Hello , 1st post on the forum (don't ya hate 1st posters asking for advice ? ) I spend most of my time on WUS ..anyway this piece caught my eye , maybe because of the yellow chapter ring , South American seller , at least its not India LOL ...any thoughts from the group?
Thanks
Neal


http://www.ebay.com/itm/381713994780?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:ITPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

He has a few others ..very similar which raised me up ...

 

I see others like it on the web and it looks legit compared with them...... and yes that yellow ring is very eye catching..... Its not huge money so why not?

I'm sure the experts will chime in and tell you more, but I think I'd chance it.

 

Regarding the seller, he is solid and backs his timepieces without hesitation.. His return policy is 30 days, noteworthy.

 

I see that from his e-bay listings and stated memberships in organizations , I just feel he has too many of these pieces 166.0 for comfort ,it's like he cornered the market on these "unusual/rare/limited" models
Still bouncing it around in my head

 

Nothing wrong with having access to these pieces and even more in inventory. I am sure the economy where he is at allows these acquisitions at a very nice price..

 

If I told you this particular seller has done things like superglued a chronograph second hand on to a caliber 321 Seamaster, would you still consider him "solid"? There have been several issues with him that were documented over the years.

 

Thanks guys , for your thoughts , that said looks like I will just keep an eye out on the forums for a 166. from a collector , never had that warm and fuzzy E-Bay feeling LOL...if I did I would have a collection of Fortis Marinemasters from India that are completely "Waterpoop"
All the Best
Neal

 

Hey, one man's "solid" is another man's quicksand...

 

Not aware of this and obviously without the buyer doing the due diligence, which many do not, finding out about this later is too late.

This is why people come here to ask for references...

I've had a couple of positive experiences with him..

 

It does happen..

 

And superglue can actually be very "solid"!

 

Well, many modern watches use glue...although it's not "superglue" you will find that many modern watches use glue to hold the balance spring to the stud. Very common on Swatch products for example, including modern Omega.

In fact, shellac is a natural glue or adhesive, and is used on most watches for holding the roller jewel and pallet fork jewels in place. "Glue" has it's place in watchmaking certainly, but not to hold chronograph hands in place.

I actually see it more on hands when the rivet that holds the pipe of the hand to the flat portion is loose, so obviously someone who has no clue how to tighten the rivet properly, and they just dab some glue on the top of the rivet and et voila, the watch is "fixed"...

 

Have you seen dials (missing feet) glued on or taped to the movement?

 

I've seen glue used even when the dial feet were intact...some people have no clue what they are doing clearly...

 

WOW... Thanks for sharing!
I bought a red sub once and took it in for service immediately and it had two sided tape holding the dial in place..

 

These are known as dial dots in the industry, and their use is usually frowned upon. Certainly should have been disclosed in the sale, provided the owner knew about it. Dial feet can be soldered back on using a machine made for this purpose, but that comes with a real risk of burning the dial in the process. On a watch like a red sub or one with a dial that is either special in some way or quite valuable, I would be less judgmental about using them. Even with asking the owner if they wanted to risk it and being indemnified if something goes wrong, I would still not want to have a dial damaged by soldering new feet on while in my care...fortunately broken dial feet are quite rare, at least in my experience.

Cheers, Al

 

As always, thanks you Al for these comments and infos.

Maybe I am wrong, but I would not call shellac a glue - even if it may be one from the point of view of physics - because it can always be removed. But that may be because I use the common meaning of "glue", and not a scientific one.

By the way, something I use from time to time to fix things I cannot fix otherwise (but never for loose hands!) is nail varnish. A watchmaker gave the tip on a French speaking forum. Could be usefull to hold an loose bezel on an old pocket watch. But it does not act as a glue - you have to wait the varnish to be dry. Not sure if I would use that on an Omega though...

Glue in modern Omega to hold the hairspring on the stud... I am really a vintage guy!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive

"Adhesive may be used interchangeably with glue, cement, mucilage, or paste,[1] and is any substance applied to one surface, or both surfaces, of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.["

Well, I think by pretty much any definition it's a glue or adhesive. But one derived from natural sources...the lac bug...