ジャンク時計 (Junk Watch) Seiko Speed-Timer Restoration-ish 6139-8050

I've got a vintage watch problem, and one of those problems is needed a case back for a Universal Geneve dress watch. Because I bought cheap one without a caseback, how hard could it be to find one? Hard. Anyone need a couple UGs? 1 case back between the two of them....

"What does this have to do with a Speed-Timer?", you ask. Well, dear reader, I was slumming around buyee.jp's junk watch auctions having bought buying a cheap enough UG ジャンク時計 (Junk Watch) and I decided to get some value from the Japan to Canada shipping. For those who don't know buyee is one of the proxy services that non-Japanese residents can use to buy from yahoo.co.jp auctions et al. and you have 30 days from the first purchase hitting buyee's warehouse to add other purchases to the shipment. Challenge Accepted.

So, armed with a 30 day window and the search term ジャンク時計 (Junk Watch), I went looking and this turned up in an auction at a decent price. Three photos, no context, dirty, Hardlex crystal shot, wrong bracelet. But the 70s funk + chronograph + beautiful (I was hoping) green/teal dial:


Waited a few weeks and it showed up, along with my other buyee-facilitated purchases:


I had to pick up a bulk lot to get a 60s Seiko Chronos, for short money. Came with a Seiko quartz PW and an new with tag ELNARD (by Seiko). Both of which have since gone on.

Step 1 - Condition Assessment
Not the filthiest watch I've encountered, by a long shot, but still gross and gooey. The case needed 3x trips in the ultrasonic (water + Simple Green) before I could get the bezel off (metal work required to bezel and case):


Step 2 - Disassembly and Cleaning
Not photographed here, the movement comes out easily. Bless Seiko's industrial philosophy of making watches easy to assemble and service. The movement retaining ring also retains the chrono pushers (none of the screw in fiddles or the bs of c-clips or other pushers). Not shown, the pusher disassembly and the guck that is always in the pusher springs of any chrono. Clean your chrono springs people!

The bezel was welded to the case by the slazz that had made its way between them over the years. Look at the slazz that was welding it together - and that's after 3x through the ultrasonic with the bezel in place. Metal work to the case, post cleaning, was required due to the bezel removal....


Peg wood? I can't afford frigging peg wood. Here's a bamboo skewer and a broken amazon junk screw driver


Cleaning the case, bezel and case back took a LOT of scraping and passes through the ultrasonic. The bezel (backside), case (under bezel and under case back) and case back all have a bit of corrision on them that "is what it is". Wabi-sabi.

Step 3 - Dial Glamour Shots for Inspo
AND THE WATCH RUNS. Did I mention this thing runs?? Of course it runs, its a Seiko! Will get it a full service by a specialist in due course, likely!

Next Steps:
1 - Parts ordering. Guess what, the 8050 is the weird one and no one re-pops the crystals or the crystal gaskets!
2 - Metal work and polishing.
3 - Reassembly
4 - Strap or bracelet (hint, it sure as hell won't be the stock bracelet).


Thanks for reading!

Step 4 - Metal Work and Polishing

Prising the case apart took a toll on the case between the top lugs. And one thing lead to another, so metal working and polishing happened.

Generally, I don't mechanically polish vintage watches unless the condition and circumstances dictate; hand polish only with a cape cod.

Here, the case ends between the lugs are very roughly brushed from the factory (I see where you saved costs, 1974 Seiko). These ends, including the massacre to remove the bezel, got knocked down using a red scotchbrite (for automotive body work, etc...). The bezel, that was super rashed, also got a brushing with this red scotchbrite.


In terms of polishing, and anything else I do with watches, I'm a bottom-feeding hack. To mechanically polish "the right way", you've got a bench grinder/polisher and specilaized wheels. And of course you do this in the "dirty" room and not the same "clean" room as the movement work.

Me, I'm doing this freehand with a a 20 year-old store-brand dremel (purchased to do body work in a Toronto alleyway on a mistake-purchase Saab 900NG) and a $40 (actual) Dremel polishing kit with pastes, pads et al. 20 years later, I can spring for name-brand shit. The "clean" room is a basement hallway next to a bathroom; do the "dirty" room is an old work bench in the garage (counting my blessings to have that garage), some box board, a really hoping I don't shoot the parts on to car or the concrete.

Lots of low rpm passes, checking between them and desperately trying not to round off any edges. Lots of holding stuff in one gloved hand and peering through chewed up safety glasses I found in a scrap car at the junkyard a decade ago.



The results are far from perfect, but perfect as they are:

Step 5 - Parts
Parts have arrived!

A NoS Hardlex crystal (no one repops this weird one) that was about half of what I paid for watch and a set of new gaskets (case back, pushers and crown) from Vintage Time Australia. VTA, if you don't know, are one the sellers who keep old Seikos running with new parts. Bless.

These will be fitted, I hope, shortly, as time allows. I hate fitting crown and pusher gaskets. So. Damn. Fiddly.


Step 6- Strap or Bracelet
I feel like this is the "band or dj" question for WIS. Because I've got a slight buyee.jp problem (still chasing that UG case back), something period correct (but not model) popped up and I went for it. I'll likely (totally) need an extension to fit, but lets go. About the same price as a nice strap and less "this is green" (was pondering green straps but not finding the right shade of teal-ish).


Step(s) the Next- Reassembly
To follow. Can't wait to see what goes wrong (the pushers are tad bent, each of them....)

Very interesting - looking forward to seeing the results 🤞

Brave undertaking and it looks like it will turn out pretty good.

Thanks!
If you feel the need, there's one with the original bracelet on Buyee (Yahoo/JD direct auction) that ends tomorrow): https://buyee.jp/item/jdirectitems/auction/j1240431666?
Thank you! Can't wait to share them.

Before and After

Step the Penultimate - Re-Assembly
A theoretically easy re-assembly of the complete movement (with dial and hands) and the various components case.

The new crystal was a breeze to fit (bless OEM parts) although I re-used the "decent enough" crystal gasket because I couldn't find the part #, the crystal is smaller than other 6139s and it was an odd profile (rounded on 1 side). Seiko made it easy to snap back together with a press. After lots of careful crystal cleaning and lint removal....


Step Well Shit, I'm Doing This Wrong
Yeap. This is after fitting the stem/crown gasket in 30 seconds and then going too many rounds with a pusher gasket. And realizing I was mauling the gasket.

Re-group, someone has solved this before, check the internet.
Bless "TheIndianSeikoSmith" for this brilliant write up of 6139 pushers AND how to make a tool to fit them. Saved my evening. He's even done a breakdown of the different 6309 pusher types, including this weirdo JDM model I've fallen for:

Now, the writer had a brilliant vise and made a lovely flared and pointed gasket installation tool. Because he has luxuries like "time", some type of tiny cutting wheel and "a staking set". Me, I'm doing the right thing the wrong with what I've got (and I sure as heck don't own a staking set, yet).

The Right Way (from "TheIndianSeikoSmith")


Doing the Right Thing The Wrong Way
Instead of owning a lovely fancy vice (I should though...) or locating some decent scrap wood and drilling an appropriate hole, I grabbed an old jewelers' die with holes in it (got it with a bulk lot of watch tools, no idea the proper name) and cut a piece of bamboo skewer to approx the right length (pegwood, yeah right). Now I had a decent working surface and I performed some rudimentary straightening of the pushers.

For the tool, a 2.0mm spring bar is recommended as the tube and I had a perfectly (useless) few 2.0mm shoulderless bars to sacrifice. But did I break out a dremel and cutting wheel? Nah, this was a one time tool and I wanted it NOW. So snips it was, which crush when they cut...

How to make a flare? I tried hammering a few different objects into it, ultimately using something that looks kinda leathal with a bit of a hook to it. Minor tear in the metal...

So, a little pliers and sandpaper work, then lube the hell out of it with gasket silicone. Now, for the pointy part. Rather than mill or source a nice point and affix it, point up, it was back to the bamboo skewers. Again, lube, on the point, JAM it into the tube and roll that gasket down with some brass tweezers. And holy shit, it worked.

Not a tool I'm proud of and one that's been tossed. But it was field expedient and got the job done. If I did (do) anymore pushers, I'll make the right tool...

Fitting the movement back was a bit fiddly - the retaining ring locks both pushers in place so you need to depress both pushers with one hand while fitting the right correctly with the other. Took a couple tries and one shot off spring...

Finally, closing the case back was a challenge. A tiny little return spring for one of the pusher contacts on the movement had popped out and was causing chaos. #chronographthings.


Glamour Shots

Last Steps
At some point I'll fit a JDM bracelet that's on its way to a warehouse in Japan. Then it'll get a service in due course.

As always, thanks for reading. Go play with your watches!

Thanks!