"New" movement for the ALBA
I managed to win a replacement movement for the ALBA on ebay, and the original seller of the watch compensated me for it. Since this movement has been out of production, I have no idea how old it is, or how well it works. It seems to be keeping time, and the quickset day/date is now functioning correctly (although a little more jumpy than I prefer). If this one fails in the end, I think I have found an ETA movement that is a direct replacement. If I have to resort to that, I'll end up losing the English/Roman # day wheel, which I do like.
The second hand was super thin, almost like a piece of tinsel, and managed to fall out of the container I stored the parts in. It got bent in the process, but I managed to straighten it out. I installed it, but wasn't completely happy with it, so I removed it for now. I don't think it looks too bad without it, but if I can figure out what size I need, I'll look for a suitable replacement. The minute hand also had a small black spot on it that I couldn't remove, so I may swap the whole set, eventually.
This one is a little hard to photograph. A lot of reflections, and the linen pattern on the dial is pretty shallow, and doesn't show up as well on my 5+ year old phone camera. 😑 The good thing about the dial is that it helps hide all the scratches on the crystal. It's pretty banged up, and I may change that out down the line.
Budget watch collector.
Such a cool looking watch!
Thanks! It's a cheap little thing, but I like it.
Nice linen dial. 😊
Have you tried Seiko VJ quartz movements? I specifically don't know which one has the day-date. I had the VJ-32A movement (date only) in my Columbia field watch changed last Feb 2022, and it's running -1sec per 6 months viz. an atomic clock.
Nice linen dial. 😊
Have you tried Seiko VJ quartz movements? I specifically don't know which one has the day-date. I had the VJ-32A movement (date only) in my Columbia field watch changed last Feb 2022, and it's running -1sec per 6 months viz. an atomic clock.
Yes, I think it might be the VJ43. The dimensions on that one are close, but not exact. It may work, but the only way to find out would be to buy one and try it. If it doesn't, I'd just be out that little bit of money. The only thing I can find from a Google search is that the ETA805-122 is the only direct replacement for the Y563A. I didn't want to resort to putting a Swiss movement in a Japanese watch just yet, even if both were probably manufactured in China. 😂 I've scrolled through what seems like hundreds of Hattori movements online, looking for a direct replacement. For now, this one seems to be working.
Yes, I think it might be the VJ43. The dimensions on that one are close, but not exact. It may work, but the only way to find out would be to buy one and try it. If it doesn't, I'd just be out that little bit of money. The only thing I can find from a Google search is that the ETA805-122 is the only direct replacement for the Y563A. I didn't want to resort to putting a Swiss movement in a Japanese watch just yet, even if both were probably manufactured in China. 😂 I've scrolled through what seems like hundreds of Hattori movements online, looking for a direct replacement. For now, this one seems to be working.
Yup, hope it works well. And, maybe the VJ-43 might also not have the Roman numeral day wheel. Perhaps @GasWorks may have some insight. At any rate, congrats and enjoy! 🍻
Well done with getting this to work again. Satisfying isn't it.
Good luck with not noticing the missing seconds hand. I changed some hands on an old Seiko 5 and messed up the seconds hand somehow. It's running well but I just can't seem to unsee that it's not quite looking right. I'm sort of loathed to spend more money to try again which perhaps is a bit silly.
Lovely dial. I have a few old Timex and an Orient with linen dials. Really enjoy them.
Cheers bud.
Well done with getting this to work again. Satisfying isn't it.
Good luck with not noticing the missing seconds hand. I changed some hands on an old Seiko 5 and messed up the seconds hand somehow. It's running well but I just can't seem to unsee that it's not quite looking right. I'm sort of loathed to spend more money to try again which perhaps is a bit silly.
Lovely dial. I have a few old Timex and an Orient with linen dials. Really enjoy them.
Cheers bud.
-Somehow I erased everything I just wrote. 😑 - I'll try again...
Thanks! I've done builds for myself and replaced movements on some of my Dad's old watches, so it's not uncharted waters. It does feel good to get something running again, kind of like "I'm not so useless after all!" 😂
If I can figure out what size second hand I need, I'll order a few of them. It doesn't bother me too much, being that it's a quartz, and I tend to wear a different watch every day. If it has the right time on it when I pick it up, it will probably be good for the day. I have another quartz watch that didn't come with a second hand, so it's not too foreign to me.
The dial is what initially drew me in. It looks a lot cooler in person than I can capture with my phone. The whole watch has that cheap little jingly-jangly old man charm, which I dig these days. 😂
Geez, I hate it when that happens. Thank you for going to the trouble of doing the message again.
Sounds like you will get it all sorted and good luck with it all.
Know what you mean about jingly jangly old charm. I have a good few like that on my old Seiko's, Ricoh's, Citizen's etc.
👍