Ken from Ireland sent me this lovely Glashütte watch. The Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB) were founded in 1951, in what was back then East Germany. Apparently, all watch manufacturers in Glashütte were combined into GUB, something not unusual in the early days of the German Democratic Republic.

So, not only a piece if history, but also a good looking one!

This does not look good. The amplitude is too feeble to show up on the timegrapher, and all is very irregular.

Considering the age of the watch, the dial is in quite good condition.

I start off with the bottom plate. No rust, no damage.

Balance jewels and escape wheel jewel cap taken out, ready to turn over.

Now it’s time for the top plate, starting off with the balance and pallet fork.

Parts ready for the cleaning machine.

The gear train goes in.

And the balance is swinging again.

The minute wheel sometimes jumps, as it can ride up too high. I bend down the two feet on the plate that holds down the minute wheel, and the problem is resolved.

The next problem is the case ring – it’s too loose, and the movement rattles around in the case.

As I don’t have a case ring that I can adapt, I “borrow” one of the plates of my daughter’s play tea set, which she hasn’t used in years. Also, she has two 😉

That’s why you need a lathe 😉

Now all the new case ring needs is a bit of cleaning up.

The case gets a new crystal.

Very nice looking watch. You can see that somebody had bent the hands and then tried to straighten them out again. I won’t try to make that better, as I could easily break them.