Repair: Zodiac SeaWolf SST 36,000

IMG_3989KK from Malaysia sent me his Zodiac. He doesn’t want a service, as he says it’s been serviced recently. The watch doesn’t make it across the date change, and just stops.

The watch has a fast beating 10 beats per second movement, and an unusual crown position.IMG_3990

Looks like whoever serviced the watch had their timegrapher stolen the night before 😉IMG_3993

I take the movement out and remove the day ring. I’ll take out the whole date mechanism, and put everything back clean and lubricated to make sure that it works as it should.IMG_3995

This movement doesn’t have its clutch on the canon pinion, but on the second (not centre) wheel. I notice that the clutch isn’t gripping properly, and that might be the reasons it stops when it’s time for the date change – the clutch just slips. That means I have to turn the movement over and take the second wheel out.IMG_4002

I take off the auto winder, and remove the wheel bridge, so that I can take out the second wheel (already removed and on the side in this photo).IMG_4004

When removing the clutch wheel, the pinion separates from the wheel. Not what I bargained for, but not a huge problem. IMG_4005

Out comes the staking set. With a large stake, I press the wheel back on to the pinion.IMG_4006

In the next step, I re-rivet the pinion to the wheel.IMG_4007

I have re-tightened the clutch pinion, and now press it back on. One day, I will get myself one of those £700 Boley staking sets 😉IMG_4010

Now I can put the movement back together, and I adjust it. That looks better, but the amplitude could be a bit stronger…IMG_4011

The watch now changes date without stopping, and all is well. Back to Malaysia it goes!

11 thoughts on “Repair: Zodiac SeaWolf SST 36,000

  1. Hi, Sorry to be so late to this thread.
    I am a small time collector, and farm all of my service and repair needs out to a professional watchmaker.
    I have the exact same watch discussed in this thread. It has been thoroughly serviced, runs and sets properly. But, the crystal needs to be replaced, as well as the crown which controls the rotating bezel (on the right when you look at the watch from the front).
    Could anyone here point me in the right direction for these replacement parts?
    Thanks,
    Philipp

  2. Pingback: Zodiac SST 36000

  3. That slipping clutch is often a big problem with the older seawolfs with date but no quickset. The clutch get’s worn out more quickly, for instance when you want to set the non quickset date from 1 to 31. (turning the hands back and forth, back and forth ad infinitum 😉 )
    I’ve got some Zodiac sst watches with this movement and a Favre Leuba Sea Raider with their (identical?) version of the movement.

  4. Does that watch have a movable inner bezel? I notice in the last photo that 0 is not at the 12 o’clock position.

    Too bad he didn’t want it serviced. Based on the amplitude, it looks like it could have used it.

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