Poljot Alarm Watch

Back in the early Eighties this "Poljot Alarm" was my first "serious" watch. Although the signal buzzer feature was mercilessly abused, watch served me for years as a school-time alarm clock and medication reminder. Later came the plastic fantastic diver Casios...

As far as I know my Poljot features 1. MChZ cal. 2612 mechanical movement with manual winding and 18 jewels,  alloy case and screw back. This is an export version with all-Latin lettering, probably bought new from Polish traders who at the time offered various Communist Bloc goods on flea markets.

When you entrust an elementary school kid with a complex and sensitive mechanical instrument you can't expect it to last long, but this watch is still operational in spite of obvious water damage, some drivetrain hiccups and general neglect over fhe few decades. I currently have no plans for its restoration but my kid loves the buzzing signal just like I did some 35-ish years ago...

Casio Edifice EF-503 Quartz Chronograph

Searching for my brother's Casio LIN-164 that needed a battery change I've found another interesting item: my old and supposedly broken Casio Edifice EF-503 was scraping against some nasty Chinese knock-offs on the bottom of a grocery bag destined for a garbage bin. It was me who discarded this Casio some six years ago, profoundly disappointed in this brand because my beloved watch completely stopped working a couple of days after its first battery change - no-brainer work performed by a well known downtown Belgrade watchmaker. I returned my dead Casio back to the shop hoping it was just a a hiccup, some trivial electrical contact issue or other thing of a sort, but watchmaker kept the watch for seven days and still couldn't find the reason why sturdy and reliable Citizen-Miyota OS10 movement failed miserably after some 2 1/2 years of normal use... Casio's 2-year warranty had expired by then and price estimate for a movement swap was very close to price of  a new watch, so I decided to take my ill-fated EF-503 home and dispose of it. Yet I didn't throw it in a garbage bin as I meant to do in my thorough disgust. Soon I bought a 2010 Seiko SNK803 "Desert pilot" automatic as a replacement,  had some important changes in my life and consequently lost track of a crappy broken Casio, nevertheless a bitter taste in the mouth remained.

Having recently read this tutorial on DIY repair of quartz watches, I was hoping that something still could be done with my Casio, so I've removed the screw back using an old Richter compass instrument, taken out the expired battery, carefully scrubbed off the gunk around the gasket with a wooden peg (highly praised certified watchmaker didn't bother to do any cleaning prior to battery change), removed the stem/crown (has to be fully in before you can unlatch it, pressing a recessed tab), pryed out the white plastic retention ring (four prying points are clearly marked on the mov't back plate) and gently taken the movement out, blew some compressed air around and inside and then installed it again, inserted the stem until it clicked into normal (running) position, applied silicone grease on a clean gasket and finally finger-tightened the lid, as I planned to get a proper new battery tomorrow morning...

I also had luck with my bro's blue dial Casio LIN-164 that day: battery change and gasket cleanup/lubrication went OK, without any scuffs to its beautiful matt gray surface... This watch has an ultralight blast-finished Titanium alloy body and bracelet which is held in place by two split pins instead of spring bars. Its screw back was stuck like it had been welded, but it finally gave way.

EF-503 on a flatbed scanner

Next morning I've bought one Renata 395 silver battery at the local market for EUR 1.40 and installed it without much hassle (you don't have to undo any screws on OS10, just gently pull on the elastic retainer lug with a flathead screwdriver and pop the batt in). Crown was in its 2nd position (fully out) so the movement couldn't start ticking yet. I've pressed the crown fully in (the moment of truth!) and my watch started running right away! Then I tightened the case back, did a chrono reset per factory instructions, set time and date and rejoiced... Chrono worked fine, although I needed factory instructions again to find out how to use the functions correctly. I guess the most probable cause of a dead quartz movement was a tiny particle that remained loose inside the movement after the "dirty" battery change and finally got stuck somewhere between the moving parts, stopping the very sensitive drivetrain. I guess I managed to blow it out using low pressure compressed gas from a can. I know that any pro watchmaker will cringe on mentioning of this "procedure", but I had nothing to lose and it solved the problem with little work. I have yet to check the long-term accuracy, although I don't think it was especially accurate back then while it was new (factory spec says ±20s/month is normal).

That same day I've buffed out one particularly annoying scuff on the mineral crystal (yes it's possible, but mind the heat!) and did some buffing on the stainless steel case, in both cases using Purol polishing paste and solid felt wheel on Dremel 300 rotary tool (in 3rd speed, pressing lightly, changing direction of passes). I suppose it was possible to achieve a mirror finish using chrome green but I decided to stick to a familiar compound even if it wasn't ideal for this purpose. I didn't bother to buff the case back, which is visible here:

This watch originally sported a black faux leather bracelet with white stitching (full model name is "EF-503L-1AV", module 2328). Rigid and uncomfortable OEM bracelet is long gone and new 20mm NATO gray nylon strap is already being shipped to my address. Oddly, this is my only watch that's completely silent: even my thick-cased Q&Q KW68 "Submariner" (powered by an ultra-accurate sample of Miyota 2035 quartz) ticks audibly...


Wears a bit bigger on 18mm strap, also black goes well with almost all imaginable outfits. Shown here with vintage Yugoslav Air Force leather jacket.

Ruhla "Tropica" (UMF cal. 24-32)

One more revived affordable watch in my collection: a "tropicalized" (plastic sealed case) GDR-made "Ruhla" with UMF cal. 24-32 winding movement and a diver-style timing bezel. It was sitting forgotten in my old book storage cupboard for at least fifteen years, without bracelet, wrapped in a zip-lock bag with some silicagel, presumed broken, its stem and crown detached. After sorting out that minor issue, a couple of turns of the crown were enough to kick-start this old piece of Socialist machinery - what a surprise it was!

Web search didn't turn up with any specific year(s) of manufacture for this Ruhla model and - having a running and pretty accurate watch - I'm not willing to risk taking the movement out just to look for a week-year imprint or some tell-tale variations in the components. According to available sources, this simple movement was produced in tens of millions all the way from late 1960's to the late 1980's!

Knowing the watch has been used for some time, I've decided to get it serviced before it enters into my daily rotation, but very soon I ran into a brick wall: two experienced Belgrade (precisely Zemun) watchmakers declined to even take a look at the watch! The younger watchmaker made a jocular but close-to-truth remark about Tropicas back then being low-end watches sold at retail counters in East German stores literally side-by-side with sweets, razor blades and cigarette lighters, designed as a kind of Communist bloc predecessors to Swatch: maintenance-free, cheap, disposable units with movement plates riveted together... So at this moment I'm in doubt whether it's technically possible to take apart this pin-pallet movement for a maintenance, though there are some forum posts and seller ads on the Web claiming that regular servicing had been performed on UMF cal. 24...

If those claims are true, I've just fallen another victim to a "Swissophiliac xenophobe" mindset, apparently still going strong with watchmakers well into the 21st century (bizarrely, this is happening in a poor Southeast European country with an insignificant timepiece market and virtually non-existent educated watch collector community)... Similar thing happened to me last year when an idle New Belgrade watchmaker refused to take in my early 1960's Start for servicing, proudly replying that "he doesn't do Russian watches". I kindly apologized although he had nothing else to do but sit in front of his 70's-time-capsule shop, having a coffee and a chat with a fellow old-timer, probably daydreaming about some owner of a vintage Omega or Rolex chronograph dropping by... Of course I took my Start to another experienced watchmaker who was more than willing to do servicing and a minor repair on a Gagarin-era 2602 movement. This altogether is a long story and today I have a new toy on my desk - I'm getting get back to the main topic...

So after a decade and a half of sitting in a cupboard my Tropica still works and keeps fairly good time for a basic pin-pallet "dollar watch". Still it can't reach its full specified power reserve (28hrs), which is I guess due to wear and lack of maintenance. It also has poor isochronism (it usually runs slightly faster when fully wound and starts to lag behind when the mainspring becomes loose) but still averages under 30 secs/day, which isn't much when you learn that Ruhla's factory spec for this movement allowed +240/-120 seconds per day in normal operating conditions!

Tropica is bulky and sits rather high on the wrist, thanks to its massive plastic case and this NATO strap adds a couple of milimeters (the movement measures just 24x6 mm). I used to wear my other Tropica on its OEM perforated rally-style black resin strap which looked very cool indeed but inevitably deteriorated with age, became rigid and eventually cracked, so I had to replace it. Crystal (acrylic glass) is 31.5mm wide, slightly curved and sticking out of the bezel ring. There were some minor scuffs that were easy to buff out. Lug width is exactly 20mm.

Bezel ring ratcheting mechanism doesn't work (if there was any at all on this model) yet the ring can turn freely. Although misleadingly labelled as "waterprotected", Tropica isn't water resistant at all - not even splash-proof! I remember the occasional fogging isues with the other Tropica I had and - having taken it apart some years ago - I also know that water ingress is possible through the gap around the crystal and through the case tube: simply there are NO gaskets there! Sweat can do it no harm, but it's best to keep it away from rain and splashing water - hand washing included.

I'm not sure if this version was called "Glider" but from the images on the Web I've learned that there was also a "Hunter" (green case with imprint of a wild boar), a "Sailor" (blue case with a shark - or possibly a boat..?!) and many other similar variants.

Mysterious white plastic plug on the back of this Tropica hides a screw which - when partially loosened - permits the stem/crown to be detached in order to remove the movement. Movement removal is performed through the front of the watch, after the bezel ring is pryed off and crystal removed. There was also a version of Tropica having no release screw but a two-piece "snap stem" which had to be pulled out using some consistent (but considerable) force.

Classic Bond looks: a simple under-watch type strap (formerly 20mm NATO, modded by removing safety strap and two keeper rings). A gentle rub of silicone oil gives extra gloss and protection to the case. And since it's summer season, I've sealed the back plug with a dab of silicone grease to ensure full protection against sweat.

Tropica shown on YT video - note the loud ticking and a rough ratcheting noise while winding - nevertheless this is not the loudest mechanical watch that I own: vintage "Start" cal. 2602 (circa 1960) totally steals the thunder!

(All Ruhla factory spec data respectfully taken from ostalgieruhla.wordpress.com)

Casio F-91W

So here it is, the iconic F-91W: One of the most affordable Casios, manufactured for some odd 27 years, beloved by nerds, hipsters, my Dad, Third World teens and (reportedly) some sinister masterminds of global terror (Wikipedia article)...

F-91W is smaller and significantly lighter than W-800
 so I often forget that I'm wearing it

It took me a couple of minutes of futile prying to realize that F-91's bars (pins) don't have spring ends, so conventional spring bar removal procedure doesn't apply here. I had to fabricate a makeshift pin punch out of steel wire and get me a very small hammer. After that, everything went on just fine. Here's the tip for the un-enlightened: both bars (pins) have to be pushed sideways through the lug holes in order to remove a bracelet.

A closing word of caution: 18x1mm nylon strap is almost too thick for this little fella, so it's important to know what's the actual thickness of replacement band (preferably before you buy it). Otherwise you'd be placing a huge stress on delicate plastic lugs - or won't be able to insert the bars at all.

Casio W-800 on a black NATO strap (w/ basic nylon strap maintenance)

Finding an OEM bracelet/band for Casio watch in local stores here is always a hassle - and a rip-off if you actually manage to find it. So this temporary solution became permanent. Woven nylon band is rugged enough to withstand daily abuse and it should last longer than the original resin (PUR) one.

Casio W-800 has a lug width of exactly 18mm, but it doesn't support thick straps since its spring bars are placed very close to the watch case: try a tight-woven strap any thicker than 1mm and you won't be able to reinstall the spring bars without putting extra strain on the (plastic) lugs. I might try to swap my W-800 for a Dad's F-91W and see if this strap fits.

NATO Watch Strap Maintenance 

As for the hygienic aspect of EDC-ing a textile strap, a monthly wash-up with Perwoll Wool & Silk (or similar) mild liquid detergent dissolved in a lukewarm water is just fine. Let the strap soak for 10 minutes, then gently scrub with an old, preferably soft toothbrush, rinse thoroughly and remove excess moisture with a kitchen paper towel (don't rub, just press). You can then leave the strap overnight to dry on air. I don't even bother to remove the watch while washing the strap, and sometimes I use hair dryer for final drying. Check out the water resistance guidelines for your watch before doing this, and bear in mind that electronic components can be damaged by excessive heat. Some straps may heat-shrink, depending on material used!

If you notice signs of fraying on the strap (this particular one seems to be resistant - so far) you can use any butane cigarette lighter to remove those unruly fibers, but take care not to melt the strap or make it uncomfortable to wear: apply small flame for a VERY short time (just a pass!) and solely on the outer side of the strap - never do this on the side which goes next to the skin! You can also use fabric shaver (fuzz shaver) for this purpose, but again don't use it on the inner side of the strap, since remaining fiber stubble can cause skin discomfort and rash. If fraying appears around the hole(s), which is a frequent occurrence on low-end nylon straps, you can heat a piece of 1mm-gauge steel or copper wire over the flame, push the wire tip carefully through the hole and melt the surrounding fibers, hopefully stopping the further damage. Never touch the nylon surface with wire glowing from heat! It is better to try several times, making gradual temperature increases, than to literally burn through the webbing and irreversibly enlarge the hole. These tips mainly serve the aesthetic purpose - if your strap is badly worn or damaged, it is better to replace it with a new one than risk losing a watch.

Black NATO 18x1mm strap w/ powder coat black buckle & rings from Aliexpress, US$6.46 shipping incl. (actually only a few stores offer these, aside from wholesalers).

Vintage Omikron Watch With Unitas 6325 Movement

This is actually my first Swiss watch: an Omikron winder from 60's-70's, powered by Unitas 6325 movement. It's in desperate need of a proper servicing, since it can run for only 10hrs on a full winding (this movement has a very long mainspring and its normal power reserve is 47 hrs).

Visible traces of mechanical damage

Hour and minute hands on this watch are not OEM: it seems that they've been custom crafted from a kind of brass-like alloy with a pinkish hue. Shape of new hands doesn't follow the original pattern and lume is missing altogether. Way back, this watch has probably suffered a severe blow (or even been stepped on) causing the glass to be smashed, damaging the hands and leaving permanent scratches on the dial, all this prompting a subsequent overhaul. Winding crown has been replaced with a generic spare part and acrylic is showing a crack on 4 o'clock. Watch case has developed corrosion pitting wherever the chrome plating has been damaged, showing the base metal - a kind of dark greyish (zinc?) alloy instead of brass/bronze which was commonly used in watches of this price tag. According to some local collectors, Omikron watches are notorious for their decomposing alloy cases. Bezel ring is made of brass, which is visible under the chrome plating at some damaged spots.

 

This 21-jewel movement looks quite elegant in its chrome/brass combo, although surface finishing is still in economy class. All 17-jewel Omikron versions of Unitas 6325 that I've seen have a full-chrome finish. There are some sharp edges and visible burrs on the inside of the lugs (poor craftsmanship!) Serial No. is stamped on case back.

Inscription "T SWISS MADE T" at the bottom of the dial denotes Tritium lume markers and the country of origin. Lume is almost non-existent on this unit due to damage. Although Unitas movement is without doubt a Swiss product, Omikron of that era was a quite elusive company with rather opportunistic product range (AFAIK they've also branded produce scales, office calculators and what not).

To my knowledge this brand has gained some popularity in Europe during the 70's for selling quite sturdy, reliable, moderately priced watches and of course for being labelled "Swiss made". This was especially the case with the fmr. West Germany's "gastarbeiter" working class population from the Balkans, who brought amounts of Omikrons and Darwils to their home countries with them, so these watches could be (like highly praised Mercedes and Volkswagen cars) quite often found all over the region.

 

 Close-up of sturdy but neglected machinery in need of proper servicing. Although movement is branded Omikron, "UT" logo and number "6325" inscribed underneath it (far left, partially visible) denote the Unitas S.A. ébauche factory and movement caliber respectively.

Both original 6325 and 1130 movements are true workhorses and they're sometimes referred to as "Wehrmachtswerk", which is mainly a marketing gimmick aimed at associating them with build quality, sturdiness and reliability of a German military engineering. In fact this name pertains to entire group of mechanical wrist watch movements sized 13 lignes (13''' ~ approx. 30mm) which emerged during the period between the two World Wars and into the WW2, not having any direct connection with German armed forces but being recognized by the military as having potential for both accuracy and robustness due to their bigger than usual size. To my knowledge there were no "official army issue" watches in the Wehrmacht, although some chosen watch models were procured in small-ish numbers by the military on separate contracts from prominent Swiss and German watch manufacturers.

Working class "Start" watch

Vintage "Start" 88/2 a.k.a. "poor man's Omega" on a "Bond" nylon NATO strap... While this is obviously a mismatch in several categories, I somehow like this combo and it feels at home on my wrist like it used to sit there for decades...

My "Start" originates somewhere between 1960 and 1962, so it appeared just before this three-colour strap pattern was featured in an early James Bond movie, adorning the famous spy's classy "Rolex Submariner". This strap is actually 20mm wide, while the lug width is 18mm - in the "007" movie the mismatch was just the opposite: narrow strap and wide lugs! So-called "NATO strap" design did not emerge until the early 1970's in the UK and I've never found even similar strap type / pattern originally supplied with any USSR-made watch.

Q&Q KW68J212Y "Submariner" Watch

Picked this new from an unofficial Serbian Q&Q Faceb**k store. Some scratches, a bit of touch-up & polishing work is already visible...

Certainly not a "real" diving watch, despite looking like a distant relative of Rolex Submariner and being factory rated at 5 BAR (it means "splash-proof" in low-end watch market terms!), yet looking pretty cool for EUR19.50 + courier delivery...

KW68 comes with a Citizen-Miyota "2035" quartz movement, flat mineral glass and a stainless steel bracelet. The  case is ion-plated cast alloy (hence the "IPS" on the dial) to keep the price down - typical of affordable watches.

Since Q&Q is a Japanese brand outsourced to China it's not to be confused with nasty "replica" or "homage" watches. Manufacturing flaws and imperfections weren't present on this sample, and the same goes with any other Q&Q watch I've bought for myself or family members over the past two decades: with regular battery replacement most of those quartz movements are still running, despite heavy EDC use and zero maintenance. With brand-name movement comes the respectable accuracy - in a real world use this Q&Q keeps better time than my quartz-digital Casio W-800!

I must admit that there was more "bling factor" to this watch then I personally liked (check the unboxing video below!) so it underwent a quick "patina-building" process - something which I may share in detail in one of my future posts :)

Short said, KW68's overall quality is probably best what you can get for this amount of money, albeit in a shiny, blingy Asian style...  Shame that this model is discontinued and there are no basic, "old style" diver-inspired watches in a present Q&Q quartz line-up.

Bracelet links are folded (standard type) and their surface is originally finished in a dazzling brushed/polished combo. Adjustment links are "T-bar" type, clearly marked with arrows and easily removed by an average-skilled user using a pointed tool and pliers. The remaining two adjustment links are visible in the pic above, adjacent to the clasp. Bracelet steel is rather mild and easily polished but don't even try applying any abrasives on the case, or ugly reddish under-layer is going to show up! Few of the bracelet links initially required some edge-rounding to make the bracelet more comfortable to wear.

Stainless steel back is press-fit type ("snap back"). There's even an honest "base metal bezel" inscription on the back, pointing out that bezel ring is made in one piece with watch case (i.e. not rotatable - hence serving only decorative purpose). One can't expect a decent-functioning ratcheting ring for this price, anyway... Bezel outer diameter is 40mm and this is also the outer measure of the case. Crystal outer diameter is exactly 30mm, and lug width is 20mm - measured with calipers by myself (BTW these measurements are pretty much elusive across the various sources on the Web).

Lume shot (f1.8, 1/8s, ISO400): lume marks are readable for some 3-4 hours (in dark conditions, with night-adapted vision) after being thoroughly illuminated by 120lm LED flashlight. This dial/hands combo has a high contrast and it's easily readable in any situation - an utilitarian feature that I appreciate very much!

Q&Q KW68 unboxing (YouTube):

Urban decay 2

Bez umetničkih pretenzija... Samo "ghost image" stanja uma :)

Fotoaparat: Nikon P300 (preset image mode "High Contrast Monochrome")