PAM / MM repair advice please.

[JM79]

A couple of years back I got a 'Marina Militare' branded PAM style watch - a Luminor with the seconds dial in place of the 9. An Asian 6497 movement, hand-winding. This stopped working a couple of months back - I'm not very technically-minded but nothing is happening when winding. I contacted a couple of watch repair places and they told me it would need a service for £100+.

PLEASE don't tell me to throw it away and buy a new one. That's not solving the problem, and I could end up with another that just gives up after a year or two.

Now, I know very little about watch repair but surely I wouldn't need to pay this much to sort out the problem? How much would it cost to get a new movement and just replace it? And would you recommend a beginner like myself to even attempt it?

If not, are there any good people in England who could help me out with this?

Thanks for reading.

 

[erick510]

A couple of years back I got a 'Marina Militare' branded PAM style watch - a Luminor with the seconds dial in place of the 9. An Asian 6497 movement, hand-winding. This stopped working a couple of months back - I'm not very technically-minded but nothing is happening when winding. I contacted a couple of watch repair places and they told me it would need a service for £100+.

PLEASE don't tell me to throw it away and buy a new one. That's not solving the problem, and I could end up with another that just gives up after a year or two.

Now, I know very little about watch repair but surely I wouldn't need to pay this much to sort out the problem? How much would it cost to get a new movement and just replace it? And would you recommend a beginner like myself to even attempt it?

If not, are there any good people in England who could help me out with this?

Thanks for reading.

On ebay they run from 40-60 dollar.

 

[JM79]

A lot cheaper then. I just don't know if I'd be able to do the work myself or if I'd end up with a disassembled watch and tears in my eyes...

 

[erick510]

What's the issue? Does it not wind ?

 

[JM79]

That's right. The watch has a display back so I can see when I'm winding it that there's nothing happening to the mainspring anymore.

 

[kilowattore]

Do you feel resistance when you wind it. I mean like it felt before it broke?

 

[JM79]

No, there's no resistance there now.

 

[erick510]

Does the crown keep spining ? Might be the crown

 

[kilowattore]

Or a broken barrel.
If you can't swap the movement yourself a 100gbp price tag is reasonable. 50 for movement, 50 for work. Jmho.

 

[JM79]

I see! Didn't realise it could easily cost that much. The crown doesn't feel loose as such, just that when I'm turning it, it's not actually doing anything. Ah, how I'd love to be able to do some work on watches myself. Maybe one day. Though with my clumsiness and lack of patience, I can't imagine I'd be a natural.

 

[Strodda]

When you're winding, does it ever have a hard stopping point? The 6497 should not let you wind past 50ish turns. If you can infinitely wind, then like @kilowattore said, probably a broken mainspring.

 

[JM79]

It certainly used to have a definite stopping point, but now I wouldn't even bother turning the crown 50 times as it's painfully clear it's having no effect.

I've found somebody willing to replace the movement for me, so hopefully I'll have better luck this time round.

Is it true that the Asian 6497 is just as good, if not better, than the Swiss version? Is it likely that I just ended up with a bad example?

 

[cobratom]

It certainly used to have a definite stopping point, but now I wouldn't even bother turning the crown 50 times as it's painfully clear it's having no effect.

I've found somebody willing to replace the movement for me, so hopefully I'll have better luck this time round.

Is it true that the Asian 6497 is just as good, if not better, than the Swiss version? Is it likely that I just ended up with a bad example?

I had trouble with mine when I got it, had it serviced and the mainspring replaced. Now has a power reserve of around 57 hours. Happy out

 

[Strodda]

It certainly used to have a definite stopping point, but now I wouldn't even bother turning the crown 50 times as it's painfully clear it's having no effect.

I've found somebody willing to replace the movement for me, so hopefully I'll have better luck this time round.

Is it true that the Asian 6497 is just as good, if not better, than the Swiss version? Is it likely that I just ended up with a bad example?

The swiss version is superior, but they can both function the same. And for the price, an a6497 is a great deal. If you can find an eta6497-2 it could run you $500, and easily more depending on the finish.