Hello guys!

I found this beautiful vintage Vulcain watch online that I could get for around 400€. It is a triple calendar with a moonphase. (Talked with the seller and agreed on price privately)

There is just one problem: the seller has stated that the month pusher nor the window isn't working. The pusher seems to be "stuck", as he described it. All the other functions work.

How bad of a problem is this and how much would it cost approx. to get it fixed?

 

If you can find out what movement is fitted the experts here may have a better chance at guessing. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them so I’d have no idea! Good luck though.

 

Thanks for pointing that out, here is a pic of the movement

 

Could be something as simple as dirt obstructing the pusher operation which could be fixed when the movement is cleaned. Or it could be a broken wire jumper spring or a bent lever, they can all be repaired. No idea of the cost but probably more than the purchase price.

 

Basic Felsa 690 with complications. Cost to repair? How might we know? Behind the dial, this is rather a complex watch, and it likely will need to be dismantled entirely in order to diagnose and solve whatever is wrong. Expect to have to take out a second mortgage.

 

Yeah, I know. Asked the seller if they know what causes this. Waiting for an answer now.

 

I doubt he will be able to tell you anything relevant, my point being that, judging by the regulator's position it needed servicing anyway, even if the calendar was functioning...so it could be something as simple as a regular service(for a watch with this number of complications) or service+parts.

 

I see Could you educate the newbie here and tell how the regulators position looks off/tells that the watch need service?

 

Usually you want it sitting in the middle (where the arrow is pointing).
Adjusting the regulator basically means you are making the movement run slightly faster or slower, by making a small change in the effective length of the balance hairspring.
A properly serviced watch should not need adjustments.

 

Okay well, that makes sense

What does it mean and what causes it that it's pointing so much to the + here? Or vice versa to the - ?

 

I'm no expert, let's wait for @Archer to chime in but my guess would be to compensate for a watch being too fast or too slow without having to service it.
Or if you want the watch to be as accurate as possible with a faulty original part?

 

Appreciate the help!

 

Found this on google, may shed some light-
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Budget_Watch_Collecting/Regulating

And here I thought the actual use of the regulator was to adjust your watch to Earth's time if you're in a planet with different strength of gravity
The GMT equivalent for galaxy travelers.

 

Just go into the purchase with the understanding that you will pay an additional amount equal to the typical cost that you pay for a full service of a complicated watch. A few hundred euro at least.

 

I will, thanks!

Any wild guesses what the total cost would approx. be? I don't mind having a little project if I find a watch that looks nice and fits my super small (14cm) wrists

 

Or ISS astronauts - https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp7/luletters/lu_letter13.html

 

Yes, my wild guess was included in my previous post.

 

Oh true, my bad. Just had my father's Omega serviced and it was 840€. It was a real mess as you can image from the cost.

Would you say this would be around the same?

 

It's impossible to guess. Nobody knows how much work will be required, who you will use to service the watch, how much they charge, etc.

 

The only person who will be able to estimate would be the watch repair person who has an opportunity to assess the condition of the watch, to check out what parts might be required, cost of these parts, and also availability of any parts that might be required. You’ve had ESTIMATES. What you need is a QUOTE! An estimate is a ballpark price, and a quote is a FIRM price. You don’t need estimates. You need a QUOTE, and only the person who is going to do the job can give you that. Ask us all you like, but anything we might say is not really relevant!