If franken was a verb, would you?
About a year ago, I decided after a few glasses of wine, to buy something off of German eBay without using Google Translate, or my common sense. I am the proud owner of a late 1960's or early 1970's Ruhla, a no jewel East German pin pallet.
It is a non-runner with a Calibre 24-31. I can't seem to find this movement online for sale (why would anyone have one?). I would like to swap it for a jeweled movement. Would something like a Peseux 320 fit with some modifications?
Does any modder or person with knowledge of movements have a suggestion?
I confess that I like the dial. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.
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Greg
Restitutor Orbis. Aristocrat of beauty. Autocrat of time. (Trying to perfect trolling over at theescapementroom.com)
Charleston, SC
Member since
Last active: 7 min ago
If it's not a highly sought after item, I would tinker & mod.
The Peseux 320 is slightly smaller and thinner, so you might need to have a spacer. Not sure about connection to the dial either, but it could be ok…
The connection for the hands is another story - not sure how compatible, but you could source something similar in style from a Pesuex donor.
I like the watch and the dial, so am in a similar situation with a couple of my non-runners.
I think maybe you should source another one that is running with the same movement, and cannibalize the two to make one with the dial you want. It should be doable, they made tons of those. I've done this a few times on old Seiko pieces and I am 100% sure I will have to do it again. Not pretty, but it can work.
Everyone who mods watches has my admiration, the stuff I do on my watches is thrilling enough. But if I could I would totally have some crazy Frankensteined watch.
Really like the dial but on your question I can’t contribute.
Have another bottle of red and buy another one, problem solved 🤣
The Peseux 320 is slightly smaller and thinner, so you might need to have a spacer. Not sure about connection to the dial either, but it could be ok…
The connection for the hands is another story - not sure how compatible, but you could source something similar in style from a Pesuex donor.
I like the watch and the dial, so am in a similar situation with a couple of my non-runners.
Thanks for the input. Looking at those short lugs it may be better just to migrate the dial to another case.
Time to put up the bat signal: @MrBloke Thoughts?
Huh...good question. You'd have to use a movement that has exactly the right position of the sub-second hand pinion, so that both apertures in the dial are perfectly right fot where the pinions are. Then there'll be fiddling with removing the old dial feet and finding the right ones. Or just reposition the old ones... Oh, and speaking of pinions, you never know if the ones that the new movement has will fit right with the dial, and thus not - for example - have the hands sit too high above the dial.
Easier said than done, I more or less know what needs to be done, but I haven't the faintest idea about how to do it.
To me, sounds like it's not worth the trouble, but that's just me.
Huh...good question. You'd have to use a movement that has exactly the right position of the sub-second hand pinion, so that both apertures in the dial are perfectly right fot where the pinions are. Then there'll be fiddling with removing the old dial feet and finding the right ones. Or just reposition the old ones... Oh, and speaking of pinions, you never know if the ones that the new movement has will fit right with the dial, and thus not - for example - have the hands sit too high above the dial.
Easier said than done, I more or less know what needs to be done, but I haven't the faintest idea about how to do it.
To me, sounds like it's not worth the trouble, but that's just me.
Which is to say why true frankenwatches usually run poorly.