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Posted

Hello all. I am a brand new member interested in watch repair as a hobby as I own several watches in need of repair. Reviewing this site I see a great wealth of knowledge and information. My current project is a simple one (I think). I need to find a stem and crown for my Timex Expedition Chronograph. Any and all information would be welcome and I look forward to being a part of this forum. I hope I did this introduction correctly as I'm new at all this.

Posted

Hi [emoji4] do you still have the original crown ?
Cause finding a stem alone will be easier than finding a new crown + stem

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Posted

Thanks for your replies. I do still have the crown and have searched everywhere I know including E Bay with no luck. I was hoping someone on the forum might have one or a source of one.

Posted
Thanks for your replies. I do still have the crown and have searched everywhere I know including E Bay with no luck. I was hoping someone on the forum might have one or a source of one.
Do you know which movement is inside ?

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Posted
I'm not sure if this is the movement number or not but they're the only numbers on it:
m921
C.04


M921 ... discontinued Timex quartz movement ...

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Posted

In that its discontinued does that mean my chances of finding a stem are virtually nil? I'm attaching pictures as a final attempt to find one. Thank you all again for the information though.

 

20180510_045913[1].jpg

20180510_045854[1].jpg

Posted

Reading here "https://www.ablogtowatch.com/timex-archive-metropolis-allied-chrono-watches/" it seems the Timex Archive Allied Chrono has a M921 movement inside.
You could contact Timex to confirm.

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Posted
In that its discontinued does that mean my chances of finding a stem are virtually nil? I'm attaching pictures as a final attempt to find one. Thank you all again for the information though.
 
5af4af2f694ef_20180510_0459131.thumb.jpg.e1d7c79a933e122ddae18949d78d3f68.jpg
.jpg.9f546767895dd6838ec4bc3bf791a8ed.jpg]5af4af7f32002_20180510_0458541.thumb.jpg.7e9aabd64e9996fcffa89b39e330cbda.jpg
Is there some threads on the part of the stem that goes in the movement ?
If YES you could try to use a 1/1 stem extension to repair.
1 - check the diameter of the thread and order the accurate 1/1 stem extension
2 - unscrew the broken part from the crown
3 - check the total length of the complete stem (2 parts)
4 - screw the stem extension to the part that goes in the movement ... secure it with some Hypo cement
5 - cut the repaired stem to the length you have measured
6 - screw it in the crown
7 - cross fingers and pull the stem in the movement
If you're a little lucky it could work.


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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Manodeoro...sorry for the slow reply - I've been away for awhile. There are no threads left on the broken piece so I'm afraid that won't work but thank you for a very good suggestion! Much appreciated. As reported in other posts I received no help fro Timex except for the suggestion to send it in for repair...they won't sell individual parts. I can try a tiny dab of jb weld to glue the two pieces back together but I have no high hopes of that holding at all. I still feel someone somewhere must have one, maybe in a watch that is otherwise not working...I keep checking ebay but no luck. Thank you all again!

Posted

The solution really depends if it's possible or not to unscrew the stem from the crown.
I really don't know [emoji848]
Maybe@oldhippy could confirm if YES or NO ?
If you can unscrew the part of the stem that remains in the crown then there could a solution ... I'll post a sketch showing how you could try to repair.

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Posted

So here is my idea about how to repair (try to) that stem.

If want to state that I have NEVER done that so I'm just speculating that it could work.

If @oldhippy could chime in here and say what he think about that ... if it seems possible or if I'm really stupid :biggrin:

 

STEP 01 - unscrew the part of the stem that remains in the crown mandatory so if you cant no need to read further

 

STEP 02 - place the 2 parts of the stem so that they touch each other and measure the total length "L" - you should also  measure the diameter "A" of the threaded part

01.thumb.jpg.f9af1ae2ce859f76667f966bf6fcef33.jpg

 

STEP 03 - order a 1:1 stem extension (non swiss) from cousinsuk - assuming you can fond one with the "A" diameter

02.thumb.jpg.0dac32603adb160b66f42e6e86bd1aec.jpg

 

STEP 04 - gently sand/grind the part of the stem that goes in the movement so that you can fit it in the female side of the stem extension with just a little force

03.thumb.jpg.5dcc379a70899a357dcc013a4ff378fe.jpg

 

STEP 05 - place a little bit of silver solder paste inside the female part of the stem extension and push the sanded part of the crown inside ... check that the 2 parts form a straight line

04.thumb.jpg.8a02eaecb0b8d7b54ccb9d2353c45a4c.jpg

 

STEP 06 - heat the "stem extension / stem" assembly with a jeweller soldering torch ... search "jewelery silver soldering" on the web to know which torch to use and how to use it

05.thumb.jpg.544889876f3e8530772a0062c7f5cc4f.jpg

 

STEP 07 - wait for the soldering to cool then measure the "L" length and cut the threaded side of the assembly

06.thumb.jpg.02921f89b9b1e81f500eb29f52c31946.jpg

 

STEP 08 - apply some blue loctite on the thread and screw it in the crown - cross your fingers - insert the "new" stem in the movement (you could prefer to uncross your fingers to proceed ^_^) and ... if you're a little lucky ... enjoy your watch

Posted

I don’t want to burst your bubble and you asked for my view. Unless you have a lot of experience, it will be extremely hard to pull this off. It looks good on paper but to get it just right I don’t think it will work. Silver solder is quite soft and you will not have the space for the solder to have a solid grip.

Why don’t you put it to the side and keep checking for a spare stem.  

  • Like 2
Posted
2 hours ago, oldhippy said:

 

I don’t want to burst your bubble and you asked for my view. Unless you have a lot of experience, it will be extremely hard to pull this off. It looks good on paper but to get it just right I don’t think it will work. Silver solder is quite soft and you will not have the space for the solder to have a solid grip.

Why don’t you put it to the side and keep checking for a spare stem.  

I've never tried silver soldering but I've asked a friend who uses for juwellery and she told me it's pretty solid, that's what I thought about it.

But I have asked for your advice so no problem at all about bursting my bubble ... I'm like champagne so I have many bubbles :)

 

Maybe @oldhorse could try my experimental method using some "5mns epoxy" instead of silver soldering ?

I have used "5mns epoxy" to repair a broken screw-in crown that had fallen into parts (inside threads where rotten) on my father-in-law really old automatic watch.

I wont tell you the brand and model because you could call me a criminal or really kill me ...  my father-in-law didn't want to pay $$$ for a "vintage part" and did not want a service part so he asked me to try.

The repair process was a little tricky not to glue the inside spring and the inside sliding part but I achieved to do it and, though I used a really tiny amount of expoxy,  it worked pretty well and still holds firm after a little more than one year of use.

 

About putting it to the side ... Why not :huh:

But may I say that @oldhorse has nothing to loose trying that DIY, unless if you think there's a risk to dammage the watch doing this of course.

If that "trick" works, even if only for a few months, it will be better than having his Timex sitting in a drawer (or elsewhere) waiting for him to bring it to live again.

And, of course, it's only a temporary "pis aller" and not paradoxycal with continuing to search for a complete spare stem.

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