r/watchrepair

So I messed up and sized the Zenshin bracelet thinking it was a push pin only to later realise that it was a collar-pin setup. Lost around 4 collars and 4 pins and two links in the process. However while the bracelet's not going anywhere right now(wore it around the house for 12 hours) but I am paranoid it will fail at the worst possible time later. So I am taking a reductionist approach to solving the problem, seal the holes just about half a milimeter with epoxy putty so that it doesn't jam the articulation of the bracelet as the articulating part is 4-5 militers inwards of the bracelet. I know it won't be the prettiest finish but I bought this as a tool watch and this will just add to the character for me. The only question is will it work technically? Picture of my mess attached.

I bought this watch for 5 bucks. I has no glass at the moment. I’ll fix the hands, put a glass and it’ll be ready to wear but what kind of glue should i use to put and secure the glass?

So I purchased this Omega from eBay believe I got it for a reasonable price needed a new crystal. It’s been worked on previously by a watchmaker crown is not original so my thoughts were to replace crown and crystal service it while I have it open and flip it.

Once I opened it, I barely touched the Deville logo and it smeared like it was wet paint never had that happen on an omega before so I’m thinking it was a redial at some point. My thoughts are to look for a dial, but I think the price will be high enough to tank any profit I may have made look for someone reputable that may be able to fix the logo or plan C finish cleaning the Deville logo off the dial since it seemed to wipe clean where I touched it and put it all back together after service.

I do know whatever was done to the dial was long ago there was 20yrs of crud and DNA on the lugs and case back.

A friend asked me to work on his grandfather’s watch. I’m a noob so I want to practice with multiple donors before I touch it. I think the seiko he wants me to help him with uses a mineral crystal. Bought a polish kit with diamond paste and went to work on the invicta. Really just textured the scratches. It’s acrylic so I’m assuming it’s easier than the Seiko. I’m planning on taping the Seiko properly. Ideally I guess id pop the crystal but not sure if I can use my normal round press without cracking the glass. Although I’ve seen people use burnishers to polish plated watches without removing metal, I thought id leave the case alone. I’m not at the point that I can fully service the watch but I could oil and adjust timing.

Advice?

Overall I'm quite satisfied. I've taken apart and put back together ST36 movements dozens of times. Bought a bag of busted movements from old chinese watches and got 4 of 10 operational again (the rest were literally smashed or pried out of cases instead of releasing the stem). Finally got up the nuts to service this one. It belonged to my Great Grandfather. 1957 Bulova Trojan with an 11AC movement. It was barely running. Very gunked up. A complete snowstorm on the timegrapher. My dad has had it in a drawer since his grandfather passed in 1983. So it hasn't even been touched in at least 43 years. Overall, I'm pretty happy. The accuracy is well within spec. I'm not thrilled with the beat error, but I'm equally not ready to mess with the hairspring collet just yet. My dad will be thrilled because it's working, and working acceptably. I've let it run overnight and the 'stats' didn't change. Very little variation rightside up, upside down, etc. I replaced the crystal with a NOS mineral glass I found on eBay, polished the case with a selvyt, etc. My only real challenge now is a bracelet. It has a serviceable 'stretch' bracelet but most of the plating is gone. Trying to keep it looking the same, just have to find a skinny, long stretch bracelet - my dad's wrist is about 8", as is mine, and this bracelet is at it's breaking point just trying to get it on haha. The amplitude is slightly on the low side, I did not replace the mainspring. This watch will likely never get worn but once or twice a year and feel like it's acceptable, it can be replaced next time I service it, probably when it belongs to me. The other watch (the little Rouen) is my next project. My dad got it for his birthday in about 1960 and it's been broken since about a month after he got it. I took it apart and found the balance shaft sheared and hairspring broken. Ordered a donor movement and I'll get to that soon.

I’m working on a vintage Soviet Vostok with a 2414 movement and the winding stem snapped off inside the crown.

Unfortunately the remaining piece of stem is basically flush/recessed inside the crown, so there’s nothing I can grab with pliers or tweezers. I’ve tried very carefully using a fine needle to rotate the broken piece anticlockwise, but haven’t had any luck and I don’t want to keep going and damage the inside of the crown.

I’d really like to save this particular crown because it’s the original gold-tone crown and I haven’t been able to find a matching replacement.

Photos attached under magnification.

Has anyone successfully removed a stem broken this deep inside a crown? What method would you recommend without destroying the crown?

Thanks!

I’ve been trying to hone in the regulation on this movement because from the factory it was always a little too slow for my taste/wearing behavior (plus I love this watch). I noticed from my first attempts that there was some obvious irregularities caused by magnetism that needed addressing so I de-magged it, and it was better. After many continued attempts of fine tuning the regulation, and more times of demagging it from either side of the watch (including dislodging the hacking arm woops!), something in the movement still causes a slight flicker of my compass. And the rotor causes an increase in speed if it is over the balance, by a magnitude of approx +3 secs a day, regardless of position.

Is this something I can address, or is it an inherent problem of the movement with a normal metallic balance spring where the error is considered to be averaged out in its expected operating parameters?
Or is perhaps replacing the rotor with a different rotor that is less prone to being magnetized? Are there silicon balance spring upgrades for these types of movements?

What are the opinions of those much smarter than me?

Hello!! I am looking for an idler wheel/ratchet for an Omega 552 machine. I belive part reference is 550 1464.

It's the one that when the oscillating wheel rotates, it loads the string. The clock is working, I just need to wind it up for it to function.

Do you know somebody in EU who’s selling it? Really tough to find it, thanks all!