RWG Technical

@J3 I had thought about trying to squeeze the tubes (I don't have a lathe but could do the same with other tools) but I have had so many problems with the hands and tubes (breaking off etc) that I went with the least stressful way on the hand. I just wish they would improve the quality of the hands to that of the gen's, cost is not an issue when I can buy 7750 hands that are built like a tank for a dollar each... Great tip, if I ever pick up a lathe, I'll try this, thanks. RG Oops, forgot the rest... Yes, I use slow epoxy (30 minute) and it's a filler, not a glue.

Send me a PM RG

You have to take the caseback off, remove the stem and crown, remove the movement, and with a crystal press, press the crystal out of the case. RG

I was just going to send you an email...yes it's yours, but it's working fine, so no worries about it not running. RG

Two problems going from the new 28.8K to a ETA. Center seconds hand too small Sub dial hands too big For the center seconds I glue the tube to the hand, and then broach it to 0.25mm and install it, never a problem. For the subdial hands, I use a minute drop of epoxy in the hand tube, and install the hands and let the glue harden. I tested and re-tested to see if it would be an issue for follow on servicing etc, and it isn't. The glue fills the 0.03mm gap and allows the hand to fit nice and snug and you can remove and re-install it no problem. I am sure if you were sloppy and got glue everywhere, it could be a problem, but I am very careful and have been gluing the center seconds hands for a long time...I don't do anything that would cause problems for the owner down the road. Example of center seconds glued in place: In case your wondering, I have long piano player fingers...so the size of the tube is very small... Of course the movement being an older 7750 had a crappy cannon gear and I had to install a new one. Other than this, movement is assembled and working perfect, at 21,600 BPH. RG

Understood. But I am not sure why the movement base would matter, I have swapped many new 28.8K 7750's with ETA's, and never had a problem or issue, sure you need to mod the hands to fit, but it's not impossible to do. The owner of this watch says in his letter "...service my HIGH BEAT 7750..." so he was mislead...intentionally or not. RG

This movement is from an IWC 3717 if that helps... RG

Yesterday there was a HBB post where someone mentioned that the movement was a older 21.6K version, due to the balance having a fine adjust. I commented from the pictures that were listed, the movement looked to be a newer 28.8K model. And not having seen anything but new 7750's for the past 18 months, it seemed a step backwards to go back to the 21.6K model... Well the horological gods have decided to enlighten me, or actually make me eat my words from yesterday. Look what I see on the bench this morning. Looks like a new A7750, sandblasted finish on the bridges, etc, but the balance c0ck does have the fine adjust...hmmm.... A closer look, and what's this I see...why is the mainplate chromed and not flat finished like the rest of the bridges and plates. The 21.6K 7750 is all chromed with tooling marks visible all over...deja vu all over again... And then an even closer look reveals something I have never seen before. This is a quasi 21.6K 7750 with 28.8K parts on it. Here's the giveaway you need to look closely at, check out the mainplate finish and the pallet c0ck and screws, only 1 screw on the 21.6K model: So as I take it apart, I discover that the mainplate, all the gears etc are indeed 21.6K parts, even the mainspring barrel is the older version. But the top parts (non functional) are all new 28.8K. So from first inspection, it looks new, but it's actually just a fancied up 21.6K model. This was sold as a 28.8K model. Not hard to see that it's an older 7750 once it's taken apart. FYI this is a 28.8K balance, check out the sandblasted flat finish on the mainplate, but more importantly, you need to look for this screw on the pallet c0ck, this is how you spot the differences. Can't help but wonder why and what this all means...why use an old mainplate with a bunch of new parts, makes no sense to me... NOTE that this is a brand new unworn watch just purchased... RG

Ok, thanks for letting me know. Good chance it will get done right away... RG

It is disappointing when folks consistantly respond to emails within minutes or a day (when they want info, or a booking), but when they are sent reminders for an upcoming appointment, (and they have changed their mind), they suddenly go quiet. I only fix watches, my GF takes care of all the emails for me. She had quite a few members from RWG who were No-Shows last month, actually over half of those booked in, were no-shows. This happens each month, December however was twice the average. The No-Shows from Oct and Nov (some are senior members here) have been black listed, as will the ones from December. So far January looks to be on the same track as December... My day job is going to take me away from home quite a bit this year, and the few appointments I can fit in, are going to be more scarce. Some weeks, 1 (one) appointment is all I can take in...if it's a no-show, that not a good thing. The issue is simply one of common courtesy, our info doc clearly states "...If you can't honor your appointment for ANY reason, PLEASE let us know...". A simple "I have to cancel my appointment" will suffice. Not honoring your commitment means someone who is ready to send something in today, has to wait. And it wastes everyone's time, especially my GF's time. It's not like either of us are hard to reach, or don't respond within a day to any messages that are sent our way. Those that waste our time, get added to my "ignored" and "blocked PM" list. FYI RG

Are you certain that this is the old 21.6K 7750? The 21.6K Asian 7750 has a chromed look to it, whereas the new ones are all sandblasted/anodized type of finish. This one looks new to me, and I can't remember seeing a new watch in the past 18 months that didn't have the new A7750 in it. The older A7750 is very reliable, I have one in my PAM 188 that has been running non-stop for 3 years...and not one problem with it. I am planning to do a teardown and report on it soon... RG

Glad to help, report back on your findings. Good luck. RG

Ok understood... On some models you can get the movement out even with the stem still attached, normally the 9 o'clock position has to come out first, and on this model with the spacer ring, it should be possible to coax it out of the case, with no damage. At this stage, there is really no other choice I think. RG

The set lever stem release on this model is quite soft and with the movement out of the case you should be able to remove the stem, without having to take the movement apart. Even if you had to take the hands and dial off, once they are off, it's easy to get the keyless works taken apart, total time from start to finish is no more than 30 minutes. As for a stem, I need some of these as well, and I am going to measure one I have in the shop this weekend, and see if I can cross reference it to one in my Bestfit catalogue. If you don't hear back from me by monday, bump this to jog my memory. RG

You can probably get at the stem with the movement out of the case. RG

I have tried to do this, and have had little success...normally I just relume the dial and fix it that way. The lume is porus and seems like a sponge and once dirty it's hard to get it out. The only thing I would try is this, with a soft brush (camel hair, or blush brush that the ladies use on their cheeks) use warm water, and some mild handsoap. Lather up the brush, and get the dial wet, and gently scrub it with the brush, you won't damage the dial with a soft brush, I do it all the time on old vintage dials, especially those from a smoker. If anything is going to get the dirt out, this will, after you are finished washing it, rinse very well, don't dry the dial with a towel, or it will stain, I use a dust blower and blow all the water off before it dries, this way you shouldn't get any stains. If you do see some stains, use Rodico to clean them off. Good luck. RG

Send me a picture of the watches - and I'll think it over... RG

@ freddy... I tried that, sanded the damn thing down till my finger prints were worn off...no difference. It was like trying to fit a tractor trailor wheel on my Honda Accord, sure you can squeeze it in the wheel well, but it's damn hard to get rolling. On everyone of the watches I had, the datewheel - even with the paint and more sanded off - didn't work. As soon as you installed the overlay, you had a clearance problem. If you review the build specs for ETA datewheels, they state a maximum thickness of the datewheel paint of "0.02 - 0.03 mm". The overlay is 10 times or more of that thickness. I literally spent hours and hours of my own time, assembled and disassembled the movements dozens of times, and it's just too frustrating to do. I could write 2000 words on the problems I had with these wheels. Until and unless someone comes up with a 0.04" metal overlay, I refuse to spend 8 hours or more of my own time installing a datewheel for $50, plus out of pocket 4 times for return EMS shipping... The Asian datewheel overlays are the thickness they are and metal for a reason...any thicker and you have problems. I guess I was the lucky one, as no one else seems to have had issues with these... RG

Since the only hand that is not centered is the 30 minute timer one, the problem is with the 30 minute timer gears or the actual hand. There is only one reset hammer which resets both the center chrono seconds and the 30 minute timer. If your center seconds chrono hand is resetting at "12" but your 30 minute timer hand is at "2", then your problem is the hand has slipped on the post, or the transfer gears have slipped (the transfer gears take the original position of the 30 minute timer at 12 and move it to 3). Running it for a day or a week or whatever doesn't make any difference, your hand or gear has slipped and needs to be position back at "0" on the subdial. Doing this will require taking the movement out of the case, figuring out if the hand or gears are at fault and correcting it. RG

Variation is the problem...I have heard of members installing them with no problems, but each and every one I installed was a nightmare. Dial would jam up the datewheel, so I moved the dial away from the datewheel with spacers...try making spacers about 1mm wide and 1mm thick...and then glueing them on the datewheel spacer ring... the net effect was that now the hour and minute wheels were that much shorter, and it was very hard to get the hands on correctly and not touch the dial...or each other... and then when I tried to install the stem, the movement was 1/2 of a hole out of alignment with the case, which required taking the movement apart, and assembling the keyless works with the movement installed in the case...yes, lots of fun doing this mod. Then out of the 3 that I did, 2 were sent back for re-work due to problems with jamming or going out of alignment, they were sent back not once, but twice each...and guess who foots the bill each time...me. Which is why I refuse to do these anymore, it's a god awful pain in the ass. RG

I too have seen differences in the cases and bezel. Some have a very sharp lip on the bezel where the insert goes, and the case is totally different, especially when your installing a gen crown and tube and HE valve. What may have worked perfect on previous models, is not applicable due to these differences. As you have discovered, identical looking watches, from different dealers, can and do have huge variances in the build quality, and the fit and finish. RG

It looks amazing, congrats. The problem is not the fact it's a Asian 7750, but that it has running seconds at 6. I have had ETA 7750 powered Daytona's in the shop (remember these $1K models), with running seconds at 6, and I have had to remove the extra gears to make them work. The problem has been, and continues to be, the design of the seconds transfer and the 5 transfer gears, and the no jewelling, the friction etc... Glad to hear yours got sorted out. RG

You really know how to hurt a fellow... RG

Thank you again everyone for the input. Just to clear my reasons for asking, if I move to Paris it is at least a year away, if it even takes place. But knowing the standard of living I can expect on 80K Euro's if I do go there, is a big factor in my decision. I appreciate the input and insight. For now, it's Cold Canada and snow...-17C this morning...brrrr...what I wouldn't do for a fresh croissant. RG

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