Problems with IWC Ingy .. back from DW swap

[lanikai]

First of all I'm not calling anyone on the carpet.. myabe it's time for me to evolve in this hobby and be a "hobbyist" instead of just a consumer.

I recieved several watches back that were sent out for DW swaps.. (sent them back a second time ..)..

2 watches specifically have problems .

the Ingy and the Tag Aquaracer.. the Ingy being the Eta 2824-2 ... and the Tag being the A7750 movement

the Tag's day-date will simply not align.. i have to manually align the date and the day just tilts to the right.. quite annoying..

anyway, as I was admiring the ingy's dial and very good AR out of the box...checked the alignment of the date wheel.. (lello's - Awesome)

well it was riding a little low not much.. but still noticable...

I wound it slowly a few times .. set it down then picked it up after 5 minutes .. to notice the second hand was motionless.. ok maybe I didn't wind it enough so i gave it a few slow left to right moves.. it started up again and then slide about 5 ticks.. then came to a dead stop.. that's when I noticed.. the second hand and the minute hand were way too low on the dial..

Ok, so the second hand was obviously caught on the... really caught ..like on the bottom portion of the 6..

I got home and thanks to Ziggy and the rest of the gang that gave me direction on removing the movement from the case..

I took off the case back with my thumbs as pressure..

Located the release button for the stem..

made sure the crown was in the winding postion

depressed the button and the stem slide right out

I then removed the movement to find the minute hand and the second hand in a 45 degree angle slopping downward.. and the minute hand was loose as a see-saw.. it had enough play to tilt up and down .. so I think.. ok . the second hand is not secured on the post..the minute hand had the same problem..

Is the dial supposed to be secured with the movement ?? does this have to do with the post being damaged?? because the movement was or is very loose .. the the dial has a lot of play... or is this normanl..?

anyway .. i know you will cringe to know what I did next.. well sort of next.. i got a magnifier.. and looked at the second hand which appeared bent

anyway .. without the proper tools i was forced to improvise (out of frustration).. i figured if it's messed up it will have to see Ziggy anyway..

so i got a pencil and with the eraser end gently applied pressure to the second hand after I was reasonably sure that it was aligned with the post... well the hands were still bent so i then got a toothpick ( I know this is real mickey mouse) .. put it under the second hand and gently pulled up while another pick pushed down gently at the top toward the tick markers.. this straightened the hand out .. then i took a (cringe) jewelers screw driver and pulled a little at the minute hand.. h this seemed to bring the hour and minute hand up and sitting normally..so it could have been loose on the post also..

now my initial reaction was.. that,.. if this is the reaction of the hands .. the post may be damaged ergo the reason for the hands dropping... just my hypothesis.. or the hands could have simply been put back in haste and was sitting loose on the post..

ok that episode done..

I then inserted the stem as Ziggy explained.. turning slowly until the gears engaged.. and i could feel winding..then gave it a gentle nudge and heard the "click".. ok..

Well the DW was not clicking only sliding.. so I aligned the date to center.. removed the stem and reinserted the same way.. then tried to change the date.. ok.. this time the DW clicked on every numeral.. and is dead center with the window.. (may be just my luck on this one)

the Tag is another story .. should I try and remove the stem,, and reinsert it??. after i align the day-date as good as I can Will this help ? .. i don't think I can be so lucky .. it probably needs disassembling again .. right ?

anyway .. bottom line question .. will the ingy's hands lossen after movement of the arm while wearing it.. ?? does it sound like damage to the post ? how secure are the hands without the proper tools..??

thanks .. i know this is a long read.. but what takes me 3 minutes to vocalize takes much longer for me to write .. as I think visually..

lani

update.. ok the ingy is keeping good time after an hour but .. i'm hesitant to put it on.. no confidence that the hands won't flop out..

[LordRasta]

You certainly did more than I could ever do. If you're planning on sending it to The Zigmeister I would say wear the Ingy and see how it performs.

[FxrAndy]

One problem with the Ingy is that the dial is not secured to the movement but has pegs that sit in holes in the movement holder and is not realy secure untill the case back is fully on, this means that the movement and the holder have some play and can make it look like the DW is not aligned but in actual fact it is the dial that is off, i had to play with mine for days to get it correct for me as there was play in the movement holder and the crown tube that holds it in place, as for the hands being loose ??????? not put on right or of the back was realy loose then it may have nudged them off but it would have to be real loose and i still think the crown would hold it in place as well.

[lanikai]

ok... thanks LR and FXR..

the DW was not "clicking" before i took the movement out.. and I get what you mean about the DW when the movement is out of the case.. and yes the dial is secure after I put the movement back in the case.. so thanks for the info..

Well.. neccesity being the mother of invention.. what have I got to loose ? A lot of times you can do things.. cause no one tells you you can't ..

I need to elevate this hobby into ... or evolve to the point where I can do simple things.. and learn as I go

I never thought I could remove the movement and crystal etc... that is the raw basics..

If I can learn how to remove and replace the hands that would be the next step in learning how to swap the DW.. one step at a time..

first things first.. tools.. i realize now the most important set would be the screw drivers.. not the hardware variety..

then the crystal press..the blower.. cause this area is full of coral dust and pollen of every known tropical plant..movement holder... etc.

figure on a few hundred at least..

so with that said .. is ebay the best? or 'national jewelry supply".. any leads.. Ofrei is a bit to proffesional for my goals ... i am not in the fantasy to learn "modding" just to get to a basic level 101..

thanks

Lani..

[Guest carlsbadrolex]

Lani, JUST DO IT!!! Take a few of the reps that you dont wear or pick up a few cheap ones and practice taking them apart. I have just started doing some basic stuff myself (date-wheel swaps, movement swaps, crystal replacement, key-less works repair) and it is SO exciting to get it done! For someone as passionate as you, I cant believe you havent already done this.

[lanikai]

Lani, JUST DO IT!!! Take a few of the reps that you dont wear or pick up a few cheap ones and practice taking them apart. I have just started doing some basic stuff myself (date-wheel swaps, movement swaps, crystal replacement, key-less works repair) and it is SO exciting to get it done! For someone as passionate as you, I cant believe you havent already done this.

Yes !!! it does make one feel a sense of accomplishment and a real feeling for actually doing it .. or trying to learn how..

Just took a look at ebay.. some of the tools are ok..the driver set i would definately get from ofrei.. better to spend on quality for that.. hands remover movement holder.. tweezers .. crystal press.. ebay good enough ....I have a couple of A7750's that I could learn on or destroy trying.. only way to learn is "take the bull by the horns"..

As I say alot of times we can learn to do things we think we can't because no one told us we "can't"

one thing I do 'know' this is not a project to do when your >> 1. tired.... 2. got alot of other things on your mind... 3. most important.. rushed...

Good luck to you CB.. and patience to me.. .. any good books around ?? like "basic Watch Repair for dummies"