Can I replace an A7750 movement?

[William Campbell]

I purchased a Breitling Navitmer 8 months ago and want to know if I can buy a replacement movement and install it myself. I have no watch repair experience whatsoever. And where can I pick one up?

[kbh]

I would strongly suggest you practice with a cheap 21j movement unless you have very steady hands and decent hand removal and replacement tools.

If you buy the movement and take it to a professional I wouldn't think the exchange would be very expensive. Probably less than 1/2 hour to do.

[ubiquitous]

Lots of variables in this equation.

1) Is your watch set up like a standard 7750 (e.g. subdials at 12:00/9:00/6:00) or is this a tri-compax set up (e.g. 9:00/6:00/3:00)?

2) Are you looking to replace a slow or quick beat A7750 with another A7750? Or Swiss?

3) If you have no watch repair experience, I would advise that you not attempt this movement swap if this is a watch you like and want to keep.

This exchange would be a little more straight forward if you have the standard 7750 configuration, as at least then a Swiss ETA 7750 is a 1:1 replacement from a physical standpoint; forget it if you have the tri-compax and are looking to swap in a 7753. The issue of which A7750 you have may be a point of concern as not all hand types are compatible with the Swiss 7750. Count on the hands not being a direct fit; you will need the subsidiary hands reduced at the tubes to fit the pins and the center stopwatch seconds hand will need to be broached. There is a difference between the pinions used on the slow beat vs. the new quick beat; and even then, the lines are blurred as some hybrids of the two exist as well. There's no way of knowing what you have until the pins are measured, or if you try and fit hands and they don't work.

If you are unfamiliar with the process of uncasing/removing or handling a movement, you may be in for more than you bargained for. Aside from that fact, it is important to have the right tools; if you do not, you stand to do far more damage than good.

My advice- Farm this one out unless you are familiar with the process and have the necessary tools to perform the work. You'll save yourself a lot of grief...

[freddy333]

Ditto Ubi.

[Ronin]

Ditto. Plus, if you want to go Gen Swiss ETA 7750, only the slowbeat A7750 hands are a direct swap. Going A7750 28.8 to ETA 7750 requires broaching the chrono second hand. IIRC.

[William Campbell]

Lots of variables in this equation.

1) Is your watch set up like a standard 7750 (e.g. subdials at 12:00/9:00/6:00) or is this a tri-compax set up (e.g. 9:00/6:00/3:00)?

2) Are you looking to replace a slow or quick beat A7750 with another A7750? Or Swiss?

3) If you have no watch repair experience, I would advise that you not attempt this movement swap if this is a watch you like and want to keep.

This exchange would be a little more straight forward if you have the standard 7750 configuration, as at least then a Swiss ETA 7750 is a 1:1 replacement from a physical standpoint; forget it if you have the tri-compax and are looking to swap in a 7753. The issue of which A7750 you have may be a point of concern as not all hand types are compatible with the Swiss 7750. Count on the hands not being a direct fit; you will need the subsidiary hands reduced at the tubes to fit the pins and the center stopwatch seconds hand will need to be broached. There is a difference between the pinions used on the slow beat vs. the new quick beat; and even then, the lines are blurred as some hybrids of the two exist as well. There's no way of knowing what you have until the pins are measured, or if you try and fit hands and they don't work.

If you are unfamiliar with the process of uncasing/removing or handling a movement, you may be in for more than you bargained for. Aside from that fact, it is important to have the right tools; if you do not, you stand to do far more damage than good.

My advice- Farm this one out unless you are familiar with the process and have the necessary tools to perform the work. You'll save yourself a lot of grief...

MIne is the 12, 9,6 and I believe it is a quickbeat (28800). Can I even get a swiss and what would this cost?

[alligoat]

A Swiss 7750 will cost $300-400 and as Ronin says, there is a problem with the hands fitting. I thought it was the subdial hands being a different size- 18mm vs 20mm. I'd definitely recommend looking for a good watchmaker, no point in messing up your watch further.

[William Campbell]

So am I correct in understanding, that for $300-400, I can put a REAL movement in my watch, that will fit except for the large second hand? If this is so, I would be interested because I cannot find anyone willing to service the A7750 and it would be worth it to me in the long run to have a movement that anyone would be willing to work on. If someone can verify this, I would appreciate it. And where do I purchase this movement?

[ubiquitous]

Yes- $300-ish will get you a true Swiss ETA 7750. Not terribly hard to find; Ofrei, JB are the parts supply houses that stock them, or you can hit the 'Bay (but you should familiarize yourself with what to look for to avoid paying Swiss prices for an Asian movement).

As for hands- The subsidiary dial hands and center seconds hand will not fit if you currently have a quick beat. As I mentioned prior, the subdial hands need to be reduced and the center seconds needs to be broached. Not an easy task to do as it does require some finesse and accuracy to get them just right. If you've seen the tubes on these hands, you'll know exactly what I mean.

[Toadtorrent]

Yes- $300-ish will get you a true Swiss ETA 7750. Not terribly hard to find; Ofrei, JB are the parts supply houses that stock them, or you can hit the 'Bay (but you should familiarize yourself with what to look for to avoid paying Swiss prices for an Asian movement).

For the $300 mark, those are usually the older 17j versions aren't they? The 25j ones seem to be going for more like $400 I thought? You would have a better eye on the market than me.

[William Campbell]

Is there a Navitimer rep in any configuration that can have its movement replaced by a genuine, and be a perfect fit so that the hands all fit, and there is no sunken date wheel? I'd really like to this if it is possible.

[ubiquitous]

For the $300 mark, those are usually the older 17j versions aren't they? The 25j ones seem to be going for more like $400 I thought? You would have a better eye on the market than me.

I've seen 17j'ers for as low as $180 - $220; 25j's can range between $300 - $425 depending

Is there a Navitimer rep in any configuration that can have its movement replaced by a genuine, and be a perfect fit so that the hands all fit, and there is no sunken date wheel? I'd really like to this if it is possible.

The key is to find an older Navi rep with the 12/9/6 subdial config from several years back; those had hands that were a direct swap to the Swiss 7750 (which is what the gen uses). You can even fit a gen dial with a little trimming. No sunken date with the 12/9/6 either...

Or get gen hands to go with a Swiss 7750 as those would be a straight swap since the issue is potentially with the newer rep hands (depending what specific rep movement you get).

For the right watchmaker, modding the rep hands to fit a Swiss ETA isn't much of an issue, so that's another possibility you should consider.

[Guest techlogik]

A swiss valjoux 7750 will run you $360-400 online. And it also depends if you need a different color dial than comes with it for a day/date wheel. Genuine swiss day/date wheels will run you $40. So you could be looking at $410-440 for the movement/wheel setup.

The modders around here will charge anywhere from $75-100 to swap a chrono movement from A7750 to Swiss...probaby well worth the money if you run into hand issues.

The only trick with changing the movement as mentioned, is the hands. The rest is very simple with basic skills..well, not sure of you skills, to me it is basic.

The hands though require some expertise and experience to fit, that is the trick/key to the operation.

Edited August 27, 2009 by techlogik