What watch do you wear?

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when I was a kid my dad gave me a few cigar boxes full of old watches and parts...etc that he was given as a teenager by a watchmaker neighbor when he retired.
I always loved looking through them, seeing all the little parts and sometimes watching all the little wheels move when I turned the crown on one of the broken pocket watches.

anyways the other day I came across the boxes and was looking through them when one of the watches started moving, something I don't recall it ever having done before.
As it turns out the watch is an automatic and I guess I woke it up.

I set the time and it seemed to be working so I put a NATO strap on it and have been wearing it the past couple days.
Then today I decided to look through the boxes a bit more carefully and found another that works and keeps time.


Both do seem to have some issues though, and I doubt either are really worth the cost of a service.
The automatic works on Paul Breguette on the left functions fine, but I can't seem to wind it manually, I believe this watch is 1960's.

The SIGNAL on the right ( Japanese Hamazawa movement ) seems like it slips a bit when winding , but I can wind it and it seems to keep time well enough.

I know it's basically impossible to have watches that have been sitting since the 70's just keep time perfectly without needing service, but since I assume they're probably not worth putting money into I think I'm just going to wear them until they stop working.
 
I decided to wear the Japanese SIGNAL today, and aside from the oddity with winding it was set over 10 hours ago and has kept time adequately.


I really love the size, weight, simple dial, and overall look of this watch.
If it didn't have that hiccup with winding or if I knew it truly just needed a service, I just might be willing to put that money into it.


A thought I've had is to reach out to one of the watchmakers on YouTube that I occasionally watch and see if maybe I can work something out to get a lower priced service on one of these watches that may not be worth it otherwise.
I found 4 that " work " and maybe they'd be willing to service the 1 I want to wear then repair and resell the others.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I decided to wear the Japanese SIGNAL today, and aside from the oddity with winding it was set over 10 hours ago and has kept time adequately.


I really love the size, weight, simple dial, and overall look of this watch.
If it didn't have that hiccup with winding or if I knew it truly just needed a service, I just might be willing to put that money into it.


A thought I've had is to reach out to one of the watchmakers on YouTube that I occasionally watch and see if maybe I can work something out to get a lower priced service on one of these watches that may not be worth it otherwise.
I found 4 that " work " and maybe they'd be willing to service the 1 I want to wear then repair and resell the others.
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Definitely make sure none of them hold any real value to a collector, before wearing them with no oil in the movement.
 
DocJekl said:
Definitely make sure none of them hold any real value to a collector, before wearing them with no oil in the movement.
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As far as I know none of them are particularly valuable, I was pretty much able to find examples in better cosmetic condition for $50 or less on ebay.
 
Aside from a movement holder and maybe a couple other things I pretty much have tools adequate enough to service a watch with, so I'm thinking I may order a starter pack of watch lubricants and attempt to service the SIGNAL watch.

I have looked it up, and the Hamazawa 5020a movement it has is very different from a typical Swiss MTD movement but it also has far fewer parts.
Since I have never worked on a watch before, I figure this will not seem any more difficult to me than another watch would having no expectations or comparison .
If I fail the watch has very little value, and if I succeed then I've got a wearable watch that I know at least has proper lubrication to keep it running.

Otherwise I believe this is a watch that basically nobody would actually be willing to work on.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Aside from a movement holder and maybe a couple other things I pretty much have tools adequate enough to service a watch with, so I'm thinking I may order a starter pack of watch lubricants and attempt to service the SIGNAL watch.

I have looked it up, and the Hamazawa 5020a movement it has is very different from a typical Swiss MTD movement but it also has far fewer parts.
Since I have never worked on a watch before, I figure this will not seem any more difficult to me than another watch would having no expectations or comparison .
If I fail the watch has very little value, and if I succeed then I've got a wearable watch that I know at least has proper lubrication to keep it running.

Otherwise I believe this is a watch that basically nobody would actually be willing to work on.
Click to expand...
back in late 90s early 2000s I took some watchmaking classes online. taking apart a movement was quite easy as im used to working with tools and taking time to get things to fit and not hammer and jam things together that don't fit. I also had lots of time, working at my own pace and lots of patience.

putting it back together got the best of me. I used to take a break to calm myself and I'm a patient person. I barely got it back together after many months of attempts and I learned this was not for me.

when i watch youtube of folks assembling making it look so easy I chuckle. I wonder how many takes they cut out to make it short and sweet and easy lookin.

I support ya trying but take your time and take lots of breaks to rest your eyes and keep your hand steady. remember these parts are super fragile. doesn't take much to deform or bend parts.
 
jbmonkey said:
taking apart a movement was quite easy as im used to working with tools and taking time to get things to fit and not hammer and jam things together that don't fit. I also had lots of time, working at my own pace and lots of patience.

putting it back together got the best of me. I used to take a break to calm myself and I'm a patient person
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I've read that you must be very patient to work on watches. If you get frustrated you have to stop until you calm down.
 
jbmonkey said:
back in late 90s early 2000s I took some watchmaking classes online. taking apart a movement was quite easy as im used to working with tools and taking time to get things to fit and not hammer and jam things together that don't fit. I also had lots of time, working at my own pace and lots of patience.

putting it back together got the best of me. I used to take a break to calm myself and I'm a patient person. I barely got it back together after many months of attempts and I learned this was not for me.

when i watch youtube of folks assembling making it look so easy I chuckle. I wonder how many takes they cut out to make it short and sweet and easy lookin.

I support ya trying but take your time and take lots of breaks to rest your eyes and keep your hand steady. remember these parts are super fragile. doesn't take much to deform or bend parts.
Click to expand...
Wristwatch revival is no stranger to showing his mistakes and that's why he's about the only one I ever watch, he does make it look easy but still doesn't hide the mistakes

I have been looking into what I'll need and I still have to do some thinking on it because it turns out the lubricants are pretty darn expensive, I need to figure out just exactly what lubricants would be absolutely necessary for this watch.
I'm not spending multiple times this watches value on a starter set of lubricants, especially if I may never even want to work on another watch again.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Wristwatch revival is no stranger to showing his mistakes and that's why he's about the only one I ever watch, he does make it look easy but still doesn't hide the mistakes

I have been looking into what I'll need and I still have to do some thinking on it because it turns out the lubricants are pretty darn expensive, I need to figure out just exactly what lubricants would be absolutely necessary for this watch.
I'm not spending multiple times this watches value on a starter set of lubricants, especially if I may never even want to work on another watch again.
Click to expand...
quality tools are mega expensive. those chinese cheap ones ain't gonna work well.
 
I've determined that the 2 watches aren't really worth putting money into because neither the monetary or sentimental value are there, and I discovered that I can get one of the Seiko 5 series automatics for the same money if not a little less.
 
I ended up ordering a Seiko SRPG33 which I found available for $200 shipped, there's no way I could have had one of these vintage watches serviced and fully rehabbed with a new crystal and all for $200.
 
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