Bike Mike Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 A lot of parts are interchangeable between Swiss and Asian 7750. Besides that imo the A7750 is as sturdy and reliable as the ETA after service. They have the same design after all... Be nice if all the important high wear parts were...main gear train & auto winding train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemax Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) Watch oil evaporates and turns to gum/sludge over time, regardless of how little you use the watch. And there is really no such thing as a watch movement breaking irreparably .. it's made of parts, and parts can be replaced. Exactly, that is why I presumed that all my watches are already "ready to break". However, the movements will break after running for certain time in such shape - having more than a few watches in rotation ensures that wear and tear will accumulate slowly. Agree again regarding the repairability of the movements - I considered the worst case scenario, which still does not make regular servicing a better solution (at least for me). More likely, repairing neglected movement should not cost way more that a normal full service (or it usually does? I would love to hear from The Zigmeister and other watchsmits regarding my pile of assumptions). Edited July 10, 2011 by bluemax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Thanks for the heads up. I did and gave it a bath in some white-spirit before putting it in the USC. These sort of movement cost a lot of time to service! Yeah, that's why I've always replaced mine with ETA 7750s. Zig has always said the A7750 is a good reliable movement, once serviced. But the cost works out pretty close in the end for A7750 + immediate service vs Factory fresh ETA 7750. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Yeah, that's why I've always replaced mine with ETA 7750s. Zig has always said the A7750 is a good reliable movement, once serviced. But the cost works out pretty close in the end for A7750 + immediate service vs Factory fresh ETA 7750. Exactly. If I get the rep and believe it is a long term keeper once I have worn it a few times I either wear it until it dies and then replace with an ETA movement or swap it immediately. Everyone seems to agree that a properly serviced Asian can last just as long but no one knows if it has been serviced. And no, giving your movement a "bath" does not constitute a service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odourboy Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Please pardon the newbie question but where does one get an ETA 7550 movement and how much does it cost? Are they preoperly cleaned and oiled and ready to be installed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Lots of places to get them like eBay or I have a couple for saleLots of places to get them like eBay or I have a couple for sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Please pardon the newbie question but where does one get an ETA 7550 movement and how much does it cost? Are they preoperly cleaned and oiled and ready to be installed? Swiss movements can come to you in 3 ways. 1- Inside of an airtight blister package ... These are the best to buy. 100% perfect from the ETA factory, oiled and ready to go. 2- inside of a plastic shell ... These are bulk packages used by manufacturers. If you buy one in a hard plastic shell you have no idea if it needs service. Even if it has never been used, it might have been in a warehouse for 10 years and totally dry/gummed 3- inside of a watch you buy on eBay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bike Mike Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 ... More likely, repairing neglected movement should not cost way more that a normal full service (or it usually does? Repairing a neglected movement can cost substantially more then a typical full service. I just did a full overhaul on a 80’s PD w/7750…Entire new main gear train was needed as all the pivots were worn down…cost the guy an additional $95 in parts alone. That is almost half the cost of the service. 2 weeks ago I watched my buddy overhaul a FM chrono...$400 in movement parts alone! The watch had been worn about every day and never saw a single service since the guy owned it over the last 10 years. So, yes, you can spend much more then the typical labor costs, even on reps if you need to start replacing parts...since only Gen ETA parts are available. There are few issues I see even with fully serviced A7750's, and really it goes for any Asian movement...Some of the high wear items are not interchangeable with ETA 7750 parts. So if you end up with a worn out escape wheel pivot, you are SOL until you can find the Asian replacement at the correct gear ratio or parts for these movements start becoming available. Also, the final finish on a A7750 is horrible. I have been into a few movements that were locked up due to flakes of the nickel platting of parts coming off. As long as the person that is doing the service knows all the quirks of the A7750, everything should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted July 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 As long as the person that is doing the service knows all the quirks of the A7750, everything should be fine. 100% true. These Asians sometimes cost considerable more time to service (if you want perfection that is). Took me a full 8 hours to do a BCE. Replaced all screws for nice silver ones and when I was finished it ran and performed like a champ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Watch oil evaporates and turns to gum/sludge over time, regardless of how little you use the watch. And there is really no such thing as a watch movement breaking irreparably .. it's made of parts, and parts can be replaced. Thanks for pointing that out, I didn't realize it was due to evaporation which would occur regardless of if the watch was running or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Thank you for posting this Mark,job well done sir. I guess I've been lucky. I have owned about 15 A7750's and so far only one had to be serviced. The rest are keeping good time and for the most part have been trouble free. I do know that at some point and time they will need to be serviced,but so far Im really Impressed with the A7750,good movement. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustindu4 Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 I have owned about 15 A7750's and so far only one had to be serviced. That's reassuring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 That's reassuring Then you come into this Forum and read a slew of posts from new members saying "I bought my first rep .. the most complicated chronograph watch I could find! And it stopped running after 2 months!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Then you come into this Forum and read a slew of posts from new members saying "I bought my first rep .. the most complicated chronograph watch I could find! And it stopped running after 2 months!!" When you consider how many reps that are sold each year due to this sight, the complaints pale In comparison. Lets face It,some members dont post unless It's to complain about a rep thats having issues,otherwise we dont hear so much as a peep. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamo99 Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Yeah, I'm not impressed with my last purchase from Andrew. Less than two months in, it's running several minutes/day slow, and by what I'm reading here, it's only a matter of time before it stops completely. Just an update- Andrew agreed to take the watch back, and perform a complete overhaul/service for me. Great customer service! He (his watchsmith) has previously serviced a Breitling Avenger Skyland, and it came back fantastic, so looking forward to receiving the watch back, better than new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 That sounds nice. I hope the round-trip to China and back is safe for your watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted July 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 That sounds nice. I hope the round-trip to China and back is safe for your watch. The logic of some people .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustindu4 Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 The logic of some people .... Worst that can happen he loses it, so he's out like $350. It would have cost him that much or more to have it serviced with parts. So even if he lost it and had to buy a new one he would break even. Andrew is the man, but let's hope the guy that fixes it isn't the one that put it together. I hope my SA stays together, knock on wood. Heck Breitling even charges $500 for factory service plus shipping and parts on a gen watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 Worst that can happen he loses it, so he's out like $350. It would have cost him that much or more to have it serviced with parts. So even if he lost it and had to buy a new one he would break even. Andrew is the man, but let's hope the guy that fixes it isn't the one that put it together. I hope my SA stays together, knock on wood. Heck Breitling even charges $500 for factory service plus shipping and parts on a gen watch. $175 for service, and how much is the cost with tracking for return shipping to China? And if he has to replace a lost watch ... He will receive another poorly assembled Chinese chronograph for his money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustindu4 Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I've never seen service that cheap for $175. Where do you get that? Rex charges like 250 as a base fee plus extra time fee if needed for 7750s since they are taking longer to fix lately (the latest batch of watches he says have been junk) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Movementum Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 My quick nickle: To service or not is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong. If you spend some serious money on a rep, you probably did a lot or research. The aesthetics match what you want, it passes the sniff test for you. You're going to wear it a lot. In that case it is probably worth servicing and treating well. If you buy a throw away rep, say a noobmariner and you want a year or two out of it, you're probably better just using it for parts when it dies. Buy a new one There is a third consideration though. Our reps have been getting better over the past years. A lot better. Just looking at the throughput of discussions on a new release going to V2, V3, VX and you can be certain that things move fast in the rep world. For those looking for aesthetic accuracy, then movement accuracy isn't as big a deal. Some sell their old rep for a new and improved rep that has a more accurate scramson etching or bonaculature incised monocle. And I think this is why we see rapid improvement in the aesthetics of a rep but suffer deeply when it comes to improvements in movement. Has there been a big shift since the 16,600 A7750 was replaced by the 28,8? And other than the realization that the ETA 28X movement was, itself, being repped has there been a dialog on the gutz of the beasts? Business (whether white market, grey market, or black market) are dictated buy supply and demand economics. The consumers are the ultimate dictators of business behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I've never seen service that cheap for $175. Where do you get that? Rex charges like 250 as a base fee plus extra time fee if needed for 7750s since they are taking longer to fix lately (the latest batch of watches he says have been junk) The trusted watchsmith on RWI who accepts 7750s has a public price chart as well as a photographic breakdown of his service techniques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 What is RWI? The forum which doesn't have the two largest dealers on the forums. Seriously $175-250 is the range I have seen from a number of competent smiths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 What is RWI? The forum which doesn't have the two largest dealers on the forums. Seriously $175-250 is the range I have seen from a number of competent smiths. I do think $175 is a combo price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Hilts Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 My PAM187 is on its way...already shopping around for a gen 7753 to throw in it. There are some on ebay, but if anyone has one they wanna part with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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