Two ETA 24xx movments in one day – first the Glycine Compressor, and now Constantine’s Hamilton Fontainebleau!
Two very different watches, but with a very similar movement.
Hamilton wasn’t quite as honest about the use of ETA movements, and stamped them with their own inititals – there is no trace on the movement giving away that it’s an ETA. Continue reading
It’s like London busses – only that it’s Accutrons! This #3 out of the 5 Bulova Accutrons Constantine has sent me for repair.
This is a smaller job – it’s just that the winding pin has come loose, and it won’t fit back in. On the 218, you have to be very careful when unscrewing the locking-piece screw to take the winding pin out – a bit too far, and you won’t get it back in. So I will have to dismantle the bottom plate to get to the pull-out piece.
The Waltham watch I took apart yesterday is next. This is a rather chunky, 20 ligne movement. All the parts are cleaned, dried and ready for reassembly.
This poor Waltham pocket watch has seen better days … The glass is cracked and removed, and the hour hand has broken off.
The watch is from Constantine’s collection.
It ticks, but some coils of the hairspring stick together, so I’m not expecting miracles.
I do love Accutron watches – the gentle hum and the perfectly sweeping second hand are enough to get me going 😉
This particular Bulova Accutron was sent to me by Constantine from NY State together with a batch of other watches. It is his father’s watch, and he would like to see it working again. His father’s name is even engraved on the back. Continue reading
Bulova didn’t invent the use of tuning forks to measure time – but they were the first ones to pack the technology into a wrist watch. One of the great inventions in watch making in my humble opinion, and a great piece of technology.
The watches are mainly mechanical. Instead of a balance / hairspring oscillator, the Accutron uses a tuning fork that swings. The electronic part is keeping the tuning fork swinging – all the rest is done mechanically.
Browsing through my local antiques shop, I found a Hamilton 910 from 1922.
It didn’t work, and the balance only moved at a very limited angle when I shook the movement. After taking it apart, cleaning and oiling it, the watch now ticks nicely.