Seiko " MonoPusher " 5717-8990 Chronograph

Well this blog was well overdue and apologies for those that follow me for such a delay, its been a mad past few months with ever increasing demands for watch repair !

So today we finally have a close up look at one of Seiko's only mono pusher vintage chronographs, if your an avid Seiko collector then no doubt this is one of the holy grail watches you would want in your collection.

The watch in general was in good condition but was in need of servicing and some cosmetic light touches, the only major drawback being that the pusher has rotten and although functional it muddies the otherwise good looks when seen up close. So lets not dilly dally and get into the meat of it >>
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Missing paint from bezel and that poor pusher :(

Pushers seen better days, nickel plated brass does not age well compared to stainless steel.

Under a rather grubby glass sits a perfect dial and original hands

The lesser seen but equally awesome Seiko 5717 calibre :)

After many emails and searching i was not successful in finding a new pusher, as with many old Seikos there simply lacks the spares available and those that do exist are hoarded by watchmakers like precious gold. The watch would have to be continued with original pusher, functional if a little flea bitten ( big fleas of course ).
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Pusher apart and a little worn but can be cleaned up and rust removed.

Casing apart and signs of rust eating into the metal are not a good thing, but this can be halted and cleaned up.

Rust never sleeps but it can be halted if treated, the casing would need some tlc to remedy the hungry red rot

Same issue on the case and this would also be treated to stop the hungry rust mites.

Moving on to the movement it should always be noted to take great care when removing a chronograph center hand as on some movements they can be staked on with good force and hard to remove normally, breaking a center hand is the last thing you would want. The center hand should always be supported as much as possible when lifting so as the tube can be lifted evenly and with gentle/gradual pressure, the hour & minute hands can come off after but never the other way.
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Hands removed safely and reveals a perfect dial :)

Hammer C Clip was loosey goosey so would need to be tightened on assembly

With exception to the above  C clip the movement was other wise sound, the clip had come loose over time and use so would need tightening as spares are non existent. For those who want to see all photos feel free to browse through the gallery below. 
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All cleaned and assembled with fresh lube and running very well :)

Shiny & clean :)

With the movement done it was time to turn attention to the bezel, with so little original paint remaining the only option would be to remove whats left and start again. Patience is your friend here and taking time pays dividends if your willing to put in the effort. The depth of the numerals is very shallow so proves quite a challenge but patience and a steady hand can help :)
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Slight overflow is fine as the edging will be finished off when dry

End result id say is worth it, the bezel looks almost new again and looking punchy

Everything done and back together, now just some outdoor shots to really see it !

With the movement complete and the casing cleaned up the watch was ready to be fully assembled, a new glass and a very light polish ( not buff ) the watch was then fitted with an original bracelet and ready to go.
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Absolute pleasure working on this and probably never see another again, quite sad they don't make them like this anymore. The ugly pusher aside this watch i think represents what is truly great about Seiko and about watch collecting in general, simple & functional with classic styling.

This watch will be heading its way back to owner ready for selling, if your interested then pay morningtonwatches.com a visit as it is available but who knows for how long !

Seiko 1965 - Model 5717-8990 -  Morningtonwatches.com


With so much work to be done of late, writing up blogs can take up valuable time but i will try to not to leave it so late next time :)