Last night I got tired of posting snarky comments about Dennis' pie pans and decided that it was time to change the crown on the cal. 321 pre pro Speedmaster I posted photos of last week...the brownish dial watch. Someone had at some point put on a 6mm crown that would be correct for a 2915. (wishful thinking) The appearance and correctness weren't really my concerns as much as it was tough to get a hold on to wind. Anyway, I took off the caseback, carefully backed the detente screw out 1.5 turns, kept slight pressure on it while pulling the crown/stem out. That went well...hands shaking slightly. I have done a little work on old mil. Hamiltons and Elgins with no complications, but these complicated things make me nervous. So I checked the length of the stem/crown that came from the watch then put on the new crown...checked it...and the length appeared to be the same. I carefully replaced the stem with new crown. All went well, but I found the new crown caused the stem to seat just shy of where it needed to be, so I pulled it and put the old crown back on, replaced it, breathed a sigh of relief thinking I had come away with no improvement, but also no damage. I turned the watch over to see the small seconds hand had COME OFF. I thought to myself, "WWDD" (What would Dennis do?) But I decided having a tantrum and breaking a half dozen Hummel figurines was not a viable option. To make a long story a little longer...I went back into the watch this morning and tangled with it. The small hands were just loose, but they stayed on, and by putting some small bits of solder in the new crown tube, I was able to effectively lengthen the stem until it was exactly right. (It's amazing how much difference .2 mm can make in a stem's functionality. Bottom line: After being really frustrated, I am back in business and even have the larger crown on. SOOOO you can all feel confident in sending me your best watches for repair. Trust me.

 

That's a perdy watch. I hope you don't mind a few mods...like polish off that scroll work on the sides of case...maybe give the whole thing a brushed finish...including the crystal.

 

Dennis would have avoided the whole mess by giving the watch to Steve / N2FHL in the first place. I can pick good bargains, I can spot redials and frankens, but I cannot do repairs. However, I'm blessed with being able to sign a check with the best of them.

I like your new angle on trying to get members to send you their watches. Previously, some of us have offered storage & break-in services to no avail.

 

Yes...but a complicated bicycle. And unless you've pulled a movement and removed/installed those tiny subdial hands, don't think it's so simple. It is very easy to botch the removal of the stem. I've seen dozens of guys get them out easily, but when it was time to replace them, they find they went too far with the detente screw and cannot slide the stem back in...requiring removal of the hands and dial and a few other microscopic maneuvers. Hell, you have to own a pretty good set of screwdrivers just to be able to get a blade on that tiny screw. I know very little about working on movements as complicated as the cal. 321, but removing the caseback is probably the only operation that isn't delicate, and you know how much damage can be done trying that with ham fists....scratches galore. Working on a Ferrari would be much simpler than most watch movements. The size of everything in a watch makes every step incredibly difficult compared to working on an automobile...and I have plenty of experience in that area...on classic GMs and Fords. Thank God a Speedmaster is a thousand times more reliable than a Ferrari.

 

Hurting my tender feelings again. But do you have a sharpener for your screwdrivers?

 

I guess I could just burn my clothing and replace it rather than use the washing machine, too. With a fancy set like those you must be doing all kinds of work on your movements. I bet you're sourcing like a fiend.

 

He's probably annihilated one or two things along the way.

 

I've removed and replaced all 6 hands on a Speedmaster before - and I am never doing it again. Just when you think you've got it, you wind the hands through 12 hours and they catch somewhere, change the setting and they catch elsewhere, then reset the chrono and one of the hands is a tiny bit off TDC. Put it all back and one hand falls off.....
'effin nightmare!

 

Neither have I! I should never have gone there. However I do quite enjoy fitting simple parts - crowns, crystals etc... although they can sometimes be problematic too.