SO are the 390s going to break down?

[seoulbrova]

Not sure what policy here is to linking to other sites but found this interesting.

http://www.rwg.cc/topic/139117-warning-6497-movement-wo-seconds-disaster-on-your-wrist/

Please remove if it is not allowed. I've copied text from the post below:

"If you own a handwind PAM, you know how many turns are needed of the crown to fully wind it up. You also know how much force is needed to wind that big 48 hour power reserve mainspring.

All the mainspring power is held back by the escapment and of course the train gears. The mainspring can only unwind slowly over 48 hours. If something happens to cause the train gears to disengage, the mainspring will unwind in a milisecond.


WHEN the 2nd wheels in the above examples finally grind down the jewel enough to cause the gear train to disengage, the mainspring will unwind fully and take with it the minute hand and hour hand and everything else...kiss your watch good bye...

Not only are the dial and hands destroyed, the force has also stripped and damaged all the gears in the movement.

RESULT

Dial is ruined
Hands are ruined
Movement is destroyed

SOLUTION

1 Don't buy any handwind PAM that doesn't have running seconds, unless you are going to fix it
2 If you do buy one, have it serviced/repaired as soon as you get it
3 If you use the services of a modder to remove your seconds post (FGD dial install for example), make sure it's done correctly - ask for pictures of the workmanship, ask if they own a DREMEL

PROBLEMS

1 There are NO SPARE parts available for ASIAN 6497's, so if you have a A6497 and need a new 2nd wheel, you have to buy a complete movement to get a replacement gear
2 For the ETA movements, replacement parts are available, so repair is not a problem"


Can anybody comment on this being a problem on all Pams w/ no seconds?

Seems like the dealers would hear plenty of gripes if it happened frequently.

 

[Gr00v3]

does this include the 000 and 112 and whatnot?

those have been out for a while, correct?

 

[Q5?]

My thinking exactly. :thinking:

 

[Gr00v3]

i have an h factory 000n heading my way. i'd be very disappointed if this happened

 

[armanou-pascal]

have the 114 and the 390 too ... no problems at all :maty:

We'll see what happens opcorn:

 

[Gr00v3]

speaking of which, i just checked my tracking, and it's supposed to be arriving today.

I'm having mixed emotions now.

 

[glad4817]

So is this the factory chopping the movement, or modders?

 

[seoulbrova]

i think its a combination of both.

i'm going to be really upset if this happens on the 390 I have incoming because I would have gone with a 111 otherwise

 

[Mambo]

My 112 is already running strong for over 3 years, ....

 

[SpootyPuff]

Ziggy knows what's up but is this an isolated incident? or a have a very low chance of happening?

I had a 112 for 3 yrs like Mambo, and I even wounded it several times to the max - where it couldn't go anymore - and it has always ran strong. No issues.
At some point, I even jerked it past the max because I was doing 50 million other things and wasn't paying close attention to it.

EDIT: it was a DSN for the curious...

 

[nielsen]

My DSN 112 gets wound up 'till it stops every time I wear it--which is very frequently because I love it. It was my first rep and still runs like a trooper--at least three years on now. Having said that, I did pay to have a Swiss movement installed.

 

[countit]

How far are they supposed to be wound? I wind mine until it stops but I don't at all put any pressure on it when it gets to this point.

 

[alvinado]

one word, no.

The seconds wheel has been removed completely from the movement and no it is not going to break down

 

[korneevy]

Well I think even rep factories are up to speed on this one, at least notionally.

Look at some recent PAM base release descriptions on Josh's site, and it appears they are emphasizing the fact that the "seconds pin removed correctly, not cut" in some of them, while others leave this little detail out which to me sounds like they are skimming on the removal and simply cut the seconds pin off with a dremmel and move on.

I dont have any H/F factory base PAMs in my collection so I cant open and check how it was done, unfortunately. Wont be the first time dealers are gently misleading gen pop with their sale pitches though

 

[jonnyknox]

@alvin

"The seconds wheel has been removed completely from the movement and no it is not going to break down "

The 6497 does not work without the seconds wheel!

 

[alvinado]

@alvin

"The seconds wheel has been removed completely from the movement and no it is not going to break down "

The 6497 does not work without the seconds wheel!

sorry not the wheel, i meant the pin on the wheel.

 

[Mambo]

http://www.rwg.cc/topic/143320-pam-390-cut-seconds-pinion-done-correctly-at-least-this-one/

 

[Mickey Padge]

Drumming up business for watch repairs maybe?