Another Weekend Find - Tissot PRC200 GTS Automatic Chronograph

Well it has been a few weeks again and last weekend was a good score weekend.  Well it was a good one in my books.  I picked up 3 pocket watches, 1 vintage wrist watch, and then there was this one.  It was at my last stop on Saturday, in an antique mall none the less that I found this modern beauty.

I may love vintage more but some deals are too good to pass up on a good modern vintage.  I have my other post about the Omega Aqua Terra Chrono and now this is the 2nd automatic chronograph I have added to my collection.  We are almost on 2 ends of the spectrum when it comes to Swiss made auto chrono movements.

The watch was sitting in a case up front and apparently there was a flea market earlier in the day so most dealers had 20% off all their items.  This one was not excluded from that sale.  Once I had a closer look there was only seconds that passed for the decision to be made.  After looking at the tag, there were extras with the watch an box.  A Tissot travel case and what appears to be an unused watch winder.

The watch is a Tissot PRC200 GTS.  The full number is a T0554271705700.  I guess makers are needing extremely long item numbers these days or that breaks down to something like T055.4271.  But that is for the experts to figure out, I just like the watch  and am happy to add it to the collection.

These watches are not cheap by my thinking but then I don't spend $1000 on a new watch.  I know there are those out there that spend way way more but I am a self sufficient collector.  While no where near the cost of my Omega the watch does have a certain level of quality. The box is nice, not a solid wood with felt lining but still nice.

It has plenty of room for all the books and cards that comes with a new watch.  There are a few in the bottom on the back as well as the cards and such on each side on the inside.  The watch does have a pillow but I don't see how it would fit on it better.  Seems small for any band.

The dial is nice, clean and attractive.  I tend to like the little bits of red against the black background.  The sapphire crystal has no imperfections from the previous owner.  The case does have a few dings and fine scratches but nothing distracting.  It is an all stainless case with a Tissot marked rubber band.

The movement though is something different.  The decoration of the rotor looks more like something from a Swatch.  But then these movements were used in a automatic Swatch chronograph as well.  It is more utilitarian looking then the Omega 3313C in the Aqua Terra.  This movement is an ETA C01.211.  It has 15 Jewels and interestingly a plastic looking escapement wheel and pallet fork.

The movement is based on a Lemania 5100 and has a beat of 28,800bph.  So far it has given me me no issues unlike what some people have seen with this movement.  It seems that some have an issue resetting correctly so far, this one is great.  

 

My Omega 150M Aqua Terra Co-Axial Chronograph Chronometer - Say that 3 times fast....

Every collector loves a well made complicated watch and if it is made by a well respected maker so much the better.  I know that this watch will not be rare or vintage, but I like it none the less.  It also tops out the scale for me on price.  I came across it in a local pawn shop.  I know some people think that pawn shops are full of fake Rolex watches but in honesty they try to never take a fake.  Can’t make an honest buck selling a fake.

The description of the watch is so lengthy but it is a long descriptive name.  It is an Omega Aqua Terra Co-Axial automatic chronograph chronometer.  The watch is as heavy in a way as its long name.  I know that on the Omega site they call it the Aqua Terra 150M or something but that is cutting it way short. But the band on the watch when I got it was nowhere near long.  The watch was just the watch alone when I bought it but the band was only suitable for someone with a 6 inch wrist.  I have a 7 inch wrist, small as it may be, was far too big even for this watch. 

So the impression I have of this watch at first is the imposing size and that unique styled dial.  Omega says it is supposed to remind us of the wood decks of old boats, does not seem to do that for me.  I like it anyways because I tend to not be a boat enthusiast.  The lines are crisp and flawless as one would expect from Omega.  The markings are a bit more complex to ever be called a simple dial.  The markers and hands are filled with a blue glowing lumen material.  The hands are good and sharp in design and very cleanly formed. 

The back has a very nice view of the 3313c movement.  Unlike the Planet Ocean model the Aqua Terra has the crystal to see the quality workmanship of the movement. This is not to be mistaken for the 3313 or 3313b movements.  What sets it apart is an upgrade Omega did to the escapement on the C. They went from a 2 level co-axial escapement to a 3 level to resolve some issues seen on the earlier versions.  Not all saw issues but this step was done to eliminate them. 

 

The movement is based on the F Piguet cal 1285 chronograph and then finished by Omega with its co-axial escapement.  There is debate on how good the Piguet movement is in robustness but from my experience with my watch it has stood up well and without issue.  But then I don’t wear it every day because I have a job where it may get a scratch.  I would not consider a watch of this quality a “beater” watch but I might if I had millions in the bank.

Chinese Quality - Beijing Everest B18

It has been a time from my last posting but I figured this watch will be one of the best ones to start posting about.  In the current atmosphere of Chinese watches starting to show higher and higher quality I decided it was time to jump in.  I decided though that if I was going to venture into the Chinese territory I may as well go with a good quality example. 

 

 

I had been eyeing the Everest series by Beijing Watch Factory for some time.  The manual wind B18 movement caught my attention based on my love of vintage watches.  The dial is clean and reminds me of the double sunk dials of the old RR pocket watches.

The hands are very nice looking vintage style and are well suited to the style of the dial and the sub seconds design.  The numbers are well defined and clear against the white background.  There is a very clear mark for the Beijing Watch Factory that can also be seen on the clasp of the stainless band.

The watch has a display back to showcase that fantastic looking movement.  The 18 jewel B18 movement is a well designed and executed one.  I don't see many manual wind modern watches with a jeweled barrel.  This is something one use to see in Waltham, Elgin, Illinois, and Hamilton pocket watches of the past.  They have the gold jewel settings (chatons) that are held in place with blued screws.  The design reminds me more of a ¾ plate you would find on English made JW Benson pocket watches.  The movement has a good strong even tick and keeps excellent time.

The overall finish of the case is very good.  It shows that they are making a good effort to make sure you are getting a very good deal for the amount you pay for one of these.  The company is also venturing into some realms of very complicated escapements and movements.  My opinion is that these watches are the opportunity to get into owing a watch from a good quality company and I am willing to gamble a chance of a watch that will appreciate in value. 

LaPhare Quarter Repeater - New Arrival Part 2

So after the testing it was time to get to work.  I started by inspecting the governor and found that it needed to be oiled.  The end that has the round pivot allows the arm to swing out and break the speed of the repeater mechanism.  With it being dry the arm could not swing out which cause issues.

This issue also had an interesting symptom in that if the watch was face down the repeater struck but slowed way down at the end.  This was also the repeater mechanism needing oiling.  If on its back the repeater struck at three times the speed it should.  There should be a steady chime not all within 5 seconds for 12:00.  After oiling the pivots of the repeater and the arm pivot of the governor it struck at a good steady rate.  

The movement needed to come out of the case for further cleaning.  Removing a repeater movement is kind of a jigsaw puzzle.  In this case the order is to start with removing the gong screws by the hammers.  Then rotate the gong until the block is in line with a hammer.  The advantage is that the hammer moves and can give you room to lift that bock out with the gongs.

Next step is to remove the stem and crown.  In this case there is a screw that was hidden under the gong.  This is a high polish head screw and does not need to come all the way out.  Just back it up enough to pull the stem out.

After that was out then the repeater button needs to be removed.  Luckily this is only held on by a single long screw.  Once you have the screw off the button will come out.  Then there is a case half screw that was right under the gong by the governor.

Now the movement comes freely out from the front.  Remove the hands and then go about taking the dial off.  In this case the dial is a snap on one.  There are no feet.  There is a pin on the rim to guide you when you are putting it back on.  The dials are a rather snug fit.

Once I had the dial off I went about cleaning and oiling the parts and pivots.  I wish I had taken a picture of it at this point but I was having way too much fun.  The watch portion will be pegged and cleaned when I replace the mainspring as I don't want to have to do it twice.

The assembly is the reverse of the take down.  But I learned a valuable lesson.  You can't just screw the gong block down and think it will sound fine.  It repeated with this dull thunk noise when the hammer struck.  I figured out that if you back out the screws a bit and then activate the repeater the hammer will make the gong settle in the right place through the striking force.  Tighten the screws as it chimes.  

While the watch movement was out I went to work on the case.  The inside of the crystal appeared to have a speckling of something.  At first I though the crystal had been hit multiple times from the inside causing some small chips.  The substance came off nicely though with glass cleaner.  

I cleaned the inside of the case with a cape cod cloth and that helped get the shine back to the inside covers.  The green gunk, as I like to call it, was mostly removed using a sharpened piece of peg wood.  I will be using some Hoppes #9 when I get home to see if I can clean it off the rest of the way.  I am leaving the case unpolished because it gives it character.  

   

LaPhare Quarter Repeater - New Arrival Part 1

It has been 3 weeks from when I won the auction for this watch.  It was yet another risk based on the information given about it.  The pictures looked both promising and scary at the same time.  The green colored material is corrosion and that does not come from sitting in a jewelry box.  I almost suspect some chemical seeped into the space between the cracks.  Possibly a polishing material.

Either way this is what was presented to me on eBay.

As you can see by the outside there is a good deep tarnish going and you can slightly

see the green.  This one shows it more.

The movement looked complete and gilt finishes are usually not the nicest to photograph without showing every spot of tarnish or dirt.  The hammers have no rust though and the overall condition is good and possibly should clean up well.

  As you can see from the pictures the green is far more extensive then can be seen from the first pictures.  The green is called verdigris and can be corrosive to the silver so removal becomes a priority.  There is also a haze to the watch inside cover that cab be wiped off with a finger.  This is yet more contaminates most likely from a vapor of some kind.

So the watch arrived after a few bumps but the guys over at Midwest-Money in St Louis MO are stand up guys and you can trust buying from them.  They did not monkey or fiddle with it possibly causing damage so my thanks to them for leaving it mostly as found.

When the watch arrived I immediately took to testing it.  The slip of the mains ping told me that it was broken.  No big deal as mainsprings have to be the easiest part to replace.  When I pressed the button for the repeater it was very sluggish.  The governor was not moving smoothly and it took way too long to sound off.  The tone was there though on the hammer blows telling me the gong was good.  The balance swing well and started to tick with just even the minimum power coming from the broken mainspring.  The dial was good without a single hairline.  Overall a risk but the watch had no nasty surprises. 

Next part....cleaning it up.      

A LUC - Chopard Pocket Watch from Bulgaria Part 2

Well the watch arrived this morning. It arrived and a repeater I ordered 8 days later from 3 states away still has not. But anyway...

This watch is turning into a cautionary tale to people wanting to dip their toe in the Bulgarian waters. The watch looked good by the pictures and the description had the usual bs of being serviced. As the seller put it "cleaned and oiled".

So far the only truth in his listing besides it being a LUC was that it was running and silver. Now running is a relative term. A car is running even if it only fires on 7 of 8 cylinders. In this case a jewel was replaced with a piece of brass with a hole in it. I should have paid closer attention to the pics.  

I went through the loose hole jewels i had and pulled out 4 i thought may work. So after consulting with my father in law and finding he had no hole jewels that were not in settings I had no choice but to move forward. His suggestion was to use my staking set to punch out the offending piece and set in the new jewel. I took off the bridge and found a stake and a stump and popped the stupid piece out. I tested the jewels on the pivot and one was too snug and another was just right. I put the jewel on the back of the bridge and actually it popped right in with a snap just using the flat back side of my tweezers. Put the bridge back and oiled the pivot. The watch started in 2 turns of the crown. 

Speaking of winding, it is fully wound way too soon. After taking it apart some the mainspring barrel seemed to not show any coils in the hole where you would pry the top off.  When I went to pry it there was a pop and the sound of a mainspring unwinding.  It seems that the mainspring is catching on the barrel lid.  I oiled the spring and may see if that helps. So now I may need to find a correct mainspring for it. 

The watch also has a broken case screw. It looks like it sheered off at the plate so now I have to extract it and find another screw. The knock on for the missing screw is that the movement rattles. Fear not though as some "watchmaker" fitted it with these nifty cork bumpers.

So there you go. A bad pivot, bad mainspring, and a broken case screw. I guess I should consider myself lucky to only have those issues. As to the "cleaning", that must not have included the case. The inside of the case lids were filthy like they had not been cleaned in decades. There is also a layer of junk I have had to scrape away on the rim of the case where the covers snap down. Anyway...here are more pics of my new project. If you decide to try this road of buying from Bulgaria, be prepared for botched and bodged job watchmaking having been done. Make sure you or your watchmaker can handle it or you will pay far more than the value in the end.

The quality of the watch is actually quite nice. The build is very well thought out and it is very easy to work on. I like being able to work with each wheel on its own without having to line up 3 or more pivots at a time when putting it back together. The bridges fit nice and snug but not so snug that you have issues separating them from the plate.I also noticed a serial under the dial. This serial matches the case number so at least it is more original than I thought. I think the watch was in the hands of a creative watch maker who did repairs with whatever materials he had available. The hands are not original I don't believe because the same material that was used to replace the jewel was used to modify the hole for the minute hand. The second hand also does not seem to sit low enough. But it does show again that a watchmaker did what he could to make the hand fit. The mainspring may have just been whatever he had and it may be wrong for the watch. It seems rather thick.