Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 So today I called my mailman at 8 o'clock to find out if there is a chance my long awaited watch was at the post office and he said it was there!!!! Jumped into the car and drove there asap. Picked it up like 12 minutes later. Opened the package..... And it was there!! :D BUT.... Oh guys- maybe I am just not supposed to have this watch? Maybe I am not worthy. I don't know. I thought I am there, I thought I can put a bracelet on and enjoy it.... and I can't. Seems like postal services were not treating it with enough respect and the main chrono hand got off. Well almost off. Extremely loose. It just rotates freely around the dial when you turn the watch. Can you believe it? I will now go and try to convince my watchsmith to help me... if I fail I am almost there but also almost back at the beginning. I don't know maybe I will just ask him to remove the damn chrono sec hand and think about it later. I don't know. Here are some quick pics before I go to watchsmith... my beauty - more beautiful and ready than ever... but at the same time as useless as ever Looks weird, I am not sure what still holds the hand but somehow it is still there at cannon pinion. I didn't try to rotate the watch face down but I guess it should stay on even then becaue I am sure it was rotated million times during last 6 days of delivery.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Damn...either this thing is cursed or it is a true "labor of love!!" Can't wait to see it when it's FINALLY done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Cursed... yeah I start to think about it as well. Serial was removed, maybe it has some history and does not want itself to be reassembled. I will wear it anyway! With main sec chrono hand or not. I am desperate enough after 9 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I don't get it... all this fuzz about a loose chrono second hand? This is like the easiest fix of them all. Just uncase the movement. Use a tooth pick to realign the hand and push down on the hand tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 OK but I guess if it is loose than it might have not been squeezed enough (gen hands do not fit standard el primero without modding). Putting it back again just as it is now may only help for a moment. I think it needs to be squeezed better and I am not sure if my watchsmith will be willing to do it. That's where the fuzz comes from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Damn M. Im starting to carry this cross with you now... from the last update i thought to myself finally it was all worth it for u and then u posted this ... sheeeesh All do from what i see and note im not an expert i think this actually will be an easy fix/touch up. Pls. keep us posted. Fingers crossed from my side! regards Laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks a lot for your words Laz. Watch is now at my watchsmith - I will pick it up later today. Keep my fingers crossed. Will update you all asap. On a side note - I know it sounds stupid but we mentioned that curse - and guess what? When I approached my watchsmith's place, I parked my car, had virtually 3 meters of walk to the entrance of his workshop and during these 3 metres I managed to slip, fall on the ground so hard I thought I broke my back! Wounded my elbow and fingers a bit (but did not let go the daytona that was in this hand! ) I didn't slip like that in 10 years or more. CRAZY :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Fijuuuuuuuuu u know what they say M. Ure luck bout to change its a rule of averages it need to reverse! Looking forward to ure update... and pls. be careful in the meantime Laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Called my watchsmith. He didn't make it. He says that there are two things he can do: 1. Push the Chrono Sec hand deep on canon pinion - then watch stops and does not work 2. Delicately push Chrono Sec hand onto the canon pinion - it is loose and rotates freely then. So I am [censored]. I am now going to pick it up from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsupilami Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 tell him to squeeze the tube slightly with a stainless steel caliper and try again. It must work like this. with the caliper he can control the pressure Called my watchsmith. He didn't make it. He says that there are two things he can do: 1. Push the Chrono Sec hand deep on canon pinion - then watch stops and does not work 2. Delicately push Chrono Sec hand onto the canon pinion - it is loose and rotates freely then. So I am [censored]ed. I am now going to pick it up from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 He said he cannot squeeze the tube of the hand because it is too short. He asked me to find a hand with longer tube. He is probably full of [censored], I think he just does not want to do it. It is less stressful to change batteries in quartz watches than to bother with my Daytona. I am tired. But guess what? I realised I may have the rarest Daytona in the world. A true "floating" cosmograph :) :) Any suggestions would be helpful, maybe I could try to squeeze it on my own? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ou man... this is not what i expected to read still i applaud u keeping ure head up and being in a good mood, somethin good has to come Laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikom3 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 sorry to hear about your troubles. Mine is with The Zigmeister right now and he just emailed me about the hands being to big. Hope he can make it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Even though I tried to convince myself I hate it and I should sell it I can't.... it is a beauty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 sorry to hear about your troubles. Mine is with The Zigmeister right now and he just emailed me about the hands being to big. Hope he can make it work. Oh please keep us updated. I remember The Zigmeister said he assembled a number of these already - so he should be familiar with this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankmb Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Wow very nice.. Hope you can get it fixed ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikom3 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Oh please keep us updated. I remember The Zigmeister said he assembled a number of these already - so he should be familiar with this problem. Yeah I read an old post where The Zigmeister said that it's an easy job but his last email said he was not sure what the fix was and to ask where to source hands that fit. I searched and searched but could not find anyone who bought different hands. Ubi and everyone else made the tubes smaller by squeezing them. Hope he can do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Oh my. If The Zigmeister thinks this is difficult then I guess I am in quite lucky position aftar all. BTW my main chrono sec hand got stuck somehow pointing to 7 o'clock so it is totally wearable now Only looks stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I think I will try to get this generic set of hands from ebay: Maybe the sec hand will fit better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikom3 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I think I will try to get this generic set of hands from ebay: Maybe the sec hand will fit better? Are the tubes smaller on these? If it's a replacement, the tubes may still be too big... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 This happened to me before and squeezing the tube is very very risky! I applied a teeny tiny amount of thread lock in the tube (done with a needle) and it worked like a charm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I have just emailed the seller. He states that this set works with both Rolex and Tudor chronos. I would be surprised to see tudor hands that need to work with eta/valjoux to be perfect fit for cal 4030. So there is a chance it will work with a regular el primero 400 like we have. I assume this person might not know if it works with both of these or not. As far as I know tudor submariner hands do not fit 3135 caliber just like gen rolex sub hands do not fit eta movements. I asked about dimensions of the tubes. I do not really expect an answer with these dimensions but I think they are worth trying at 35 bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikom3 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Looks like I have a problem with the second, hour and minute hands. I bought my hands used and maybe is the reason for the problem on mine. Also have another set of hands but not sure how to measure accurately. Here is The Zigmeister's email to me : I can modify subdial and center seconds hands to fit as long as they are within a few mm, your subdial hands are within .2mm of the required sizes and I could modify your subdial hands to fit this movement. Both center seconds hands are not usable, they are both damaged, have epoxy in the tube as well as on the outside of the tube, and both tubes are too short and can't reach the center seconds post. It is impossible to make the seconds hand work, I have had this problem in the past, I need a correct size hand with a longer tube to reach the post that the hand attaches to. I think this is one of the bigger differences between the rollie elprimero and the zenith ones. For the hour and minute hands, I can make slight (1-2 mm) adjustments to them to make them fit, either larger or smaller. The size of the posts on the movemenet is H 1.50mm, M 1.00mm, the hands you have provided are 1.60mm and 1.15mm in diameter, I can't shrink hands down by this much, this is a huge difference and there is no way for me to take out .10 and .15mm in diameter. The hour and mintue hands need to be almost the exact size to be able to install them. Other El Primero's I have built were provided with hour and minute hands that fit fine, or only needed 1mm of adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 My Hour and Minute hands seem to sit and work great after marsupilami squeezed them. I don't know about subdial hands as I do not run the chrono. The runnig sec subdial hand runs nicely and sits perfectly. So what The Zigmeister said makes words of my watchsmith believable - this is exactly what he said - that I need to source a hand with longer tube to make it work. What I also have here is a genuine 4030 canon pinion, I am not sure if it would help and I am not even sure if it is worth taking lot of movement apart to fit it in there. I don;t know if it would work with zenith hour wheel and all other parts inthere - I am no watchsmith so there is a chance I don't even know what I am talking about here OK so what about 6 or 7 other 16520 Frankens that seem to work fine, hmm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikom3 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 From what I understand form his message, all three subdial hands would work. Hour, minute are too big and cannot be squeezed down by that much and running chrono hand (second), the tube is too short. I read before you replaced some parts with 4030 parts, can you tell me the part #s and parts ? If I can find the parts, I will try to go this route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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