In for service and some minor clean up is this lovely Oysterdate from Rolex. Featuring the Cal 1225 it has manual winding with normal date, no quickset, no hack, just pure time & date. Must admit these style of Rolex/Tudors are one of my most favored, no fancy over the top features just solid style and great functionality. Take a simple concept and then manufacturer it to the highest level and voila the Oysterdate !
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The case work as seen above had a few marks and dings but to bring back some shine without overdoing it the casing would be cleaned and lightly polished with a final compound so as not to remove all the wounds. The glass was beyond repair so a new German made replica based on the original was ordered and fitted after case work was complete.
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Above we can see the movement being stripped down for cleaning, the only problem aside debris and lack of lube is a broken mainspring with the hook end snapped clean off. After cleaning we begin to assemble the movement, the casing is done during the movement cleaning process so it is ready to go once the movement and other parts are complete.
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The upper driving wheel for the seconds pinion must be fitted with due care to ensure an even and flat fit, always fit/remove driving wheels once pallets are removed to stop any chips or damage to the pallets. 
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Movement all together with new mainspring and running very nicely, plates all clean and now ready for dial/hands and re casing .
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Even the movement retainer ring is finished to the best level with radial brush lines and precision cut outs for retainer clips.

The date mechanism is simple but effective, the lack of quick set can be annoying but the lack of these extras parts means less problems over time so there's a positive side to these things too !
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Dial and hands fitted the movement was fitted back in the case before a new gasket was fitted and the casing closed up ready for use. An alternative Rolex strap was found and fitted as the original was now missing, although from a related reference it works very well and is almost identical to the original.
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Watch all back together so now just to fit the bracelet and its all good to go :)
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A very nice timepiece and one that will no doubt increase in value, classic styling and excellent craftsmanship what more could you want :)

​In for service recently was this classic Omega, having not received any attention for over 15 years the watch was performing less than ideal. The movement was pretty good but there were some gremlins that needed attention first, lets take a look on the inside first. >

On closer inspection i find the helium valve is damaged and so water has found its way inside the watch, fortunately the movement ring has stopped it fully penetrating the inner workings. Lets look at the rust damage. >
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The stem had suffered with rust as well but as it had not broken i could treat it  and remove the rust, ideally both crown and stem should be replaced but at cost of £100+ it was decided to keep the original until such time it gave way. The helium valve was also damaged but after a good clean out and use of some silicon grease it would be time to test the watches water resistance, starting at only 30M. >
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The casing was given a thorough clean and then assembled without the movement, everything snugged down tight it was time to test it starting at a low 30 Meters ( watch should resist 300M ).> 
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The watch was kept under 30M pressure for 15 minutes before releasing the air and from the photo above we can clearly see it has failed. Air escaping from under the bezel is just normal trapped air but the valve despite cleaning and grease could not stand even 30M of pressure. As the cost of replacement parts is high again the valve was not replaced, best i could do was to pack it with special water repellent grease.

With the tests complete the movement could be stripped down for cleaning and service, whilst rust was not overly present you can see from photos the movement has some considerable debris inside. >
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​With the movement cleaned and assembled the immediate results looked great, after a few days testing it could be adjusted and sent on home. >

With the watch thoroughly cleaned, movement fully serviced and running great, this Omega was ready to return home and go back to working life. Not all water damaged watches can be saved but on this occasion it was sent in just in time, whilst not perfect the watch is very functional and will keep great time for many years. 

A well maintained watch will last many lifetimes so remember to keep them serviced every 3-5 years  :)
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Next feature will be the Seiko 5717-8990 so if you've been waiting for that one check back soon !

In the workshop not so long ago was this lovely little Tag Monaco, featuring the Cal 17 or ETA 2894-2. The watch was due a service and light overhaul to the cosmetics so without further ado.....
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After stripping down the casing it is clear now just how much gunk can build up inside the recesses of the watch. The pushers were also removed so that they could also be given the proper attention and improve their effectiveness. A good soak in the ultrasonic will clear all this gunk away no problem.

With the casing cleaning we can strip the movement down, lets take a look at the chrono module which fits atop the movement....
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The movement photos below show most of the steps of the strip down, whilst some may not be in exact order you should get an idea of the basics :)
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With the movement serviced and casing parts all cleaned up it was time to put it all back together, yes all those lovely screws :)
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Everything together and running smooth the watch is ready to return and be used again. Despite the case cleaning there was still some staining but since this is hidden it's not too bad. Most people would think watches are impervious to dirt getting into those fine lines but believe me any fine crack makes a nice home for dirt, so lesson here ? Keep your watches clean :)

​Check back again for more posts :)
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So many watches since the last post its hard to know where to start, so lets start with a Rolex :)

These older models are always a favourite, simple, reliable, and high quality throughout. The movement is the classic 1530 calibre, automatic  with no date or complications, so lets take a look at the movement >
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We start off by uncasing the movement and removing the hands, from there we can strip down the movement and check for any wear or damage >
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With the hands off we can set about removing the dial and stripping back the dial side parts ( except winding parts ). We must make sure once the automatic bridge is removed to power down the movement, movements under tension when stripping down is not what you want >
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With the movement stripped down and cleaned the mainspring was changed for a new one and the whole movement re assembled and lubricated. Timing as to be expected is excellent, very rarely do Rolex watches develop issues more commonly found on lesser Swiss watches, not to say other brands don't make exceptional pieces but Rolex do have that edge. The casing on this watch is kept original , warts n all , the bracelet was given a very light hand brush to bring back some of the brightness, the glass lightly re polished and shes ready to go back.
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Truly a stunning watch and now back in top running order :)

​If you like this watch then pop on over to morningtonwatches.com as it is available for sale at a very competitive price, there are further photos of the watch complete with bracelet & box also. Just click the link to go straight there :)

More posts to come :)