Why You Shouldn't Buy Watches From India.

[ro63rto]

Hi all. Told him NOT to buy it but he said "its only £10"

Anyway, it works when wearing it but stops pretty soon after taking it off. The weight is very noisy (bearing?) so while he's in Belgium at some VW show I decided to take a look. :(

Salvageable or not?

[anilv]

I've seen worse...

 

Whats that stain on the balance cock.? Glue or wear?

 

You have to understand that watches in India are basically used until they wear out... there is no parts support and the watch repair service guys have to manage the best they can. They are able to keep watches running by cannibalising others and often this is good enough to get the watches running, after a fashion. Problem is when you come to items like gaskets, crowns, crystals and auto-wind weights...once its worn they will have to make do as best as they can.

 

I've seen one India special where the bearing was modified to run on a bush.. it was quite well done and the weight spun evenly.. basic stuff but works!

 

You can see a lot of re-dials and this leads me to think that there is an active industry for this in India but the quality is really off. Look for Seiko chrono dials on eb@y... there is one version where it 'water-resist' was printed on the dial but the 'wa' is covered by the 9 o'clock marker making it 'ter resis'! doh!

 

I bought a Favre-Leuba Seaking (boy size) from India and the case was quite sharp, practically new, but the movement did not match as it looked quite worn. Dial was redone but it was quite well done... only issue was the seconds hand was short but I can live with that.

 

Things to look out for on ebay......

 

1. redials.. no minute markers and the words are not sharp. No wear visible. Some really gaudy colours which even the 70s cannot match! Hands will have lume but not the dials (or vice versa).

 

2. Cases have been polished to death.. no sharp corners on the creases/ transition from vertical/horizontal surfaces. Caseback are usually worn smooth and have many marks where tools have slipped.

 

3. With the caseback off, a lot of corrosion visible in the caseback seal area in the case. India is hot/humid and this equals sweat@!

 

4. Movements with no brand..just seventeen jewels.

 

5. Possible to positively identify the last watch repair person as he left his fingerprints on the movement.

 

6. Missing movement spacer replaced with a bit of o-ring (large) or copper wire..

 

 

Having said that... India sellers tend to have a lot of photos on their listing so you can usually spot what to stay away from... one good thing... they are without exception.. 'recently serviced' !!! so you can be sure of getting a good deal.!!!

 

 

Anil

[bobm12]

Hi rob,

 

I think it is definitely salvageable. I was looking at cousins -- I actually ordered some parts for the same movement in your post -- they have very reasonable prices and most of the essential parts. Apparently the rotor has a bad bearing and is rubbing against the cock - if it is wear. Or maybe the stem where the rotor screws in has to be pinned in place but the picture is not telling.

 

Lawson has a complete walk through in this site for this movement, look for it and you won't have any problems servicing it. It is an easy movement.

 

Check for broken pivots in the pallet fork, escape wheel, balance wheel mainly... or any other wheel while you are at it. Also inspect carefully looking for rust/wear damage in the 2nd reduction wheel and pinion as well as a broken/cracked/worn pawl lever. Also check for any jewel damage just in case. I usually peg all the jewels before cleaning and even brush with a fiberglass rust brush some of the parts that may be rusting. I bet after a good cleanning the damaged part will surface right away and it will not be much.

 

Good luck and happy watchmaking!

 

Robert

[ro63rto]

Thanks for the replies and advice guys.

The biggest mark looked not to be a wear mark but something sticking to the surface.

What's the cheapest ultrasonic bath I can get away with.

Got one of those small Jewellery cleaner ones up in the loft, if it still works. Could that do the job?

[anilv]

Dear Roberto,

 

Jewellery cleaners are best left for bands... but if the watch is really dirty it will save time.

 

In this case it doesn't look that bad so you're better off cleaning the parts with lighter fluid and pegging out the holes and pinnions.

 

Anil

[WillFly]

Excellent advice from Anil, to which I'll just add that makes to beware of are those like Favré-Leuba - marques which, when the quartz era came along, were acquired by Titan Industries, the Indian industrial giant - and others whose principle market was Asia. It's not uncommon to find dials glued on to the movement, lume crudely applied to numerals and, as Anil has mentioned, case lug shapes polished away.

 

It's also worth noting that some eBay sellers in the UK get watches as job lots from India - very cheaply - and then sell them on here for profit. I avoid Favré-Leuba on principle.

Edited August 7, 2014 by WillFly

[Lawson]

Excellent advise there Bob.  And I totally agree that these are a lovely movement to work on, and a great confidence builder for beginners like me.  The one I worked on had a broken Pallet Fork pivot , so definitely double check all the pivots.

 

I think these watches from India are a boon for budding watchmakers to train on, cheap and lots of popular movements.  I myself have grab one for a restoration I'm doing on my brother's watch; but I'll be definitely buying more for cheap spare parts and training material.

[clockboy]

Excellent advice.

I have been looking at them on ebay and my gut instinct has been telling me to stay away and now I will absolutely stay away.