Cartier Caliber 90 stem problem

[Dmitry]

Good time of the day!

I got a used Cartier Vermeil 20mm as a gift. The watch was in a terrible condition, so I had the case re-plated with 24K, polished the glass and when it came to cleaning and oiling the 90 caliber I came to realization that I have no idea on how the setting mechanism is setup. The stem right now can be simply pulled out.

I read a related note here, but it does not really show if the setting spring is setup correctly in my variant, I also have a different configuration / shape of setting lever.

 

 

I will appreciate any guidance on how to assemble it correctly and any further oiling instructions.

Thank you.

Dmitry

[JohnR725]

Minor confusion on my part the number 90 and the number 690 Not exactly the same number are they? But both of them exist as a movement that has a similar look?

Sometimes with Cartier, EBEL And PIAGET You'll find that they all use the same movements usually with different numbers. Then if you're lucky you can find a tech sheet for one of those. Unfortunately for the 90 all I found out was at the third link the part that holds the stem in place interchanges with a ebel 87. Then the Cartier 690 is the same as the Piaget 690P Which might have been helpful because I do have some tech sheets for the Piaget  But just not that one.

The fourth link has an interesting picture of the part found on the third link and it's definitely interesting. Interesting is it has extra stuff on it so not quite sure how it's supposed to work.

So basically unfortunately when working on a really expensive watches like this could just is limited information out there.

 

https://calibercorner.com/cartier-caliber-690/

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Cartier_90

https://www.startimesupply.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=4f77adef2f447de3435a26e82a0e41ef&Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=CT-EB87-90-SL &Category_Code=

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cartier-090-Set-Lever-detent-Genuine-New-also-fits-690-087-687/163908338192?hash=item2629b2c210:g:-iQAAOSwmeNdp4FQ

[Dmitry]

Thank you @JohnR725.

I think you have taken me one giant leap towards victory here!

The caliber is marked as Cartier 90, and all research I have done to date states that the 690 movement is a supersession movement that was used in later shipments. Interestingly enough, the comment here https://calibercorner.com/cartier-caliber-690/ about this movement states that it has 8 jewels, which might be the difference between the movements, along with potentially a more recent / upgraded quartz mainboard.

The plate on the 90 movement clearly states SEVEN jewels, I am looking forward to counting them all when cleaning and oiling the movement once I get past the stem issue and get it to work again.

As for the 90 movement interchangablity, I have seen multiple sites claiming that the Cartier 90 is actually Ebel 90 movement. No information anywhere on any of these:(

However, based on the shape of the setting lever on ebay you shared, I now suspect that my lever is simply broken and needs replacement, as it looks differently and is missing the catch at the very end, yet unlike the one on ebay, mine has the through-hole at the end, while the one on ebay just has a notch. Thank you for the links, I had to break out a super-magnifier to check if the catch has broken off on the level, and at 25x I noticed that there is a remnant of a clean break on the soldered washer.

I will appreciate if you could share with me any spec sheets of similar / related movement, anything on quartz board parameters?

If you can share any generic oiling instructions I will appreciate it very much, so far I plan to use 9010 in all the usual key points, although I am a bit concerned about Mark's commen in the thread I have referenced in my initial message regarding oiling the jewels.

 

[JohnR725]

One of the interesting things about this discussion group is if we can find the discussion it's probably been asked before may be perhaps. Although recently somebody asked about quartz watches I'm giving you a link should give the allotted good information to get started.

Then for your broken part yes I notice that. I can't tell us some pictures are just a generic part because others the part is very different.

Then about the only technical information I could find is this for the other version the 690. But it is good it has things like the current consumption and low voltage etc.

 

https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/18157-starting-on-quartz

3982_Cartier 690-1.pdf

[HectorLooi]

The part on the setting lever that the arrow is pointing at doesn't look broken. But could you turn the setting lever over and take a picture of the underside. I think the pin that sits in the groove of the winding stem might be broken.

[Dmitry]

2 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

The part on the setting lever that the arrow is pointing at doesn't look broken. But could you turn the setting lever over and take a picture of the underside. I think the pin that sits in the groove of the winding stem might be broken.

Hello Hector - the lever in the picture is shown is the buttom side, the top side is all smooth and polished.

Here is the picture of the spring that pushes on the stem (in the groove), or at least I think that it is what it does. It simply does not fit any other way, unlike the lever, which I am not sure is positioned correctly in my picture from above.

@JohnR725 - thank you for the great source on the quartz and the thread, I am very new to this forum, so will need to do more digging around:)

[JohnR725]

3 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

The part on the setting lever that the arrow is pointing at doesn't look broken. But could you turn the setting lever over and take a picture of the underside.

It's not quite that simple I'm afraid? On some of the quartz watches lever doesn't actually have a pin it just goes into the slot and the picture we have just isn't good enough to tell us that. The other problem is we have two separate people selling that part and a distinctly different for the same heart? Plus we don't have a tech sheet because one doesn't seem to exist for this watch.

3 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

I think the pin that sits in the groove of the winding stem might be broken.

In one of the images I circled the protruding pin. The other part seems to be a mystery? Plus on the mystery parts we get two sides of it which doesn't help at all.