2nd watch, 1st problem - Milgauss

[time4me]

This isn't an attempt to bad mouth anyone and I am sure it will be taken care of one way or another. I just received a Milgauss from a preferred supplier here. Upon opening the box, it sounded like a loose marble was rolling around in the case. I did not unwrap it - I contacted the seller and we are exchanging emails as I type this. His first suggestion is to remove the case back and check to see if the rotor became unattached. This is the version with a 3131 type movement. How big of a deal is that? I'm new to this as you can tell by the number of posts, but I'm not timid - if it is a simple deal and the dealer will stand behind it (still waiting to hear back), I would be willing to take a shot. At this point I have not even removed the plastic for fear of not being able to return it.

If he asks me to ship it back, what are the issues that I should be aware of if any? What do you think the shipping costs might be and should a good dealer be willing to pick up the shipping costs since the watch as received is defective?

Any advice appreciated.

[Toadtorrent]

There seems to be a bit of a problem with the mod creating the 3135 movement. It's a cosmetic movement creation. Check out this post:

Thogaa's Post on Necessary Upgrades to the Asia 3135

I should have added more info:

• Shipping back should be unregistered airmail (some risk but low)
  
• Return shipping ~$15-20 USD
  
• Time for return of watch from time of return shipping = ~2 months
  
• Cost of attempting the fix above (it will be obvious if that's the problem) = ~$1.99 for latex gloves if you don't have duct tape to open the back
  
• And no...the dealer will not pick up the return shipping costs...only the shipping BACK to you. It's like buying mail order...but NOT from Costco or a big store that will pay for return shipping. If they cause a problem...you still have to pay to ship the goods back. C'est la vie!!
  

[time4me]

Thanks for your reply. So if it is a detached rotor, what can I expect to find and what is the fix? If you would like to PM me a short tutorial or have a link that might be helpful, that would be great. My last message back from the dealer implied nothing can happen for another 10 days because of Chinese New Year. No return info provided yet.

[lanikai]

this is not a 3131 clone.. but the rotor placement is the same.. in the very middle of the movement is the tiny screw under the circular cover.. it's held on by a little rubber glue and can be removed and replaced without any added adhesive.. the screw probably came loose and just need to be fastened.. nothing else.. but make sure you have a good set of drivers for this and not the hardware store variety..

[Toadtorrent]

Thanks for your reply. So if it is a detached rotor, what can I expect to find and what is the fix? If you would like to PM me a short tutorial or have a link that might be helpful, that would be great. My last message back from the dealer implied nothing can happen for another 10 days because of Chinese New Year. No return info provided yet.

As Lani's pic above shows...and the link I posted above, if the rotor is loose, there should essentially be 3 parts rattling about in there and you need to find all three:

• Rotor cap (the disc Lani said is held in by glue)
  
• The screw for the rotor
  
• The rotor itself
  

The rotor is just screwed into the movement...easy peasy. You can choose to glue back the cap or toss it. The other potential is the clip Thogaa describes in his post that you can either Loctite in place or toss...your choice.

[FxrAndy]

It could also be the extra part for the balance bridge that has come loose.

The way i see it the OP has 3 options

1, get a sticky ball remove the back take a photo, post it and we look what the problem is and advise on how to resolve it.

2, Post it back to china and wait for a new one to arrive that may or may not be better

3, find a watch smith to look at it and preferably remove the extra parts that are not required like the cap on the rotor screw and the extra bit of the bridge.

[marinamm20]

the DSSD i got with 3135 lookalike, was shipped in perfect condition from a great member here - great guy.

but under shipping the rotor screw came lose and the rotor was ratteling inside.

i took it apart and fixed it quit easily, but just in case i checked all other screws, and all of them was lose, actually one fell out upon inspecting.

i also removed the faux bridge as it was not possible to tighten enough...better safe than sorry.

so PLEASE check ALL screws on the 3135 rep movement - they have been tightened by a guy with progressive muscular atrophy and a faulty screwdriver.

[Toadtorrent]

And if all this advice and rush for help doesn't make you love this place...I don't know what will.

This is unfortunately the joys of the rep game...certain things are bad on certain watches and need certain repairs. Once done...you're pretty good to go.

I would attempt to fix it yourself or have somebody local fix it upon opening it up and seeing if it's obvious what the problem is...rather than use up any "goodwill" customer service "tokens" from your dealer on something that can be solved hopefully relatively easily.

Like Lani said though, decent screwdrivers are a must...standard "jeweller's" screwdrivers from a hardware store may not cut it unless sharpened down and shaped so they can grab the head properly.

[time4me]

Thanks for all the quick advice. Very cool. Not being one to sit on my thumbs, I decided to dig in. I have pictures, but don't know how to post - I do know how to email pictures if anyone is interested. I don't know all the proper watch component vernacular, so I may make words up as I go along. I disconnected the bracelet and removed the case back with the sticky-ball-o-tape trick. At that point I was expecting to see the watch movement only to discover another cover.....that must be the rotor cap. I removed the cap with another ball-o-tape to find, indeed, the rogue displaced rotar. Being extremely careful and deliberate at this point, I removed the rotor and looked for fastening component like a tiny screw, etc. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Looking at it, I'm not really sure what or where a fastening mechanism would play a role in holding the rotor in place(?). It appeared to me that the rotor just sits in place in the center of the mechanism in its obvious location and the center of the rotor (rotor hub?) acts as a stand off or shoulder that is held in place by the rotor cap. In turn, the rotor cap is held in place by the screwed on case back. Anyway, that was my rookie wack at it. Given that, I reassembled everything. The trickiest part was keeping the o-ring in place. To make a long story longer, one hour later the rotor is staying in place (after some exaggerated jostling) and making a faint, normally-behaved-rotor noise, the stem functions fine and the watch is still doing its job of moving the hands in the right directions with proper etiquette. Of course, I must have missed something or the assembly must have been missing something because there is still that nagging issue about a "screw".................?

[Toadtorrent]

Here's Pug's guide on posting pics:

Pugwash's Guide on Posting Pics

Sorry for the confusion. I was thinking of the GMT IIc (responding to another thread. Yes...under the caseback will be another cover. This is the antimagnetic cover...similar to my SMP chrono here:

You pop this off I believe on the Milgauss, with a screwdriver (look for a gap around the edges between the "B" marked antimag cover and the edges of either the movement holder or the movement itself that can fit the slot for the screwdriver...slide it under and turn to pop it off).

After you remove the antimag cover, you should get something like the following.

The spinning half-moon thing with the curved slits is the rotor. Was this securely fastened to the movement, or was it loose?

If you note, in the centre of the rotor is a little metal disc. In the link from Thogaa I put in my first reply, the disc indicated by the arrow:

is the cover to the rotor screw. It doesn't sound like the rotor was securely fastened to the movement and could be lifted out? If so, the screw is likely between the rotor and the cap glued to the rotor, indicated by the arrow above. Remove this cap and you should find the screw in questions. Refasten the rotor and either re-glue the cap or toss it like Thogaa recommends.

Underneath the silver cap, you should see the screw which looks something like this (the following is an ETA nut assembly...but the gist is the same...it's a screw holding down a bearing assembly):

In a worst case scenario, the whole rotor bearing and nut assembly has popped off as in the following pic:

This would involve reattaching this assembly either with a press or glue (epoxy).

You should screw that thing back on. What's likely happened when you placed the rotor on top is that enough of the threads gripped to loosely hold it in place...waiting for the time it pops off again.

Hope this helps.

If you find this kind of information useful...consider upgrading to a paid membership to help keep the lights running, and this amazing community and watch lover resource alive!!

[time4me]

OK - First attempt at watch photography and posting from photobucket...crossing my fingers (thanks Pugwash/Toad):

[Toadtorrent]

Great stuff.

On the rotor...flip it over...pop off the silver cap and the screw should be there for you to screw back the rotor. I can see it in the second last pic. Just don't lose it...and you'll be good to go.

[time4me]

Yep, see it. Took it apart again. Got it. Did it. Done. Didn't realize that little silver disk was a cap glued onto the head of a screw. Thanks!

Great stuff.

On the rotor...flip it over...pop off the silver cap and the screw should be there for you to screw back the rotor. I can see it in the second last pic. Just don't lose it...and you'll be good to go.

[Toadtorrent]

Congrats...you're on your way to full on watchmaking!!

It's quite satisfying isn't it?