astonjenks Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Guys Have any of you had any problems with the winding system on your Swiss AP Diver? The reason I ask is that I recently received a watch that wouldn't wind and had to send it to a really great guy called Alex in the UK (Thanks Pete) who had to replace all of the attached winding wheels, I am interested to hear if anyone has had the same challenge as this is an expensive repair! The photo shows how the teeth have stripped which were then loose floating inside the movement. Regards AJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraggle42 Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Blimey, hope you didn't buy mine for parts! I'm wondering (if it is an automatic) if the slip main spring got stuck to the inside of the barrel and the last user just stripped the gears by over winding it? Or they were just too rough?I would imagine that once a couple of teeth go, more and more will go around that spot, and the bits may also cause jams causing more damage.I have got an old knackered movement where the transfer gear that winds up the barrel, the mounting screw was just a bit loose, causing that gear to move up and down just enough so it could disengage and slip over the teeth on the barrel which appears to have wrecked them both over time. You could wind it a little, then it would slip and all resistance to turning the crown would vanish, so you wind it lots quickly, then it gripped for a split second and pinged out again. Not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSTEEL Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thats some serious damage right there! First time I have seen, or heard about this in the AP Diver with Swiss ETA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteM Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Sorry to hear that mate.. It is or certainly was more common an issue in the past..I have heard of it less of late...but it is one reason guys always say service your rep when you get it...as you may avoid a little damage or poor craftsmanship making things even worse... I think what many forget is that when we ask for a Swiss ... we dont always get what we pay for.... now most time this aint the dealers fault... unless they offer to check and even for them to tell sometimes they have to break the watch open and strip..which of course they wont ! The reason is that in some cases when getting a Swiss what you are actually getting is a hybrid of a Swiss... it is not what you would get out of a sealed ETA bag.... its the chinese version and with that you carry the risk of it being a mix and match of Swiss and Clone and maybe even not a Swiss at all... I had one just the other day that was on an ETA base plate but most of the innards were clone...yet it was from a watch advertised as a full Swiss... Then you need to add into that the fact that these guys literally throw them together from a box of parts...I sh*t you not...... The fact guys say ... I have had these for years and never had a problem is either not quite as accurate as it sounds (as that statement relies on many factors to be actually valid) or the guy has been extremely lucky It doesnt surprise me mate to be honest and I am not sure if it is happening less or is not being reported as much etc.... but it was the reason most guys here would always say get it serviced when you get it if you can..so as to avoid damage being made worse by a gearing issue etc... I know sometimes it can come that bad anyway but it is prudent for any watch you intend to keep and also underlines when buying a watch the value...the true value of a service... BUT if you are paying more for a service be careful...check who did it? Do you know of them? What exactly was done? As sometimes a service is just a strip and clean and oil... which means you still have some crap parts possibly in the movement... someone like Zig would replace parts he thought needed it but most watch smiths wont do that unless you ask specifically.. s dont assume a service is all it cracks itself up to be... some guys even pseudo service themselves so it is important to check that the extra you pay for a serviced watch is worth it I got caught myself a few weeks back on a watch being sold as serviced.... It was in [censored] order and the guy had paid £160 for it to be serviced and the thing was dirty and parts glued in etc ..It was a s*hite job... I am not sure who did it now but it was a UK watch smith as seller was Brit on RWI ... he wasnt to know but blimey with all the other issues I wish i hadnt bought the damn thing !!...I did get a partial refund but it still doesnt cover the issues I inherited in it let alone the time I will need to spend on it...even the lugs were glued in... no screws nothing... and again all that I think was from the guy who serviced it... !! So on top of that ... watch who you get to service your reps ... Alex at UKwatchservices is a good guy and most importantly he knows his limitations which is a good sign..an dhis comms is good.. he is not a modder though just servicing and general watch services.. Going back to the point though its also like using the date etc or other dont's during certain times etc on Clone stuff ... The most times the gearing teeth cant take it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astonjenks Posted November 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thanks Pete Alex has now serviced this and discovered what had gone before! This was a M2M purchase with a supposedly serviced Swiss movement and the moment it arrived it was not right! I have to say that the £100 it cost to have repaired and serviced was well worth it as it is a great piece and the sweep of the second hand on a Swiss is a pure joy! Regards AJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteM Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Glad its sorted mate.... You cant beat a good sweeper or is it a scrubber !! Can never remember .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 I have seen this when the screw holding the ratchet wheel came loose and allowed the wheel to slip out of mesh.It's a good idea to always check this screw on new watches and there is even a cut-out in the autowind plate on Eta 2824 etc for a screwdriver.Friction from the reversers plus mainspring tension will give enough resistance to allow the screw to be tightened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astonjenks Posted November 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thanks for this and great advice, this watch was not new and was supposed to have been serviced when I bought it from a fellow member. Regards AJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSTEEL Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 I'm with Pete on this one too, I too have come across several supposed Swiss ETA movements in subs etc, and like Pete, main plate is Swiss, but the rest were mismatch of cloned parts, and some ill-fitting too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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