Valjoux 7750 terminal date change “feature”

Sometimes, it’s hard to understand what engineers were thinking when looking at some watch movement features. One of the worst offenders I can think oIMG_6499f is the otherwise excellent Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement.

Try to change the date with the quick-set function too close to midnight, and you are in for a surprise – a sizeable repair invoice from your watchmaker!

Have a look at this Valjoux 7750. Next to the “14” on the date disc, you can see the brass coloured date change wheel, and the little triangular bit that should advance the date has broken off. You can see the same wheel as the day change wheel on the left and above, with the triangular tip intact.

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Comparison: Sea-Gull ST 5 and Glycine calibre FHF 96-4.

IMG_0858Barry was wondering which of his watches would perform the best after a service.

Both watches are from around the same time period and I would think it will be a close match. The Seagull must have been a true luxury watch for the average Chinese back in the days. This particular Glycine was aimed at the middle class worker wanting a reasonably good quality timepiece. The Sea-Gull is a NOS watch and the FHF has clearly been used, so to even the battlefield I will keep the original mainspring in the Seagull and get a new mainspring for the FHF movement.

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Video: Putting together an ST2130 (ETA2824-2 clone)

It’s been a while since I’ve put up a video, and I always wanted to do one of me putting together a watch movement. A bit tricky, as you are of course more nervous with the camera running, and because I can’t use the microscope whilst filming (as you wouldn’t be able to see anything), so I have to do all the things I usually do under the microscope just with the optivisor.

Nevertheless, here we go:

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Comparison: Sea-Gull ST2130, ETA 2824-2, Peacock SL3000

IMG_8987Torsten, who is very active on the WUS Chinese watch forum, has asked me to compare three movements for him. The original, the ETA 2824-2, and the well known Sea-Gull ST2130, a Chinese clone, and the new Peacock SL3000, another Chinese clone.

I have a new Sea-Gull in stock, and Torsten sent me a Peacock. Thanks to Ron from Texas, I got hold of a used Fortis watch with an ETA2824-2, so we have to take into consideration that the ETA isn’t new, but used. Continue reading

Review: Sea-Gull 1963 Chronograph


This is a watch from my collection – a Sea-Gull 1963 chronograph. It’s a replica of a chronograph Sea-Gull manufactured for the Chinese air force in 1963.

The movement is a clone of the Venus 175 movement, which Sea-Gull now calls the ST19.

Just right up my street – no frills, clean dial, just does what it has to do. It’s hand-winding, and has a normal second hand dial at 9 o’clock, and the minute counter dial for the chronograph at 3 o’clock. Continue reading