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Good man you are. I'm now at my skill level where I am going to try to repair mangled balance springs. Microscope at the ready. Well actually in a few days. Can't concentrate to well after a tooth extraction and infection . Hence watching Youtube and reading 'Talk' posts.

Working on a Rocar (Ebauches Bettlach Cal. 8135) which is really putting my Padawan skills to the test - "I am no Jedi yet". However I think I may have spotted 2 issues, the first being a mangled hairspring: Usually I would have walked away from this, but decided to 'give it a go' and it ended up like this: Quite proud of myself Here is issue number 2.... can you spot it: Replaced the jewel using my jewelling tool (another first!) Lets hope those were the last of the surprises!

You won’t find an original willard or a decent dd in the US for under $1k. I think the willard repros are scarce now, too. A good A-11 can still be had for $300 a good A-17 for 500- get one of those yourself and make sure the company treats you! One of the hard shell militaries, Benrus et al will be a good choice, too… …and sorry to continue to veer ot but since the pics have been light here this week and if we’re talking tomorrow’s watch of today and something a bit more military, some visuals for one I hoped to have been posting by now… …got it to here yesterday, still much to be done…I’ll write it up in the more appropriate place…but what do y’all make of that dial?

I'm laughing because next time I order from cousins, I'll buy the correct rubber but in the I've done the same. An elastic band and its working fine.

Some had a thick rubber others a spring. Its just to pull the jaws out when you unwind. Cousins sell the spring, the spring on mine had set so i just wrapper a thick rubber band around a few times. Its be fine for over a year with my bodgy repair antics.

At least the timegrapher has no problem picking them up! BTW I managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, I didn't notice that the staff was broken. It wasn't until I removed the jewel to clean it that I noticed it floating around in there. Mrs W. asked if there was a way to fix it..... she didn't approve the purchase of a lathe.... but Christmas is coming soon, so you never know!

They are pretty easy to fully strip down Richard. I stripped them, cleaned up the fingers with 0000 steel wool and put the parts in the US. When i lubricated them I just used a small paintbrush (artists) with dielectric grease. It’s what I had on hand doing custom keyboards for the stabiliser’s so it has no detrimental effect on rubber or plastic. Tom

For anyone searching for the same answer in the future, I figured it out. The crown gasket is located in a groove just below the threads. The old one was still in my crown, but was rock hard and difficult to see. I've highlighted the groove in this image. And here's the old gasket next to the new replacement. The part number for the gasket is 0k0240b0a but my local supplier had it as OkO24ObOa

Everite King. ETA 980. New crystal.. It needs a strap, what do you think would be in keeping for this age and style of watch?

Come on members please keep it friendly. We all try to help. Just think before you start typing. For what its worth I still say it is a fake the engraving on the back of the case is very amateurish a single word has different size lettering.

Follow up - I found a data sheet on the ETA 955.424 here.

1974 Bulova on the original bracelet.

The decoration is called Guilloché.

Ya mean the crap ton factor?

Ahhh, something useful for my secret room but it is a missing whip .

It will likely be the cheapest Bergeon thing you will ever get, grab it quickly before it gets really expensive!

When it comes to the Yorkshireman, the tradition of ingenuity preceeds the spending of money is instilled from birth. Spend nowt unless yas av ta.

I remember this one being in the krypton factor in the 80's, no one completed it. I just wanna buy it to see how it goes together, its driving me nuts

The first ones are lathe arbors ( not sure if thats the correct term ) . Used for turning watch parts on turns ( a manual kind of lathe ). I think they could be used or adapted to be used on any type of lathe. Something for you new to watch repair guys over in the US. A good collection of tweezers, to buy as new i guess over 500 bucks. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386140911730?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=jmpmhdi2q1c&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=tBiLZaCfRb2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Use The Force Waggy…trust your feelings!!! …I love the love for the pins

Hi unfortunaly the cylinder can’t be repaired only replaced and to do that you need specialist knowledge and tools. One option is to replace the platform escapement entirely, for which you will need to take precise measurements of the size of the platform , location of screw holes and the depth of the escape pinion to engage the contrary wheel of the movement. The pivots on these known as tampons are replaceable fo a complete cylinder but yours is beyond that. To replace the cylinder only again. Requires tools the acquisition of which would be pricier than the clock.

My comments pertain to the aesthetics - not the trusty mechanical engineering of the works. Interestingly - the OP's ebay watch sold for $304 - which seems reasonable considering the large amount of work that looks required to bring it to market for the demographic.

Personally i like to collect old iconic watches, so many made famous by films etc. Or unusual designs.That doesn't especially make them a great watch just a theme of collecting. You've mentioned the Willard, how about a genuine A 11 military watch. Another iconic Seiko would be the Pogue space watch. A Citizen bullhead ?. A grand might even get you a Dirty Dozen, i dont know the availability of these in the US though, an A 11 is more appropriate for your country. Pre Swatch Omega Tissot or Longines , like Richard I'm not a fan of Swatch.

Sorry to repeat my question @316lad, but I'm really curious if you could elaborate on why you describe the movement as "a bit of rubbish". My main interest in watches is precisely their movements and so far I have a somewhat limited experience of the ETA movements and that is why I am so curious. Thanks!

I have been gone for a couple of weeks, traveling and canoeing and camping in the Quetico Provential Park (2 million acres of wilderness). Attaching a panoramic picture I took from one side of the campsite. Much solitude and lots of fish. The weather was (almost) perfect. About 60 miles of paddling. My 15th trip. Not sure how many more my body can give. This may be the last one.

Well, for me tomorrow’s Watch of Today might be a Seiko diver. I found a cheap franken I’m fixing for a nephew- there’s pics here somewhere. Researching how coherent I could make it I took a liking to some of the new and homage pieces from Seiko….….and the military/field watches are my thing. The Timor DD reproduction comes in just about on your budget…

I'm biased because I love Omega , (hate Swatch). They have produced some very average watches in the past but anyway. Not sure you can get what you want for the price.

With respect - I seek only to guide the OP with my prior knowledge of the brand. That remains my aim - despite somewhat supercilious tangents within the thread.

This is a friendly site, every one pitches in and helps each other. The advanced members must sometimes roll their eyes at the questions we amateurs ask but they do their best. I have not come across such a arrogant member as yourself on here before and hopefully I won't do again.

I think that's a good move but not necessarily because of your scpeticism about it being a fake. It represents a "dud" period in Cartier horology. Collectors aern't interested in this stuff - neither does it particularly grab the eye - design or build-wise. If the OP has thoughts about doing some Resto and selling it on - I'd pitch my bid at no more than £500 - though I suspect it will go for far more than that. But that doesn't make it validated. I adore Cartier - but I wouldn't bother with it - it's representational of dark days - Quartz Crisis was blowing a Hooley, nobody knew what to do, marketing people flapping about, etc. It has nothing to mitigate it's "cheapness" and oppotunism in a dynamically changing Swiss watchmaking industry in crisis. And Cheap - was never a Cartier selling point anyway. It would be a pass from me too.

I'm sorry - I can't teach you how to surf the Internet.

Who is @LittleWatchShop? Never heard of him. Hehe. Glad you enjoyed yourself and I hope there's at least one more trip in you.

Another 404 in the bag! See link below:

When you initially checked the hand setting before anything got disassembled and you thought it was 'Goldilocks'... Not too tight and not too loose when setting the hands, well when you get to the friction-fitted minute wheel, you would turn the minute wheel above the barrel which is friction-fitted in place and 'feel' how tight it is. That is the tightness you want to 'feel' when replacing the minute wheel and using a domed punch in your staking set of the correct size to slightly splay the collar that passes through the minute wheel. That's why it is important to check that tightness on each hit of the punch because if you go too far the hand setting will be really tight, but also you'll need to remove the minute wheel and start again. Knowing that it can be hard to remove the minute wheel, if you have over-tightened it, it will be incredibly hard to remove, hence making those hammer blows light and keep checking the tightness. After you have had the experience of what feels correct a few times, it'll be child's play afterward. remember to check the minute wheel and barrel cover after removing, so that it is absolutely flat before replacing. You can see why the minute wheel needs removing by the amount of old grease in there, by your pic. Most of what I've explained is in the presentations. The slide I show using razor blades to rest the hand levers on is pretty important, as too much pressure will be put on the barrel cover and bend it. In fact, if you have a washer, cut it in half and that makes a better support, as it will rest on most of the barrel cover.

The two jewel ISA 1198 based " Montine of Switzerland" "Swiss Quartz" arrived, and It looks completely unworn. However the original battery had destroyed the lower battery contact. Bizarrely it hadn't corroded, in a conventional manner, but rather it had split into a number of thin strips. I fabricated a replacement (from a 10K ohm resistor leg, flattened in the vice), and now it is running perfectly.

Today I've been wearing my newly serviced "Services" with the Smiths Cal 627. I new nothing about the Smiths factory at Ystradgynlais making "cheap" watch movements until I got this. This is a rare(ish) 17J and runs better than I ever imagined it would. After running overnight, I've warn it all day, including a round of golf (a challenge for any watch) and after 24h it's +2s. Amazing for such a cheap watch. I wrote about it here

Holy dumba$$ Batman... There IS a circlip. I had another closer look from the side, and lo and behold.... It's a tiny silver clip at the base of the brass collar. I couldn't see it from above. Boy do i feel silly. Thanks @mikepilk and @RichardHarris123 Still, i'm glad i posted and did NOT try to force the wheel. Another problem solved thanks to you guys and this forum!

If you look in the Cousins documents they have one for the 955 series. For the 955.422 it shows a C clip holding the day wheel, which is expected. I don't know what could be holding it down.

What worries me with copies/fakes is if after a repair it is then sold on as genuine. Am I then party to the fraud even if I only repaired it. A grey area in law that I would not like to challenge.

I was willing to listen to your opinion because I have read that Cartier produced some pretty average watches in the past. But please don't question my intelligence, the link you provided only had on photo.

I know this all too well, I gave my brother in law a Seiko and he went out the next day and plaid a round if golf, one of the chapter markers came loose and wedged under the minuet hand. Tube of super glue to the rescue!