Unable to remove movement from case, Cal 262, Universal Geneve

sdre · Jul 27, 2019

Hey OF,

I'm wondering if anyone here has experienced such a situation.

Recently I bought a nice art deco/numeral UG, Cal 262 on ebay. I got it and it was running over 300 secs +-, very high amplitude at 316 and 8.2ms.

However, its not service-able because my watchmaker is unable to remove the movement from the case.

I asked if hes able to wedge it free but he says he's afraid to break the dial feet.

Can anyone verify this?

Thanks!

S.H. · Jul 27, 2019

I would advise against forcing it free because it will probably bend/distort the dial before breaking the feet: good luck repairing this. Probably a three part case where the movement comes off front after removing the bezel? Can't say much without pictures...

sdre · Jul 28, 2019

S.H.
I would advise against forcing it free because it will probably bend/distort the dial before breaking the feet: good luck repairing this. Probably a three part case where the movement comes off front after removing the bezel? Can't say much without pictures...

thanks for the super quick reply.

So my watchmaker just called me to explain.

He removed the bezel and crystal, and tried to lift the crown (to remove the movement). He says 99% of the time, this works.

but when he tried to lift the crown, nothing moves. It seems stuck. He tried to remove the dial and crown together but the dial moved alittle but the movement didn't move.

He didn't want to force it as the dial feet might break.

So, it seems the movement is un-serviceable.

Is it possible that the movement is welded/soldered/glued to the case?

S.H. · Jul 28, 2019

Everything is possible with some guys unfortunately, I found once double sided tape to hold a train bridge...

Any picture of the watch? Off the top of my head, 2 possibilities:

Usually, with a round three part case and snap back, the movement is secured by two screws at the back and comes off from the front after removing the bezel and the crown. Sometimes it is tightly adjusted. What I do not understand is "lifting the crown"... so maybe the casing is different from what I imagine.

Also if the case is made like the small rectangular watches, you have a stamped hollow steel back (the movement+dial is simply pushed into it) snap fit into the front. In this case, lifting the crown may work when it is loose but the stem can break. Better lift the movement, there are usually steps on the side of the mainplate to provide some grip with some flat small tool (the back is adjusted so that it rests against the step). Hope I make sense, it is hard to describe a casing with words...

sdre · Jul 28, 2019

S.H.
Everything is possible with some guys unfortunately, I found once double sided tape to hold a train bridge...

Any picture of the watch? Off the top of my head, 2 possibilities:

Usually, with a round three part case and snap back, the movement is secured by two screws at the back and comes off from the front after removing the bezel and the crown. Sometimes it is tightly adjusted. What I do not understand is "lifting the crown"... so maybe the casing is different from what I imagine.

Also if the case is made like the small rectangular watches, you have a stamped hollow steel back (the movement+dial is simply pushed into it) snap fit into the front. In this case, lifting the crown may work when it is loose but the stem can break. Better lift the movement, there are usually steps on the side of the mainplate to provide some grip with some flat small tool (the back is adjusted so that it rests against the step). Hope I make sense, it is hard to describe a casing with words...

My watchmaker mentioned the caseback isn't a snapback.....

I think its gonna be troublesome. I'll send it back for a refund.

JimInOz · Jul 28, 2019

The cal 262 is designed to be held in from the back of the middle case with two screws, so unless it's an unusual configuration, the caseback must be removed.

DManzaluni · Aug 8, 2019

You could try heating up the case a bit with a directional heat gun to expand the metal slightly?

Unable to remove movement from case, Cal 262, Universal Geneve

sdre

S.H.

sdre

S.H.

sdre

JimInOz

DManzaluni

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