Firstly, many thanks to Jon from Canada for letting me have this watch for a teardown and service. These are rare beasts, and the movement is quite unique. Shortening Butterfly to “Butfly” might not have been the best marketing ploy, but it certainly adds to the character π
The case is quite chunky - and in very good condition
Even before I open the back, I can hear the winder rattling around in the case - and there is a good reason for it, as it's not fixed to the movement at all and just rattles around
Not doing too badly
A bit of dirt on the barrel wheel. Get an eye full of this - I don't think I have ever seen more wheels on a top plate! Not only was the winder loose, but 2 of the 3 screws that hold the support plate for the winder are missing M0.5 x 0.5, good luck with that π
Having removed the hands, I start off with the bottom plate
The day wheel has numbers next to each day - I presume this is for people that don't speak English
With the bottom plate cleared, I turn the movement around
Slowly wading through a gazillion wheels π
Pallet fork with cock
Wheel bridge removed
You can see how the barrel drives the second wheel, which is not a centre wheel
Rinsing the parts after the cleaning solution
Parts dried and ready for reassembly - and there is no lack of them!
All the parts that didn't go into the cleaning fluid are safely wrapped up
Having cleaned the main spring and the barrel, I rewind the spring, oil it and close the barrel
With the barrel and barrel bridge mounted, I put the wheels in
Oiling as I go along
Wheel bridge and pallet fork are back on the plate
Top plate back together (bar the auto winder on top)
Time to put the bottom plate back together
Just the day ring left to go in
As I want to put the dial back on, I notice that the "Butfly" is loose
I glue the emblem back on by pressing it back in and putting two drops of shellac on the holes from the other side
Dial and hands back on
The movement goes back into the case - you can see the two holes where the screws for the winder support plate are missing
The short screw at the bottom is the original, and the two other screws are the closest thing I can find. The thread is correct, but they are too long
First, I cut the screws to the right length
Well, a bit longer. Now the thread needs filing down so that it's even again
I hold the screw with some pliers and file the screw down
As the filing will compress the bottom thread, I run the screw through a screw plate
And now the winder plate is held by three screws again - that should keep it from wobbling loose again
The auto winder goes back on, the gasket in, and I'm ready to close the back
And I'm done
I wonder why this watch is so complex – there isn’t really a need for it. It’s almost as someone wanted to fit as many wheels into this movement as they possibly could.
The date can be adjusted when the crown is pulled out to first position, but the day has to be adjusted by setting the time – that makes sense, as you only have to adjust the day once, but the date has to be changed every other month.
The manual and automatic winding mechanism is quite something, and I wonder if you can find that sort of complexity anywhere else.
Interesting!
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hongqi was an old chinese millitary industry οΌand have many products for people like watches and bike and so onοΌ
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Interesting how the there is no 7 on the day wheel. It jumps straight from 6 on Saturday to 8 on Sunday.
Apparently, this is not an 8, but a ζ₯, an abbreviation for Sunday (not that I knew this, but Jon at watchuseek.com told me)
yep, since it is a Chinese watch
And where does it say “Hongqi”? (meaning red flag)
On the case back.
My theory was that 7 is an unlucky number in China, if I remember correctly?
There is still a seven on the date wheel though π
most chinese do not mind unluckynum γγγγγ
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