Broken Post Problem

[Latetothegame]

Let me start off by saying that I am brand new to watch repair so I don’t yet understand most of the correct terminology. I’ll do my best to describe what I am talking about and I’ll include pictures where possible.  Here’s my issue.  I am repairing a 1982 Chronosport Atlantis 20 ATM Quartz 1127.   I was having trouble with the stem.  When I pulled it all the way out to set the time, the hands and date wheel would always turn together.  It felt very rough as if something was broken.  I completely disassembled the watch and found a loose piece of plastic jammed in the keyless works.  I was able to determine that the piece of plastic was actually a small post that had broken off the plastic frame.  The post had been a pivot point for a lever in the keyless works.  I’m not quite sure what the lever does yet.  It appears that although the post was gone, the lever stayed in place, perhaps rotating on the the small nub that remained.  My question is, can I fix that post.  Is there a technique to glue it back in place?  I understand that the keyless works parts experience significant stress as a result of the movement and function of the stem.  Please see the pictures attached and let me know if you have any ideas. See the circled items in the three pics.  Thanks from Delaware, USA.  
 

[RichardHarris123]

Have you got a photo of the keyless works before you disassembled it ?

[watchweasol]

Hi there is always the possibility of drilling out the stump a nd glueing a pin in place to act as the pivot

[JohnR725]

On 3/18/2024 at 6:20 AM, Latetothegame said:

 I am repairing a 1982 Chronosport Atlantis 20 ATM Quartz 1127.

one of the confusions for people new to watch repair is what are they working on? Yes you have a description up above but that is not helpful as we need to know who actually made the watch itself. In other words companies purchase movements and put their names on them so we need a picture of the watch movement itself from the backside to identify the watch.

[CYCLOPS]

Latetothegame has posted about this watch before, it just might be a lot easier to replace the works than repair that post, your movement looks to be quartz, the Chronosport I saw had an ETA 555.11? so could be ETA, Ronda, I do not understand why a movement model number or picture of said works is scarce?, one can only help with more info or drill the post out and go from there.....

[Latetothegame]

So, first let me apologize for the delay in responding to the several comments that I received.  Thank you for taking the time to offer your advice and thoughts on potential paths to solve my problem.  In my continued search for a solution I stumbled upon a video that described the process of properly identifying the manufacturer and movement number.  I followed the directions, disassembled the watch and found the information I needed.  The movement is an ESA 944.111. During the process of identifying the manufacturer, I also identified an additional problem with the plastic base plate.  I came to the conclusion, as Cyclops had suggested, that I would probably be better off replacing the movement if it was available.  l was able to locate a supplier on EBay who had three new ESA 944.111 movements in stock .  The supplier is Migma Watches located in Germany.  They were kind enough to pull one of the movements and put a battery in it to confirm that it was working.  I bought it and it is on the way.   I would have preferred to have repaired the original as I have owned this watch for 42 years but I’m quite happy to just get it functioning again.  I should be able to get it up and running in no time once the movement arrives. The rest of the watch is in very good condition.  Thanks again for your help!

[CYCLOPS]

glad it worked out, those ESA movements are obsolete but new old stock is still out there, now that you know the make/model you could also do a cross reference to see if something more current would line up with the dial feet and hands...for future use if needed 

[Latetothegame]

Thanks for the input.  If it’s not too much trouble, how exactly would I cross reference the movement number?  Is there a cross reference data file available?

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 3/28/2024 at 2:14 AM, Latetothegame said:

So, first let me apologize for the delay in responding to the several comments that I received.  Thank you for taking the time to offer your advice and thoughts on potential paths to solve my problem.  In my continued search for a solution I stumbled upon a video that described the process of properly identifying the manufacturer and movement number.  I followed the directions, disassembled the watch and found the information I needed.  The movement is an ESA 944.111. During the process of identifying the manufacturer, I also identified an additional problem with the plastic base plate.  I came to the conclusion, as Cyclops had suggested, that I would probably be better off replacing the movement if it was available.  l was able to locate a supplier on EBay who had three new ESA 944.111 movements in stock .  The supplier is Migma Watches located in Germany.  They were kind enough to pull one of the movements and put a battery in it to confirm that it was working.  I bought it and it is on the way.   I would have preferred to have repaired the original as I have owned this watch for 42 years but I’m quite happy to just get it functioning again.  I should be able to get it up and running in no time once the movement arrives. The rest of the watch is in very good condition.  Thanks again for your help!

Now that you have a replacement on the way, no reason not to attempt a repair on the original. Drill out what remains and glue in a new post, any material of the correct diameter to fit the hole and an adhesive that will accommodate both materials. You will need some magnification to complete the task.

Edited March 30, 2024 by Neverenoughwatches

[Latetothegame]

Repairing the post is a great idea.  I can learn a new skill with nothing to lose.  Thanks for the suggestion Neverenoughwatches.  I may get that original movement fixed yet.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

4 minutes ago, Latetothegame said:

Repairing the post is a great idea.  I can learn a new skill with nothing to lose.  Thanks for the suggestion Neverenoughwatches.  I may get that original movement fixed yet.  

 

5 minutes ago, Latetothegame said:

Repairing the post is a great idea.  I can learn a new skill with nothing to lose.  Thanks for the suggestion Neverenoughwatches.  I may get that original movement fixed yet.  

Measure the diameter if possible of what remains of the post and check that against the hole in the setting lever. If you are to attempt drilling out, drill undersize then gradually increase the hole with a smoothing broach, the post needs to be the same size as the original with a tight friction fit in the hole.The repair may last it may not, it is a repair to plastic after all. A hot weld of the joint would probably work better than an adhesive .

[Latetothegame]

I received the ESA 944.111 movement today from Germany.  I successfully reassembled the watch with the new movement and everything is working perfectly.  I realize that this is very basic work for those of you who have helped me with your comments but I have to say it was extremely rewarding to bring a 42 year old watch with sentimental value back to life after being broken for 19 years.  I also have to say, it was not quite as straightforward as I imagined .  As always I learned a lot so that it’ll be easier next time.  On to the next project.  
Thanks to everyone for your help.
 

Edited April 4, 2024 by Latetothegame

[watchweasol]

Hi it looks good on the wrist , well done.

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 4/4/2024 at 3:05 AM, Latetothegame said:

I received the ESA 944.111 movement today from Germany.  I successfully reassembled the watch with the new movement and everything is working perfectly.  I realize that this is very basic work for those of you who have helped me with your comments but I have to say it was extremely rewarding to bring a 42 year old watch with sentimental value back to life after being broken for 19 years.  I also have to say, it was not quite as straightforward as I imagined .  As always I learned a lot so that it’ll be easier next time.  On to the next project.  
Thanks to everyone for your help.
 

Well done, there is more to changing a movement than a beginner might think. Careful placing of hands, synchronisation of the date change over with the correct time of day, did you remember that first time . Fitting the dial to the movement, precise fitting of the movement ring, releasing and installing the stem. All daunting tasks to a first timer so well done, onto to the next one

[Latetothegame]

You nailed it.  Great list of the potential land mines that I had to navigate reassembling the watch. I’m happy to say that for the most part, I managed them all correctly.  I watched several YouTube videos of experienced people reassembling watches.  That helped immensely.  There was a reasonably obvious stem release bottom close to the path of the stem so I was able to get that right first time.  The dial feet fit into the holes perfectly.  I did attempt to put the movement into the ring backwards for about 5 minutes but I eventually figured that out. I remembered to turn the stem without the hands on to the exact point where the calendar changed dates.  Then I set the hour and minute hand to midnight.  I rotated the hands 12 hours to ensure there were no collisions. Then I added the seconds hand.  I put the case on and reinserted the stem and everything worked.  For a while.  Then the movement stopped at 11:10 pm.  That gave me a little bit of a sick feeling.  However, I eventually figured out that when I added the seconds hand I must have inadvertently pushed the hour hand down a little and it eventually clanked against the side of the Chronosport appliqué on the dial.  So, take everything apart, fix, reassemble.  It’s been working ever since though!  
ONE QUESTION, if anyone knows the answer.  I have since learned that some watches REQUIRE that the stem be removed in a specific position.  Some wind, some date, some hand change.  I may have screwed that up.  Apparently you can do serious damage to the keyless works pulling the stem in the wrong position.  Honestly I’m not sure where it was when I pulled it out or put it back.  Does anyone know the correct position to remove the stem on an ESA 944.111?

[Latetothegame]

Update on the Chronosport.  The first time that I had to change the date because there was no 31st in the month, the keyless works malfunctioned again.  In fact, the exact same little plastic post on the base plate that originally broke 20 years ago, broke again! During my conversation about this problem with the supplier who sent me the unused 40 year old ESA 944.111 movement, he sent me pictures of one of these disassembled movements he kept for parts .  He asked me to identify the damaged part so he could send it to me.  I looked at the baseplate in the pic and could see that the plastic post was also BROKEN on that movement!  So it was clear that the problem is that the 40 year old plastic has become brittle and that it probably didn’t make sense to keep replacing the same movement .  The supplier was great and helped me identify a modern movement with the same dimensions that I could use as an alternative.    We settled on an ETA F06-115.  I have since received the movement and swapped them out.  I had to change the hands and add a stem extender as the original stem didn’t fit the new movement and the new stem wasn’t long enough for the screw down diver crown case tube.    It is running great and looks good.  I always thought it was a nice looking watch.  I’m sort of disappointed that the watch isn’t original any longer but I can live with it.  I’m attaching pics of the old black plastic ESA movement, the new ETA metal movement in the case and the finished product.  The date is off a little due to bent dial feet (I believe) and I don’t want to risk snapping them off.  

Edited June 12, 2024 by Latetothegame