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Longines Manual Wind question

  1. RancheroMaster Apr 9, 2017

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    I've been offered a Longines calibre 370 manual wind from the late 1960's, the only problem being that the crown doesn't appear to wind the movement and feels loose. Is this a simple fix like turning the screw that holds the stem in place a little bit, or perhaps some loctite where the crown itself threads into the stem? Or is there potentially a more costly repair necessary.
     
  2. Oku Apr 9, 2017

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    It may be that the mainspring is broken.
     
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  3. Canuck Apr 9, 2017

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    You say the "only problem being the crown doesn't appear to wind the movement........". That is not a problem. That is a symptom. The cause of that symptom could be one or more of a number of problems. You don't want to try to diagnose and repair this yourself. You need to have it checked out.
     
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  4. RancheroMaster Apr 9, 2017

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    I'm not gong to get into a debate about semantics. You know perfectly well what the meaning of my post was.
     
  5. Syrte MWR Tech Support Dept Apr 9, 2017

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    Hi there, it's a bit strange as a relative newcomer to be asking a question and then be aggressive when someone is trying to explain something.
    What @Canuck is saying is not semantics, he's taking time to give you an explanation and a practical advice -- for free.
    Now if you prefer to open up your watch and pour Loctite all over to fix it on your own, go ahead.
     
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  6. RancheroMaster Apr 9, 2017

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    I don't appreciate your passive aggressive tone either, mate.
     
  7. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Apr 9, 2017

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    I'm not sure what you expected, but you received a reasonable answer from a professional watchmaker.

    This is like meeting a doctor at a party, asking about your sore throat, then getting mad for suggesting you make an consultation appointment.
    gatorcpa
     
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  8. Canuck Apr 9, 2017

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    Th O P seemed to be asking for help, but it appears he actually came for a spat! I'm not sorry he's PO'd, but I regret trying to answer his question.
     
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  9. RancheroMaster Apr 9, 2017

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    Lads, all I needed to know was if the crown feeling loose was an indication of something which would be simple to fix. I didn't ask to be schooled on the difference between the synonyms symptom and problem - that didn't even explicitly answer the question I posed. I simply asked if it was an easy fix, a straight yes or no answer would suffice.
     
  10. adi4 Apr 9, 2017

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    As the watchmaker said, it's impossible to know, and it's unfortunately not a yes or no answer as much as you would like it to be. No aggression here, just a few folks trying to help you out to the best of their abilities given the extremely limited amount of info given. If you aren't a watchmaker, it's best to take it to one to diagnose the problem.
     
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  11. noelekal Home For Wayward Watches Apr 9, 2017

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    [​IMG]
     
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  12. Bumper Apr 10, 2017

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    Sometimes there isn't a straight yes or no answer... and it would be really difficult to say for certain what the problem was without having the watch in front of you...

    For example, I used to have a bicycle shop, i've fixed bikes for over 30 years. Lots of customers these days are "experts" at fixing their own bikes because they've watched videos on youtube. Some are decent, some are pretty bad, but very few would have worked on as many bikes as someone working full time in a shop.

    1 customer was brought reluctantly to my shop by his friend because his wheel was "not straight". He'd been watching youtube videos & bought a little truing tool to adjust the spokes & had been doing so for a few months. To him, it was a problem of the spokes needing adjustment to straighten the wheel. He asked how much it would cost to true the wheel.

    What i found was, the nuts at the hub had come loose leaving a little gap on either side for dirt & water to get into the bearings & grind them down. There was also rust & wear on the bearing surface due to the water & dirt, so even if i replaced the bearings, they would never run smooth again. In addition, months of cycling with the spokes wrongly tensioned had caused the rim to be warped. So, my recommendation was to have his hub changed, but to save $, the rim could still be re-used, although with a slight bob in it. But, being an entry level bike with entry level wheels, it would cost more than it was worth to do all that. So buying a second hand wheel, or a new set if he could afford it was a better solution. I gave him the options, and also told him that if he supplied the hub and/or rim, i would charge him labor only.

    He insisted i only change the bearings ( and right then & there in front of him ) but i had to refuse as If he ever brought it to another shop, or sold it, or told anyone it was me that only changed the bearings, i would be judged on it. Which would make me no better than the champion who did this...
    IMG-20140904-WA0001 (1).jpg

    A "Pro" bike mechanic changed the bearings on a full carbon Trek Madone, but didn't use the correct size. So he decided to shim it out with a bit of aluminum cut from a soft drink can... that luckily i spotted before i sliced my fingers open. This is Trek's version of the BB30.

    So, i don't mean to bore anyone with a lengthy post, but i can understand what @Canuck meant when he said what he did. I don't believe he was trolling you either, as nobody would take his word as a watchmaker seriously if he did. Nor do i mean to insult you, or compare you with the customer i had....

    Good luck with the watch.
     
  13. Canuck Apr 10, 2017

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    Could be yes, could be no!
     
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  14. pippy Apr 26, 2017

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    The answer to your questions are: 1 NO and 2 YES
     
  15. night0wl Apr 26, 2017

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    Yes
     
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  16. simsallabim Apr 26, 2017

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    Ooooh, fiesty one you are!
     
  17. Canuck Apr 26, 2017

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    Actually, the words problem and symptom are not synonyms! When there is a problem, you look for symptoms in order to identify the problem. As an example: RancheroMaster is a symptom of a problem. :D
     
  18. OMGRLX a RolexBear in disguise Apr 26, 2017

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    Well, that escalated pretty quickly... ::popcorn::
     
  19. Oku Apr 26, 2017

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    Let us not ride dead horses. That's beneath us...
     
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