Watch of Today

[watchweasol]

Hi Andy. Quite a nice watch actually, clear to read and simple styling.  I like it.

[AndyHull]

3 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Hi Andy. Quite a nice watch actually, clear to read and simple styling.  I like it.

Thanks. For the record, I managed to identify the flag.

In the process of doing so, I asked ChatGPT to see if it could identify it, and it not only failed, but in the process it spun me a very convincing yarn.

.. so the moral of the story is,  that while AI may be able to provide answers, it doesn't necessarily provide *correct* answers.

Incidentally what did manage to identify the image correctly was TinEye -> https://tineye.com/search/dd5e80f9b6aa99af3bfd86cc9763db88bba0a021?sort=score&order=desc&page=1
 

In summary, what I have is a custom Timex Indiglo maritime themed watch, which appears to be a relative rarity since I haven't found a match for it online. I presume it was something you could either purchase onboard, or perhaps was issued to staff, similar to my British Rail big Q watch. 

What has Fred Olsen got to do with Timex? ... you ask.

Quite a lot as it happens.
https://fortune.com/2015/03/07/fred-olsen/

They also "own" a large chunk of Scotland, and many years back were a customer of a company I worked for.
https://www.discoverscotland.net/the-highest-peaks-in-dumfries-galloway/

 

Edited August 12, 2024 by AndyHull

[SwissSeiko]

On 8/12/2024 at 10:02 AM, AndyHull said:

 

 

Wow, what a read on Fred. Super cool and neat to have a watch tied so closely to him!

[watchweasol]

Hi Andy an interesting read his hands cove4 a lot of ground for sure.

[steve1811uk]

Latest £5 Charity Shop find

Record from approx. 1980. FHF 69N movement. Replaced crown and stem as old one was too worn. Had to use HP1300 everywhere to prevent knocking as the amplitude after cleaning was so high (even on the balance jewels and pallet fork). 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2024 by steve1811uk
Changed images

[AndyHull]

This evening I'm sporting a 1959 Timex Marlin - One of a pair of watches I picked up for the 404 club.

It was filthy and gunked up to the point that it barely ticked, but a little TLC has it ticking away with that distinctive alarm clock tick that only an ancient Timex can muster. .

[mbwatch]

24 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

This evening I'm sporting a 1959 Timex Marlin

Niiiiiice! Is it an M22 or even earlier movement? I presume you'd just dunk those in solvent. I have managed to ruin the janky setting lever/stem retention on every one I have attempted.

[AndyHull]

It is indeed an M22, produced in Scotland (Dundee). The single plate construction means they can be a little fiddly to strip down and re-assemble. This one just got a quick solvent slunge, and some fresh lube. The trickiest job on these is to sort out hairspring damage, but fortunately this one didn't need any real fixing, just a clean and fresh oil.

Edited August 29, 2024 by AndyHull

[Razz]

This example is a Sheffield 17j EB8800. I got it a while back and finally got it running with a new winding wheel with clutch install. I think it must be an engineers watch because the bezel is some sort of slide rule with 2 independent moving exterior bezels. Still in progress as after cannon pinion, pallet fork and winding wheel issues, the calendar works stopped. Now that I think about it I did find an extra U spring on the bench, probably related. Will reopen the "case" to see if that is the perpetrator of the issue.

I must say I haven't seen too many 17 j EB8800 with a pin pallet, they seem to trend in the 1 j category, at least in my neck of the woods.

[mbwatch]

4 hours ago, Razz said:

I must say I haven't seen too many 17 j EB8800 with a pin pallet, they seem to trend in the 1 j category, at least in my neck of the woods.

Are the pallets upright jewel pins as on a 21j Timex, or still metal while they packed more jewels into the train?

I have never seen a bezel like this and now I really want one.

[AndyHull]

13 hours ago, mbwatch said:

I have never seen a bezel like this and now I really want one.

That simple circular slide rule bezel is such a neat idea I'm surprised I haven't seen many others. There are  aviator style chronographs with bezels for time of flight, and speed/heartrate versions but that simple logarithmic scale slide rule is neat.

I feel myself slipping into the rabbit hole of slide rule bezel watches. I wonder if pcbway could fabricate them with sufficient precision, or perhaps I could try printing some decals and ....

Your starter down the rabbit hole is here -> https://www.ablogtowatch.com/how-to-use-a-watch-bezel-slide-rule/

... or here -> "JUVENIA "Arithmo" w/Slide Rule Bezel" - > https://duckduckgo.com/?q=JUVENIA+"Arithmo"+w%2FSlide+Rule+Bezel+&t=newext&atb=v124-1&ia=web

 

Edited August 30, 2024 by AndyHull

[mbwatch]

2 hours ago, AndyHull said:

There are  aviator style chronographs with bezels for time of flight, and speed/heartrate versions but that simple logarithmic scale slide rule is neat.

Right, I have of course seen all the elaborate Breitling aviation watches for example. Nothing like that one though. And I had found and gotten started on that slide rule bezel article yesterday before work interrupted.

And since I don't usually post here, today is an instance of an heirloom passing the wrong way up the chain. This Casio was my kid's first watch at age 9, but the strap broke after a few years and he got another one new (cheaper than replacing the strap). I kept it around and eventually did buy a genuine replacement strap & buff out all the deep gouges a child puts into the crystal on one of these.

Today I will use it to time his 5k cross-country race.

[Razz]

18 hours ago, mbwatch said:

Are the pallets upright jewel pins as on a 21j Timex, or still metal while they packed more jewels into the train?

I have never seen a bezel like this and now I really want one.

Upright steel pins on the pallet. There is a plate with 3 cap jewels on the train.

Really 6 jewels on the plate, 3 for the pivots and 3 caps.

Edited August 30, 2024 by Razz
Add photo.

[Neverenoughwatches]

15 hours ago, Razz said:

Upright steel pins on the pallet. There is a plate with 3 cap jewels on the train.

Really 6 jewels on the plate, 3 for the pivots and 3 caps.

I have this same watch,cant remember if it has a date function. it runs quite well for what it is. 

[AndyHull]

On 8/30/2024 at 12:19 PM, mbwatch said:

And I had found and gotten started on that slide rule bezel article yesterday before work interrupted.

The idea of putting a slide rule in a watch is quite an old one. There is a nice example from the 1870s at the link below.

https://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/1089193/pocket-watch-slide-rule-calculator-calculigraphe-calculating-circle-bouchers-1878-system-hc-instructions/

 

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 8/30/2024 at 3:26 PM, Razz said:

Upright steel pins on the pallet. There is a plate with 3 cap jewels on the train.

Really 6 jewels on the plate, 3 for the pivots and 3 caps.

Different date position

[KarlvonKoln]

Wearing a new-to-me Longines today.  It didn't quite qualify for the 404 club, but I picked it up for only $40 US and some change.  It was at a local antique store, with a tag describing it as "Not running no crown".  I asked to see it, and I held it and did a few turns-of-the-wrist, and the second hand advanced in different positions, so I took it home.

The movement was dirty, but in excellent condition otherwise.  And I had the perfect crown for it.  Thorough cleaning, fresh oil, a bit of regulating, and it runs beautifully.  And the Kreisler band is surprisingly comfortable.  The movement is a 23ZS with 17 jewels.  Nothing spectacular, but just finding a genuine Longines for that price was a feat in itself. And it's looking fairly accurate so far, so I am a happy camper.

[mbwatch]

My Type B flieger which is an aliexpress case & generic dial over a gorgeous hammered finish Swiss Unitas 6487 rescued from a silly looking 1970s Arnex pocket watch that had a pastoral farming scene on the dial. The 6498 was in basically new condition. I want to upgrade it with nicer crown & ratchet wheels though, and need to find a shorter sub seconds hand.

This is at the extreme of what my bony wrist can manage, made worse by phone camera perspective tricks.

[AndyHull]

@mbwatch Excellent job, and also a very nice case. I have a couple of pocket watch mechanisms that might fit in a similar exhibition case, I'll need to take a trawl round AliExpress and see if I can find something suitable.

[gpraceman]

Several months back, I was perusing eBay looking for a cheap watch to work on.  Saw this lot of 8 watches and got them all for pretty cheap.  What attracted me to the lot was the scalloped case of the Elgin.  The movement turned out to be an Elgin Grade 524, manufactured in 1937.

I finally got around to servicing it.  The balance wheel had lots of issues (bent hairspring, wheel out of true, roller table not fully set on balance staff, and a loose roller jewel).  I ended up finding a 1936 donor movement to steal the balance out of.  Well, that doesn't seem to work well with these older timepieces.  So, I serviced the donor and got it to run pretty decent.  I ended up doing a movement swap with the watch.  Now I have a movement that I can use as my guinea pig for a variety of balance work.

The watch turned out quite nice i think.  Case just needed a clean and light polish.  Crystal was in good shape.  Added a leather strap to finish it off.  Love the look of that case and dial.

[Klassiker]

On 8/12/2024 at 5:02 PM, AndyHull said:

What has Fred Olsen got to do with Timex? ... you ask.

Quite a lot as it happens.

Big thumbs up for AI (Andy Intelligence)

[AndyHull]

I've shown this 404 club Miyota quartz caliber GP11 Blue dialled Accurist  before, but I've not worn it much as the strap I put it on originally was a little too stiff and inflexible. 

I thought it was a bit of a wast to just leave it potentially gathering dust, so decided to treat it to a new soft silicone/nylon strap from the bargain bins on AliExpress.  There are thousands of straps on AliExpress, and some of them are well worth the "not very much" they cost, so long as you are prepared to wait for them to ship half way round the world.

The strap I plumped for eventually was described as "Official 22mm Nylon Strap For HUAWEI WATCH Silicone Band GT 4 46mm Watch 4 Pro GT 3 2 Pro Sports Composite Wristbands Bracelet"

In other words, a 22mm silicone/nylon band with quick release pins. It cost a mere one pound forty seven pence, with free shipping since I include it with a bunch of other stuff. I'm very pleased with it so far. The quality seems well in excess of the price I paid.

[AndyHull]

 

The as new Casio MQ-24 went for a wee trip up Kinnoull Hill this afternoon. Don't ask me where Kinnoull Hill is, there are enough clues is in the pictures.

If you are ever in Perth, and fancy a walk, Kinnoull Hill is well worth the effort. Admittedly the view to the north was misted up, but the view to the south and east, past the tower made up for that.

The plaque by the trig point tells you what you can't see when the mist is in, and we mustn't forget to  thank our feudal overlords for their "munificence" ( I think it means bear faced cheek, but I haven't googled it yet ), in "gifting" this piece of Scotland to the Scots.

Edited September 7, 2024 by AndyHull

[mbwatch]

Timex 6517 7266** - a 1966 21 jewel model I got for around $14, hoping the dial was in good condition underneath a crystal too scuffed up to see through. It isn't mint, does have a couple of tiny hairline scratches. But the original crystal polished up so nicely that the whole thing shines now.

The Timex M72 was their "Look we have jewels too!" movement. The pin pallets are little upright rubies, most of the train has cap jewels except I think the escape wheel. And the strangest part is the balance, which is a conventional Timex v-conic bearing without ANY jewels. They run maybe a little better than the non-jeweled movements, probably not much. But they do probably last longer.

** (I think... That's what my eyes make out without magnification)

[gpraceman]

3 hours ago, mbwatch said:

Timex 6517 7266** - a 1966 21 jewel model I got for around $14, hoping the dial was in good condition underneath a crystal too scuffed up to see through. It isn't mint, does have a couple of tiny hairline scratches. But the original crystal polished up so nicely that the whole thing shines now.

The Timex M72 was their "Look we have jewels too!" movement. The pin pallets are little upright rubies, most of the train has cap jewels except I think the escape wheel. And the strangest part is the balance, which is a conventional Timex v-conic bearing without ANY jewels. They run maybe a little better than the non-jeweled movements, probably not much. But they do probably last longer.

** (I think... That's what my eyes make out without magnification)

That is an interesting version of a pin pallet movement.  Had to find some photos of that movement.

https://17jewels.info/movements/t/timex/timex-m72/