Another day, another donkey...
So, I picked this little chap up off eBay just before Christmas...
It didn't look too bad in the pictures but was sold as a non-runner. How bad could it be? As it turned out... pretty bad.
It came all the way from Okazaki City in Japan to spend a few days at the Gasworks Spa.
On arrival it looked pretty much as it did in the photos... sadly, this is not always the case. There are sellers on eBay who, quite frankly, need a bit of a kick in the arse... more on that in a future post.
However, on opening the caseback it was abundantly clear this watch needed some serious help...
Removing the rotor and the ratchet wheel assembly revealed more horrors...
Rust... and quite a lot of it. This wasn't going to be a straightforward clean up job.
It took a lot of work with a naphthalene bath in the ultrasonic, alcohol, peg wood, cleaning buds and Rodico but I managed to get it looking OK and, more importantly, running pretty well. It's currently about -10 seconds per day on the wrist.
I did have to dip into the spares box for a few bits but managed to salvage most of the original components.
Once the movement was... err... moving, it was over to the case for a thorough clean up and polish.
I've written before about the sanding/polishing techniques and tools I use so I won't repeat it here.
I think the before and after shots on this one tell the story quite well.
Inevitably, it does have some water damage to the dial but it's not really noticeable under the new crystal. It's got some nice new gaskets that should help it at least stand up to a rain shower but I'm not sure I'd take it swimming... or even to stand near the swimming pool.
But it's very pretty and hopefully will find a good home very soon.
Next time... a pretty little Citizen
In the words of my good friend Joe ... Tarra a bit.
G. ♥
A self-confessed Seikophile who spends far too much time looking at bits of watches under a microscope. Probably the finest restorer of vintage Seikos in my house. https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/gasworks
Thank you for sharing this adventure. Very interesting and impressive as well.
I would love to have such skills, before bringing back nice items, like watches, is a joy.
It was a challenge. I ended up binning the ratchet wheel, the pawl lever and the 2nd reduction wheel. The rest of it was salvaged.
Excellent job. I wish I had the skill and dexterity, as I have a few watches that could use a refurb.
Fantastic! I share your love for bringing old and broken machines back to life 🍻.
Bravo!!!
Great restoration! Lovely result.
Do you need to do anything to the dial or is it just the crystal that needs polishing in order to look that shiny?
Another beautiful piece Gareth :)
Do you need to do anything to the dial or is it just the crystal that needs polishing in order to look that shiny?
The crystal is new. I clean the dial very carefully with nothing more than a very mild detergent and cleaning buds (not cotton buds; they leave fibres) and Rodico. I'm really only removing dust particles and other minor marks. I use a camera lens cleaner which has a small suede pad to polish the indices a little.
Great write up and a beautiful job done to the watch to boot .
Phenomenal job on the Watch restoration ! Congratulations ! Nice watch too !
Out of curiosity what are you going to price this at and where do you sell your restored beauties?
Out of curiosity what are you going to price this at and where do you sell your restored beauties?
I usually sell on eBay but have sold direct on here.. I can usually give a discount over eBay prices on here as eBay don't take their ridiculous slice.
DM me if you're interested.
That is most awesome, I bow to your skills. I hope to one day reach your level of craftsmanship. I inherited two 1970's Seiko's, one from my late father, one from my late father-in-law. The two never met, but their watches are almost identical. And I find that very cool 😎. I use Seiko movements in all my builds.