Rusted and Radioactive: The Curse of a Vintage Doxa
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Join me on my quest to bring a cursed vintage 1940's Doxa watch back into service. This timepiece, suffering from rust and radioactivity, demanded multiple intricate repairs and extensive work. With the correct original parts mostly unavailable, we had to find and figure out alternative solutions to get this watch running again. Extra precautions were necessary due to the radioactive materials, adding a unique challenge to the process. Witness the transformation of this once-glorious Doxa as we overcome each hurdle, ensuring it can be enjoyed once more.
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Full Tools & Parts Breakdown (Amazon links are affiliate links):
docs.google.co...
Wow, that was a lovely meticulous restoration Adam. Much prefer these videos with all the mistakes and mishaps included than the "perfect" ones out there and this is much more representative of what true watchmaking is all about, great work!👍
Many thanks!
Hello Adam, if watch making were Mountain climbing, you just reached the summit of Mt. Everest, great job and very informative, great film work.
I'd have to disagree. There's so much (so very very much) that I've still yet to learn, but that's one of the great things about this hobby. Thanks for your kind words though.
The curse of the balance. You and Retro watches can swap war stories. I felt his pain when that balance broke. Great video as always and thanks for keeping it real.
Thanks a bunch.
You’ll probably find that balance assembly 2 years from now. 😅
Thanks for the video! 👍🏻
You're probably right.
I agree, wow!Awsom job on a cool watch, worts & all.The mistakes are all part of the journey & Great to see the way you get around the problem, well done Adam 👍🏻 Good choice Lucas, love the band😍 love this style watch too🤩
Thank you.
Adam, great video. I love how methodical your approach is. The footage as always, is incredible. I appreciate that you didn't get too preachy about radiation. I think you're right, it's a personal choice. I also appreciate your honesty about the mishaps that can happen, even to the best - and you are a top notch hobbyist! Thank you for an informative video as always.
Thanks so much.
@@WeekendWatchRepair By the way, I also like Mike's videos and was rooting for him so badly to get that balance staff swapped!
@@WatchRestorationCottage I was too.
Beautiful work!
Thank you very much.
Lovely work on the video, and exquisite lubrication!
Thank you very much. I'm really trying to get better at that.
You must have the patience of Job to restore/repair watches . Great job 👏
Beutiful restoration, I'm new to the channel ,the Doxa is stunning first because I have a small wrist, second there just cool to wear everything about vintage puts smile on my face....so once again thank you ,until next time, looking forward for more content...peace..and viva watch making....
Awesome, thank you!
Always amazed at how great they clean up. Great work.
Thank you.
Congratulations on getting this troublesome child put back together
Thanks. I wish I could've done it without my own mishaps getting in the way, but it happens to all of us at some point. I'm glad it's running now though. I've been wearing it regularly and it's doing well, keeping great time.
Really nice patina. Very nice recovery from the challenges. Personally, I would have relumed the hands under water and tinted the lume with some tea. I think relume could be an opportunity.
I really thought about it. I've got some really nice aging dye for lume that would've look pretty good on that watch. I decided to leave them alone in the end because the lume was still fully intact. If it was coming off, or only partially still in the hands, I would've removed the lume and re-applied. There's no replacing that completely original look though, and once the watch is re-assembled there's no danger in wearing it.
Nice timepiece
Indeed it is. I'm really enjoying it.
This watch was quite the dramatic journey! It's must-see TV for every friend that's ever asked you "can you fix my (family members) watch?" Can I? Probably. Can I tell you how long it's going to take or how much it's going to cost by looking at the outside? Hell no! 😁 Great job on a cool looking watch, Adam. Your videos have been inspiring me to improve my oiling game. Excellent precision! I recently learned the risk of over oiling the hard way... Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much Mike. I'm really trying to 'up my game' in the oiling department as of late. You're absolutely right as well about the 'can you fix my watch' questions. 100%!
Awesome! Your tenacity knows no bounds. Thanks!
Haha, thank you.
Cool watch indeed! And the restoration is enjoyable and very good filmed. Take care.
Many thanks!
Thank you Adam. A pleasure to watch and learn.
So nice of you
I watched Mike's video too! I thought he handled his mishap quite well 😆. I can only imagine the words that were ready to leave his mouth 🤣. I just recently purchased a Doxa of my own with what looks like an ETA 1147 in it. Great job with this piece, Adam! This was well worth the wait.
Yeah, my heart broke for him, but he ended up making it a very compelling video. That’s the reality of it though, and we’ve all been in his shoes at some point or another in this hobby.
Another great video! I love the story...and the mistakes...LOL
Thanks a bunch.
Great video Adam. I have lost parts too. They will be gone for years , then you find them on your work bench. Lol I agree with your theory of another dimension. Thanks for the video
Thanks.
Really enjoyable video. I dont do watches but work on equally tiny stuff and oddly I have the same alternate dimension at my place.😂 I even went so far as getting light colored laminate flooring to try and make it easier to find parts. Didnt help much but the cat can do a mean burn out on it when she wants too.😅
Haha!
The movement construction (Train wheels) are very similar to Seiko movements! Nicely done, Adam.
Thank you very much.
your vids are awesome!
I really appreciate it. A lot of time goes into each one and I’m glad you enjoy them.
Thank you for the video! Really appreciate you talking about mistakes, makes me feel better about mine!
If you decide to get into the pallet fork shellacking business: I had good experience with a phone screen separator gizmo which was something like $40 on eBay. Ignore the vacuum pump part, set temp to say 120c, no need to worry about overheating. Form factor is not great (too thick, inconvenient with tweezers) but not a show stopper.
I really appreciate that info, thank you.
Great opening credits 😂 Superb as always Adam mate
Glad you enjoyed it
Nice work! As Always!
I appreciate that, thank you.
Wow! Great rebuild! Love 💖 the clicks!!😅
Good to know. I'll try to remember to keep them in the video.
Enjoyed the video, thanks!
Glad you like it, thank you.
Yesterday's Enterprise from the Next Generation 😊
Nailed it!
That Doxa is a 1947.
The crown was a Boninchi which Rolex recently bought.
The inner cover was left over from the days they used François Borgel waterproof cases on their "water proof" sports/military level offerings.
The greased cork crown seals in the crown tube & stem prone to be dried out by now.
Very nice job on the watch!
Good to know. I appreciate the info.
Don't feel too bad.
About 8 years ago I lost the 3/4" end cap off the handle of my old bench vise , I completely emptied everything out of my workshop.
There was not a single thing left in my workshop ( this happened shortly before I planned to completely rearrange everything) and I never found it.
That part I lost wasn't much smaller than the whole movement of this watch, so loosing a little watch part is not too embarrassing.
It happens to us all at some point.
Nice job - mostly:👍👌👏!
That's fair, lol. I keep my mistakes in the videos though!
Great job sir 👍🙂
Thank you very much.
EXCELENTE SERVIÇO 👍👍 🇧🇷
Thanks
I love your attention to detail, thanks! BTW, how come you didn't scrape out the radium from the hands and replace it with modern lume?
Thank you. I considered it, but I chose not to do it because the original radium lume was still fully intact. There's really no danger in wearing it, so I decided to leave it as it was. I've removed radium lume on several other watches in the past, but the decision to do so has always been based on each individual watch, rather than doing it as a matter of course for everything I come across with radium.
Swapping the jewels out for the ETA ones to fit the larger pinions was genius.
I'm guessing that blued carbon steel mainspring was the original one too.
Thanks. Yes, that old mainspring was likely the original. If it wasn't, it has been decades upon decades since it was replaced.
Could you comment on the movement holder you are using for this restoration. Just a ton of work. Well done. Beautiful vintage watch.
I picked it up on AliExpress. I just wanted to try one out. It wasn't great on this particular watch, but I like the concept and will likely use it again when I come across a movement that it is designed to fit properly.
Oh yes. Flying parts. Anti shock springs on my T-shirt. O_o Did you look in the pocket of your shirt? If there is a pocket of course. Many years ago, a friend brought his camping chair and that thing broke down under him. A steel bolt flew through the room. I even heard it hitting something. Two centimeters long and 5 millimeters thick and I didn’t even find it when I years later renovated the complete room. I think it went to another dimension. :D Hope you will find your balance wheel one day. 🕐⚙️🍸
I haven't come across it yet.
If you drop a part on to the floor I recommend you purchase a Garret pointer. I am a metal detectorist, and when my detector gets a hit we change to a pointer to home in on our find. Very effective for really small parts.
I had never considered that. I'll do some reading on those. I appreciate the comment.
Oh and a trick you can use if you do over trim a stem is to pop a tiny bit of solder wire into the crown to take up space as it's soft enough to compress. Not the right way to do things but if the crown has plenty of thread to hold it and replacements are tricky (or expensive) it can be a get out of jail free card
Good tip. I'll have to remember that one.
I have a caper in which you may be interested .
I just watched an episode of the classic "Fraiser". I believe he was wearing a Cartier Tank.
I would be cool to have someone like yourself spot or iD watches that folks are wearing in movies or shows.
Just an idea.
Rusted and Radioactive, would be a great name for a punk rock band. 😄
😄
Dobra robota mistrzu.
Thank you.
Mike is great! 💯 You do a good job too. Thanks 🫡 I actually enjoy watching tge disassembly of all the videos from all if the watchmaking channels. Each movement is unique to some degree. Each watchmaker approaches service a little differently. Its actually hard to be bored. Learn something new everyday.
I agree. I learn a lot from other watching other people's techniques.
I'd be curious to compare the radioactivity to things like a banana or cobalt blue Fiestaware. But I do agree that precautions are safer than no precautions.
Completely agree.
03:15 looks like 95% of rust is around the outer ring where watch connects to back.
Yes, that inner dust cover really saved this watch.
Привет из Москвы,посмотрел ваше видео, несомненно лайк.Удачи в творчестве .
Спасибо.
Where do you find the soft green abrasive that you use to clean pivots? I didn't see it on your spreadsheet. I got clumsy putting together a FHF 96-4 and lost the bottom half of the upper balance jewel setting as well as a plate screw. Several searches with my 12" magnet for the screw and a UV light for the jewel didn't turn up anything. I did eventually find the part of the jewel setting, but not the screw. I guess it joined the Swiss space program. Hazard of the hobby.
It is a hazard indeed. There are a few items that I missed when I put that spreadsheet together, this looks to be one of them. If you go to the Esslinger website and do a search for the following you should be able to find it: "Silicone Polishing Pin Set with Mandrel 2mm"
@@WeekendWatchRepair Thanks for that info. I do also notice that the countersink that you list is discontinued on Cousins. They do have the other sizes though.
I tend to er on the side of caution with radium, It has many factors. I personally am not scared of it but its still good to use your head. If the radium paint is not friable and falling apart its fine since no ingestion will happen. I tend to take it off and re-lume only if there is risk of ingestion or inhalation, or if their is a ridiculous amount of radium on it. I have a pretty good scintillator detector and I ran into my first nope moment when it comes to radium. Mid 40s watch, i thought it was a simple panda dial, inner dark gray lacquer, outer 2/3 of the dial was a big thick ring of cream colored what i thought was lacquer, took the crystal off, realized that huge ring that is the outer 2/3rds of the dial was pure radium paint like 2mm thick. It reads at 48 micro sieverts. hot enough that I'm not sure what to do with it XD I have gotten pretty good at re-luming dials and hands and making the lume look aged.
Definitely air on the side of caution, especially with a watch like you just described.
@@WeekendWatchRepair I might service it outside while wearing a respirator, then keep it as an example of how some companies went overboard with radium and keep it store in a sealed plexiglass container for safety. small amount's of radium are okay to remove. but this... is something else. anyway keep up the good work! thanks for sharing this video.
If I may add my balance disaster, whisky & ice vs one dip, rattle & shake before load😱😵nearly drank the one dip, balance screwed!Mmm many colourful words😭
Oh dang! That wouldn't have been good.
Can I ask you something?. Where did you get that cool round metal movement holder with the screws on the side?. I have the worst time finding a movement holder I actually like. It would be nice to luck into one of those Meyers 58, but they go for obscene goofy prices these days. I saw one on eBay that was complete go for over $600.
I actually got that off AliExpress
hello do you sell or recommend where to purchase tools specifically screwdriver to remove bracelet from doxa titanium and lubricate dispenser
What’s that amazing Movement holder? Can’t find it in the Docs Document :(
It's something I recently picked up on AliExpress to try out. I got it after I made that document. I'll add a link on there for that holder.
Speaking of wrist watch hands.i have a movement i bought cheap cause i liked the dial and its working,but missing the hands.can after market hand set be had?how to figure out the size if so.
If you know the movement number, you can generally get the dimensions of the hand sets, then you just need to determine what length of each hand you want (along with the style of hand) and order accordingly. They are available from a number of sources, but you need to know what size posts the hands will be mounted to. Again, know the movement number, then use a resource such as Rantff (or some place similar) to get the hand specs.
I was wondering if the jewel hole could have been broached at bit
I'm not sure. I'd doubt it, but if it could I do not have that ability.
Hey Adam where can I find tweezers like you use to get the mainspring arbor out?
I typically use a Dumont #7B serrated tweezers for the mainspring arbor (as shown in most of the other videos). I used my regular brass tweezers in this video, which are the Viola 7-BR tweezers. Links for both can be found on the tools list spreadsheet that is linked in the video description.
@@WeekendWatchRepair thank you sir
why didn't you jacot the pivots on the ETA parts? seems easier than fiddling with the jewel depthing/end shakes.
I had a different opinion about that. I thought about using the tool, but in my experience, swapping the jewels and setting end shake was much easier.
@@WeekendWatchRepair interesting how we are all different :)
Indeed.
what is the tool name to check wheel flatness?
Truing caliper
can you help me out, i am trying to find more info on watch brands. i have recently started watch tinkering. so far i have managed to put one back together after taking it appart of the 6 i bought that where for repair and it was stil working. now i bought a pile of 200 movements, they where 1 euro a piece and a lot of them looked similar mecanismes. so i can practice taking appart and putting back together with plenty of spare parts. i have identified raketa and slava as brand but can't find much info or even what brand it is on a lot of the other brands. dous the brand Jusi exists? any sites with info you can point me to would be of great help.
I've never heard of Jusi. Not to say it doesn't exist, it very likely may, I just haven't come across one before.
@@WeekendWatchRepair i found it, it's the zim logo.
About your "piece of shit" radiation detector: very strange. I have one just like it and that works just fine. Even when not near a watch you should get a low reading for the always present radiation level. I get the highest readings when I hold the back side of the detector over a watch. I guess thats's where the tube is..
Yeah, that’s interesting to hear that you have the same model and yours works. Perhaps mine is defective. I’ve held it in all positions around watches I know to contain radium, but never received any even remotely significant readings. I wouldn’t take a user error off the table, because I am definitely not an expert on radiation detection. I ended up just picking up another that seems to do the job just fine.
Wouldn't it have been safer to re-lum the hands?
Technically, yes, but since the original lume was still intact, I decided to leave it. There’s not really any danger in it once the watch is assembled. It’s perfectly fine to wear.
the ballance could have been stuck in your clothes?
Very possible.
Actually the slow mo spin clean is better. The scrolling pattern people combined with the rotating and counter rotating cleaning machine makes me LEGIT DIZZY AND ANXIOUS. Actually nauseous.
Duly noted, I appreciate the feedback.
First
Indeed you were. Congrats!
Do you really need to emulate Wristwatch Revival in every sense, running the same 30 second commercial break every 3-4 minutes? Greedy much? Too bad, as I really like your channel and the attention to detail...but this level of advertisements spoils your otherwise great content. Unsubscribed😢
I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m not manually placing the ad locations. RUclips does that. if there’s a way to change it, I don’t know where it is. I honestly haven’t looked for it. I’ve just gone with what RUclips does to the video.
Update: I'm guessing he's likely gone, but in his defense, I was able to see where RUclips places the ads, and it gives the options to remove parts of them. There was an excessive amount. I tried to remove about 1/3 of the ads, giving the viewer more time between each break. It'll likely make for a better viewing experience. Trust me, I'm not paying bills from doing RUclips videos, but it does help fund the channel somewhat. Everything that comes in from here goes right back in towards future projects and parts.
If you don't like ads, either get an ad blocker or just pony up $8/month and get RUclips premium. Well worth it if you watch a lot of videos. Don't blame the content creators for how RUclips works.
Another interesting and well done video,thank you Adam
trying too hard.
At what?