This TAG made it all the way from South Korea (well, it only said Korea on the parcel, but I doubt many people in North Korea have a TAG TwinTime 😉 ), and is in need of a service.
The TAG TwinTime has an extra hand, that turns once every 24 hours, and is the one that drives the date change when it is at the top of the dial. The minute hand works as usual, but the hour hand can be set forward an hour at a time to adjust for different time zones. Nice to have when you travel quite a bit!
The case back is nicely engraved, as you would expect from a TAG.
The plastic case ring doesn’t float my boat, and TAG should hang their heads in shame for putting that in. It works of course just as well as a metal ring, but please…
Dial and hands look very good.
I first thought that the dial had been restored before, but then checked on another TAG that I have in the workshop. These grinding traces on the back of the markers are normal for TAG dials.
The bottom plate with the GMT mechanism.
The auto winder taken apart.
The mainspring doesn’t look too bad, but I will of course put a new one in.
This little wheel has a spring and 12 notches, and is the one responsible for the hour hand being able to jump in one hour steps. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
The rest of the movement is as per ETA2892
The keyless works.
The new mainspring has arrived.
The barrel bridge put back together.
And the base movement is back together and ticking.
That doesn’t look too bad at all. After a day or two, I will adjust again, so that I get +1s/day in a mix of three positions.
The bottom plate back together.
The dial and hands go back on.
And the watch is back together and ticking again.
Nice watch. Is the inner 24 hour ring part of the case, or a separate component which sits on top of the dial?
I agree that the plastic movement holder is rather cheap & nasty considering the purchase cost of TAG Heuer.
I have been patiently waiting for an ETA2893-2 to appear on your blog to see if there was any reference to the misalignment issue of the 24 hour hand that appears to plague this particular ETA movement. I own a Steinhart Ocean Vintage GMT with an identical movement, and although the watch was received with perfectly aligned hands in January 2011, I have experienced the ‘wandering’ 24 hour hand with this particular watch. The hand appears to go out of alignment in 20 minute increments. I haven’t actually witnessed the ‘event’, but noticed it the first time after adjusting the time when on holiday in Mar 2011 (in the mid-afternoon). The hand currently sits in the correct alignment position. It’s not a loose hand, but (I am convinced) a gearing issue with the little wheel which controls the position of the 12 hour hand.
The 24 hour dial is on a separate bezel held by the crystal.
The 24 hour hand will change position if the dial washer is missing – then the wheel will ride up and miss a tooth.
That’s a really nice TAG!!
A couple of years ago I was about to buy the same watch with a white dial. But something held me back. Having since discovered the joys of vintage I’m glad I didn’t. It’s most definitely a nice piece, but for me it lacks a little warmth (like other modern watches similar to this one).
It is nice to see a watch with Complications that still maintains a simplicity of design and execution 😉
Manufacturers seem to like the idea of plastic movement holders as shock absorbers, but given the movement is connected to the dial and stem / crown and both are in direct contact with the case I have never been overly impressed with the argument!