Avia- Matic - 17 Jewel FHF 905

This lovely little Avia came to me after the owner took it to a watchmaker for repair and was told " parts aren't available for it anymore ". It can be quite disheartening to hear that a once treasured possession can no longer be fixed, but luckily in this case it turns out not to be true.

After an initial inspection the movement appeared to be in good condition with no visible signs of damage, unfortunately the front mineral glass was not so lucky and this would have to be replaced. A good service should see the movement back in action and whilst the movement is being cleaned i set to work restoring the case.

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FHF 905 Calibre Strip Down

Whilst a little dirty and lacking lubrication the movement showed signs of life once freed from the casing.
The glass had shattered and spread shards and fine dust particles everywhere, so a good and careful clean was the order of the day >

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Casing/ Re Buff & Polish

With the movement being cleaned i set to work cleaning the casing prior to buffing and polishing. There were a few marks and dents present but nothing that would nothing that wouldn't buff out. The casing front had both a polished surface as well as two brushed finish sections, these would require buffing and then re finishing by hand.

Its always important to clean any casings prior to buffing & polishing work otherwise you can transfer dirt and other debris to the buffing & polishing wheels which in turn can scratch and damage the case.

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Finished Watch

With the movement cleaned it was assembled and lubricated and regulated back to good order. The timing was actually superb and well within specs expected of higher grade watches ( -4+7 Sec/Day - 250+Amp - 0.0ms Beat error ). The casing polished up quite nicely and a new German made acrylic glass was fitted to finish the watch. Quite enjoyable to work on this piece and now it can be enjoyed once more by the owner >>