the screw being secured this way. Good luck... RG

It sounds like your movement is defective. Actually, another member had that identical problem a week or so ago. The screw should bottom out, and be tight, all the while leaving the click lever free to move from side to side. If your tightening the screw, and once it's tight, the click is frozen and unable to move, you have a defect, most likely the post that the click is resting on is too short, causing the screw to tighten up on the actual click arm, vs the post. This being the case, the only fix is a new winding bridge to replace the bad one. RG