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At The Bench

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Britix Triple Date Chronograph - Landeron 57

3/3/2018

7 Comments

 
Picture

Today we have a look into the service of a Britix triple date chronograph, although the brand name can come up from time to time it is unusual to find them with both the triple date and the chronograph together. 

The Britix brand was founded in 1932 in La Chaux De Fonds but also later opened a factory in Lengnau in 1945. The brand name was later changed to Apex-Britix and as well as their own brand of watches they also produced watches under the names of Accurist, Festal, Naxe, Augusta and Aventica. The brand has been associated with the likes of Breitling but this is more speculation and not concrete evidence , if you should find an ebay listing stating an association as definitive then take it with a pinch of salt and not gospel. During the last years the Britix brand was changed once again to Jaquet & Girard of Biel, however beyond this i have found no records and assume the Quartz Crisis had finished them off for good.

It seems a shame now to think that such great companies no longer exist, but fortunately some examples of their work can still be found. Although not a massive and well known brand some examples can command a reasonable price with rarer examples costing a little more.
​


This particular example arrived in not working condition but did not seem to be overly worn and so some tlc should bring it back to good order. The movement used in this case is the Landeron Calibre 57, whilst the smaller cal 48/51 is more commonly seen this is a nice rare example of one of the more complicated calibres produced. The date functions are controlled by various levers and springs which can be adjusted swiftly using the casing bezel as we shall later see, this bezel has a hidden blued steel catch which pushes each lever in turn to change the various date wheels. 
​
Picture
Landeron Calibre 57
Picture
Bezel removed with the movement after unscrewing levers and case screws
Picture
Now visible is the simple click/catch which changes the date functions during rotation
Picture
Date complication, additional features with simple design, beautiful.

Follow below for images taken during strip down, photos may not always be in exact order but im sure you can get the picture :)
​

With the movement cleaned it was time to rebuild and lubricate, there was some wear and tear present which would later prove to be troublesome but nothing that could not be overcome. Sorry no rebuild pictures but it is a reasonably straight forward process of reversing the procedure, of course with some exceptions but you get the jist :) 

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Main movement complete and running, tested prior to chrono assembly
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Timing shows a pretty strong signal with a healthy result :)
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Main movement complete with chrono assembly, time to finish the date side parts
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Watch all back together, with some new hands to replace the worn out ones.

As with many watches of this sort of age wear & tear takes its toll and in this case the chrono pinion as well as the 30 minute pinon are both worn so original hands do not reset to zero correctly no matter how well applied. With some searching i manage to find some suitable hands that should do the job for a while longer, finding these was more challenging than servicing the movement but such is the way of things.
​
Picture

The watch now complete is ready to return to the owner, it may be a little worn but it has had a good life and been well used by those who loved it. Hopefully it can be enjoyed once again as these gems won't be around forever :)

​Next up, IWC TCZ....
7 Comments
Mark
3/4/2018 05:40:15 pm

Wearing it now and loving it cheers Mike amazing job done once again
as usual🤓

Reply
Chris Molloy
5/5/2018 12:22:17 am

I have a Britix chronograph in a stainless steel case with a Landeron 48 movement. I am missing the 2 pushers to finish this watch, do you happen to know where o can find a pair?

Reply
Mike link
5/5/2018 08:24:23 am

Your current best bet for finding some pushers would be ebay, however cousins.uk may still sell the new ones however they operate a trade buying policy which id advise reading before purchasing.

Reply
W. van Roosmalen
7/19/2018 04:16:52 pm

What is the value of this specific watch? I have exactly this one ans i am thinking of selling it.

Reply
Mike link
7/19/2018 04:56:16 pm

Well a watch is worth only what someone else is willing to pay ! However it varies depending on what condition the watch is in and what the casing is made from. Prices can start from £300 up to over £1000, or as little as £100 for scrap, so prices only make sense when all the variables are known. You can always check ebay or chrono24 for other examples. Regards

Mike

Reply
Pat
1/27/2020 09:07:17 pm

Hi. I am a long Time hobbyist and watch repair and restore in the exact same watch however the bezel is missing the little click do you have any other pictures of the close-up of the basil and also under the stars the date and the month the springs that how they adjust on that thank you very much Pat

Mike
1/28/2020 10:03:18 am

Hi Pat

All the photos i have for this watch are posted, in the slide along section you should be able to see how the date discs work. Sadly there is little documentation on servicing these types of watch but you can find some good books on the subject of servicing/repairing triple date and Chronographs.

Regards

Mike

Reply

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    Hertfordshire based watch restorer. Follow my blog for new watches under restoration/repair

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  • Home
  • Blog - " At the Bench "
  • Videos / Photos / Reviews
    • Product Reviews >
      • Blu Shark Strap Review
      • Nordgreen Philosopher
      • Nove Craftsman Watch Review
      • SELHOR Diver 05 Review
      • Selhor Chronograph Rallye
    • Photo Gallery
    • Watch Bites >
      • Seiko 6119 Restoration
      • Seiko Ladies Diamatic
      • Seiko 6309 NOS
      • Seiko Lord Matic 5606A
      • Vintage Cyma PW
      • Omega 26.5 SOB T1
      • Junghans Chronometer
      • Record German Military WWII
      • Rolex/Tudor Princess
      • Omega Seamaster Cosmic 2000
      • Rotary 2824 - Limited
      • Rotary - Red Diamond
      • Universal Geneve - Cal 500
      • Montine Swiss - Mint
  • Shop / Info / Guides
    • Watches For Sale
  • News/Info/Websites
    • Websites/Suppliers Of Interest
    • Movement Identification
    • Dial Restorations
    • Identifying Parts
    • Movement Markings ID
    • Canon Pinion Removal Tool/s
    • Downloads
  • Contact
    • Services & Pricing