Hi Guys, looking forward to reading your comments on this one, I read them all and try to reply to as many as I can. Here is a shameless plug for my merch site for watches and T-shirts www.time-tees.com/ Support the channel and get ad free videos and extra content www.patreon.com/c/MyRetroWatches
My old grandad used take off his hearing aid and put it next to his Accutron watch to wind my Nan up as it made an aweful noise, she hated and would chase him round the kitchen table with a broom, I’m nearly 60 now and wish I could go back for just a day to relive those memories, watches are full of memories in many funny ways, well done Mike another super video. 👍😉
I really appreciate that you are fixing quartz watches. All the other you tubers I know off focus mostly on mechanical Swiss watches. Your videos are a priceless source of information. Thanks again.
@@alaththar819 I stand corrected Mr smarty pants. Although I was referring to the other videos he’s made. Also there are tunning fork watches that use quartz to regulate the vibrations.
I have a similar Citizen, but I can't dare to try fixing it. You did a brilliant job, I am so proud of you after this many watches, you became a professional.
Nice accolade but I’m far from a pro! Just have enough skills to take these on. They are not all that difficult apart from regulating them which as I said in the video took 5 days to get it within specs .
Thank you for entertaining me away from my call of duty mobile for an hour, I didn’t get bored as I watched but was shocked to see all of the parts removed and carefully replaced, great job!❤
Thoroughly enjoyable. This takes me back to the early 70's when I worked as an engineer at the Bulova factory in Astoria Queens, NY. From my recollection of working on these masterpieces, you did a perfect job with the restoration.
A capacitor, transistor and resistor. Right coil for timing, left coil for reverse current to stop movement after a physical shock sends the sweep second hand forward ~ 10 seconds. Quite ingenious. The capacitor holds a charge, the resistor regulates the charge and the transistor switches the current; causing a simple current oscillation that alternates between current and no current to the coil. This causes the coil to alternate between magnetic and non-magnetic which in turn attracts the tuning fork magnet in the coil cup and let the magnet release. The vibration causes the tuning fork to vibrate at 360 Hz on the Bulova/Citizen and 300 Hz on the Omega et al. Well done resurrection!!
That’s a much better explanation than I could ever give. Was not aware of the differences between the coils. What frustrates me is the right coil is the one prone to failure. I have 4 dead right coils here and no working ones left for any projects !
@@MyRetroWatches that’s because the right coil is running all the time. The left coil only when the watch suffers a shock. With a physical shock the tuning fork becomes over excited. This causes the left coil to generate a current of the opposite polarity to the battery. This, in turn, causes the watch to stop for precisely the same amount of time that the seconds hand sprung forward! Again ingenious , just as your repair of what would have been considered a junker by the vast majority of professional watch makers. Since the left coil runs all the time, it suffers the most stress as the lubricants lose their carrier solvents and become hard. As the gears become harder to turn due to the drying lubricants, the current draw to the left coil increases. This in turn, heats the coil up to the point where the insulation on those fine wires deteriorates and causes shorts. Thanks again for the video and your enthusiasm!
I never knew Bulova licensed the accutron movement to other brands! What a great recovery you accomplished on what looked like a lost cause. Thanks for sharing. - Chris
A beautiful restoration! Thank you for all the additional tips. I purchased a vintage Accutron a couple of years back and was scared to touch the insides of it. Your video is a great help! All the best to you!
Glad you like them and great feedback for me. I try to show a good mix of things. Anything that interests me really. All has to be affordable as I do like to demonstrate the fun that can be had without a big price tag and affordable is just , if not more so, fascinating.
Well for the life of me... I'm no watch buff so of course I'd never heard of the Accutron movement. What an amazing concept, and all the more amazing that Citizen were able to get it out of theory and into practice. I love the 60's style, too. Just lovely! Thanks also for not editing out the struggles you had with various of the little sprung bits and pieces. That sort of honesty encourages us all in our struggles to restore things, whether it be watches or (in my case) motorcycles. Subscribed!
I'm not a watch person, but found this very exciting. Amazing how this was designed, and how ever all these parts were manufactured. Makes you really appreciate the intricacy of the analog world vs the smaller silicon electronics.
Pleased you enjoyed it from a non watch perspective. These are a true marvel at micro engineering. Accurate to 1 minute a month and that was in the 60s before quartz . Incredible
Hello mate, pleased you’re watching this one! I do have a bit of a collection of these now. Find them totally fascinating. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Love the video used it to help remove a movement and old battery that started to leak and clean a dial off. Also adjusted a GX tuning fork with a microscope to get it running. Enjoying my first months working on watches.
I was absolutely stunned by the end result, with new crystal that dial really got me excited about it! Bracelet was same with my GS, full of rust, which probably means someone loved using it regularly. Keep up the good work!
I don't any special interest in watches or clocks, though I have build a few digital clocks over the years - but watching you work and listening to your explanations, just keep me glued to the screen. I understand Lee Mack much better now. It's facinating to see mechanics on this small scale.
Haha a Lee Mack reference ! Man that was a good day. He was genuinely stuck on a Seiko 5 6119 movement . It was my 10 minutes of fame (despite actually being on stage a good 40 minutes) If you enjoyed this one then check out my latest video on the Accutron spaceview. It’s the same technology only the earlier version from 1960s
Two things saved you here, The battery was upside down and the watch as you say was probably stored face up. I love this style of old Japanese watch and there is nothing not to like about these watches. Great skill, very professional video, thank you
I’ve just stumbled onto your site and as a retired mobile mechanic who enjoy playing with Electronics and mechanical things in general, you’ve got me hook Line and sinker so fascinated in how that watch works the detail and the precision of stripping down cleaning and putting back together the watch. I’ve definitely subscribed. Look forward to the next ones.
Congratulation! It was epic you bring back to life this beautiful watch. The joke with the flying spring and the applause was priceless. It is one of your best videos, I enjoyed every minutes.
Amazing job! I put a battery in my father's 1967 218, gave it a gentle tap, and off she is running! We used this timepiece for celestial navigating around the world and the feelings I have are indescribable! I made a two watch display dock and put my Seiko 5 Sports along side Dad's 218 as an homage to an incredible time. Thank you so much for a look under the hood and of course your dedication to small things that make an immeasurable difference.
Thank you, wonderful restoration! These movements are very precious monuments of watchmaking history. Especially, that they were replaced with other kind of tuning fork watches - the quartz ones. So Accutron technology lasted for roughly 10 - 20 years. Now nobody produces it, I suppose, because quartz watches are simply... much better, much cheaper and much less troublesome. Solar-powered quartz watches are just ideal...
WOW! The watch looks amazing, and work it took....what a great video. And on another note....you are looking quite well. I know it has been a rough year or so for you, but you are looking happy and healthy again. Good to see!!
@@thomasgabriel2213 thank you on both counts. Missing my parents but just keeping busy and moving on. August will mark 2 years since prostate cancer too. Hoping to have a clear run of good health and happiness going forward.
By far one of my favorite watches they are so darn cool. You did a pretty good job explaining the tuning fork and how it works and i loved the video your phone shot of them vibrating. Once again another great restoration. Im glad there are people talented enough to save these older watches from never seeing light again.
Thanks. Appreciate your comment. I will try to save anything if I like it it’s part of the fun. It helps that I like these tuning forks! I have my first 214 spaceview coming and it might make a first appearance on the channel .
This was a great video. I always wondered exactly how the tuning fork connected to the wheels and I have to admit it was not what I expected. You did an amazing job bringing this back to life.
Thanks for the video, nice job. I've worked on a few 214 and 219 watches, they are my favorite, I like the way they hum and how the sweep second hand moves so smoothly
I enjoy your videos. I have a lovely Accutron from the 70's. It is in wonderful working condition and I wear it quite often in my rotation. I have a watch that was my grandfather's. I am close to 80 and my grandfather died in the second half of his 90s. He was born in 1890. I also have his father's Waltham which has always kept great time. It has a tri- colored gold case. My grandfather did the heavy lifting raising me from grade school on. I also have a couple other of his watches. The one I am writing to you about was my favorite. It's brand is Esta and it is German made. It had this fire engine red sweep second hand, which he and I especially loved. A decade or so ago, it was doing too well, and I took it to a friend who was a watch repairman. He cleaned it and got it going and keeping good time, except the beautiful second hand was gone! He said that the second hand drive mechanism was broken and he didn't know where to get a replacement so he thought it would be quite good without a second hand. And it does quite well, but that red second hand was important to grandpa and I. I would like to here your thoughts. Have you worked on German watches? Have you heard of Esta 17 Jewel? Is there a way to replace that red sweep second hand?
Haha, I did get a bit carried away there. I was so involved with this one and had done the case and many other jobs before seeing if it would run. It was elation and relief all at the same time.
Thanks. You can’t compare an Accutron second hand to anything mechanical. Nothing comes close. From memory a high beat does 8 beats per second, Hisonic 320!
Fantastic! Well done! And now who needs a Grand Seiko spring drive when we have MiKe that shows us the way to a very special alternative? Greetings from Italy and keep on the good work.. cheers
Thank you! These are truly special watches. Happy you enjoyed this episode. (I really must go to Italy , nearly 52 year now on the planet and not been!)
That is a very pretty watch. Amazing restoration - never thought that would run again! Well done. Always love your videos. One comment from near the start, You might want to try getting some Oxalic Acid crystals and trying this stuff on some rust. Quite cheap. Used to be sold on ebay but now you need to Google it and buy from a chemical supplier. It is really for getting rid of brown stains in wood for the woodwork brigade, but if you put it on brown rust it turns it grey and inert. It will also turn bare steel the same grey and makes it pretty corrosion proof. I discovered it years ago and found it great for rusty tools and also bits of rust on radiators before then painting them. You just dissove as much crystals as you can in say a teeny jam jar and then use a small paintbrush to put the stuff on. It does it's work pretty quickly. I rinse things I have done and then dry them. Worth a try to see if you like the colour as may come in handy one day to resurrect some part you cannot buy. A small bag will likely last you a lifetime. I agree the phosphorous type rust converter that leaves things black and purple is not a nice end colour for anything. Hope this is of some use.
@27:02 The coils are almost always covered in shellac/lacquer, including each individual strand of copper wire on the coils. It is standard practice in the electronics community to use shellac/lacquer on coils, transformers, motors, etc. at least for small/medium parts.
Nice work! That's interesting that you assemble the calendar works and under-dial parts before replacing the train. With your method, one doesn't have to fight the fork magnetism attracting the springs while you're setting them. And you're getting really good at handling that spring that tucks under the date-wheel retaining plate. I picked up some nice technique that you've worked out. Taking out the pawl bridge, with pawl finger, rather than turning it on its post the way the manual says. Thanks.
I just do what works for me. Sometimes I do movement side first but got fed up with everything flying to the coils if I went wrong. Despite having the manual I don’t really read them. I find the movement not that difficult compared to some mechanical watches it just more about the handling of the pawl and index wheels, then of course regulation. This was double indexing at first but I cleaned the wheel x3 in the cleaning machine in its own basket and then had to adjust the pawl angle to put more pressure on but after that it was fine. Now dialled in to around 1 second a day -
Absolutamente maravilloso qué gran trabajo, admirable. Gracias por mostrarnos esta gran restauración y puesta en marcha de un movimiento maravilloso. Salú2 desde Puebla México.
I will look into doing some of this. My videos tend to be quite long and in the past I have shown the cleaning machine working and pegging the holes, all kinds really but I dont always want to include all the same things in each video as I would think for a viewer it gets boring after a while. I thought in this one the transformation of the plates would satisfy you all but so far no one has commented on that.
Mike I'm glad that you beat the treded C word. I have a Bulova Accutron that was my dad's. As soon as I can find a winding stem and crown I will service it thanks to learning from you👍.
It is also interesting to see the repair of some other watches, such as Rolexes, Breitlings and the like. I really liked this video. Congratulations on a successful repair.
Thank you very much! I try to show more affordable watches with interesting movements or history. The high end stuff is not necessarily any more enjoyable or interesting and in my opinion quite samey, yes they get views but from a watchmaking perspective its just another standard movement. This tuning fork is unlike anything else and more accurate than any mechanical would ever be.
Great and interesting video Michael. One tip: after lifting the hands, just let gravity do the work to slight the hands in a cover box. Just by angleing the movement.
Hi Mike, I just wanted to let you now I got here after watch an old episode of WILTY. I was hoping that it was Lee's story and I am so happy it was. Cheers mate!
haha yes that was a highlight to 2023/24 actually and I do mention it at the end of my PanAm digital watch video. Lee is genuinely a big watch fan and was attempting to repair a watch to learn how they work. It was great to talk to him about all this, I gave him some advise and we had a 2 hour zoom call discussing it all. Pleased you found your way here because I could not get my name or channel mentioned on the BBC!
They were only around for a short while and the tooling clearly destroyed so they can never be replicated. If you like watches it’s one to own and experience the hum , smoothest tick and the accuracy .
I have a beautiful M9 up/down day/date Accutron that I would love to get running right. Runs fine until the hour/minute hands get to around the 6-12 o'clock area and stop. Hopefully I find somewhere to straighten it out some day. Great job!
Hi Guys, looking forward to reading your comments on this one, I read them all and try to reply to as many as I can. Here is a shameless plug for my merch site for watches and T-shirts www.time-tees.com/ Support the channel and get ad free videos and extra content www.patreon.com/c/MyRetroWatches
My old grandad used take off his hearing aid and put it next to his Accutron watch to wind my Nan up as it made an aweful noise, she hated and would chase him round the kitchen table with a broom, I’m nearly 60 now and wish I could go back for just a day to relive those memories, watches are full of memories in many funny ways, well done Mike another super video. 👍😉
@@nickjohnson217 that’s a great memory. You can relive it by owning an Accutron !
I really appreciate that you are fixing quartz watches. All the other you tubers I know off focus mostly on mechanical Swiss watches. Your videos are a priceless source of information. Thanks again.
Sorry, this is not a quartz watch.
@@alaththar819 google it
@@alaththar819 I stand corrected Mr smarty pants. Although I was referring to the other videos he’s made. Also there are tunning fork watches that use quartz to regulate the vibrations.
@@alaththar819this is not a mechanical watch either.
Well, it’s mainly mechanical as all the motion is done by wheels.
That dial is exquisite. Well done Mike, you’ve done a sterling job getting that working again, congratulations!
Many thanks pleased you like it. I could not be happier with the result.
I have a similar Citizen, but I can't dare to try fixing it. You did a brilliant job, I am so proud of you after this many watches, you became a professional.
Nice accolade but I’m far from a pro! Just have enough skills to take these on. They are not all that difficult apart from regulating them which as I said in the video took 5 days to get it within specs .
Thank you for entertaining me away from my call of duty mobile for an hour, I didn’t get bored as I watched but was shocked to see all of the parts removed and carefully replaced, great job!❤
Thoroughly enjoyable. This takes me back to the early 70's when I worked as an engineer at the Bulova factory in Astoria Queens, NY. From my recollection of working on these masterpieces, you did a perfect job with the restoration.
A capacitor, transistor and resistor. Right coil for timing, left coil for reverse current to stop movement after a physical shock sends the sweep second hand forward ~ 10 seconds. Quite ingenious.
The capacitor holds a charge, the resistor regulates the charge and the transistor switches the current; causing a simple current oscillation that alternates between current and no current to the coil. This causes the coil to alternate between magnetic and non-magnetic which in turn attracts the tuning fork magnet in the coil cup and let the magnet release. The vibration causes the tuning fork to vibrate at 360 Hz on the Bulova/Citizen and 300 Hz on the Omega et al.
Well done resurrection!!
That’s a much better explanation than I could ever give. Was not aware of the differences between the coils. What frustrates me is the right coil is the one prone to failure. I have 4 dead right coils here and no working ones left for any projects !
@@MyRetroWatches that’s because the right coil is running all the time. The left coil only when the watch suffers a shock. With a physical shock the tuning fork becomes over excited. This causes the left coil to generate a current of the opposite polarity to the battery. This, in turn, causes the watch to stop for precisely the same amount of time that the seconds hand sprung forward!
Again ingenious , just as your repair of what would have been considered a junker by the vast majority of professional watch makers. Since the left coil runs all the time, it suffers the most stress as the lubricants lose their carrier solvents and become hard. As the gears become harder to turn due to the drying lubricants, the current draw to the left coil increases. This in turn, heats the coil up to the point where the insulation on those fine wires deteriorates and causes shorts.
Thanks again for the video and your enthusiasm!
I never knew Bulova licensed the accutron movement to other brands! What a great recovery you accomplished on what looked like a lost cause. Thanks for sharing. - Chris
My dad owns a Omega Constelation f300 with the same tuning fork technology. Today I learned something new about how it works. Cool stuff.
I was cheering with you when you got it humming. Just wonderful.
What a silky smooth sweep for that second hand, great vid Mike
A beautiful restoration! Thank you for all the additional tips. I purchased a vintage Accutron a couple of years back and was scared to touch the insides of it. Your video is a great help! All the best to you!
Glad it was helpful!
Really enjoying your videos. Love the mix of mechanical and digital. Thank you for the time you put into the videos, your enthusiasm is very evident
Glad you like them and great feedback for me. I try to show a good mix of things. Anything that interests me really. All has to be affordable as I do like to demonstrate the fun that can be had without a big price tag and affordable is just , if not more so, fascinating.
Well for the life of me... I'm no watch buff so of course I'd never heard of the Accutron movement. What an amazing concept, and all the more amazing that Citizen were able to get it out of theory and into practice.
I love the 60's style, too. Just lovely!
Thanks also for not editing out the struggles you had with various of the little sprung bits and pieces. That sort of honesty encourages us all in our struggles to restore things, whether it be watches or (in my case) motorcycles.
Subscribed!
I'm not a watch person, but found this very exciting. Amazing how this was designed, and how ever all these parts were manufactured. Makes you really appreciate the intricacy of the analog world vs the smaller silicon electronics.
Pleased you enjoyed it from a non watch perspective. These are a true marvel at micro engineering. Accurate to 1 minute a month and that was in the 60s before quartz . Incredible
I love these hummers. Well done Mike, great video
Hello mate, pleased you’re watching this one! I do have a bit of a collection of these now. Find them totally fascinating. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Thank you for your brilliant content
Thank you. Very generous of you. It will go towards more projects. Really appreciated.
Love the video used it to help remove a movement and old battery that started to leak and clean a dial off. Also adjusted a GX tuning fork with a microscope to get it running. Enjoying my first months working on watches.
That's marvelous! I had no idea there were Citizen versions of the Accutron. I'm starting to want one again. Must resist! 😉
That's a true restoration video. Hell of a job.
Appreciated.
I was absolutely stunned by the end result, with new crystal that dial really got me excited about it! Bracelet was same with my GS, full of rust, which probably means someone loved using it regularly. Keep up the good work!
I can only agree. Snowflake dials are great and this one came out as good as I hoped it would. .
Great work Mike, loved seeing your face when it started humming.
Thanks. I was, shall we say, a little bit excited.
I don't any special interest in watches or clocks, though I have build a few digital clocks over the years - but watching you work and listening to your explanations, just keep me glued to the screen. I understand Lee Mack much better now. It's facinating to see mechanics on this small scale.
Haha a Lee Mack reference ! Man that was a good day. He was genuinely stuck on a Seiko 5 6119 movement . It was my 10 minutes of fame (despite actually being on stage a good 40 minutes)
If you enjoyed this one then check out my latest video on the Accutron spaceview. It’s the same technology only the earlier version from 1960s
Two things saved you here, The battery was upside down and the watch as you say was probably stored face up. I love this style of old Japanese watch and there is nothing not to like about these watches. Great skill, very professional video, thank you
Thank you. The batteries in Accutron go positive down so it was in the correct position as much as it looks odd.
Mike you are a friendly man with great skills!
Thank you
58:10 You gotta love Lidl, you go in for bread and come out with a watch case polisher.😃
@@simong6855 haha indeed. I bought it probably 6 years ago for about £20 . Never seen it in there again.
You killed me with the applause when the spring few off.😂😂😂
haha. bit of added comedy there!
Great job.
My Dad had an Accutron when I was young... Super cool....
I’ve just stumbled onto your site and as a retired mobile mechanic who enjoy playing with Electronics and mechanical things in general, you’ve got me hook Line and sinker so fascinated in how that watch works the detail and the precision of stripping down cleaning and putting back together the watch. I’ve definitely subscribed. Look forward to the next ones.
Thanks for taking us to this mysterious movement!
I have Citizen eco drive watch I bought 17 years ago , used in a working environment it keeps on going and never misses a beat
Congratulation! It was epic you bring back to life this beautiful watch. The joke with the flying spring and the applause was priceless. It is one of your best videos, I enjoyed every minutes.
Brilliant thank you. Was a great project this one with a really good transformation. Glad you liked the applause 👏
Amazing job! I put a battery in my father's 1967 218, gave it a gentle tap, and off she is running! We used this timepiece for celestial navigating around the world and the feelings I have are indescribable! I made a two watch display dock and put my Seiko 5 Sports along side Dad's 218 as an homage to an incredible time. Thank you so much for a look under the hood and of course your dedication to small things that make an immeasurable difference.
If still recommend at some point to get it serviced. When oil is dry parts end up wearing. Spares are hard to find.
What a turn around, the watch looks great. Worth all the effort. Thanks for a great upload.😊
Hi Darren, glad you enjoyed this one. It was all worth the effort in the end.
Thanks!
Thank you very much indeed Dave . Really appreciated. I must have entertained you.
Absolutely gorgeous - thanks so much for letting us see your excellent work!
Thanks for watching .
Great work! The before and after are night and day. Your joy when it kicked up was great.
Glad you enjoyed it! I did get a little excited 😛
Thank you, wonderful restoration!
These movements are very precious monuments of watchmaking history. Especially, that they were replaced with other kind of tuning fork watches - the quartz ones. So Accutron technology lasted for roughly 10 - 20 years. Now nobody produces it, I suppose, because quartz watches are simply... much better, much cheaper and much less troublesome.
Solar-powered quartz watches are just ideal...
Spectacular repair, fascinating movement!
Thank you.
I normally pass on 1-hour videos but here I sit, watched the whole thing, and enjoyed every minute of it.
Well thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoyed it and found these types of watches as fascinating as I do.
Top vid Mike! I was a bit frightened of doing one of these, now I might have a go.
I very much enjoyed this. Your positivity and enthusiasm for a task that many would have shied away from is inspiring. Great job 👍
Amazing job, well done. That seconds hand is just mesmerizing.
I love watching your channel. I love to tinker with old watches. So thanks, bunches, and I will continue to be entertained ..
WOW! The watch looks amazing, and work it took....what a great video. And on another note....you are looking quite well. I know it has been a rough year or so for you, but you are looking happy and healthy again. Good to see!!
@@thomasgabriel2213 thank you on both counts. Missing my parents but just keeping busy and moving on. August will mark 2 years since prostate cancer too.
Hoping to have a clear run of good health and happiness going forward.
By far one of my favorite watches they are so darn cool. You did a pretty good job explaining the tuning fork and how it works and i loved the video your phone shot of them vibrating. Once again another great restoration. Im glad there are people talented enough to save these older watches from never seeing light again.
Thanks. Appreciate your comment. I will try to save anything if I like it it’s part of the fun. It helps that I like these tuning forks! I have my first 214 spaceview coming and it might make a first appearance on the channel .
This was a great video. I always wondered exactly how the tuning fork connected to the wheels and I have to admit it was not what I expected. You did an amazing job bringing this back to life.
Pleased you enjoyed it and learnt how they work. A marvellous bit of engineering.
I very much enjoyed this video. Well done and the Citizen looks great!
Great watch. Lovely mixture of electronic and manual. Ingenious!
Great job . First quartz renovation I have seen, fascinating!
@@rizlaroly it’s not a quartz it pre dated quartz technology.
Thanks for the video, nice job.
I've worked on a few 214 and 219 watches, they are my favorite, I like the way they hum and how the sweep second hand moves so smoothly
I have my first 214 spaceview coming and I might film that one despite never working on one before.
@@MyRetroWatches There's quite a history on the spaceview, they are lovely watches, I hope you're able to film it too
I enjoy your videos. I have a lovely Accutron from the 70's. It is in wonderful working condition and I wear it quite often in my rotation.
I have a watch that was my grandfather's. I am close to 80 and my grandfather died in the second half of his 90s. He was born in 1890. I also have his father's Waltham which has always kept great time. It has a tri- colored gold case.
My grandfather did the heavy lifting raising me from grade school on. I also have a couple other of his watches.
The one I am writing to you about was my favorite. It's brand is Esta and it is German made. It had this fire engine red sweep second hand, which he and I especially loved.
A decade or so ago, it was doing too well, and I took it to a friend who was a watch repairman. He cleaned it and got it going and keeping good time, except the beautiful second hand was gone! He said that the second hand drive mechanism was broken and he didn't know where to get a replacement so he thought it would be quite good without a second hand. And it does quite well, but that red second hand was important to grandpa and I. I would like to here your thoughts. Have you worked on German watches? Have you heard of Esta 17 Jewel? Is there a way to replace that red sweep second hand?
Superb job Mike & a lovely HiSonic to cherish.
Many thanks! yes this one is staying with me. Its one of my favorite ones now
Great work lovely watch I’m on wait and see going to live with my prostrate cancer for now
What a monumental effort to resurrect this gem. 👍
Absolutely amazing video. I've just started getting into fiddling with watches (mostly old digitals) and this is fantastic to watch!
well done mike , the " get in moment " was sheer joy
Haha, I did get a bit carried away there. I was so involved with this one and had done the case and many other jobs before seeing if it would run. It was elation and relief all at the same time.
Very nicely done! That dial is amazing and I'm glad the watch turned out nicely. Cheers!
Thank you. I am very pleased with the transformation on this watch. Dial is a real stunner .
Loved the reaction when the watch started humming, very ‘my mate Vince’ 😂. Nice work and as always, informative. Thanks Mike
Much appreciated! I can get a little over excited at times 😂
Great video, great watch, great restoration. I never saw a smother seconds hand, much better than a Grand Seiko
Thanks. You can’t compare an Accutron second hand to anything mechanical. Nothing comes close. From memory a high beat does 8 beats per second, Hisonic 320!
A real beauty! Great work!
Always like your videos, your English humor is always enjoyable. Thanks for your work.
I didn’t know I was being funny (British irony) pleased you enjoyed this one .
Fantastic! Well done! And now who needs a Grand Seiko spring drive when we have MiKe that shows us the way to a very special alternative? Greetings from Italy and keep on the good work.. cheers
Thank you! These are truly special watches. Happy you enjoyed this episode. (I really must go to Italy , nearly 52 year now on the planet and not been!)
That is a very pretty watch. Amazing restoration - never thought that would run again! Well done. Always love your videos. One comment from near the start, You might want to try getting some Oxalic Acid crystals and trying this stuff on some rust. Quite cheap. Used to be sold on ebay but now you need to Google it and buy from a chemical supplier. It is really for getting rid of brown stains in wood for the woodwork brigade, but if you put it on brown rust it turns it grey and inert. It will also turn bare steel the same grey and makes it pretty corrosion proof. I discovered it years ago and found it great for rusty tools and also bits of rust on radiators before then painting them. You just dissove as much crystals as you can in say a teeny jam jar and then use a small paintbrush to put the stuff on. It does it's work pretty quickly. I rinse things I have done and then dry them. Worth a try to see if you like the colour as may come in handy one day to resurrect some part you cannot buy. A small bag will likely last you a lifetime. I agree the phosphorous type rust converter that leaves things black and purple is not a nice end colour for anything. Hope this is of some use.
Thank you for this advise I will look into getting some.
@27:02 The coils are almost always covered in shellac/lacquer, including each individual strand of copper wire on the coils. It is standard practice in the electronics community to use shellac/lacquer on coils, transformers, motors, etc. at least for small/medium parts.
That’s a beautiful looking watch. Well done restoring it to a working state. 👍
Thank you kindly
Nice work! That's interesting that you assemble the calendar works and under-dial parts before replacing the train. With your method, one doesn't have to fight the fork magnetism attracting the springs while you're setting them. And you're getting really good at handling that spring that tucks under the date-wheel retaining plate. I picked up some nice technique that you've worked out. Taking out the pawl bridge, with pawl finger, rather than turning it on its post the way the manual says. Thanks.
I just do what works for me. Sometimes I do movement side first but got fed up with everything flying to the coils if I went wrong.
Despite having the manual I don’t really read them. I find the movement not that difficult compared to some mechanical watches it just more about the handling of the pawl and index wheels, then of course regulation.
This was double indexing at first but I cleaned the wheel x3 in the cleaning machine in its own basket and then had to adjust the pawl angle to put more pressure on but after that it was fine.
Now dialled in to around 1 second a day -
Absolutamente maravilloso qué gran trabajo, admirable. Gracias por mostrarnos esta gran restauración y puesta en marcha de un movimiento maravilloso.
Salú2 desde Puebla México.
thank you sir.
My favorite part of the videos are the cleaning section. Would love to see some time lapse video of before and after of the cleaning of the parts.
I will look into doing some of this. My videos tend to be quite long and in the past I have shown the cleaning machine working and pegging the holes, all kinds really but I dont always want to include all the same things in each video as I would think for a viewer it gets boring after a while. I thought in this one the transformation of the plates would satisfy you all but so far no one has commented on that.
Hi Sir You are a genius and finished the work very nicely
@@azsharptime549 thank you
Fantastic results. Well done 👏
A superb restoration Michael! It looks amazing. In Fraser's Scottish accent "I never doubted you Captain".
Thanks mate. Fun watch to work on this.
Wonderful restoration, well done!
Great job Mike and I have got to say I would have passed on it but you did wonderful and thanks for another great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Outstanding restoration. 😊
Mike I'm glad that you beat the treded C word. I have a Bulova Accutron that was my dad's. As soon as I can find a winding stem and crown I will service it thanks to learning from you👍.
@@chrisorcutt7619 thank you.
Great job Mike, well done 👍
Glad you enjoyed it Rupert. Great watches these.
Bravo! I picked the wrong video to put me to sleep. This aside, great job on beating cancer.
It is also interesting to see the repair of some other watches, such as Rolexes, Breitlings and the like.
I really liked this video. Congratulations on a successful repair.
Thank you very much! I try to show more affordable watches with interesting movements or history. The high end stuff is not necessarily any more enjoyable or interesting and in my opinion quite samey, yes they get views but from a watchmaking perspective its just another standard movement. This tuning fork is unlike anything else and more accurate than any mechanical would ever be.
Cool mechanics! Love the bracelet, almost like tank tracks. :)
As ever, a great, and enjoyable video, and a superb restoration.
Many thanks!
Simply beautiful restoration Mike.
Many thanks. Not taken the watch off for a week
Great and interesting video Michael. One tip: after lifting the hands, just let gravity do the work to slight the hands in a cover box. Just by angleing the movement.
Very nicely done, I still have that same accutron meter that I bought new in the 80s. They are great to work on.
I’ve done a few of these now 218s. Probably. 10-12. Have some more coming but also my first 214 spaceview which I want to bring to the channel
Just happen to find your channel. Great video. Lots of work, I too, would be nervous on all of this. Thanks for posting.
What an amazing bit of engineering...just wow!
@@legacywatchguy8333 sure is!
About 10 years ago I bought an Accutron 26B19 chronograph. It keeps great time and its slim case is very classy.
I think they are quite a rare watch from memory. Well done
Hi Mike, I just wanted to let you now I got here after watch an old episode of WILTY. I was hoping that it was Lee's story and I am so happy it was. Cheers mate!
haha yes that was a highlight to 2023/24 actually and I do mention it at the end of my PanAm digital watch video. Lee is genuinely a big watch fan and was attempting to repair a watch to learn how they work. It was great to talk to him about all this, I gave him some advise and we had a 2 hour zoom call discussing it all. Pleased you found your way here because I could not get my name or channel mentioned on the BBC!
Oh, WOW! Damn fine job, Michael. Nicely done!!!!!!
Thank you very much .
I’m really glad you did this video, I’ve got a corroded movement that I’ve been needing to get cleaned up, I’ve just been procrastinating.
Good luck with it. Always remember you can’t break a broken watch so you have nothing to loose really.
Interesting video, I didn't know anything about them tuning fork movements, brilliant result! 😀
They were only around for a short while and the tooling clearly destroyed so they can never be replicated.
If you like watches it’s one to own and experience the hum , smoothest tick and the accuracy .
@@MyRetroWatches Yes, definitely something to think about.
That was a great save Mike...really impressed! ❤
Thank you Clive. Appreciated
Another success Mike. Thanks for posting. Cheers
Glad you enjoyed it
You did an amazing job I'm not surprised though, You always do. It's a fine watch ,wish it was mine!
Just put one up for sale on my new merch store www.time-tees.com
My 1968 Accutron 218 has two dial washers as well.
Very nice job!
Reassuring to know.
Great video Mike, really enjoyed it. 👍😀
Thanks 👍
I have a beautiful M9 up/down day/date Accutron that I would love to get running right. Runs fine until the hour/minute hands get to around the 6-12 o'clock area and stop. Hopefully I find somewhere to straighten it out some day.
Great job!
Thanks for choosing the title I thought of! Great video! 😊
Which part were you? Citizen pain for chronic Hisonic?
@@MyRetroWatches Citizen Pain
Стварно пријатан за гледање видео. Веома занимљив сат, али још боља рестаурација.