Repair + Service: Seiko 7016-7000 / calibre 7016A

IMG_5662This watch belongs to Jean-Pierre’s father, and he wants to restore it for him as a surprise.

Have a look at the rust on the hands. A tell-tale sign that there was water ingress, and that there will be more rust below. This is the type of job that I shouldn’t accept πŸ˜‰IMG_5665

With the rotor removed, the top side of the movement doesn’t look too bad.IMG_5668

Slightly blurry photo, but you can see that there are quite a lot of rusty bits …IMG_5670

On this photo, you can see that the cannon pinion top is rusted off completely.IMG_5672

The start/stop and reset pushers are also rusty.IMG_5676

The rest of the bottom plate doesn’t look too bad, though.IMG_5680

The auto winder, and the broken off tip of the start/shop lever.IMG_5681

With the top plate gone, you can see parts of the chronograph mechanism. This movement has a vertical clutch for the central chronograph wheel.IMG_5688

And here it is. The fork tines move in and out to engage and disengage the chronograph clutch.IMG_5691

Lots of dirt everywhere.IMG_5694

The gear train, and the minute recorder on the left, with the gear for the hour recorder below it.IMG_5695

Dirt everywhere.IMG_5706

In the background, the rusted together hour wheel and cannon pinion.IMG_5707Β Everything goes into the cleaning machine.IMG_5708

I put the hour wheel and cannon pinion in vinegar to dissolve the rust as far as I can.IMG_5709

The case taken apart.IMG_5710

The movement is ready to be put back together.IMG_5712

The hour recorder hand has come off its tube.IMG_5715

Lots of corrosion on the hour hand.IMG_5717

Here is the hour recorder hand soldered back together.

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The dial and hands get some new luminous compound.IMG_5723

I start reassembly with the balance jewels.IMG_5724

And now I can put the rest back together.IMG_5725

The vertical clutch is and its fork is visible again. The little wheel at 10 o’clock engages and disengages the clutch, and it’s operated by the start/stop lever.IMG_5727

Here, you can see the start/stop lever and the reset lever in place. IMG_5732

The base movement is back together and beating.IMG_6901

There was no new cannon pinion to be had anywhere, so we decided to buy a parts movement off eBay, and we got lucky – a perfect cannon pinion and hour wheel.IMG_6902

The bottom plate with all its components.IMG_6903

Ready for the day wheel.IMG_6904

With the day wheel in place, we are ready for the dial.IMG_6905

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The hour recorder hand gets some new paint.IMG_7070

Dial and hands are back on.IMG_7071

And the chronograph is working.IMG_7072

The auto winder bits go in after I have cased the movement.IMG_7074The watch keeps its original crystal, as we can’t find a proper replacement, and Jean-Pierre wants to keep it as it is.

This restoration was a huge labour of love, and I had to take apart and put together the movement a couple of times to swap for better parts from the parts movement we bought. I had also initially soldered the start/stop lever, but we could then use the one from the parts movement as well.

I’m sure Jean-Pierre’s father will be pleasantly surprised!

 

14 thoughts on “Repair + Service: Seiko 7016-7000 / calibre 7016A

  1. Fantastic work, Christian. There are probably more Seiko donor movements available than for many other manufacturers (even for rarer calibres like the 7016A) but the expertise and patience to make use of them is a lot harder to find.

  2. Christian does some amazing work and this is proof of true dedication. It is truly fun watching him do his kind of magic! One could not wish for a better teacher of detail, patience and perseverance:)

  3. Hi Christian, presumably the crystal is mineral glass; can the scratches be removed using a professional glass polishing kit to restore the finish?

      • ebay japan would be a good place to source a new crystal. I use easyauctionjapan but there are other sites out there.

        A dremel with a felt attachement and some diamond paste does a really good job on mineral glass, just don’t let the glass get too hot!!! πŸ™‚

  4. Awesome. I am enamored with Seiko, and this watch is quite interesting inside. Glad you took the time to restore it and share the process with us. Thanks!

  5. What an amazing work of art you did there Christian!! πŸ™‚ It’s a pity you didn’t find a replacement for the crystal as it would allow all it’s spendor and glory to shine thru again! Well done!! πŸ™‚

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