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Dogwood's Watchmaking Journey
- Thread starter dogwood
- Start date
Thanks for the updates, its great to get inpiration (and knowledge).
I have gotten a mic to use with TG, based on one of your posts., and when I have some free time I'll attempt to compile TG to Mac.
Right now I've installed an executable on a windows virtual machine.. but have trouble passing the usb to the virtual machine
I listen to the heartbeat of my watches in my Mac, and that's already something just have to pass the usb or audio to the virtual machine.. or compile for Mac.. easy peasy, just need some time to dive into it.
I have gotten a mic to use with TG, based on one of your posts., and when I have some free time I'll attempt to compile TG to Mac.
Right now I've installed an executable on a windows virtual machine.. but have trouble passing the usb to the virtual machine
I listen to the heartbeat of my watches in my Mac, and that's already something
just have to pass the usb or audio to the virtual machine.. or compile for Mac.. easy peasy, just need some time to dive into it.
It should be pretty straightforward to compile version 0.6.1 on Mac. But there also also binary executables for max of version 0.5.0 on the original author’s GitHub. Best of luck with it and let me know if you have any questions.Thanks for the updates, its great to get inpiration (and knowledge).
I have gotten a mic to use with TG, based on one of your posts., and when I have some free time I'll attempt to compile TG to Mac.
Right now I've installed an executable on a windows virtual machine.. but have trouble passing the usb to the virtual machine
I listen to the heartbeat of my watches in my Mac, and that's already something
Ok… trigger warning: What you are about to see might make you cry blood.
A members here recently sent me an Explorer I that was having some issues. The history of this watch (as I understand it) is that it was recently purchased and shipped directly to a watchsmith (whom I will not name). The watchsmith allegedly serviced the movement and checked the waterproofness of the case. When the owner of the watch got it home, he got it slightly wet and instantly the crystal fogged up.
The owner was obviously quite upset that he’d “done the right thing” by getting his rep serviced and waterproofed as soon as it arrived in country, only to have it fog up as soon as it was exposed to moisture.
I volunteered to fix the owners watch. It sucks to pay a lot of money for something that you’re really excited about only to have it break right away.
When the watch arrived on my bench it was cold and a few seconds after I unscrewed the crown the crystal fogged up. This told me that whatever there was in the crown tube wasn’t doing it’s job of keeping the warm air from my apartment from getting inside the case and instantly condensing on the cold glass.
Not only that, it looked like the second hand hadn’t been properly pressed down so it was fouling the crystal and sweeping up the condensation:
I started to disassemble the movement and to my horror when I pulled out that crown, this is what I saw:
The stem was rusty. It looks like surface rust for now. But certainly not what I wanted to find.
The horrors continued as I dug into the movement. There was dirt and lint everywhere. And there was more surface rust around the keyless works on the main plate.
But the real horrors were found on the barrel bridge and ratchet wheel.
Under the barrel bridge there was an absolute flood of oil on / in / around the barrel arbor.
I’m not sure if this watch has been serviced at all, or just “serviced” by somebody who doesn’t know what they were doing (and who works in a coal mine!)…
Regardless, I now have all the parts in my cleaner, washing away the sins of their troubled past.
A members here recently sent me an Explorer I that was having some issues. The history of this watch (as I understand it) is that it was recently purchased and shipped directly to a watchsmith (whom I will not name). The watchsmith allegedly serviced the movement and checked the waterproofness of the case. When the owner of the watch got it home, he got it slightly wet and instantly the crystal fogged up.
The owner was obviously quite upset that he’d “done the right thing” by getting his rep serviced and waterproofed as soon as it arrived in country, only to have it fog up as soon as it was exposed to moisture.
I volunteered to fix the owners watch. It sucks to pay a lot of money for something that you’re really excited about only to have it break right away.
When the watch arrived on my bench it was cold and a few seconds after I unscrewed the crown the crystal fogged up. This told me that whatever there was in the crown tube wasn’t doing it’s job of keeping the warm air from my apartment from getting inside the case and instantly condensing on the cold glass.
Not only that, it looked like the second hand hadn’t been properly pressed down so it was fouling the crystal and sweeping up the condensation:
I started to disassemble the movement and to my horror when I pulled out that crown, this is what I saw:
The stem was rusty. It looks like surface rust for now. But certainly not what I wanted to find.
The horrors continued as I dug into the movement. There was dirt and lint everywhere. And there was more surface rust around the keyless works on the main plate.
But the real horrors were found on the barrel bridge and ratchet wheel.
Under the barrel bridge there was an absolute flood of oil on / in / around the barrel arbor.
I’m not sure if this watch has been serviced at all, or just “serviced” by somebody who doesn’t know what they were doing (and who works in a coal mine!)…
Regardless, I now have all the parts in my cleaner, washing away the sins of their troubled past.
- 19/1/16
- 4,408
- 5,066
- 113
That's nastyOk… trigger warning: What you are about to see might make you cry blood.
A members here recently sent me an Explorer I that was having some issues. The history of this watch (as I understand it) is that it was recently purchased and shipped directly to a watchsmith (whom I will not name). The watchsmith allegedly serviced the movement and checked the waterproofness of the case. When the owner of the watch got it home, he got it slightly wet and instantly the crystal fogged up.
The owner was obviously quite upset that he’d “done the right thing” by getting his rep serviced and waterproofed as soon as it arrived in country, only to have it fog up as soon as it was exposed to moisture.
I volunteered to fix the owners watch. It sucks to pay a lot of money for something that you’re really excited about only to have it break right away.
When the watch arrived on my bench it was cold and a few seconds after I unscrewed the crown the crystal fogged up. This told me that whatever there was in the crown tube wasn’t doing it’s job of keeping the warm air from my apartment from getting inside the case and instantly condensing on the cold glass.
Not only that, it looked like the second hand hadn’t been properly pressed down so it was fouling the crystal and sweeping up the condensation:
I started to disassemble the movement and to my horror when I pulled out that crown, this is what I saw:
The stem was rusty. It looks like surface rust for now. But certainly not what I wanted to find.
The horrors continued as I dug into the movement. There was dirt and lint everywhere. And there was more surface rust around the keyless works on the main plate.
But the real horrors were found on the barrel bridge and ratchet wheel.
Under the barrel bridge there was an absolute flood of oil on / in / around the barrel arbor.
I’m not sure if this watch has been serviced at all, or just “serviced” by somebody who doesn’t know what they were doing (and who works in a coal mine!)…
Regardless, I now have all the parts in my cleaner, washing away the sins of their troubled past.
- 19/1/16
- 4,408
- 5,066
- 113
More like an olive oil, extra virgin.
My bet is Moebius D5, but WAY too much of it.
The inside of the barrel was also completely gunked up:
Agreed. I don’t want to name-and-shame in my “journey” thread… but needless to say, the butcher behind this “service” was not a trusted vendor on RWI.
For anybody curious, there are details over in the Canada rep-watchsmith thread. I’ve seen screenshots of payment and text messages conversations between the owner and the previous “watchsmith”, so I can confirm that this watch was previously serviced by the person named in the linked post.
Best watch repair/mod service in Canada
That sounds reasonable for him to do. Just make sure you do your homework on fitment etc. He should be able to do it. He works on various types of movements. He has serviced 6497,7750,7753 and Pam superclone movements for me. I am not sure of other movements but I think he can. Double check with...
forum.replica-watch.info
Back to what we’re all actually here for: watch movement porn!
So there was quite a bit of surface rust on both the main plate and also the stem (see above). For the main plate, I simply used a broach to very lightly smooth the stem channel and remove the rust. For the flat part of the main plate I used 1000 grit sand paper.
For the stem things were a bit more tricky. I put the stem in a pin vise and used a folded over strip of 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the surface rust. But getting into the grooves was a challenge. I under up using cape cod cloth squeezed between my fingers as I rotated the stem in the pin vise to get the cloth down into the grooves to remove the rust.
A smart watch smith would just replace the stem with a new one. But unfortunately the keyless on this movement is an ETA style and I don’t have a spare on my bench. (So obviously I’ve ordered a set of AliExpress ETA stems for next time or in case my sanding / polishing took off too much metal… N+1 spare parts for the bench).
So there was quite a bit of surface rust on both the main plate and also the stem (see above). For the main plate, I simply used a broach to very lightly smooth the stem channel and remove the rust. For the flat part of the main plate I used 1000 grit sand paper.
For the stem things were a bit more tricky. I put the stem in a pin vise and used a folded over strip of 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the surface rust. But getting into the grooves was a challenge. I under up using cape cod cloth squeezed between my fingers as I rotated the stem in the pin vise to get the cloth down into the grooves to remove the rust.
A smart watch smith would just replace the stem with a new one. But unfortunately the keyless on this movement is an ETA style and I don’t have a spare on my bench. (So obviously I’ve ordered a set of AliExpress ETA stems for next time or in case my sanding / polishing took off too much metal… N+1 spare parts for the bench).
More watch porn… I finished up with Tye movement and polished up the case. Overall I’m pretty happy with how this watch looks and performs now.
GGEuroHEADSHOT
Renowned Member
Jesus Christ. How did that even happen? There is no way it was even close to being that bad when it left the factory, before the WATCHSMITH got his hands on it. It looks like one of those restoration videos of a guy riding his bike and finding an old abdonded watch which he decided to fix.
THIS WATCH CAME STRAIGHT FROM THE FACTORY TO THE WATCHSMITH, and that was his finished, serviced result which he went to his CUSTOMER.
This is a real RWI horror story. Like Halloween style. To treat a watch like that is a sin, and some transgressions can only be paid for in blood.
I am shocked to see that. Honestly. Wow.
THIS WATCH CAME STRAIGHT FROM THE FACTORY TO THE WATCHSMITH, and that was his finished, serviced result which he went to his CUSTOMER.
This is a real RWI horror story. Like Halloween style. To treat a watch like that is a sin, and some transgressions can only be paid for in blood.
I am shocked to see that. Honestly. Wow.
- 11/7/16
- 2,432
- 2,356
- 113
Agreed. I pressed it down with enough force that I was worried I’d push the center seconds jewel out of the train bridge if I pressed any harder. It didn’t foul the crystal. But let’s add “mangled hands” to the list of things that the previous “watchsmith” did to this poor time piece.
My new BTF blue dial 116509 arrived today which meant it was time to condition a new oyster bracelet. Historically I’ve cleaned the bracelet in an ultrasonic cleaner, soaked it in Silicone WD-40, let it dry, soaked it in mineral oil, then used lint free towels to remove the excess, and finally run it under gently flowing warm water to finish.
This time I’m trying a variation. Rather than let the bracelet soak for a few hours in the WD-40 and mineral oil, I’m using my old DIY waterproof tester as an improvised pressure chamber. I figure if I cycle the pressure up to 6atm and down to 0atm (gauge), I’ll be able to more quickly get the oil into all the nooks and crannies of the metal on metal surfaces of the bracelet.
I kept the WD-40 and mineral oil in a ziplock bag, and used a few centimeters of water in the bottom of the vessel to help make sure air would form bubbles which would rise when I released the pressure.
The process seems to have worked well. Oil looks like it got into everywhere it needed to go. And the bracelet feels nice and smooth with none of the “cheap” sounding high pitch squeak-clicky sound that new rep bracelets have.
Oh, and here’s a pic of the actual finished product.
This time I’m trying a variation. Rather than let the bracelet soak for a few hours in the WD-40 and mineral oil, I’m using my old DIY waterproof tester as an improvised pressure chamber. I figure if I cycle the pressure up to 6atm and down to 0atm (gauge), I’ll be able to more quickly get the oil into all the nooks and crannies of the metal on metal surfaces of the bracelet.
I kept the WD-40 and mineral oil in a ziplock bag, and used a few centimeters of water in the bottom of the vessel to help make sure air would form bubbles which would rise when I released the pressure.
The process seems to have worked well. Oil looks like it got into everywhere it needed to go. And the bracelet feels nice and smooth with none of the “cheap” sounding high pitch squeak-clicky sound that new rep bracelets have.
Oh, and here’s a pic of the actual finished product.
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Oh boy… an AP 3120 movement (ZF) arrived on my bench with a movement that was running “erratically”… I think I can see why the time keeping of this movement isn’t working properly. I’m pretty sure a hairspring isn’t supposed to look like this:
I don’t know the history of this movement but I’m assuming somebody took it apart and didn’t treat the balance like a borderline critical mass of plutonium (read: very very carefully).
I’ve reached out to my WeChat sources to see if it’s possible to a buy 3120 movement for parts. But I’m not holding my breath. The balance wheel is 8.86mm in diameter, and it kinda looks like a miyota 8215 balance wheel (2 arms, 21600 beat rate). What are the odds that ZF (or whomever makes this movement) just used a standard miyota balance wheel in the 3120?
Regardless… I figured since the hairspring on this movement is very broken, then I couldn’t make it worse by trying to bend it back into shape.
And so, after a lot of brushing my tweezers along the hairspring, I managed to get the shape looking slightly more “normal”. And shockingly, the watch actually keeps (bad) time according to my time grapher.
I’d love to hear anybody’s thoughts about the possibility of using a 8215 balance wheel… or if anybody has a broken clone AP 3120 movement, I’d love to buy it for parts
I don’t know the history of this movement but I’m assuming somebody took it apart and didn’t treat the balance like a borderline critical mass of plutonium (read: very very carefully).
I’ve reached out to my WeChat sources to see if it’s possible to a buy 3120 movement for parts. But I’m not holding my breath. The balance wheel is 8.86mm in diameter, and it kinda looks like a miyota 8215 balance wheel (2 arms, 21600 beat rate). What are the odds that ZF (or whomever makes this movement) just used a standard miyota balance wheel in the 3120?
Regardless… I figured since the hairspring on this movement is very broken, then I couldn’t make it worse by trying to bend it back into shape.
And so, after a lot of brushing my tweezers along the hairspring, I managed to get the shape looking slightly more “normal”. And shockingly, the watch actually keeps (bad) time according to my time grapher.
I’d love to hear anybody’s thoughts about the possibility of using a 8215 balance wheel… or if anybody has a broken clone AP 3120 movement, I’d love to buy it for parts
An interesting watch arrived on my bench today. The owner said that the hands seem to move erratically. I'd say that's true:
My guess is that one of the train wheels is broken or out of place so the power from the mainspring isn't being caught and regulated by the escapement.
I opened the caseback, and removed the automatic module to get a look at the train bridge... under the microscope, something looked wrong. I couldn't see the pivot of the escape wheel in the jewel hole of the train bridge. It turns out that's because the escape wheel pivot had been crushed:
Fortunately I have a spare "parts" VR3235 on my bench, so I was able to salvage an escape wheel with an intact pivot:
The movement runs nicely now... so today we all learned why it's important to be extremely gentle when replacing the train wheel bridge, and to ensure that all the train wheel pivots are in their jewel holes before screwing the bridge down.
My guess is that one of the train wheels is broken or out of place so the power from the mainspring isn't being caught and regulated by the escapement.
I opened the caseback, and removed the automatic module to get a look at the train bridge... under the microscope, something looked wrong. I couldn't see the pivot of the escape wheel in the jewel hole of the train bridge. It turns out that's because the escape wheel pivot had been crushed:
Fortunately I have a spare "parts" VR3235 on my bench, so I was able to salvage an escape wheel with an intact pivot:
The movement runs nicely now... so today we all learned why it's important to be extremely gentle when replacing the train wheel bridge, and to ensure that all the train wheel pivots are in their jewel holes before screwing the bridge down.
