Toadtorrent

Wow stranger...happy birthday!!!

 

Been awhile...but glad to see a familiar face...in a Big Cheese role too Co-Admin!!

Your picture makes the button look look weird, but unless your movement is really weird, using the pin end of a springbar tool, you should be able to push the button circled here while pulling out the stem:

Hey fellow RWG'ers.  It's been a long time since I posted a guide..and it all started with me deciding to dive back into learning how to work on watches, after a long hiatus from anything technical.

 

If you're going to learn to do something...and are essentially starting from ground zero...why not do it with trying to service a broken A7750? 

 

I originally posted a somewhat stupid question here:  Toad's Stupid Question on A7750 Weirdness

 

The question was NOT stupid because it highlighted weirdness in the a7750 movement with press fit caps, wheels, and shims, but highlights me forgetting that dial hands have inserted posts to hold them on to the counting wheels, and realizing that I had accidentally damaged my subdial hands on removal without noticing when I posted my question.  With this realization in mind, I thought I would post a quick guide on how to fix this problem...in case anybody runs into this problem like me.

 

THE PROBLEM

Even though I used proper tools, I still broke my subdial hands by separating the mounting post from the hands themselves.  How did I not notice this?  Well, as you can see from the picture below, these are SMALL parts:

This is a sample screw...the post in question is probably half the size of this screw.

 

 

Broken Post

 

Here is a picture of a hand with the post attached, and one without:

Top = no post; Bottom = post attached

 

SOLUTION

If you're feeling lucky...you could try and just press the parts together without using the proper tools...but...yeah...good luck with that.  The odds of little pieces going flying or bending things badly is VERY HIGH!!

 

However, if you want to learn to do it properly, and you just happen to be a hoarder and happen to have a staking tool set lying around that you almost forgot about, buried in the basement behind spare electrical parts and drywall tools (no joke) you can do what I'm detailing here.  If you're even luckier, you may know how to use it...or know how to Google (yes, Google is a noun and a verb).

 

PREP WORK:  dust off the tool. and clean it up a little if yours happens to be as dirty as mine.

 

1) Insert broken post, long tube into the anvil base of the staking tool, in the hole that is large enough to receive it, but small enough to catch on the lip of the post

The observant among you will notice the hole second from the right has the needle tip jammed in it that I broke off trying to clean out the 10 years of grime that filled the holes.  DOH!!

 

2) Select staking punch that will fit over the post but press onto the lip of the separated post

 

 

3) Use some Rodico (preferably cleaner than the piece I'm using) and hold the subdial hand in place, with the hole centred over the post

 

4) Insert the staking punch into the anvil top and align it, centred over the post / subdial hand combination, being careful to ensure everything is lined up

 

5)  Press down, and voila!!  I have seen some recommendations to either solder, or epoxy the tube to the hand as a backup.  I'm not sure my soldering skills can do that without ruining the subdial hand

 

And here is the final repaired hand.  Now, if only I could find that other post...then I could repair the other dial hand that got damaged.

Enjoy...and hopefully somebody finds this useful.

 

Toad.

Thanks...ordered those as a backup.  I will remove paint on the red sub hand and repaint...and will also polish them silver.

 

I also realized...I had 2 issues:

1) the post on the counting wheels were one thing that needed to be removed

 

2) the 1st pic above is actually the post on the subdial hand that popped off

 

I am going to attempt to stake the post back on the hand... it I will still have one hand that needs replacement 

I'm thankful to see a few familiar faces still on the board!!  Nanuq...Mike...good to see you still here...if any of you remember me.

Hello Fellow RGW'ers.

 

It's been a looooong time since I've posted anything here...but I have lurked every now and then.  Life caught up with life, and I had been unable to be active on this great forum for quite some time...but now, have decided to have fun with the hobby again, and have encountered trouble I'm hoping some of you can help with. I see my posts and content have disappeared...hmmm...my legacy is gone.  Hah.

 

If you're going to get back in the hobby after doing nothing but enjoying the watches you have, why not do it by trying to learn to do a full service on a broken A7750?  Yeah...I know...I feel the hurt.

 

This is an older, standard A7750 from one of the trusted dealers that had been running fine for many years, but finally died...so I figured I had nothing to lease.

 

On disassembling the movement, I found that a number of the Counting wheels were "permanently" attached to the bridge plates:

• Minute Counting Wheel on Chronograph Bridge
• Reduction Wheel on Chronograph Bridge
• Minute Counting wheel to Barrel and Train Wheel Bridge
• Second Wheel through whole assembly

 

To hold the wheels on, there were press fit "caps" like below:

 

I tried disassembling the movement leaving these things on, but right at the start, I was doomed.  Removing the Chrono Hands, resulted in one of the caps coming off of the Minute Counting Wheel as below:

 

As you can see, the caps actually shim the post of the wheels.  So, when REASSEMBLING the movement, the hands no longer fit.  The problem was that I could not figure out how to reassemble some of the pieces without removing the caps, as the layering of gears was not possible with fixed wheels / gears.

 

Reassembled, the posts on the gears/wheels, without the caps looks like below, and will no longer fit the hands that I have (IWC3717 in case anybody is interested).

 

Sorry for the long winded intro, but my questions are:

1. Has anybody seen this before? This really shows why the A7750 is not really worth the time to service...better to just buy a new A7750 for $130 CA...and trust your luck
2. Does anybody know if this design practice was something done in the past and is now not done?
3. Does anybody have a guess if my hands will fit on a new A7750, or will I need new hands? (hard to tell from a pic...but I'm trying my luck)

 

Thanks for any help...hope to hear from some of the old timers out there and reconnect!

 

As a side note, knowing that the movement was already not working so there was nothing to lose, and ignoring the fact that I can't get the hands on, it is really cool to be able to takedown and rebuild a movement and get it working.  I have pics ready to go for how to do this...as there were certainly some lessons learned that I didn't see in any of the other online 7750 content I had researched.

 

Cheers,

Toad

I think a 42mm PO would be good...the new one is good with the proper HEV and no-happy feet logo.

so hey was anyone ever able to d/l these p90x VDOs ? i'm too cheap to buy 'em but need 'em to make an Xmas present nonetheleess

They're on torrents everywhere...

However, I just started it back up yesterday, and managed to pinch/tweek my Sciatic Nerve by being stupid and not properly lifting and moving my dumbbells. I am the dumbbell. As soon as I heal, looks like I may just go back to Yoga and Tai Chi before jumping back to weights.

I am the Yogavangelist. Never underestimate the power of yoga as the ultimate cross-training tool. If you do the hard, physical kind...it's a blast and great for party tricks.

Helps with recovery, strength, balance, everything.

I've seen fantastic results of p90x with lots of friends.

I want to spend a quiet evening in front of the fire in Nanuq's living room:

...after it's been reno'd by his pet Fluffy:

...maybe having some sushi from Bob's private fish stock:

...while modding his left nut into a Freddy vintage masterpiece...

Hey big congrats to all...top notch picks for sure.

There are Bergeon watch dial protectors that I use...they work...or saran wrap can work too.

Just received a pm from Watcheden, the Speedmaster arrived safely in China...

What did I tell yah...3 - 6 weeks...you got the short end of the stick!! Good stuff...now another 3-6 weeks for the return trip as they don't ship EMS on the return usually.

makes me want to get one

...or two...

Wow...this is beautiful.

Welcome to the forum.

It's a great rep. I used to be concerned about the caseback...now I'm not...but you might be able to source one from one of the dealers for the other 3717's. Look in the review in my sig for more info and pics on this rep.

I don't know about shorter minute hands...but you can get a gen movement and gen hands from Concepta.

Look forward to your pics...

Beautiful piece...great work...fantastic story.

Shipping by regular post back to China is the usual way I've done it. I've had it take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 weeks. Usual return time to getting the repaired watch in my hand is on average about 8-10 weeks. This is from Canada.

Doesn't get clearer than that Sander!!

GMTs went 6542 (no CGs) then 1675, then 16750 "transitional" and then I lose interest. Any of these will have the domed plexiglas and thin case.

Nanuq, am I correct in understanding that a 16750 "transitional" would have the "new" hand stack that is currently used, or were there examples that still had the same older handstack as the 1675?

As well, would a 1655 case still be accurate for a 16750 "transitional"?

Thanks for any help.

WOW...I have a couple zodiacs...fun stuff for the old ones!!

Great pics...great bracelet.

Hey S...my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. So glad you can make the trip to see him...family is everything.

You just have to press them down. You could try using a round toothpick cutting the tip off so you have a flatter section at the top to press down. The wood will avoid scratching the hands.