Thanx for showing us this watch and the service. It is a wonderful piece. I just bought a 35mm wide watch to see if I would like a watch of that size. Turns out I love it! I forgot how common it was for watches to be that size back in the day. The bigger watches everyone prefers today are too pretentious in my opinion.
Hello Glen, I fully agree. Someone suggested before that I do a video about my own collection and I like that idea, so it will be coming up. Obviously my collection is vintage, but I have one new Tag Heuer Carrera that I bought just five years back and I basically never wear it. It feels just way too big and weird on my wrist. 35 mm is a good size for me and feels more elegant on the wrist than a dinner plate 😉
I love large watches. I own a GWG 1000 Mudmaster and the even larger GPR 1000 Rangeman G Shocks. I also enjoy my very small watches (35 mm-ish) as well. It depends what I feel like on a particular day.
@@thedisabledwelshman9266 Hmm... that's a very difficult question. 🤔 I don't think I can say I really have a favorite brand, tbh. There are some fabulous watches made by so many different manufacturers. I think the top current manufacturer is probably Lange, while I find vintage Longines some of the most appealing watches from that era. Then again, I think vintage King and Grand Seikos are fabulous watches also, and I have a weak spot for Universal Geneve :) But there are so many great watches to choose from, so it's in fact better not to focus too much on one brand, I'd say.
@@etherdudeMassachusetts guy here. Dieter didn't happen to give your dad any cool Volkswagens to go with the watch, did he? BTW, nice and interesting watch. Wear it in good health.
@@hugejohnson5011 Diethelm von Eichel-Streiber NEVER gave anything away. In that time frame my dad bought a 1955 Type 1 Deluxe and a 1958 Type 2 Westfalia. We also had a 1957 DKW 3=6 and a 1958 Lloyd 600 panel delivery.
@@etherdude Well, that's how some are. Even when they have it, they still hang on to it! The DKW........A two-stroke triple engine, right? Pretty cool memories that you are tattooed with, especially if you got to ride in any of those cars mentioned with your family. Enjoy that cool watch! Cheers!
@@VintageWatchServices I'm trying to get on your good side in case I ever need your restoration services. 😉 Although I'm inclined to continue with my local independent watchmaker, who also is a big fan of yours.
Wow, that is very cool to hear, I'm humbled 😊 I do take on interesting subscriber watches (for free) but I don't really take on servicing of watches otherwise, as my main business is buying and selling watches. But if your have a watch that would make for an interesting video, let me know 😉
I thought I might answer a few questions regarding the watch that are raised below: 1. Where do I find one? - As far as I know, I have seen only two others. One was listed on eBay in the UK about 2 yrs ago and then withdrawn, though I recently saw it again. The other was in the Stowa museum. I inherited mine from my father. 2. The complication is very simple. The movement is an OSCO 66 used in a number of German watches in the early-mid 1950s. It was used both with and without a date wheel. The globe is a very minor modification to the date wheel function and uses the same supplemental plate. The globe wheel is the same diameter as the date wheel. 3. The "art" of this watch is the two layer dial. The "error" in the dial was replicated in the Stowa Museum watch, but the British watch had a redesigned outer dial that was a bit easier to read and corrected the error. 4. The 31mm is about the minimum size for the OSCO 66. I have had two other watches using the same movement, an OSCO-Parat and Berg-Parat that were both 33mm.
Yep! Makes them rarer than later watches with corrected printing. Edit: Apparently the eBay on has the corrected dial, the first picture is of the Stowa museum watch!
George Liquor - the one eBay has the corrected dial, though the first picture the seller posted is of the museum watch instead of his own. Take a look at all of the pictures:
Now is like new! Great work. For a gold plated case amazing finish. Very nice looking watch surprising accuracy +2sd wow. Should be kept and passed to the next generation.
Thanks Dominick! The watch has some positioning error but not a lot, but it does however lose quite some time when it runs down. I've tinkered a bit with it after the video also to try to find a good balance between these states and all in all I think it should keep time to within 10 seconds per day.
What a pleasant surprise! And a Stowa to boot! I have a Stowa flieger (of course). It is well made and Stowa were easy to deal with (they only sell on line these days). This world time doesn't seem that small in the video but a 31 seems hard to deal with. I'll stick with my flieger. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Randy! Stowa's Flieger models are very cool indeed and obviously quite different from this one :) They made a lot of models back in the day but now they're pretty focused on the Fliegers, which are doing quite well.
Thanks Tiberiu! I honestly love rocker winding mechanisms... Although the sliding sleeve might be more efficient it's just very cool with a rocker 😁 The barrel construction and the click is more commonly found in lower grade watches such as pin pallet ones.
Just slightly smaller than my Zeno-Watch Basel 55mm flieger... (left side crown, no less). I love the polar projection map. Very nice. I have a few Casios that would be able to withstand an anger addled watch maker, should I send them on?
😂 That'd be great! The Casio running gag just sort of happened, I actually respect Casio for their business and their watches might be the most honest and best value for money you can get. The G-Shock of course has a massive following but you can't really beat (pun intended) a $20 watch that keeps time better than a Patek... And yeah, you might just notice the difference between the 55 and 31 mm watches if you look closely 😁
I discovered your channel only a week ago and I’m binge watching all your videos. Remarkable work Sir. Any suggestions on where to start for someone like me who would love to do watchmaking just like an hobby. Do you have any course?
That's very cool to hear Gianluca :) I'd suggest Mark Lovick's watch repair course over at watchfix.com, that's probably the best online resource for structured learning. If you want to go further, the British Horological Institute's Distance Learning Course is fabulous.
Thanks so much, Wendy 😊 I think probably the main reason most manufacturers don't use this ring is that it makes it slightly more difficult to get a tool in there to unscrew it, with resulting scratches and marks. Apart from that I think this is indeed a very good solution.
That really is a magnificent piece. As an Australian I always enjoy the distorted top down view of my homeland. So the 8 is 10hrs fast? It's the sort of thing that would piss me off on a new watch, yet is quaint on a vintage watch? I wonder if it significantly alters its collectability? For me it's a big +. I could refer to it as my piece unique!
Hello Anthony, thanks for watching and for your comment! Yep, that 18 should've been an 8 :) World maps can be fascinating, I remember the first time I saw a Japanese one where Japan was in the center. Felt very odd when you're used to seeing Europe there. This is a pretty unique flaw indeed and makes the watch very rare!
@@VintageWatchServices Thank-you for your reply. I'm a new viewer, only been in the hobby ~5 years. But only 2-3 of them seriously. Lock-down has been good for hobby development! Anyway, I'm at the stage where the only thing I'm learning is how little I know! So I have enjoyed your channel immensely. I 1st watched your tear down of the Venus 175. I have a few ST19's (...as a watchmaker I can only assume that using both mov'ts in the same sentence is somehow sacrilegious! 😂 But what can I say? I'm new, not particularly wealthy to put it mildly and afflicted by a love of column wheel chrono's! For me, it's better than nothing & more enjoyable than Mecha-Quartz and I'm quite unashamedly fond of the mov't! 🤷♂️... I'm sure I'll get over it though! 😊). Since then I've watched this and another tear down. I have enjoyed your channel more than other 'similar' channels. I think that you will be hearing from me again. Cheers and Best!
Love your videos! I'm just getting started in watchmaking and you used an unfamiliar term while punching the pallet fork into what looks like a cork. You said something about "epiloming". I don't know what that is. I apologize if that's the wrong term you used but my hearing is bad and I have to use the captioning.
Hello Cheryl, thanks for watching and welcome to a great hobby! I can easily imagine the auto-captioning having issues with my accent, but I also used a word that probably isn't in the dictionary :) Epilame is the name of a stearic acid that stops lubricants from creeping, and we often say "epilaming" when we use it. The product I use is called Fixodrop, but there are other epilame products also.
Hello Bullnose, yes, that's the error and yes, it was corrected in later watches. Doug has found a total of three of these with erroneous numbering, one on eBay, one in the Stowa museum and one in his basement :)
Great videos. They are much appreciated. Do modern watch repairers effectively put their own little marks, to show I was here on the case back, to show that the watch was serviced? Do you ever improve the brushings on the bridges so they look pretty?
Thanks for watching! No, making marks in watches is something that was done long time ago before you had computers. Doing so nowadays is a horrible practice and I would be very upset if someone did it to my watch. I would generally not do anything to the bridges of the movement, no, unless it was very damaged. But that's very rare to see, thankfully :)
So glad I found your channel! Absolutely invaluable info for a hobbyist like myself. Am I understanding it correctly that you left the mainspring in the barrel because you didn’t have the correct size winder/arbour for putting it back in? Keep up the good work! Greetings from Norway’s big brother Sweden!
Great to have you here, Martin! Yes, the construction of these types of watches means the arbor is very big compared to the barrel, and the normal mainspring winder would not fit. Then there's a choice between hand-winding the spring back into the barrel or cleaning it in place, and I chose to clean it in place. Neither is ideal but hand-winding the spring is in my view the lesser choice due to the risk of distorting it.
I'm a beginner hobbyist of the trade and use the same methods as I still don't have mainspring winders. If the mainspring looks and feels OK I just clean and degrease the barrel the mainspring still in place but lid and arbour removed. Either this or then I just install a new mainspring. A new mainspring is cheap guarantee for powerful action of the mechanism and installing one usually is done straight from its packaging, no mainspring winder needed. Actually I think it would be best to always install a new mainspring during service. IMHO installing train of wheels bridge or shock springs is easy compared to installing a mainspring by hand to its barrel without damage.
Thanks for another thoroughly enjoyable and educational video! To my eye, it looks like one of the banking pins is bent. You didn't mention it. How often do you find bent pins? Have you ever had to make adjustments? Thanks again!
Hello Woody, sharp eyes there! Yes, one of the banking pins was slightly bent. The only real reason for bending them is to adjust the horn shake, thus the clearance between the horns and the impulse pin. This distance should be equal on both sides. Given that the pin was a bit bent I checked the horn shake and it was indeed fine. I'm not sure who bent it in the first case but it turned out fine. You will see this every now and then with old watches, mostly pocket watches. If you see it, you need to check the horn shake and act accordingly.
Hello Jeff, that might very well be, I honestly don't know. It's more common on Russian watches and some French ones, but I wouldn't know who first made it.
@@VintageWatchServices This watch was made while Stowa was part of the Parat consortium formed in 1949 that included Arctos Uhrenfabrik Philipp Weber, Berg Uhrenfabrik, Wilhelm Beutter, Osco Uhrenfabrik, Otto Schlund (brand was currently re-launched) and Stowa. The case and movement were both sourced out of the consortium. I have an Osco-Parat watch using an OSCO 66A that is very similar in style though 35mm instead of 33mm. I have also seen Berg watches of the era that use the 66D movement. They all have the same caseback system.
I agree with your answer. But wew also know that Bulova was using it in the early 1950s. I need to try to find out who produced the series of Bulova movements (Swiss). If I do find out I will let you know. They do not resemble the A. Sheild and Certina automatics found in my 1950s Hamilton automatics. Always enjoy and try to learn from your videos.
I see the printing error! The 24-hour numbers around the dial center should read 2-4-6-8, not 18. I'm just not sure if those numbers should be printed in the clockwise direction, not anticlockwise.
Nice personal story behind that watch. But that makes me wonder, what you think about the watch story in the movie "Pulp Fiction". Would you service a watch with that kind of story? I mean, traces of DNA is one thing, but ... 😮
Hello, thanks for watching and for your question! After treating the pallet fork and escape wheel with epilame, I'm pressing their pivots into pith wood to remove the epilame from them. It's a precautionary thing to prevent any residue from clogging up the mechanism.
Thanks for watching and for your question! I start off with an 800 grit and then go to 1200 and 2000. You could add 1600 in between if you want, but I'm happy with this progression.
Great work, Master! The serviced piece looks brand new. I wonder what is a correct pronounciation of this brand - Stowa? I heard some people pronouncing it as Shtowa. Which one is correct - Stowa or Shtowa?
Hello Ross, thanks so much! I'm generally of the opinion that one can pronounce foreign names as one wants :) It's a typical thing for English speakers to "germanize" words by pronouncing them with a thick s "sh", but the Germans would say it as Stowa. But hey, I pronounce Seiko wrong all the time! 😂
Very nice watch and an equally absorbing video. Always delighted to watch your videos. Is Stowa a german or a swiss brand? Is this brand still in the market?
Hello K, thanks a lot! Stowa is still flying high, they're doing quite well with a focus on pilot type watches. It's a German brand but as so many others they use Swiss movements.
Any idea why they chose to make the watch so small? I understand that watches were smaller back then etc etc, but 31mm was on the small side even in that era.
How did you know the crystal would fit back into the bezel with just finger pressure? Also, why don’t watch repairers work in a carrel to catch pinged jewels? (Inevitable, no?)
Hello Bubba, thanks for watching and for your comment! I re-used the original crystal, which I felt the pressure of when popping it out. If it can be pressed in with (strong) fingers or not depends not only on the size but also on the shape of the crystal where it meets the bezel. The eau test is to see it the crystal can be moved when in situ. It is also not good if the crystal is slightly too big, then it will develop compression cracks. For your remark about the carrel, I fully agree that would be very beneficial sometimes and even considered building one for a while when I started out. But not having one kind of forces to go learn good techniques and habits, which is probably better in the long run. Being on your knees every now and then is part of being a watchmaker, I suppose 😂
Hello Ben, it seems Stowa wanted to more or less accurately depict how the earth turns as seen from the north pole. The earth rotates anti clockwise, which means the relative times would have to be shown anti clockwise also.
Hi Angelino, good question! 😂 The earth in fact rotates in 24 hours relative to the sun, meaning that it takes 24 hours between every time the sun is at solar noon. But given that the earth rotates around the sun, this point is actually slightly more than one full rotation, about one degree more. One earth rotation as measured towards stars far, far away is thus about 4 minutes shorter, and that rotation is called a sidereal day. Sometimes you see watches with a sidereal time complication, but it's honestly not very useful...
good evening I own a Seiko sportura Kinetic SQ1 (it has become a collector's item) which has a problem could you take a look at it and tell me if it is repairable because I really care it is a gift from my children. Thank you for answering me
Hello Michel, thanks for watching and for your question! It's a really cool watch you have but I unfortunately know very little about the Kinetic series and cannot really help you. The best I can advise is to take your watch to a Seiko dealer and ask there.
@@VintageWatchServices thank you very much for your reply and i have tried by Seiko service but they reply to send the watch to Japan !!! really complicated for me. in any case good continuation because you are doing a remarkable and above all very clean job worthy of a great professional
Hello, thanks for watching! I'm completely swamped and generally do not take on servicing jobs. Besides, it will likely be much more expensive for you to ship the watch to Switzerland and back plus the high labor costs here. What I would suggest is that you search for vintage watches locally and check the reviews to find a good watchmaker.
Hello Jp, thanks for watching and for your question! I don't actually do customer servicing, the watches I service are watches my company bought and are planning to sell. Every now and then I will do a subscriber watch for free, only requesting that shipping costs and any parts costs are covered.
If I were granted three wishes, the first would be that my wife's toenails stopped growing 😂 Yes, it's certainly a beautiful little watch but it would have benefitted from having a bit bigger dial. Still a wonderful watch with a great story :)
Thanx for showing us this watch and the service. It is a wonderful piece. I just bought a 35mm wide watch to see if I would like a watch of that size. Turns out I love it! I forgot how common it was for watches to be that size back in the day. The bigger watches everyone prefers today are too pretentious in my opinion.
Hello Glen, I fully agree. Someone suggested before that I do a video about my own collection and I like that idea, so it will be coming up. Obviously my collection is vintage, but I have one new Tag Heuer Carrera that I bought just five years back and I basically never wear it. It feels just way too big and weird on my wrist. 35 mm is a good size for me and feels more elegant on the wrist than a dinner plate 😉
@@VintageWatchServices Wow!! Glad to hear that I am not alone. Maybe a little old fashioned. It's hard to even find a 35mm watch now. What a shame.
I love large watches. I own a GWG 1000 Mudmaster and the even larger GPR 1000 Rangeman G Shocks. I also enjoy my very small watches (35 mm-ish) as well. It depends what I feel like on a particular day.
@@VintageWatchServices what is your favourite brand of watch?
@@thedisabledwelshman9266 Hmm... that's a very difficult question. 🤔 I don't think I can say I really have a favorite brand, tbh. There are some fabulous watches made by so many different manufacturers. I think the top current manufacturer is probably Lange, while I find vintage Longines some of the most appealing watches from that era. Then again, I think vintage King and Grand Seikos are fabulous watches also, and I have a weak spot for Universal Geneve :) But there are so many great watches to choose from, so it's in fact better not to focus too much on one brand, I'd say.
I am Doug's brother. Thank you so much for your expert repair and restoral. You do amazing work. We are grateful.
Thanks John! Your father had a lovely v watch :)
What a beauty! Wish I looked so good at that age...
Wow. Doug is VERY happy.
👍
BTW, the watch HAD been opened, though never professionally serviced. Scratches and marks totally courtesy of yours truly.
@@etherdudeMassachusetts guy here. Dieter didn't happen to give your dad any cool Volkswagens to go with the watch, did he?
BTW, nice and interesting watch. Wear it in good health.
@@hugejohnson5011 Diethelm von Eichel-Streiber NEVER gave anything away. In that time frame my dad bought a 1955 Type 1 Deluxe and a 1958 Type 2 Westfalia. We also had a 1957 DKW 3=6 and a 1958 Lloyd 600 panel delivery.
@@etherdude Well, that's how some are. Even when they have it, they still hang on to it!
The DKW........A two-stroke triple engine, right? Pretty cool memories that you are tattooed with, especially if you got to ride in any of those cars mentioned with your family. Enjoy that cool watch! Cheers!
Love the very dry Scandinavian humor. I can't watch your videos without a full bottle of water nearby. "Anyway..." great videos!
Thanks 😂👍
That watch is one of the best looking I have ever seen. The condition of it is amazing considering it's age. I want one.
It's a beauty 😍
Stian, your macro shots of the lubrication of the pallet jewel are damn good for Mr. Shaky Hands and are the best in the business. Pure artistry.
Thanks Bullnose, that is really nice to hear :)
@@VintageWatchServices I'm trying to get on your good side in case I ever need your restoration services. 😉 Although I'm inclined to continue with my local independent watchmaker, who also is a big fan of yours.
Wow, that is very cool to hear, I'm humbled 😊 I do take on interesting subscriber watches (for free) but I don't really take on servicing of watches otherwise, as my main business is buying and selling watches. But if your have a watch that would make for an interesting video, let me know 😉
@@VintageWatchServices Will do. Stay well.
Very nice and different watch. Pretty cool. Another job well done. 👍😁
I thought I might answer a few questions regarding the watch that are raised below:
1. Where do I find one? - As far as I know, I have seen only two others. One was listed on eBay in the UK about 2 yrs ago and then withdrawn, though I recently saw it again. The other was in the Stowa museum. I inherited mine from my father.
2. The complication is very simple. The movement is an OSCO 66 used in a number of German watches in the early-mid 1950s. It was used both with and without a date wheel. The globe is a very minor modification to the date wheel function and uses the same supplemental plate. The globe wheel is the same diameter as the date wheel.
3. The "art" of this watch is the two layer dial. The "error" in the dial was replicated in the Stowa Museum watch, but the British watch had a redesigned outer dial that was a bit easier to read and corrected the error.
4. The 31mm is about the minimum size for the OSCO 66. I have had two other watches using the same movement, an OSCO-Parat and Berg-Parat that were both 33mm.
This particular Stowa-watch is not just very, but extremely rare!
Absolutely! That printing error on the dial reminds me of that famous postage stamp with the upside down Lindbergh plane :)
A very unusual and attractive timepiece.
Thanks John, it certainly is!
Oh I love this watch! This is a new favorite, for sure.
It's a lovely watch!
So good to see a Stowa that is not one of their well-known Fliegers.
Thank-you and Doug for this entertaining and informative video.
Thanks Clive! More to come, so stay tuned :)
Cool watch, the condition is fabulous considering its age. Probably cherished by the gentleman's father. Thanks for the video.
Thanks John! It must indeed have been cherished considering the great condition and I'm sure Doug will keep it very well also :)
You started disassembling that and I said "Two-piece dial?! What!?" I had never seen one and it was so cool to see.
The one on Ebay also has 2x18, nice looking watch.
Yep! Makes them rarer than later watches with corrected printing.
Edit: Apparently the eBay on has the corrected dial, the first picture is of the Stowa museum watch!
George Liquor - the one eBay has the corrected dial, though the first picture the seller posted is of the museum watch instead of his own. Take a look at all of the pictures:
Absolutely gorgeous watch. Good job!
Thank you! Cheers!
Printing error is 2 18s printed on the world time ring. The one at the 8 o’clock marker should just have been an 8.
Indeed! The watch in the Stowa museum has the same error. The one in the UK does not.
What a beautiful watch!
It is indeed, very well preserved and just a cool little watch!
This watch is sooooo beautiful!!!! Love it ! Nice work Vintage Watch Service ! From me a big thumbs up!
Thanks so much, Thomas! More to come, so stay tuned :)
Now is like new! Great work. For a gold plated case amazing finish. Very nice looking watch surprising accuracy +2sd wow. Should be kept and passed to the next generation.
Thanks Dominick! The watch has some positioning error but not a lot, but it does however lose quite some time when it runs down. I've tinkered a bit with it after the video also to try to find a good balance between these states and all in all I think it should keep time to within 10 seconds per day.
The movement looks very well finished. Interesting watch.
It's a cool little watch indeed :) And that is very rare just adds to that!
That movement reminds me a bit of the newer Panerai movements with its very thick plates.
Probably higher quality than Panerai... 😎
Awesome job!
Beautiful watch, great work as ever.
Thanks so much Daren! More to come, so stay tuned :)
Excellent communicator
Thanks so much!
HERMOSO RELOJ UNA JOYA DEL PASADO , PRESENTE Y FUTURO .
Thanks so much, Alfonso!
Love your videos. Sweet watch!
Beautiful watch!
Thanks for watching and yes, this is a little gem :) Almost more beautiful on the inside!
What a pleasant surprise! And a Stowa to boot! I have a Stowa flieger (of course). It is well made and Stowa were easy to deal with (they only sell on line these days). This world time doesn't seem that small in the video but a 31 seems hard to deal with. I'll stick with my flieger.
Thanks for the video.
Thanks Randy! Stowa's Flieger models are very cool indeed and obviously quite different from this one :) They made a lot of models back in the day but now they're pretty focused on the Fliegers, which are doing quite well.
You can visit, the factory, Just email them. I think then you may be able to purchase one...
Nice video , and a very lucky subscriber ! some very interesting solutions in that mechanism! Thank you!
Thanks Tiberiu! I honestly love rocker winding mechanisms... Although the sliding sleeve might be more efficient it's just very cool with a rocker 😁
The barrel construction and the click is more commonly found in lower grade watches such as pin pallet ones.
A pure work of art who wants a Rolex no thank you .👍
Beautiful work
Thanks Eynav! More to come, so stay tuned :)
Enjoyed
👍More to come, so stay tuned!
Just slightly smaller than my Zeno-Watch Basel 55mm flieger... (left side crown, no less). I love the polar projection map. Very nice. I have a few Casios that would be able to withstand an anger addled watch maker, should I send them on?
😂 That'd be great! The Casio running gag just sort of happened, I actually respect Casio for their business and their watches might be the most honest and best value for money you can get. The G-Shock of course has a massive following but you can't really beat (pun intended) a $20 watch that keeps time better than a Patek...
And yeah, you might just notice the difference between the 55 and 31 mm watches if you look closely 😁
Top job 👏
Billions of blue blistering boiled and barbecued barnacles, thanks!
Good to see the Vostok style cashback ring again. I wonder which watchmaker invented this great idea.
Hello Red, I don't know who invented it but it's a clever solution indeed.
About the dial, we have the 18 hour ( doubled) instead of 8. Nice watch! Did not get if the numbering is a hand made ...
👍
Awesome!
Thanks!💪
I discovered your channel only a week ago and I’m binge watching all your videos. Remarkable work Sir. Any suggestions on where to start for someone like me who would love to do watchmaking just like an hobby. Do you have any course?
That's very cool to hear Gianluca :) I'd suggest Mark Lovick's watch repair course over at watchfix.com, that's probably the best online resource for structured learning. If you want to go further, the British Horological Institute's Distance Learning Course is fabulous.
Great video
Thanks a lot, Greg :)
Interesting watch and excellent video, amazing that more manufacturers don’t use the screw ring for caseback, it just seems so sensible. Thank you 🙏
Thanks so much, Wendy 😊 I think probably the main reason most manufacturers don't use this ring is that it makes it slightly more difficult to get a tool in there to unscrew it, with resulting scratches and marks. Apart from that I think this is indeed a very good solution.
@@VintageWatchServices thank you for your reply, I’ve often wondered so problem solved. 👏
Happy to help! 👍 There might be other reasons also if someone else knows?
That really is a magnificent piece.
As an Australian I always enjoy the distorted top down view of my homeland.
So the 8 is 10hrs fast? It's the sort of thing that would piss me off on a new watch, yet is quaint on a vintage watch?
I wonder if it significantly alters its collectability? For me it's a big +. I could refer to it as my piece unique!
Hello Anthony, thanks for watching and for your comment! Yep, that 18 should've been an 8 :) World maps can be fascinating, I remember the first time I saw a Japanese one where Japan was in the center. Felt very odd when you're used to seeing Europe there.
This is a pretty unique flaw indeed and makes the watch very rare!
@@VintageWatchServices
Thank-you for your reply.
I'm a new viewer, only been in the hobby ~5 years. But only 2-3 of them seriously. Lock-down has been good for hobby development!
Anyway, I'm at the stage where the only thing I'm learning is how little I know! So I have enjoyed your channel immensely.
I 1st watched your tear down of the Venus 175.
I have a few ST19's (...as a watchmaker I can only assume that using both mov'ts in the same sentence is somehow sacrilegious! 😂 But what can I say? I'm new, not particularly wealthy to put it mildly and afflicted by a love of column wheel chrono's! For me, it's better than nothing & more enjoyable than Mecha-Quartz and I'm quite unashamedly fond of the mov't! 🤷♂️... I'm sure I'll get over it though! 😊).
Since then I've watched this and another tear down. I have enjoyed your channel more than other 'similar' channels. I think that you will be hearing from me again.
Cheers and Best!
Nice job…beautiful watch even if it is on the small side
Thanks Harold! It's a beautiful and rare watch indeed, although a bit on the small side. Still looks great on the wrist :)
Precioso reloj , una bella joya .
Gracias, Alfonso!
Nice 👍
Thanks! More to come, so stay tuned 😁
Love your videos! I'm just getting started in watchmaking and you used an unfamiliar term while punching the pallet fork into what looks like a cork. You said something about "epiloming". I don't know what that is. I apologize if that's the wrong term you used but my hearing is bad and I have to use the captioning.
Hello Cheryl, thanks for watching and welcome to a great hobby! I can easily imagine the auto-captioning having issues with my accent, but I also used a word that probably isn't in the dictionary :) Epilame is the name of a stearic acid that stops lubricants from creeping, and we often say "epilaming" when we use it. The product I use is called Fixodrop, but there are other epilame products also.
18 x 2. Was the error corrected later in the production run, if so the watch is even more of a rarity.
Hello Bullnose, yes, that's the error and yes, it was corrected in later watches. Doug has found a total of three of these with erroneous numbering, one on eBay, one in the Stowa museum and one in his basement :)
@@VintageWatchServices The one on eBay has the corrected dial.
@@etherdude You may have a horological equivalent of an inverted Jenny. 😊
I didn't catch the printing error until you were showing it off on your wrist at the end.
It's not easy to spot!
A lovely watch and a great video. I was enjoying a packet of pork scratchings until you mentioned your wife's toenails! Thanks Stian
My bad, sorry to ruin your appetite, Martin! 😂
Great video - lovely watch! What grit sandpaper do you use on the crystal?
I use 800, 1200 and 2000
Great videos. They are much appreciated. Do modern watch repairers effectively put their own little marks, to show I was here on the case back, to show that the watch was serviced? Do you ever improve the brushings on the bridges so they look pretty?
Thanks for watching! No, making marks in watches is something that was done long time ago before you had computers. Doing so nowadays is a horrible practice and I would be very upset if someone did it to my watch.
I would generally not do anything to the bridges of the movement, no, unless it was very damaged. But that's very rare to see, thankfully :)
Takk!
Selv takk! 😁
So glad I found your channel! Absolutely invaluable info for a hobbyist like myself.
Am I understanding it correctly that you left the mainspring in the barrel because you didn’t have the correct size winder/arbour for putting it back in?
Keep up the good work!
Greetings from Norway’s big brother Sweden!
Great to have you here, Martin! Yes, the construction of these types of watches means the arbor is very big compared to the barrel, and the normal mainspring winder would not fit. Then there's a choice between hand-winding the spring back into the barrel or cleaning it in place, and I chose to clean it in place. Neither is ideal but hand-winding the spring is in my view the lesser choice due to the risk of distorting it.
I'm a beginner hobbyist of the trade and use the same methods as I still don't have mainspring winders.
If the mainspring looks and feels OK I just clean and degrease the barrel the mainspring still in place but lid and arbour removed. Either this or then I just install a new mainspring. A new mainspring is cheap guarantee for powerful action of the mechanism and installing one usually is done straight from its packaging, no mainspring winder needed.
Actually I think it would be best to always install a new mainspring during service.
IMHO installing train of wheels bridge or shock springs is easy compared to installing a mainspring by hand to its barrel without damage.
Thanks for another thoroughly enjoyable and educational video! To my eye, it looks like one of the banking pins is bent. You didn't mention it. How often do you find bent pins? Have you ever had to make adjustments? Thanks again!
Hello Woody, sharp eyes there! Yes, one of the banking pins was slightly bent. The only real reason for bending them is to adjust the horn shake, thus the clearance between the horns and the impulse pin. This distance should be equal on both sides. Given that the pin was a bit bent I checked the horn shake and it was indeed fine. I'm not sure who bent it in the first case but it turned out fine.
You will see this every now and then with old watches, mostly pocket watches. If you see it, you need to check the horn shake and act accordingly.
I have a 1953 Bulova with the same style case back. Maybe they started the type.
Hello Jeff, that might very well be, I honestly don't know. It's more common on Russian watches and some French ones, but I wouldn't know who first made it.
@@VintageWatchServices This watch was made while Stowa was part of the Parat consortium formed in 1949 that included Arctos Uhrenfabrik Philipp Weber, Berg Uhrenfabrik, Wilhelm Beutter, Osco Uhrenfabrik, Otto Schlund (brand was currently re-launched) and Stowa. The case and movement were both sourced out of the consortium. I have an Osco-Parat watch using an OSCO 66A that is very similar in style though 35mm instead of 33mm. I have also seen Berg watches of the era that use the 66D movement. They all have the same caseback system.
I agree with your answer. But wew also know that Bulova was using it in the early 1950s. I need to try to find out who produced the series of Bulova movements (Swiss). If I do find out I will let you know. They do not resemble the A. Sheild and Certina automatics found in my 1950s Hamilton automatics. Always enjoy and try to learn from your videos.
I see the printing error! The 24-hour numbers around the dial center should read 2-4-6-8, not 18. I'm just not sure if those numbers should be printed in the clockwise direction, not anticlockwise.
I'd build a sound proof cabinet for Elma
The misprint is the "18" on the 24 hour markers on the dial (@ 8 oclock)
It should be 8
Nice personal story behind that watch. But that makes me wonder, what you think about the watch story in the movie "Pulp Fiction". Would you service a watch with that kind of story? I mean, traces of DNA is one thing, but ... 😮
🤣 Would maybe have to find an excuse for not servicing that watch, yes!
What are you doing at 7:06 ?
Hello, thanks for watching and for your question! After treating the pallet fork and escape wheel with epilame, I'm pressing their pivots into pith wood to remove the epilame from them. It's a precautionary thing to prevent any residue from clogging up the mechanism.
😂😂😂😂 I THORT I WAS WATCHING DAS BOOT FOR A MINUTE 🤣🤣🤣🤣 GOOD FILM . GOT TO HEAR IT IN GERMAN. BUT MUST HAVE SUBTITLES.
Отличная работа Бро!!!
Спасибо, Александр :)
Nice resto, what paper grit do you often use to first polish the crystal? Thank you.
Thanks for watching and for your question! I start off with an 800 grit and then go to 1200 and 2000. You could add 1600 in between if you want, but I'm happy with this progression.
@@VintageWatchServices thank you, will use this on a crystal that needs to be polished. Have a good evening!
It all depends on how big the scratches are.
@@littlejackalo5326 yes :)
Great work, Master! The serviced piece looks brand new. I wonder what is a correct pronounciation of this brand - Stowa? I heard some people pronouncing it as Shtowa. Which one is correct - Stowa or Shtowa?
Hello Ross, thanks so much! I'm generally of the opinion that one can pronounce foreign names as one wants :) It's a typical thing for English speakers to "germanize" words by pronouncing them with a thick s "sh", but the Germans would say it as Stowa. But hey, I pronounce Seiko wrong all the time! 😂
18 twice!
Very nice watch and an equally absorbing video. Always delighted to watch your videos. Is Stowa a german or a swiss brand? Is this brand still in the market?
Hello K, thanks a lot! Stowa is still flying high, they're doing quite well with a focus on pilot type watches. It's a German brand but as so many others they use Swiss movements.
2, 4, 6, 18? Spotted it.
You got it!
one question, if I can: why do you put the lubricant onto the exit pallet fork and not the in one?
Hello Fulvio, it's simply because the exit pallet is the more accessible one :)
@@VintageWatchServices great reply!
Thanks again…
Any idea why they chose to make the watch so small? I understand that watches were smaller back then etc etc, but 31mm was on the small side even in that era.
Hard to say... 31mm was indeed on the smaller side back then, but not uncommon.
@@VintageWatchServices But uncommon for a complication. Though I have seen chronographs at that size; I think Omega produced one in the 30s/40s
huh, it has an accurate map you can use for time telling like the Omega AquaTerra Worldtimer
Pretty much 😁
I guess some one must have instantly spotted that 18 O'clock appears twice. !
How did you know the crystal would fit back into the bezel with just finger pressure? Also, why don’t watch repairers work in a carrel to catch pinged jewels? (Inevitable, no?)
Hello Bubba, thanks for watching and for your comment! I re-used the original crystal, which I felt the pressure of when popping it out. If it can be pressed in with (strong) fingers or not depends not only on the size but also on the shape of the crystal where it meets the bezel. The eau test is to see it the crystal can be moved when in situ.
It is also not good if the crystal is slightly too big, then it will develop compression cracks.
For your remark about the carrel, I fully agree that would be very beneficial sometimes and even considered building one for a while when I started out. But not having one kind of forces to go learn good techniques and habits, which is probably better in the long run. Being on your knees every now and then is part of being a watchmaker, I suppose 😂
The dial has 18 printed 2 times. Didn't catch it in the begining.
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Sir : I have a question , why the 24-hour Index was put it on anticlockwise ?
Hello Ben, it seems Stowa wanted to more or less accurately depict how the earth turns as seen from the north pole. The earth rotates anti clockwise, which means the relative times would have to be shown anti clockwise also.
@@VintageWatchServices Thank you for your explanation !
Sir : are you living in Switzerland ?
An 18 in the 8 position.
Yeah, had to rewind to spot the error - how odd!
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BRASIL OK 👍
Thanks Kleytons! 👍
Does the world turn once every 24 hours?
Hi Angelino, good question! 😂 The earth in fact rotates in 24 hours relative to the sun, meaning that it takes 24 hours between every time the sun is at solar noon. But given that the earth rotates around the sun, this point is actually slightly more than one full rotation, about one degree more. One earth rotation as measured towards stars far, far away is thus about 4 minutes shorter, and that rotation is called a sidereal day. Sometimes you see watches with a sidereal time complication, but it's honestly not very useful...
@@VintageWatchServices I meant “the world on the watch.” Also, loved your German.
@@johnsrabe Aha! Then I could have simply responded "yes" 😂 And zhanks!
@@VintageWatchServices So if the Earth itself is off by 4min./day we shouldn't worry so much about mechanical watches!
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good evening I own a Seiko sportura Kinetic SQ1 (it has become a collector's item) which has a problem could you take a look at it and tell me if it is repairable because I really care it is a gift from my children. Thank you for answering me
Hello Michel, thanks for watching and for your question! It's a really cool watch you have but I unfortunately know very little about the Kinetic series and cannot really help you. The best I can advise is to take your watch to a Seiko dealer and ask there.
@@VintageWatchServices thank you very much for your reply and i have tried by Seiko service but they reply to send the watch to Japan !!! really complicated for me. in any case good continuation because you are doing a remarkable and above all very clean job worthy of a great professional
How is it possible that a mass produced dial could have 2 18s s on it?
Good question :) QA issue, I assume. They didn't make many of the erroneous dials.
I've only watched 2 minutes so the only comment I can give is the typo: of the 24 hours markers, the 8 at 8 o'clock is printed 18
Spot on, Alan!
Attention span of a gnat
Hello. Can you restor my old watch please.
Hello, thanks for watching! I'm completely swamped and generally do not take on servicing jobs. Besides, it will likely be much more expensive for you to ship the watch to Switzerland and back plus the high labor costs here.
What I would suggest is that you search for vintage watches locally and check the reviews to find a good watchmaker.
What do you charge to fix a watch?
Hello Jp, thanks for watching and for your question! I don't actually do customer servicing, the watches I service are watches my company bought and are planning to sell. Every now and then I will do a subscriber watch for free, only requesting that shipping costs and any parts costs are covered.
Beautiful time piece. Its a flat earth model basically.
It's a very cool little watch indeed!
It's a gorgeous watch but as you say, at 31mm the details are a little bit lost. Oh, I bet your wife has beautifully manicured toenails!
If I were granted three wishes, the first would be that my wife's toenails stopped growing 😂
Yes, it's certainly a beautiful little watch but it would have benefitted from having a bit bigger dial. Still a wonderful watch with a great story :)
#197 thumbs uP
Thanks Steve 😁
$1500 dollars on ebay, a bit expensive.....well 2 years later they now cost $2500 on ebay XD
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One too many 18's, should be 8 at 8 o'clock
Sharp eye! 😁
18
Right you are!
The watch back is in English it should be German.
Tell that to Stowa! This is how they made it 😉
*Bad joke: What is a machinist who can only work on one kind? A watchmaker.*
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