Is the Memovox the most iconic watch ever made?
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- Опубліковано 21 кві 2023
- Today we have a gorgeous 1952 LeCoultre Memovox on the bench, perhaps the most iconic watch ever made. Join Stian for a full service and repair of this living legend as we discuss the history of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand. We'll also take a detour in the streets of Strasbourg and consider Bulgarian bean farmers' impact on global Methane emissions!
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Tools and resources for watchmaking as a hobby:
bit.ly/43yQRmw Watchmaking books
bit.ly/3N3rlz3 Watchmaker’s loupe
bit.ly/43vOcu4 Watchmaker tweezers
bit.ly/3Nm0lfc Moebius lubricants
bit.ly/43ITWjM Screwdrivers
bit.ly/468B8wq Case opener
bit.ly/468Bfbk Rodico
bit.ly/3J8mX0u Polywatch
bit.ly/42wAZQf Presto tools
bit.ly/3J6UND7 Bergeon tools
bit.ly/3X21iwL Horotec tools
bit.ly/3X2xiAU Chinese made watchmaking tools
bit.ly/3qFqgWk Digital microscope
bit.ly/3CkZt4f Ultrasonic cleaner
bit.ly/3qAAPtX Ultrasonic cleaning solution
bit.ly/43V9HEr Denture cleaning tablet
bit.ly/3X1rpUl Chinese “Horia style” jeweling tool
bit.ly/3P5EQR7 Demagnetizer
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Thanks for another great video with a gorgeous watch. I really enjoy your slow mo camera work, too.
Maybe not THE MOST iconic watch ever made, but certainly amongst a small handful of the most iconic watches. What a beauty! Splendid video.
Thanks, Clive!
I really love mechanical alarm watches. It's a shame there's not many modern ones, It's such a cool complication. I've got a Seiko Bellmatic and a Poljot alarm watch but would love to add one of these to the collection. Great video.
Yeah, alarm watches are very cool. I honestly think the alarm itself is much better in the Cricket and especially in the Bell-matic, but my own personal favorite watch is still a Memovox...
*I’d call the Memovox one of the most innovative of all time, along with the Vulcain Cricket, BlancpaiN Fifty Fathoms, Rolex GMT Master and Zenith El Primero Chronomaster, all being cutting edge offerings in their day. As far as icons, representative of sales, uniqueness, popularity and market penetration, I’d say 3 lead the way: Rolex DateJust, Omega Speedmaster and the Seiko 5.*
Every time I watch your videos I just want to become an amateur watch maker but then I realise how steady your hands are and I just wake up…
That's very cool to hear :) And my hands are actually not steady at all... They're shakier than most people's. But by supporting them on the desk, supporting one hand with the other etc, you can get around that 💪 So don't let that hold you back!
I'll have to watch tomorrow Stian. It's 1:30ish am here and I'm too tired for the the full attention I need to enjoy your vids.
It's only you and Nekkid Watchmaker that do this to me. Until then!
😁 It's waiting for you!
Thank you! You just made my morning by posting a new video!
That's very nice to hear, James :)
I had the modern version, an Amvox 1 in Steel...I miss it terribly. That chime was so beautiful to wake up to. Great video, thanks for the inspiration to find another.
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Stian, I'm fairly new to your channel and love watching you repair watches. Could you do a video one day of all the tools you have and explain the reasons for the tool and the costs of them? I was an electrician for 35 years and I was a tool junkie too. But I know I didn't spend as much as you have on the tools of your trade. Thank you.
As a new watch repairer, I’ve followed your example & video record the disassembly & assembly of vintage watches I work on. Since doing that, the screwdriver never slips off the screw head, the hairspring adjustment is complete the first time, and watch regulation is perfectly flat on the timegrapher. And Rodico? That’s never needed anymore. Perfect, yet humble. 😉
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masterclass:D i just love learning about the history aswell as learning by seeing:D
Funny that you posted this just now. I just put one of those a side because I need to source a part for it. One of the sliding pinions had a couple of teeth broken off. And parts for this movement does not come cheap. Great video and work as usual. And yes, it is quite iconic.
Excellent! I have a Poljot alarm watch. It's one of my favorite complications as it's so practical!
always worth watching.
Thank you for another enlightening video of your fine workmanship on this beautiful watch, the 1952 LeCoultre Memovox Do you work at night, sometimes? My daughter loves the peace and quiet of night to work on her timepieces, incidentally she finds watchmaking has vastly improved her OCD. Like me, she adores mechanical alarm watches, especially the very complicated movement of the Glashütte Original Senator Diary. All the very best and God bless you, Stian ~ Wendi UK 🌻
Beautiful and complex. Thanks for the video.
It was very enjoyable again watching your expert work, Stian. Thank you. But apologize to your daughter!
I too had the opportunity to closely examine a later automatic version of a Memovox mounted in a one-piece case -- split stems, of course (male ends on the movement side). I was given the watch for examination by a lady who inherited it from her husband who passed away not that long ago. She thought it needed new batteries because it stopped running. Thankfully, after a full wind I found the watch to work perfectly on my time grapher, almost as well this one. It had been serviced by Tourneau, NYC not that long before. It took some time explaining to the lady how an alarm wristwatch works. I wish I could've bought it from her to add to my collection, but knowing its history and the emotional attachment, I never even asked.
Wow, that's a great story :) Would be nice indeed to secure that one! And I will apologize to my daughter as soon as she stops her flatulant misconduct 😎
Thank you again for an excellent video. I really enjoy the history information.
Gorgeous watch! And the usual blend of expertise and entertainment. Thank You, Stian!
Beautiful watch, and nice work. Thanks, and best to you, Stian.
Outstanding video thank you.
Well, I was going to ask about lubing the entry pallet stone on this particular watch. Thought there must be some esoteric reason. Then I sifted through the (many!) comments and found one other inquiring mind... Simple explanation.
Your work is simply superb.
😊👍
A very enjoyable and entertaining video, with superb narration!
Wonderful timepiece. Great restoration
A Beautiful Watch - Thankyou for sharing
I was very gratified to watch this well-presented document. I have my grandfather's edition of this watch. There are some differences. The "tuxedo" hour track on yours is a lighter, goldish shade than the darker minute track on mine. But like yours, and unlike later(?) editions, the hour and minute tracks are distinctly separate and contrast with the alarm 'carousel' (which is marked 'Wrist Alarm'). It is also branded as 'LeCoultre' without the 'Jaeger' moniker. Another difference is the back: It's 10K gold filled like the case and has six standard detents for a back removal tool. This watch was not working when I received it. I had it overhauled, and a new part was made for it. It keeps very good time. Thanks - I finally got to see what it's like inside - rather different than I expected.
Really enjoyed watching
Great video. Always a pleasure watching. Thank you
Thanks Darryll!
Excellent. Thank you.
Dear Stian, it has been a relatively long time since you posted a new video (you are probably enjoying autumn holidays with your wife and kids in cold, cold Norway 🤪), but revisiting your older videos is always a pleasure because they are so good. Marvelous in fact: 👍👌👏!
Thanks so much, Yves :) And I'll be back soon!
Dear Stian, there is one thing I have never seen on the many watch channels that I follow: how do you get the impulse jewel of the balance into its right place. Whenever I watch, it seems to be a juggling of the balance into the right spot, but that is about it ...@@VintageWatchServices
Thanks, great video and watch repair.
Excellent video and a nice piece 👍👍👍
Great close-up and slow motion, lovely work 😘
Thanks!
Its deffo up there!
Love the watch and the movement is exquisite. My restoration is a larger stainless version. And loud! Best wishes and thanks for your channel, Geoff
Like Marshall you have a nice calm voice ,which beats the whole lot of rubbish on tv ,everybody’s screaming and shouting a showy display and full of violence and anger ,so nice to find you and your hobby relaxing , bless you stian
Thanks so much 😊
You are a great dad and a great timepiece repair man. I was a draftsman, civil engineer. Property survey, home. Before that I was a light man for rock and roll band.
Cool!
Once again a great video
excellent video! maybe i'll attempt to clean mine, after i watch this video 100+ times...
i am a watchmaker, but no where near this level. you sir, are a master!
Oh, I'm no master :) I'm sure you can do yours!
Thank You!
Wow 😯 just wow …no words ,pure masterpiece !😊
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Great video.
Stian, you are far and away my favorite UA-cam watchmaker. Your dry, sardonic humor and clear passion and appreciation for the watches you return to service is a delight to witness.I would like nothing better than to patronize your Patreon (or, better yet, your online store), but, unfortunately, I'm a man of limited means. I am, however, a proud husband, father and grandfather, and I'll take that trade-off any day.
If my economic reality ever improves, though, I would rather spend the money on one of your beautifully restored vintage timepieces than on a grossly over-hyped, overpriced modern Swiss watch that looks exactly like every other watch in the company's catalog and that I would be too terrified of scratching or having stolen to actually wear. What's the fun of having a watch that's too precious to wear?
Thanks so much for your comment and you would be welcome to my store at any time 😊
I spent most of my life working on or with machines, and machinery. Nothing as small as clocks or watches though, I find mechanical watches amazing, your craftsmanship is evident, and your commentary and humour much appreciated.
Thanks, Keith!
A beautiful watch. I love seeing your skills in use and your narration is always good too! Your knowledge of languages is also a wonder to a true man of the British Empire. In the British Empire it was only the Brits that couldn't speak more than one language ... so sad!
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Hello, as always nice, this and Reverso I think are iconic for JJL , some very nice watch and the new line is amazing too. Thank you!
I have a question , someone bring an Omega pocket watch with a very bent hour hand , how it can be straighten up? those hands are made from carbon steel? thank you
We’ll Stian that was another great restoration and unfortunately a little bit of trouble in paradise this week. Keep well from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Thanks Bruce! Paradise is still safe 😊
Fantastic job as always. One remark though, le courtre actually produced chronograph movements but they they for pocket watches and usually paired with repeater function as well.
Thanks for informing me!
I LOVE this whatch
Hi Stian, excelent work as usual and very interesting movement :) I've enjoyed the video very much! Looking at the video, the AS 1475 is very similar in operation and also internal arrangement, far from similar in the finishing of the components tho :) Regarding the stuck cannon pinnion, I've had success putting a drop of thick oil and then just a drop of benzine right where the cannon pinion rotates on the center wheel. The benzine or similar helps the oil seep in there and I rotate the cannon pinion a little, it helps a lot with removal if is full of crud and won't come out. Using hard tip tweezers or other hard steel tools will, especially when it slips, leave marks or even shavings on the cannon pinion bearing surface on which the hour wheel runs. I know cause I've marred a lot of cannon pinions myself :)) PS: Another place where there is potential for really deep scratches I've seen, is when the barrel pivot is being mounted back in the barrel, sometimes it won't go back in easy and it takes very little force to scratch the barrel bearing surface, Learned when I damaged a Certina 28-10, I had to buy a new barrel :(
Superb looking watch and good to see the extra work in fixing the hair spring. A few years ago I bought a dial barograph, which is a combination of a barograph and barometer. The hairspring on the barometer needle and the little fusee chain that turned the needle were quite damaged. I replaced the hair spring and managed to fix the fusee chain but what fine fiddly work. Your camera makes the stuff look quite big but even with a set of magnifying glasses I struggled to see what I was doing.
Wow, pretty fiddly work indeed! Well done if you managed to get that one up and running 👍
Interesting watch but not the alarm tone I was expecting. Still, for 70 years old, it's survived remarkably well. Another timepiece lives to tick another day. Thanks for sharing, Stian.
Yeah, it's not that loud. The Cricket is very much louder. The newer Memovox versions with a chime have a nicer sound, imo.
Sehr interessante Uhr, Perfekte Reparatur 🌟
Amazing 😊
13:08 😁 Fetching some popcorn, waiting for inbound comments from the US of A...
Great video as always, Stian! Thank you for sharing.
I always like taking some small jabs at the ridiculously outdated and useless patchwork of random measurements that's called the Imperial system... Especially from those who say that the rest of the world had the metric system "forced upon them" by the French, when the Imperial system was literally imposed upon the subordinates of the British Empire 😎
That is a very nice watch.
My good friend Ronnie Mund is a watch repairmen, he does some great work. He's actually working on a new patent for a new watch complication with a mutual friend of ours, Gary Dell'Abate. Those guys really know what they are doing! That, I can tell you!
Yaaay!. My Memovox is finally here. Thanks, S!. Your channel is my favorite among watch repair videos.
But...I thought for sure your Memovox would have a Roamer-style case and be one of those front loaders where you have to remove the crystal or use that little air pump to blow it off. Admittedly, that's what I was hoping to see. They say "USE ALL-PROOF 1260 WRENCH" on the back. Why the two different cases?. Did the front loaders just come along later?. I see yours has the screw down ring like the old Accutrons.
I had a Lord Elgin from around the same era as your Memovox that had the dang "1260" case (Longines was bad for those except they read, "USE ALL-PROOF 1200 WRENCH").
I initially had a time figuring out what it was because the back is stainless, has nothing written on it, while the case is 10 KT RG. It looks like a snap back but is really a front loader.
Nice one. I have the European automatic version from 1957, took me years to find a good one. Mine had been reconditioned by JLC complete with a list of work done. Straighten a bent horn, reshape the hands, replace one crown and solder the anvil pin to the case back. What the hell do people do to their luxury watches?
If I were asked which of my watches had the smoothest winding it would be this one despite being an automatic.
Keep ‘em coming Stian.
The alarm pin in the case back actually gets a pretty hard beating every time the alarm goes off. So it's not uncommon that it is damaged or even broken off.
Another good job....thank you....ta ta
Always love these really relaxing videos. Just a shame they keep getting interrupted with adverts now. I fully get you need to monetize but it does spoil the tranquility.
That seemed like a more complex rebuild than normal. But you didn't have any screws left over, so it's all good! The Bulgarian bean farmer will be pleased!
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Another quality and infomitive video. Thanks EVER SO VERY MUCH! Love your histories and back stories on the brands and how they came to be and went forward. When you were pulled over to Breakin the Law and your good wife called you an idiot, you should have responed with..You gotta another thing comin.....JP rules. Wish there was still music like that and like the music these vintage pieces make as well..Thanks again and keep it going. I appericiate it and I'm sure everyone else does as well!!!!
Thanks, Peter! 😁
@@VintageWatchServices peter?
@@davidhendricksgolfprofessi2321 Not sure where I got that from 😂 David, then :)
Your work is amazing. I would love to know how you remember where everything goes when you put the watch back together - I think I would have bits left over 😂
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nice video Mr.stian
Thanks, Ched 😊
Beautiful work. I’m glad you think watchmaking is glamorous (ha ha)
As always Stian great work and narrative. Apparently flatulence is part of our every day ritual, keep the windows open😅😅. Greetings from Victoria Australia 🇦🇺
😁 Thanks, Peter!
Excellent videos as always Stian. What is the grease you have used to lubricate the mainspring? Looks slightly thicker than hp-1300 perhaps. All the best.
Hello Mark, I use Moebius 8200 for the mainspring.
Very nice and detailed video as always Stian! This watch was really beautiful and sort of useful even today cause that alarm vibration must be quite annoying and lasts for a fair amount of time. I have a question: How did old watchmakers know when a watch couldn't keep the time quite well without that electronic timegrapher you have there?
Cheers from Greece, Jim.
Hello Jim, to answer that you have to put yourself in the situation at the time you're thinking of. If you for instance mean watchmakers 100 years ago, you can imagine that in 1923 the society wasn't anywhere near as time pressured as it is today. Thus timing a watch to a few seconds off a day wasn't something anyone would ever require. The watchmaker would have a reference clock in his workshop which he set the watch to and then checked and adjusted it over a few days. A regulator clock could be as accurate as a chronometer watch today, but I'm pretty sure the watchmaker would say the watch they were working on was running fine if it was within maybe half a minute off per day. It would simply take too long to adjust a watch to within a couple of seconds and the customer wouldn't expect it.
I have an old wall mounted case with hooks in it presumably to hang pocket watches that are being timed after cleaning. It's about 2 X 3 feet by two inches. It's waiting to be hung in my office where some my larger pocket watches will be stored. I have no recollection where I acquired the thing.
Excellent video as always. Your comments about your daughter struck a chord... indeed my 6 year old granddaughter can fart for the devil too. Her 2 year old brother finds it hilarious!!!
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Lovely restoration Stian!! are the dial pips Radon? the look like it. really look forward to your uploads. Also when are you doing your review of the BHI distance learning video?
Hello Carl, yes, that is Radium. Thus it's not a watch you would want to wear every day and sleep with next to your mouth :) I'm awaiting some footage from the BHI people to incorporate in my video. So I'm not sure how long it will take but hopefully within a few weeks.
Love the channel dude. Have been going through your back catalogue of vids 😁 hours of entertainment. One thing I would like to see that I can recall seeing yet is how you get the balance spring back behind the index pin. Do you screw the the hairspring in first then put the spring behind the index or do you put the spring behind the index before screwing it back?
Thanks for watching! I generally try to put the hairspring in between the pins while placing the hairspring on the balance, but it can also be gently put there with your tweezers later if that doesn't really work.
@@VintageWatchServices thanks for the reply and thanks again for the awesome content.
984 views and 181 likes? I think it should be 984 likes. Well edited with some family anecdotes that I’m sure your daughter will be pleased in 10 years time! 😂 It is on my bucket list to purchase a vintage watch from you, at some point. Nice watch that.
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14:45 I wish I'd have got into watchmaking 20 years ago when my eyes were still better than 2020. Being very good at engineering and working with my hands and solving problems been a lifelong carpenter, this would have been something I would have been very good at Now I'm old and fidgety. So I will not be trying that at home 😆
Thank you Stian. May I ask how you determine if you lubricate the pallet entry stone instead of the exit?
Simply based on where it's easier to access the pallet surface :)
Initially, I didn't like the look of this timepiece at all. Then after 40 mins of your fabulous presentation it became a fabulous watch. Thank you.
Thanks so much Graham, that's really nice to hear 😊
It is always a great pleasure to have the opportunity and be given the fun of watching a new and instructive video of yours - thank you so much Stian!
Jaeger-LeCoultre or just LeCoultre, have always fascinated me, not just because of their excellent movements, but also because of their class. They may not be the most adventurous company when it comes to design - far from it - but I find most of their watches beautiful. And this Example of the Memovox certainly proves that.
Forgive me for this, though: Iconic? At present, every company seems to throw this into the mixer. Take Lego for example: their model of the Star Wars Star Destroyer - according to them - represents this "iconic" design. Well, it is just shaped like ... a ball ... a sphere ... somewhat round ... Yep: iconic!
No. Iconic is why I called my son Gabriel rather than Michael. The latter is usually depicted with a sword, the former with flowers. That is iconic.
😁👍 I use the word iconic quite sparingly in general, but I think the Memovox deserves it :)
@@VintageWatchServices OK, so you have only named two so far: this one and "The Gruen Curvex - an American (?) icon", which is fine, I guess. There are several legends, too, but that term is neither here not there.
Question: Are both springs wound from the same crown? My guess is that you wind them separately.
Thanks for the great education about these beautiful machines.
Cheers
Hello David, yes, you're right, there's one crown per train
I have one of these that I haven't attempted to work on yet, mine doesn't have the tuxedo dial though.
Alarm watches fun!
Started watching, paused and went and got mine. Mine is white and sliver dial, gold case.
Nice!
So, how is the work progressing so far? 😉
The ring that holds the back on is reminiscent of the ring that secures the gas gauge sender to the gas tank.
Love that video Stian, you are no idiot!, that's for sure. If I had a request for a service on a special watch to me, where would I send it?. Thank you. Adrian
Thanks Adrian! If you can send me a mail at stian@vintagewatchservices.eu we can discuss there
A Very classy dial and a handy watch for those 'bail-out' "I really have to go situations" when you just can't stand it any longer. A stylish way to go.
Indeed!
Great work but would have like to have seen your polish and clean it more.
Bulgarian Bean Farmer! That's priceless!
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I have been trying to service a poljot alarm watch but the #$&@ jewell springs keep coming out on the balance cock and main plate and I can't get them back in. Very frustrating! Love this video and watch.
Jaeger Lecoultre watches are always bountiful and always complicated. They are amazing.
Didn't really wanted to know about the baril movements of your daughter. But you know what they say. The appel never falls far away from the trunk.
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Stian, a question: were both of the main and alarm springs the same and interchangeable? A very nice looking watch, but was it just me or were this watch's screws and movements smaller than other watches you have built? Again, a great history you gave of LeCoultre and I enjoyed your videos and your humor is not lost on me. I am 71 and my wife of 50+ years will at times call me an idiot. Cheers from this old retired coot living the dream in Tennessee.
Hello Robert, no, these mainsprings are quite different. The alarm mainspring is much stronger, as it needs to make the hammer beat strongly and rapidly. And from what I know, all wives call their husbands idiots. And honestly, I don't blame them 😂
@@VintageWatchServices thanks for the info Stian and you're correct, I don't blame them. Lol
Stian, what a beautiful watch, masterfully dealt with.
Please could you tell me the name of the hand removers you use, they look great.
Hello Daffy, they are from Bergeon. They're really meant for small clocks but I like that they're so wide, that makes for a big surface and less pressure per unit on the dial. I filed them down a bit as they are a bit too long to be ideal for watches.
Thank you so much Stian.
Much appreciated.
Your 7 year old “sounds” a cutie 😂.
Another lovely job by the way 👏🏻👏🏻
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Beautiful watch!!
One question then. Do you always use 9405 on the secund wheel pinion or is it only for this watch?
Thanks Rune! Not sure I understand your question? The pinions shouldn't be oiled, but for the seconds wheel pivot I use 9010.
@@VintageWatchServices Sorry if I was not clear. At 20:08 in the video you add 9405 on the shaft before you press on the canon pinion. I probably use some wrong terms/name
PERFEITO 👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 🇧🇷
Hello. How would you place the hands on for this watch if there is also a date function? I’m just finishing up a K911 and curious about hand placement with the date and alarm. Thanks!
You should have an alarm indicator, which you place at the point when the alarm starts ringing. The hour hand is placed at midnight when the date flips over as usual.
@@VintageWatchServices sorry I may not have asked that question correctly. The way you did it was you turned the hands until it rang which gave you the hour hand position. But for me it’s not accurate because of the date flip. So I’m thinking turn the hands until midnight flips and then turn the alarm till it rings. And then place everything on at 12?
A pretty watch 🙂🙂
I can solve one mystery for you, Stian. Windows 7 was built on the NT kernel rather than using the legacy Windows kernel. After Windows NT 4.0, there was XP (5.0), Vista (6.0) and then 7.
Yes, but then my question to you would be why was there no NT 1 or 2? 😉 It's just a bit of fun with their messed up numbering scheme :)
@@VintageWatchServices NT 4.0 was a new version following Windows 3.1. It wasn’t until after 3.1 that the kernels were split - NT 4.0 and 95. The NT branch proved far more stable than the 9x branch, which had to continue to rely on MS-DOS to retain backwards compatibility.
Beautiful watch made better, no doubt, by the camera work. Does the alarm wheel add any drag on the time keeping. i.e. how did they ensure that it keeps time when the alarm is set or not set?😅
Thanks Andy! The alarm wheel creates a little bit of drag but the train and mainspring is designed to compensate for it. So it shouldn't matter for the timekeeping.
who made the best screws for watches?
Super
Another gem. So my question for the day is, do you work off memory, your understanding of Watch design, photos or technical diagrams? Maybe it is all of the above. I know you put the screws back on chronographs but this watch was fairly complicated with the second alarm train.
Hello Paul, The layout of this watch is actually very straight forward once you understand how it works, much more so than for instance the Cricket or the AS 1475 imo.