Timelord

Those Bulova electric watches are great BUT most of them used the old mercury battery which are no longer available due to the obvious reasons. You can buy a silver oxide substitute battery in an adapter but they are in excess of £15 and only last some 8 months! Good for the anachronistic reason but not so sure if It is the option to replace a mechanical mechanism for the economy argument!

Here it is, I just remembered which one it was! The rolex truebeat which is a mechanical movement but mimics a cheap quartz watch! A possible solution to the OP's proposition to have a "Functional replica with all the looks of the real deal minus the expenses and headaches that come with it!" A nice write up on https://gearpatrol.com/2018/08/02/rolex-tru-beat-history/

I am not sure about the spring drive but you could be right. I was under the impression that the spring drive was a later release in their Credor line. These super 18k gold models go in the 5-6 digit price tags! I believe citizen has a Miyota chronograph 6S21 which has a sweep second hand. I also have a wall clock that is quartz but the seconds hand moves smoothly like the accutron Bulova tuning fork movement. I don't know why these quartz modules in watches were not more common with a sweep seconds hand as I don't buy the reasoning that they take up more battery power as discussed in other forums many moons ago. I change my clock battery one every 3 years or so. The quartz module spells out the phrase "very cheap" with that cha cha beat! Then again Rolex made a mechanical watch with the seconds hand that has the same cha cha beat ! It is a matter of perspective I guess!

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing! I had always wondered how watch cases were made apart from just a punched out piece of metal with a blank! Makes sense why a 3/4 ounce 18 k solid gold case costs astronomically more than an ordinary jewellery item of the same weight! Unless they have a way to salvage all the gold cuttings and filings from each case as was wasted in the steel ones, we are paying mostly for gold that we don't get in the final product! The day date presidential is a perfect example!

I also do as Horologist does! Before I release the stem by pressing the pin, I pull the stem out to the time setting position ie. all the way out ! It is advisable in order to "reduce the risk" of getting the keyless works out of position. I myself have never failed using this method! I have only failed when removing in other positions, however, that isn't to say that you cannot be lucky and not run into problems when in other positions . I guess it depends on how the individual parts are sitting at the time on pressing the release pin! An important point which rarely gets mentioned is that when pressing on the release pin, never use a pointy object such as a pin or tooth pick as it is advisable to use the smallest screw driver to push it down to avoid the release pin going down too far. as with eta clones I even had problems with the valanvron Swiss which I do not find it to be that much better than the Asian clones- my opinion!

In my opinion I would avoid eta clones resulting from my following experiences. (1) out of 5 that I have used, they all had problems with keyless works. No matter how many times I have removed the stem in the time settling position, the setting lever always goes out of line where the parts easily stretch or do not mesh properly. Try and replace a part and rest assured that it will not necessarily blend with the rest. (2) had the yoke snapping when pulling out the stem on one of them (3) the coverplate spring also snapped on two of them when trying to engage the bottom and top , (4) had a screw split in half while trying to screw it onto the main plate of the balance bridge Was definitely not using a jack hammer to screw it in!!! (5) roller jewel falling off the balance landing somewhere in the movement, therefore the balance wheel stopped regardless (6) the screws on the automatic bridge would not hold the automatic bridge down properly as the internal main plate thread was threaded hence the automatic bridge dislodged slightly off and not transmitting the wind onto the ratchet wheel through to the mainspring (7) reverser wheels. do not even know where to start from bad to worse or from worse to more worse!! (7) upon dismantling the movement, most of the pivots were dry and unoiled which is to be expected as they are assembled i slave sweat workshops somewhere in the never never land. It may be argued that I might not know what I am doing,? You are entitled to your opinion too, but in the past whenever I have dismantled and assembled a genuine eta movement ( more than one occasion), I have never experienced any of the above problems. The worst I have experience is that the movement did not run, until I rectified the problem. I am not saying that some have never had a better luck of the draw, but each to their own. The above are my opinion which I wish I knew before and to share with members who think twice about if it is worth the extra $100 to buy a genuine or risk with the clone.

I have been around in this rep game since 1991 when I was working part time for a cobbler that changed watch batteries in the quartz watches. From time to time we got customers asking to attend to mechanical watches which needed attention and some even left them to us as a trade for a cheap time teller which is all they really wanted. one afternoon a gentleman asked me to look at his late fathers omega presentation watch from GM that had been water damaged. It was an automatic and wanted a feasible fix just to get it working, not caring about if I could replace the internal guts with anything that would make it tick. Then it struck me that I would put in a quality quart mvt from a citizen dress watch where I was able to use the case ring and hands. A few modifications and presto, he had a working heirloom watch. I then got the idea to do the same with all the DJ cases that were coming up for sale with their original dials, so in my spare time, I bastardised them (term I used before Franken watch became the norm) by fitting eta 2783 mvts from your generic unknown brand watches such as Lator for example. I did this with a couple of date justs, and fitting quartz mvts into good looking watch cases from other vintage timepieces that deserved a second chance in life. Then I discovered the internet replica forum (one that is now no longer active) and the rest is history! The owner from the presentation watch still recognises me in the streets of the city centre and when he stops to say hello, he brings the subject up all the time having last mentioned that his daughter has given the watch to her son as he loves the watch so much. What a pleasure it gives me to put on a smile on someone's face even from some 30 years ago! I don't want to overlook any artisan modder here, but I wished people like zingy and even jackjo were still as active as before as I have had some great bespoke work done that the term replica watch would be an insult to the masterpieces created!

Welcome to the forum! Danny ! You have come to a unique and wonderful place where you will be amongst some of the watch Einsteins of the planet that are equally skilled in what they do in addition to being highly knowledgeable ! Sadly I am on the bottom of the pecking order and am still learning! the pictures you have posted appear to be the Golden egg rolex date model which do exist if you google Golden egg rolex. As for yours, it appears to be genuine as I have never seen anyone ever replicate one of these, but that isn't to say that a replica doesn't exist or that the case and dial may be genuine but had its movement replaced with a non rolex movement! The odds so far look exceptional in your favour! these models are not plated but capped with gold foil of approximately 120microns of gold. Similar to gold capped teeth! An American invention going back as far as the 1950's where they had the toughness of a stainless steel model and the elegance of a solid gold one! I had a few omega bumper wind models of this make up and were amongst my favourites! the bracelet l am not knowledgeable about this one,? Maybe our fellow prized member Automatico can chime in here as he is an encyclopedia on watches having decades of experience! Great specimen and enjoy to.good health!!

You may be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised that some prices don't change! In some cases where supply exceeds demand, the prices go even further down!!!. The law of supply and demand!

I have never seen a Steinhart sell new for $350 - especially the same homage as a rolex submariner, so replicas are still cheaper I purchased the submariner steinhart homage when in New Zealand and found it way too big ~ 42.mm, flat lugs and looked better on the webpage than it did on me Don't get me wrong, a Good watch , but a bit overrated when I could have done better for a $100 more. I paid mine approximately 700NZ$ and at the time, I could have got a Longines divers for an extra $135 when it was on sale at sheppards jewelers for the end of tax season . I guess what makes us happy is the best answer to this question!

I should have been a little more specific as the crown is one without the threaded case tube on the case end. It is for an old divers watch which uses a press in fitted tube for a screw down crown. I tried most of the rolex generic tubes by skimming the thread on a lathe to create the smooth friction fit but became too thin to get a tight fit on the case. I even used JB weld but was only a short term solution. I do have a screw down crown that fits the right sized 2.9mm tube and is perfect size 5.5mm in diameter but chrome plated on brass. When the plating wears off, the end is also near for the crown. Apart from the rolex generic crowns, the only screw down crowns available as generics have all been plated and almost in every size imaginable! LOL!

There is a real misconception regarding to something being tough and rugged versus longevity! As a novice to the watch world since my early teens, over 35 yeas ago I was under the impression that a watch such as an Omega and a Rolex were 5 or 50 times more expensive than normal mainstream watches because they were more long lasting and were much more accurate timekeepers. Not the case as we know as a cheapie can last just as long and be as reliable if given the same care and attention. A military watch is no different as it's purpose is to do its duty for the time that it is in service. Not to last forever! Apart from rolex, omega seiko and all the known brands they all have stainless steel screw down crowns for their divers models as far as I know! I have found other divers watches that are more generic to also have brass chrome plated screw down crowns. In the last 6 years, I am actually having a Hard time locating a stainless steel generic 5.5mm screw down crown as every source I have searched have plated brass ones! So to answer your question, I sense it all to be down to cost and that big brand complained make their own

Great tips and many thanks for the detailed instructions. I had been looking on youtube and everywhere else on how to go about it, just hitting dead ends. I did give it a go, but I think I screwed up when installing the stainless bar in place in the lever . I almost rejoiced when I put it together but was jubilant too soon. I am not disappointed as I learnt something from it. I guess I was thinking too far ahead worrying about getting the beat right. How they got the beat right in the old days before electronic timers surely gets me wondering!!

Thank you!! Most obliged! I will PM you if I am unsuccessful !

Thanks for your reassurance! Will look into it! I have never had any luck with eta clone movements and have always ended up costing more than having purchased a 2nd hand genuine and freshly servicing it! Parts are another issue. Problem is that 2nd hand genuine etas are hard to find unless it is in the Philippines

Thanks guys! i knew the clone ones came fully assembled but never saw a genuine sold fully assembled. I heard that the clones are a hit or a miss and the roller jewel is not very stable! Might need to risk getting a non working eta with a good balance! I looked on ebay and there is a guy in the Philippines that is the only seller of per owned etas but hates being asked questions about what he sells as he will lecture you on how hard he has been done by customers so I might look locally

Eta 2836-2 or 2824-2

Hi fellow members I am trying to replace a complete balance attached to bridge which has lost the roller jewel( don't know how this happened ) with a bridge and hair spring complete as I am not skilled enough to remove the bridge from the hair spring nor put it in beat I if capable of assembling one. I know that some genuine parts can still be found but have not seen them as fully complete ones like the generics being complete with bridge and hairspring as seen on ebay. Unless I am wrong,have the genuine eta ones ever sold as complete pieces like the generics? Not so confident in buying a generic either! Stuck with a dilemma here

an update!!!! As it turned out I have the watch ticking again. I noticed that the problem was in the jewel of the balance which was missing or had fallen off. I had found it close by near the escapement. I removed the balance from another eta movement to check if this would do the trick and BINGO!!! it has been ticking. Now one balance down stopping a whole good movement working!!!!! Now replacing these things isn't easy as eta parts are no longer available. I see some generic ones but are they any good? hope the same doesn't happen to the generic one if I were to go with that choice. removing the balance and replacing the bridge is beyond my league of skills Has anyone ever done it and if so what are your recommendations? Thanks

Hello friends, I was thinking of getting my son a new watch for his 18th birthday and I know always wanted a mechanical watch but nothing with high brand names on it. He just prefers something inexpensive and practical! I then was thinking of getting a sterile dial printed with his name on it and building something for him, but wasn't sure I how to go about it as I recall reading that you can also get your own stencils to do that! I am just brainstorming a moment! can anyone help with any suggestions on how you would do it if in my position! thanks in advance!

Interesting to hear of Saint Crispian! I recall as a child my late mother mentioned of a Saint Crispian who was also a mystique as he had the power to fly. A Franciscan monk if I recall correctly!

Gentlemen, I am not sure how to say it, but thank you are too little words in comparison to the gift of attention you have given me to help solve my problem! Took all of your advice on board, by checking the pallet fork balance etc. upon shaking to add power from rotor swing, hair spring swings perfectly for almost a minute until it stops. Upon removing balance the pallets flick from one banking pin to another without a problem,but noticed the end of pallet fork that engages into the rotor jewel seems odd with a bent piece which I cannot photograph as my camera resolution is not powerful enough. It even looks like it has a bent jewel on the end which explains why the hairspring rotates freely for almost a minute. The seconds hand does not move nor does the pallet fork while the balance swings nicely. Will buy a new pallet fork and see how it goes! It must be a clone as it was running perfectly before all this happened

I don't know for sure as it was already in a replica watch which has all the eta stamps etc. I know even clones come with these stampings so it's anyone's guess. Have also taken advice of both Mymanmatt and rolexman , however it s still the same

Have a freshly serviced eta 2824-2 which was running fine and within 5 seconds per day for couple of weeks! Now the balance wheel no longer swings as pallet fork is stagnant! Very strange! I have checked if there are are any obstructions in the gears, cogs, including the balance stop in case it brakes onto balance wheel which is clear! Anyone ever experienced this? Thanks for any input!