MikeMcNair 0 Posted May 4, 2011 Luthier was having some issues with his IWC and Breitling so he sent them my way for repair. i was happy to help, and honestly felt the breit was totally fine upon arrival. The IWC however had a SUPER tight crown, to the point that it hurt your fingers to loosen it, and if i am not mistaken he had to use pliers to get it moving. that is a TIGHT crown!!! sooooooo, i began to look closely at the watch and sure enough, it was dam near impossible to get the crown out. not a bad fix, and i took things apart right away to get started. keep in mind, BOTH of these watches have recently had BRAND NEW movements put in them. once open, i saw a TON of dirt on the inner bezel of the IWC, which i could not leave there, so i got that sorted. them, i put the crown in a lathe, and reduced the outer diameter of the stem of the crown buy + - .01mm, allowing it to fit perfectly in the case (after cleaning the FILTHY case hole.) so far so good right? sorta..... while putting the watch back together i noticed what appeared to be a TINY kink in the mainspring, but it was oscillating quite well so i thought nothing of it. well, after all was assembled, and 5-6 manual winds of the mvmnt to "jump start" the (otherwise automatic 7750) it actually SNAPPED!!!!!!!! moral of the story, NEW PARTS CAN AND WILL BREAK. fortunately i have the parts in stock, and am able to fix it easily, but holy hell it sure is an eye opener. so if anyone gets a DOA watch, or new parts that break, accept it as part of the hobby, and know you're not alone, it happens to everyone! here are some pix of the good stuff gone bad........ here you see a now clean caseback. it was literally COVERED in dirt........... here is a nice look at the rotating inner bezel, which is pretty fucking cool btw, after getting as much of the dirt out as i could..... here the screwdriver is pointing at the portion i machined down to fit the casing better. i also polished it to prevent further issue....... and here she looks good, almost totally assembled. what a dam good looking watch, excellent taste Luth!!!!!! and here is the problem, look closely and you can see the spring looped outside of the movement. its a shame really. all in all, i am just notifying everyone that even good things go bad, and NOTHING is un-fixable (except Thunder92's homage, that thing was FUCKED lol) . so dont get discouraged, grab a set of tools and start wrenchin. cheers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Or4n6e 25 Posted May 4, 2011 Good work .Your thumb looks alot better now lol, i remember seeing in a pic a while ago you hurt it work on your car didnt you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted May 4, 2011 lol, thanks, hit it while working on a customers car, then a hammer 3 months later. had 2 full purple blobs under my nail for a while there. lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Or4n6e 25 Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) lol, thanks, hit it while working on a customers car, then a hammer 3 months later. had 2 full purple blobs under my nail for a while there. lol I feel your pain, i did the same thing working on my car lol. Nice rado by the way. Edited May 4, 2011 by Or4n6e Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
powderfreak 0 Posted May 4, 2011 So when do you open your own modding section ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted May 4, 2011 So when do you open your own modding section ? lol, yer funny............... tomorrow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
powderfreak 0 Posted May 5, 2011 So when do you open your own modding section ? lol, yer funny............... tomorrow. Seriously, mate, I can't imagine how you do this kind of work with your hands (and with that colourful thumb ). Some more practice, and it's time for: "McNair's engines and movements tuning" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luthier 1 Posted May 5, 2011 Well... It would be really great, if Mike would open repair section, we don't have enough watchsmiths in CONUS, so, Mike... think seriously about it, please. FYI - SOSF had absolutely same tightness of the crown (yes, I used pliers to screw the crown back), when I sent it to you, have no idea, how it became OK after arrival. Maybe I screwed the crown back against the thread? No idea... IWC Cousteau was my daily beater, love this watch very much, but, having problems with crown or tube thread, ordered new stem with crown from Mary, and when I tried to insert the new crown, I fucked up keyless. So, I ordered brand new A7750 and picked it up in Mary's office during my last visit to China. Well... as Mike said - even new things could be fucked up. Thanks, Mike, you're my new hero!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeNnY 29 Posted May 5, 2011 great work mike ! And awesome watch Luth ! I must get one , and relume it to max !!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David543 0 Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) Nice job Mike. So basically, if it is mechanical you can fix it! Talented or what! Edited May 5, 2011 by David543 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Del 4,499 Posted May 5, 2011 Just read this thread - great work Mike! I didn't realise you were so skilled in watch repair! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted May 5, 2011 :o Thanks guys, I have been working on these things for a while now, I have 7 on my bench right now all with unique needs. I quote 4-6 weeks turn around but as stated above, if it's mechanical, I can fix it. In fact, that's what most people refer to me as; "the guy who fixes shit". I also find it rather relaxing. And as my sig would show, I modify cars tremendously, I am a gunsmith specializing in semi automatic pistols, and happen to be a general contractor as well. Thanks for the kind words, updates to come shortly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
