3777 - 3, ZeroGravity - 0

[ZeroGravity]

Excuse the rant, but I need to vent. My 3777 is cursed. I love the watch and it is (was?) my favorite of my collection but I have had pretty much zero luck with it

First, I wanted a bracelet to replace the weak rep strap. Picked one up M2M but the micro adjust slipped (fully disclosed). Get it put on, looks great. Decide to try and see if I can fix the micro-adjust with some shims because it has too much play in the grooves so the teeth won't engage, when I see that after a only a short time on the watch, one of the clasp release buttons has fallen off.

OK I will just pick up a nicer strap (timepiecerepublic), and maybe a rep deployant (M2M). Get both in the mail the same day, all good so far. Figure I should do the button pusher fix while the strap is off. Takes longer than expected, because the tiny O-rings keep popping out. Get it back together, seems to be working OK, chrono works, resets. Case the movement, caseback is a [censored] to get on. Put the strap on with the deployant and the clasp won't stay snapped shut. The clasp is just too loose, can't do anything about it. Sigh, strike two. Back tang clasp

Final straw, after about 45minutes, look at the time, and it's stopped running. WTF, it was wound properly. Take the [censored] of a caseback off, check the stem, can set the time, date, but no chrono, not running. Gently tap the balance wheel, not moving. Looks like the hack lever is jammed. Strike three

Damn, the one watch I didn't want to screw up ends up being screwed by trying to prevent the damn chrono pusher from coming off.

 

[DRBAFC]

We've all been there and done that. It sucks but it's a valuable lesson to learn. Get a couple more screw ups out the way and you'll soon do these things with your eyes closed.

 

[Mirage]

That is sad mate... A true love/hate relationship. Hope you can resolve everything to your satisfaction.

 

[ZeroGravity]

I'll be diving into the hack lever tomorrow. I can't really make it much worse I suppose. Wish I knew what I did to cause it though. Everything seemed to go back right.

 

[Albranius]

Ah, I feel the pain with you. Just:

 

[ZeroGravity]

Update. Following a post over at RWGF, I took the balance bridge assemble off and looked at the hack lever action. Seemed OK, it was retracting fine. After taking several attempts to get the balance wheel back in its proper place - getting it in the pivot is hard enough and oh yeah you have to get the impulse pallet in the middle of the fork. Working sort of OK but turning over the movement and the it stops. Turn it back over, check the pivots OK, touch the balance wheel, sometime is goes again sometimes it seems jammed.

I am guessing at this point that it is the balance wheels pivots or shock absorber that is messed up. It is beyond my abilities at this point so I am going to see if the local watch repair guy can do anything.

 

[Ballface]

Makes you think how much those Chinese watch smiths actually know of their trade. They could totally beat me 100-0 any day of the week, the amount of work put into an even $100 rep is astounding when you consider movement R&D, movement assembly, case fabrication etc.