Rescuing an Elgin Model 3 Grade 303

This watch had been its owner's family since new and is yet another example of sentimental value trumping market value.

It was, as the photos will show, in pretty sad shape.  The silver-plated brass dial was destroyed, the hands were rusted and more than one ham-fisted "hurry up and get it done" type of watchmaker had been inside it.  The case had suffered serious damage as well, with multiple scars from an attempt to pry off the screwed-on bezel and caseback.  There were also notches cut into the mid-case on either side of the pendant (I could not even guess why).

With no small amount of luck, I found a new old stock dial so the decision was made to make the rest of the watch deserving of it.

The watch as it came in...

The case is gold-plated brass.  After disassembling it, I welded up the damaged areas and then reworked and polished the case.  I then replated it in 14K gold, as it was originally.

The balance cock was scarred by a carelessly wielded screwdriver.  Since a correct replacement was readily available, that was the route that I went.

The crown wheel, its bearing and the ratchet wheel were rust pitted.  The pitting was lapped out and I refinished the wheels.

The rust and pitting were removed from the hands, then they were polished and reblued.

The movement was cleaned, inspected and lubed, a new mainspring installed and all of the screw heads were cleaned up.  The finished watch looks much more presentable, and most importantly, it runs correctly.

A 1975 Seiko DX 6106-8729

 This installment features a Seiko DX 6106-8729 that has had a pretty rough paper route.  As the photos will clearly show, the case, bezel and crystal are somewhat the worse for wear and the movement hadn't been serviced in decades.

The DX is certainly not a "high end" watch but this one has significant sentimental value to its owner and he wanted it to look and function as new.  Is it "worth it" to put this kind of effort into such a pedestrian timepiece?  It was to him, and that's all that matters, no matter what any "experts" might say.  There is sometimes more to an item's value than "market price".

Let's get on with it then.

The watch, as it came in:

After disassembling the watch, it became apparent that the barrel arbor holes in the mainplate and train bridge were worn beyond serviceability.  This a common issue on 6106 movements used in Seiko's mid-tier watches.  The repair method is to upgrade to jeweled holes, as used in the higher-spec 61-series movements.

The mainplate is set up in the uprighting tool, using a shop-made holding fixture and the arbor hole is reamed, in .1mm increments, to the final size to accept the OEM Seiko jewel bearing.

The jewel bearing is then pressed in.

The train bridge uses a bushing for the barrel arbor.  This is pressed out and then the jewel bearing is pressed in.

With that done, the next item was servicing the barrel, which includes disassembly, cleaning, lubing and replacement of the mainspring with an NOS OEM part and reassembly of same.  The rest of the movement is cleaned, lubed and reassembled then set aside while I worked on the case.

Here is the case after many hours of hand work.  Seiko is known for their sharp case contours and (if you're not a hack) these must be preserved in the finished work.  The bezel was refinished in the lathe, starting with turning away the damage, then sunray brushing the face and finally, polishing the bevels.

After that was done. the caseback was treated in the same manner (minus the sunray brushing) and the case was cleaned and a new OEM crystal was installed.

The dial and hands were carefully cleaned, the new OEM seals were lubed and installed and the watch can be reassembled.

The final step is to clean up the bracelet and clasp, correct and polish the deformed endlinks and install the bracelet with new springbars.

Watches by SJX

 For the second time, I've had the privilege of having my work featured on the web's best watch site, WatchesbySJX.

My opinion however has nothing to do with my work being featured there.  It's based upon the fact that, among internet watch websites, SJX seems to be the most focused on watches (imagine that), rather than "lifestyle" articles.  That, combined with a technical writing staff that is clearly a cut above the rest, and a complete lack (thankfully) of pop-up advertising, is what sets them apart from the crowd.

The article on #2, by David Ichim:

https://watchesbysjx.com/2025/05/dewey-vicknair-regulator-watch.html

The article on #1, By JX Su:

https://watchesbysjx.com/2024/02/dewey-vicknair-first-wristwatch.html 

Updates: 02/15/25

 After being "computerless" for a while, the problem has finally been solved and I can get back to the blog.

The Handmade Watch #2 post has been updated with many more photos detailing its construction.

Handmade Watch #2

Gübelin Ipso-Matic

 Here is a vintage Gübelin Ipso-Matic that came in to have the movement serviced and the dial cleaned.  I neglected to take any "before" photos (sorry).  The dial had been refinished at some time in the past but other than the missing "Swiss" at the bottom, the refinish is pretty good.  This watch is powered by the Felsa 690 movement, an automatic movement that was used by many makers but none (I think) were as well finished as those by Gübelin.  

Compare the finishing of this movement to that of the Felsa used in the Glycine Airman in the previous posting.  The Airman uses the Felsa 692, which is the same movement as the 690 but with the addition of the calendar complication.

Here is the finished watch.