DIY 7750 Lube

[dmacnz]

Hi all,

Im relatively new to automatic watches. I own a bunch of 21j watches which have been working well for the last year or so but I have just ordered a 2x 7750 Tag Carrera watches from MR. And from what I have read the 7750 movement is prone to breaking down without a "service and lube".

So is it possible to open up the watch and do a "DIY" lube job. Or even using a small amount of silicon or WD40.

Dont shoot to noobie if my ideas are far left field!

Any advise would be appreciated

Thanks

Dan

[Guest]

LOL, it aint a honda!

People study in college to perform that service....And the oils and lubes, there more than 5 different types and none come in spray version ;-)Keep the watch sealed. IMHO

[maxman]

It takes great knowledge and experence to do a proper A7750 service. We have some of the best In the bussiness right here at RWG. Take a look around,good luck

[Bike Mike]

You are servicing a watch not a lawmower!

As stated there are 5 different lubricants that go into assembling a 7750 movement...941, 9010 D5, Jisma125 and DX (If you want to go with the ETA recommendation, also this does not include the lubricant for the mainspring and barrel) and they need to be applied in the right amount in all the right areas to properly lubricate and have the watch run correctly. Too little of there lubricants will cause the watch to run poorly

[freddy333]

As the others said, I would recommend against it. To successfully overhaul a mechanical watch movement, especially a chronograph, requires special skills, tools & specific lubricants applied in minute/exact amounts at just the right location. Either learn watchmaking or send the movement off to a watchmaker when you receive it (most rep watch movements are used/unserviced when you receive them).

[Toadtorrent]

The issues with watches, is that there are different lubes needed for different parts. Use the wrong lube and you actually will make the motor work more by gumming it up.

The amount of oil used requires special oilers...they can be had for cheap...BUT, you need to take the movement apart to get the oil in the right spot.

Cleaning is also an issue.

It's an unfortunate evil with mechanical watches...they are wonderful little ticking marvels that are fun to look at and listen to...but they do require care and maintenance...which costs both time and money.

This applies to gen movements as well.

A gen watch SHOULD be serviced every 5 years...not many people do that as it costs a lot of money...but it will prevent premature wear and tear and the cost of expensive replacement parts by premature part failure. Gen watch bad maintenance is also more forgiving in that the watches start off clean and properly oiled...whereas Asian movements don't.

You can take your chances with the A7750 movement...don't bother servicing, and you may get a number of years without problem...or you may get 6 months...it's a crap shoot. With servicing, you'll get at least 5 years of reliable service.

If you want low cost, and no maintenance...unfortunately quartz is the way to go...and you just don't get as nice watches in quartz as you do with the high end mechanical reps or gens out there.

Please read the Noob Guide linked in my signature...there is some useful information that will help you understand what you can expect from your watch.

[txcollector]

for you to have a full appreciation of the hard work involved use this link

http://www.eta.ch/swisslab/7750/7750.html

check the assembly track. It shows you how to reassemble a 7750 with all its numerous parts with the correct oils (check the oils chart) and where/when they should be used.

It will take a long time (and a lot of specialized tools) for you get close to service a 7750. Unless you are looking for a very laborious and expensive way to spend your time I'd suggest you let a professional do it for you.

Also consider the economics. It will cost you around $200 to have a 7750 serviced. How long do you plan to keep the watch? People won't pay you back the full price of a service if you decide to sell your Tags in 4 months.

[maxman]

You are servicing a watch not a lawmower!

As stated there are 5 different lubricants that go into assembling a 7750 movement...941, 9010 D5, Jisma125 and DX (If you want to go with the ETA recommendation, also this does not include the lubricant for the mainspring and barrel) and they need to be applied in the right amount in all the right areas to properly lubricate and have the watch run correctly. Too little of there lubricants will cause the watch to run poorly

[redwatch]

WD40? Ummm.....no. As mentioned above, it's a little more complicated than that. It was wise of you to at least ask here. You will not find a more knowledgeable group of folks than on this site!

[southcoast68]

I'd like to add to this the following; when viewing the tutorials and pictures of movement tear down, cleaning and re-assembly, keep in mind one simple thing - these parts are small!!! I feel it is often the case when looking at clear macro photos that one could think "gee that seems like it would be fun", but trust us, movement work is not for the faint of heart and a 7750 is not for the strong of heart at times. Take the advice of many here that have said to send the watch to qualified hands as dealing with these smaller than small parts can prove to be frustrating at times, even to those who have done it before. If you think that movement servicing is something you will eventually segway into, get some cheap junk movements and parts (form ebay, flea market, etc.) and practice on those. Take an on-line course on movement repair and get a good set of tools and develop the required touch in working on these watches. Learning to do some things yourself is always good to gain a better understanding and respect for the hobby, but be prepared, things will break sometimes, but its all part of the game.

Now with that said, if you ever do find yourself with an already dead 7750 chrono, do yourself a favor, and begin taking it apart. If its dead already and you do not have the desire to have it fixed, this will be a good way of seeing first hand some of the near microscopic screws, springs and levers contain therein. When things basically start to fall apart, you may think "gee it seemed like it would have been fun, but I'm glad I sent my watches out for servicing instead of trying to do it myself". I know this because I had a dead A7750 from a Daytona that I was probably going to chuck anyway, and started in with my tools, a short while later I had gained even more respect for the folks who can take these creatures apart and get them back together again.

Good luck with the hobby!!

Cheers

[crystalcranium]

I was also horrified at the notion of spraying a general lubricant all over a fine watch movement but can someone tell me why an ultrasonic cleaning without disassembly is a no no? Is it because cleaning will remove all oils from the pivots so disassembly is necessary to replace it? It would seem to me a cleaning and drying with appropriate solvents would clean the mechanism without harm and without the hassle of disassembly. Is oiling all that critical in the short term? Some of these 7750s run dry just fine.

[Jkay]

Since no one has mentioned it yet, there are 200 little parts in that 7750 .. it's never a good idea to pop one open casually.

[mt666tm]

You will never learn unless you try, so just troll in the sales forums for used/broken movements. I have already thrashed my way through 2 A7750's. The 1st one my hands were shaking so annoyingly i made a real mess of it, 2nd one had broken parts so no point reassembling. Got my 3rd now waiting for a rainy afternoon and hopefully this one I can get beck together and working... but i'm not gonna hold my breath.

My favorite is hearing the 'ting' and wondering what corner of the universe that tiny little part just flew into

[Bike Mike]

I dont know about that Mike My SMPO stoped on me the other day,nothing I could do to get It running again. So I popped off the caseback and hit the movement with some WD40,smoother than a babys ass my friend.Watchmaker In a can (ps) Just In case a new member takes my comments seriously,DONT

Why do you think your RW runs so good after it left me? I removed the caseback and threw it in a sack White Castle for 5 minutes...Removed and installed the caseback! You didn't start to drool when you opened the box?

[maxman]

Why do you think your RW runs so good after it left me? I removed the caseback and threw it in a sack White Castle for 5 minutes...Removed and installed the caseback! You didn't start to drool when you opened the box?

Touche ,Got me on that one mike BTW the RW Nubucco Is keeping perfect time thanks to you, now how about some onion nuggets