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An Ebel from a bag of bits....

Angrybear
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Angrybear WRT Addict

Angrybear

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I recently received a bag of broken watch bits in the post with a note attached. The note read, “see what you can do with this lot”. 
I wasn’t very hopeful but it turned out there was at least one complete watch in there. After spending time piecing everything together I realised a new quartz movement would be required. 
An ETA 64111 seemed to fit all the measurements and one was ordered. After a lot of dial cleaning, hand straightening, and case/ bracelet polishing I ended up with a complete working watch. 

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Angrybear WRT Addict

Angrybear

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Im really not happy with how the crown sits. The original crown had the stem broken off in it (but not flush, quite a way down inside), and I didn't want to wait ages for alum to work. Also being a closed back the watch had a split stem. I converted the standard ETA 64111 stem in to a split stem, by shaping a male end under the microscope with some small files. I purchased the female end from cousins and screwed this into a replacement crown. After spending ages with the files getting a clean union between the male and female ends, it turns out my measurements were 1/2 a mm out!

Im sure I will sulk over this overnight and then buy a new stem tomorrow and start all over again. This time with a 0.5mm shorter initial cut!

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Angrybear WRT Addict

Angrybear

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22 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

Hi   Pheonix watch   eh   Rose from the ashes,  Have a beer and dont sulk being 1/2 a mill out using hand tools is pretty good go to bed with a smile🙂 

Thanks watchweasol, you always make me smile. 

Marc Distinguished Member

Marc

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Rather than start all over again can you not just remove the outer half of the stem from the crown, shorten by 0.5mm, and the reinstal?

Cracking resurrection by the way 🙂

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Angrybear WRT Addict

Angrybear

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9 minutes ago, Marc said:

Rather than start all over again can you not just remove the outer half of the stem from the crown, shorten by 0.5mm, and the reinstal?

Cracking resurrection by the way 🙂

Is this one of those times where you are so blinded by messing something up, that you can't see the obvious solution?!

Bl**dy hell Marc, you might be right! Ill have a look and reply...

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anilv Distinguished Member

anilv

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Great rescue! I've always wanted one but so far none has come my way at the right price.

They used to have an advertisement on TV about 40 years back... their tagline was 'Architects of time'.. not sure if it still is.

Anilv

KarlvonKoln Distinguished Member

KarlvonKoln

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That's a pretty thing!  I like the unique case style and bracelet style.  Some watches help you stay on top of the passage of time by being so aesthetic that you just want to keep looking at them.

Angrybear WRT Addict

Angrybear

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On 11/24/2021 at 7:01 PM, watchweasol said:

Hi Angrybear   did you shave off the excess for a good fit as Marc suggested.  Don't hide it show us the result

Sorry for the delayed response gentleman (and ladies if you are present).

I did take it apart to investigate Marcs suggestion. I forgot that when I made the crown side of the stem I left no room for adjustment (see photo below). 
The only way I can see to adjust that would be to reduce the shoulder of the female side where it meets the crown, effectively meaning I could screw the female stem part in further, ideally by 0.5mm. Still undecided whether to try this (ideally on a watchmaker lathe I don’t have), or to remake the male part again (which I’m avoiding because it was a pig!)

Any suggestions? 

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Angrybear WRT Addict

Angrybear

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So there’s good news and there’s bad news. Realising it was going to be hard to reduce the shoulder of the female adapter, I wondered if I could reduce the length of the crown tube instead. The crown tube was flush with the crown and I couldn’t get any sort of cutters in there. The ‘dremel’ with a grinding bit was used instead. I ground off 0.5mm and re tapped the hole (smallest tap I had was 1.0mm so I just used it to ‘start’ the thread). Put back together and....

it’s flush! 

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watchweasol Distinguished Member

watchweasol

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It looks good a nice flush fit. A fiddly job done with hand tools like you said a lot easier on a lathe but all in all a creditable job and saved from the bag of bits, now its time for a pat on the back and a cool beer well done sir.

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