Toadtorrent

Looks good. On the removeal of the insert, has anybody found it useful to heat it up first with a hairdryer or something to soften the glue so you don't damage the insert on removal?

The blue lume looks white when not glowing. It's a very slightly different white than the C3..which you would only really notice if you had side by sides.

Obviously when charged, the look is very different.

I'm thinking a reliable GMT IIc...

I LOVE Concepta's with the gen dial and full gen kit pretty much...but it's too pricey for me.

Whistler is great. Vancouver is great. And now the world knows just how rainy it actually can be there.

The best part of the place is obviously the geography. If you can get a chance to ski, it's wonderful.

It will be a bit loony there with the Olympics...but, try the Rim Rock Cafe...amazing food. The whole ambiance of Whistler is casual elegance...chinos generally...no need for suit and tie if you don't want to. It's geared around people being active there. They had amazing Ahi tuna when I was there.

Thanks for your inputs! I think I will go with Asian clone. Toad, you mentioned an easy deal when needed... this would not be the case with a 21j Asian movement would it?

21j movements are cheap and easy to replace too...much cheaper than the ETA...like $15-20 vs. >$100. The issue is that they don't feel is nice (they feel cheap), not worth repairing but they can be workhorses. The only issue with movement swaps is the datewheel overlays if required...transferring these without damage.

I've read but you'll have to confirm if possible on your specific watch, that a Miyota 8215 is a great generally drop-in replacement to the standard DG2813 that is used in most a21j reps or as Zig says requiring only minimal modification to fit. Some go for the DG4813 which is hard to find in the version with the proper higher cannon pinion.

The issue with the Miyota is it doesn't hack (if you care) and is a slower beat than the ETA (not as smooth sweep...but not bad).

I have a bunch of a21j's that are still ticking strong after a couple of years of occasional use.

this has been debated time and time again. As Nanuq says...many keep their reps away from water...or keep anything valuable away from water...others only buy reps because they are in the water all the time.

If the dealer in China did the servicing...only trust it if you have it pressure tested after you receive it. The pressure test if done properly, will tell you if it's safe for swimming.

That's great. How did you go about getting the copper plating done??

+1 with Slick. The gen Swiss movements from China are often dirtier ones...or WERE clean and get buggered up when the thing is assembled.

With the Asian clone ETA...you save the money up front, and get a dial and hands and datewheel which are ETA compatible...so you can source a brand new one from a reputable supplier that will be clean, new and ready to go for a straight movement swap when needed.

It's called "binning" like Intel and AMD do with microprocessors. Normal manufacturing results in variability at the output...

That's hilarious that you would use this example...I was going to use this EXACT same one for a reply. Ya scooped me.

Zig...that blue lume is awesome. I love it on everything. This looks great.

+1 on Blackbard's question. This is great. Love it.

I haven't seen one...was thinking that we should try for one...

Great piece. Yeah...these things are nice. Thanks for sharing.

Great!!! Good info as always.

Thanks for the reply Fancisco...

Very interesting.

Great info Francisco and thanks so much for taking the time to write and photograph these pieces.

As the master of staking tool info on this forum (), I'm hoping you can answer a couple questions:

- How do you know which size bits to use for these jobs? Redwatch and I bought staking sets with a number of concave bits, so how do you know which one is the right one for sizing to the Swiss or Asian movements?

- In your other tutorial, the hand tube of the second hand was reattached with the staking set, how would you size the base and the stake to REMOVE the hand tube (for example, to do a swap of the tubes between sets of hands?

- Finally (for now... ), The Zigmeister did this great tutorial HERE on using a lathe to modify a pocket watch hour wheel and attach an ETA hour tube and cannon pinion to the pocket watch hour wheel.

- Do you think there is any way to retrofit the cannon pinion and/or hour wheel on a pocket watch movement to fit the ETA hands using a staking set?

Thanks for any info!!

Great comparison.

General Contractor and Home Inspector - Self-employed.

Mike...I'm just outside of London (Dorchester) for the weekend...small world. Normally I'm in Toronto. Welcome to the forum.

Wow...very glad she's home. Good to know she has a loving family for support through the days ahead.

i have a small company that does pressure equipment inspection at oil and gas refineries

Do blockages and pressure build up have anything to do with sniffing dogs plugging orifices?

I dont have a clue how some of you lads manage to stay sane,sitting in offices.

Simple...read this forum.

Nothing terribly interesting...

Looks great! I'm curious. This will look fantastic with that faded colour and nice aged dot!!

Hah...I'm slow...just finished the thread.

Sorry Dems...I replied before reading the whole thread. That's great! What's the story on that dial??

Hah hah...Nice Spook!

Yes...the post will have to be removed form the hand, hopefuly able to be staked in or the wheel replaced. This will involve removal of hands and dial and possibly the modification pieces to get at the wheel. Leave it to a watchmaker unless you're willing to dive in and face the consequences of error.