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Steve53

Movement swap in a Seiko 5, just some photos

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Steve53

So I bought this Seiko 5  (SNZG 13 J1)

seiko-5-beginning.jpg

seiko-5-no1.jpg

At 42 mm it is a good size for my 7.5 inch wrist.  I like Seiko watches, they are good quality for a reasonable price. This one has the well known 7S26 movement. 

Something this movement does not have, is hacking and hand winding.  After doing lots  and lots of reading on this forum and also watching some you-tube videos,  me thinking:  Hmm, maybe I can put a new movement in  it myself? A NH36A  was bought off eBay for $50.

seiko-5-new-movement.jpg

New movement on the left.

seiko-5-old-movement-out.jpg

Old movement  and crown are out.

seiko-5-hand-remove.jpg

Rookie at work. Homemade levers for hand removal. The watch had been left running until it stopped, so the hands are not moving.

hand-dial-removed.jpg

Dial and hands removed.

seiko-5-new-hand-in-place.jpg

The hands being pressed in place on new movement. Since I have zero experience nor any training as a watch-smith, the day and date wheel were not swapped over. I did not want to press my luck.

dial-and-hands-in-place.jpg

Dial and hands in place. Old  7S26 movement on the right.

seiko-5-002.jpg

NH36A in place. The movement is held in place simply by a nylon ring, no screws nor clamps. When I saw this photo on the computer screen  for the first time, I thought: Oh my, look at all the dirt in the outer case groove. The watch smiths on this forum are going to laugh their heads off."  Oh well, as stated before: rookie at work. :D

seiko-5-001.jpg

After regulating, really good numbers.

seiko-5-005.jpg

Final result, a Seiko 5 with hacking and hand winding. The watch has been running perfectly now for several months.  It gives me a great deal of satisfaction every time I look at it.  I did it!

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GenTLe

Nice but... Why didn't you replaced also the date / day wheels? They're nothing special to replace :)

Also: the stem of the NH35 and the 7S are different, have you replaced it in the crown?

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RussP

Excellent job.

You have done much better than a lot of us on this forum.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the photos too.

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GenTLe

By the way... I ordered on Ali a NH36 like that for the same reason (but I paid 30€), as I also have that watch and want to improve it :D

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Steve53
2 hours ago, GenTLe said:

Nice but... Why didn't you replaced also the date / day wheels? They're nothing special to replace :)

Also: the stem of the NH35 and the 7S are different, have you replaced it in the crown?

GenTLe

Thank you for the positive comment. The day/date wheels were not changed over because of my fear of screwing up the whole job. I know it is not really complicated, but still.

Over the last year I have read many of your posts, GenTLe, and you are a very experienced watch-smith. I, on the other hand, well, every time I look inside a watch movement, I feel like a black-smith  in a glass-ware store. :D

When inside, everything I do takes a lot of time, sometimes I dear not breathe. So on my part, it is all about baby steps.

Yes, the stem that came with the new NH36 had to be cut to  the right length and the old crown screwed onto that. That part went really well. Back and forth a few times to file the stem and get the right  length and in the end it fit quite nicely.

When the watch was all back together, I was quite pleased with myself.  As I am typing this, my girlfriend is reading over my shoulder.  She says I had a huge, happy grin on my face.

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BIG GRUNDY

damn... for a rookie you have some nice tools (press and timegrapher)...  nice

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GenTLe
GenTLe
Thank you for the positive comment. The day/date wheels were not changed over because of my fear of screwing up the whole job. I know it is not really complicated, but still.
Over the last year I have read many of your posts, GenTLe, and you are a very experienced watch-smith. I, on the other hand, well, every time I look inside a watch movement, I feel like a black-smith  in a glass-ware store.
When inside, everything I do takes a lot of time, sometimes I dear not breathe. So on my part, it is all about baby steps.
Yes, the stem that came with the new NH36 had to be cut to  the right length and the old crown screwed onto that. That part went really well. Back and forth a few times to file the stem and get the right  length and in the end it fit quite nicely.
When the watch was all back together, I was quite pleased with myself.  As I am typing this, my girlfriend is reading over my shoulder.  She says I had a huge, happy grin on my face.
I am not a watch smith, just a passionate about this world :) Thanks for your kind words :)
And you gave me the idea to do the same on mine
Well done mate!

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