Since reliable information about vintage watches can be difficult to obtain, and the I have I have decided to create this page as a nursery for watch-related information. As the page gets populated I will organize as needed to make sure topics become easy to find.
If you have any questions about a watch of yours, details of repair, are seeking watch parts, technical guides, or anything else watch-related that you would like an answer to, please leave a comment/question here and I will respond as soon as possible.
AMBwatches 
I just found you site and appreciate it. I’m diving into a Bulova 21AE 8-day aircraft clock for the 1st time with some trepidation. I’ve cleaned/repaired a couple of dozen wrist watches successfully, but an 8-day mainspring sounds…hmmm…a little scary. Generally I remove and replace watch mainsprings by hand. Is this approach recommended (with caution) with this size/strength mainspring?
It is very scary! 8-day springs are huge compared to wristwatches. Before getting proper winders I unwound and wound them very cautiously by feel with my hands under the bench to prevent any injury. If you are going to attempt it I suggest the same approach.
Hi Aaron, My friend Vincent Yeh suggested I contact you to find out if you know someone who can repair a Longines watch in the New York area. Thanks, Ricardo Kleinbaum
Ricardo, send me an email at ambwatches@gmail.com with some pictures and a description of the watch and I would be happy to see what I can do!
Fresh from another dead watch battery disaster that almost cost a life (long story), I have had it with quartz watches. What do you recommend for a reliable, relatively accurate, automatic timepiece… preferably with day and date?
That sounds like a crazy experience! The first question to answer is: what price range do you want to be in? Then, what is your general style preference? After that, do you want brand new or vintage? Once you answer those questions, you will find that your field will have been hugely narrowed. I personally love the seiko 5 21 jewel automatic. It has a day/date, looks good, and is super affordable.
I found my dads longines automatic ultra chron with date anh Roman numerals sweep second hand silver/stainless ..I think it is a different band than an original one . I set the time and it still works.
Was going to toss it then decided to look online for it , some longines watches are worth several hundred dollars, any idea on an estimated value???
Any info would be greatly appreciated
Thank you!,
They certainly can be worth that much or more! If you want, I would be happy to provide an estimate. Please e-mail pictures of the watch to ambwatches@gmail.com
I AM LOOKING FOR AN AVI-8 SPORT QUARTZ Ref. WB111603 ITS FULLY STAINLESS STEEL WITH BLACK FACE BUT WITH NO LUCK, WOULD B APPRECIATED IF U COULD RECOMMEND WHERE TO PURCHESE AND A ROUGH IDEA OF THE PRICE. MANY THANKS
Unfortunately it looks to be a discontinued model made by them and my searches were as fruitless as yours. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Thanks anyway, do you have a rough idea what the price would b if I eventually come across one. Many thanks
I would guess about $45
G’day
I’m writing to you from Australia, about my 1967 214 Railroad Accutron.
I bought this a year ago, and had it shipped from the United States. It has been running flawlessly ever since. I am unaware of the service history of this watch, although it appears to be taken quite good care of. There aren’t any people in Australia I know about that actually service these things, and I’m certain it would probably be fairly expensive anyway (I’m a university student), I still quite stupidly I suppose took the gamble on the Accutron. Just wanted your advice about servicing and the like, as I’ve read some articles online saying that servicing is incredibly essential.
Cheers
Service will definitely become necessary if it has not yet. If it is keeping great time you may be able to get away with it for a bit. When the time comes you are usually looking at a number in the low hundreds for a truly qualified accutron watchmaker. I highly recommend Bob Piker. I have worked with him in the past and he is great.
Thanks for the reply!
Yes the reason I haven’t thought about servicing much is because it is running extremely well. I’d happily say its been within a minute per month easily. When I get some extra disposable cash I’ll have to get onto that bloke. Cheers for your help mate
All the best
is the 1958 Military Issue Bulova A17A Caliber 10BNCH for sale?
Unfortunately it sold a long time ago. Sorry!
Hi enjoyed reading about the A17A bulova rebuild. I have one in need of repair and was wondering of you were interested in repairing mine for me?! Thank you got your time!
Brandon, thanks for stopping by the blog! please send me an email at AMBwatches@gmail.com and we can talk abouy getting your A17A running again.
Hello, Aron you good (thumb up)!
Wonderful describe words enjoyed by me,
while I enjoyable /touched
1960’s Omega Automatic
Seamaster De-Ville over size (36mm)
With calligraphy 3/6/9/12,gold and steel
Unishell without date window!
Back steel has carved some words
“May 1967”!
HI Aron I just found your WEB site and have enjoyed it a lot. I too do some repair on pocket watches. I just picked up a Waltham 8 day with 2 barrels. its in super shape. I have some old vintage watches that I would like to get a price for a cleaning and restoration. I don’t have time to do the work nor all the equipment needed to work on the watches.. So please let me know. Thanks for the Videos and the Pictures. I too think that vintage watches are great little machines. Take Care. And Happy New Year!! Aldo Pizzoli
Aldo,
Happy New Year as well! I would be happy to talk about some of the watches you have. Please contact me at AMBwatches@gmail.com and send me some pictures of the pieces in question.
Can you get me a detent lever for a 3818-A?
I do not have one in stock but there is one available on eBay as BULOVA 10BNCH,10BP,11AC SET LEVER & SCREW PART 443/5
Or if you search for 10CBAC set lever there is one for less on eBay
Thank you. There are two listed (#25 and #48) but the have the same part number.
I noticed that. I will double check, but I’m nearly sure that #25 is the right part
Never mind. One is the screw and the other is the lever.
Hello! I was curious how difficult/costly it would be to find a Hamilton 987A movement and put together a watch with this dial (eBay listing 231473794020). I can see the case (eBay listing 171545436968) but not sure if this is correct, and where to find a movement and have it all put together. Thank you for your help, have a great day!
Generally speaking if all goes well you are looking at maybe $120-135 for a multi watch assembly. That being said however I would strongly urge against it. While the seller claims NOS on that dial, i have yet to see a real issued watch with the Bald Eagle on it. That was likely painted post factory and is not one of the ones issued to servicemen/women. Item 251835840275 is a more likely all original dial. While it requires patience, you will always get a better watch and end product if you wait for a complete one to come up for sale.
On your first post back on August 31st 2012, you picture a Cimier Sport Chronograph. It is very similar to a watch I have been looking to acquire. Is it available for sale? Great site and thanks!
Unfortunately not! Sorry! Thank you so much for your kind words on the site.
Back in September you restored an Omega Chronostop Genéve, and one of the things you did was replace the pusher. What part did you use? I am currently in search of that part for one of my own (in a beautifully hideous green!)
I can’t remember the part number, but I do remember where I got it. If you go to cousinsuk.com and go to the omega case parts, you will easily be able to locate it.
Im interested in buying a vintage seiko watch from you, I was talking to you on instagram about it. If you could send some pictures of the Seikos you are selling that would be awesome, thank you.
Just send me an email at AMBwatches@gmail.com so I have your contact info
The effort and expertise you put into this page is a key motivator for me to learn more about watches! Thank you and please never stop.
I have a question
I’m about to replace a crystal on a Bulova 3818a. What are the pros and cons of using a crystal lift vs a crystal press? Or is one method always better than the other?
Regards,
Christian
Thank you for your kind words! To replace crystals I only use a crystal lift to remove crystals from unishell cases. Otherwise I always use a press. The press is a much more robust and fixed piece of machinery. While it very occasionally runs the risk of damaging the crystal I have found it to be a much more reliable and easy to use system.
Thanks!!
I had a feeling that was the case (no pun inteded) and it´s great to get that confirmed!
I’ve been looking for the right vintage OMEGA to buy as a gift for my husband for our 10th anniversary. (It’s an old promise we made way back when) Can you recommend a reputable seller where I can buy a reliably serviced genuine Omega (1940s – 1960s)? I see so many ‘Franken-watches’ and doubtful ‘restorations’ is difficult to make a confident choice.
Many thanks for all your wonderful information and images. Your site is very helpful to a novice collector.
Thank you for your kind words! I would be happy to guide you through the process. Send me an email at AMBwatches@gmail.com and I would be happy to talk to you more about it.
I have a Bulova Railroad Approved Accutron. Not operating?
Would love to have it up and running.
I love this watch.
Can you help?
John, I no longer work on Accutrons, but There is a man who does who i can not speak of highly enough. His name is Bob Piker. he can be found at http://mybob.net/accutronrepair.htm
hope this helps!
Thanks for the assistance.
I will try him.
John
Good evening. I have two questions. 1) what solvent did you use to remove the old melted gasket from the dial? 2) What is the safest and preferred manner to disassemble the two-part winding crown from a Heuer Monaco manual wind. I have a Heuer ref 73633 blue and I can open up the case but cannot access the movement due to the two part stem needing to be removed first. I am not familiar with two part stems. Any guidance is appreciated.
I would give a very strong caution if you intend to go near the dial. I used some hairspring cleaner which is a super fast dissipating solvent and a specially designed cleaning swab. It’s very risky, and I only did it because my friend insisted against my opinion. As far as a two-part stem, you have three options: 1) pull it until it disengages (this is risky as it can break if there’s any weakness) 2) but the bergeon tool specially designed for this task (the most expensive option) 3) gently lift the movement up and wind the stem slowly. When the two part stem gets in a certain angle it will slide right out (this is my recommendation but requires some finesse.) hope that helps!
This helps a lot, thank you very much. To clarify – when you say “lift the movement up”, do you mean via the winding crown? I ask because with the Heuer case, I cannot access the movement prior to removing the two part stem. Do you keep the stem in the “in” position when performing this so I can wind per option 3 above?
I mean gently lift from underneath the corners of the dial while rotating the stem. Yes have the crown set to winding position
I really enjoy your site! Thanks for taking the time to maintain this site.
I’m shopping around for a Omega Seamaster Deville automatic with a date function. What is the going price for it in good condition? What about ones with the quickset date?
I’m a little hesitant shopping on Ebay. Are there specifics I should look/ask for to up my chances of getting an original piece?
What about these automatic date calibers in general – are there quirks or trouble with servicing them?
Lastly, do you have any recommendations on reputable, interesting vintage/second-hand watch shops in the New York area?
Thank you!
Hallo, i’m Giovanni and i’m writing you from Italy. I would like to send you a picture of an Ulysse Nardin of hte 50’s (i suppose) i own from my grandfather; i have no idea of the type, of the value etc.
Best regards, Giovanni
I would be happy to take a look. Please send pictures to ambwatches@gmail.com
Hi, I read your article on the rolex tru beat.(nice article by the way ! ) I have one with the 1040 cal. movement ,however mine sweeps it doesn’t tick each second. Are these parts available,or could this be repairable?Any input you have would be greatly appreciated ! If you believe its worth looking at I have no issues sending the watch to you. Thanks, Rich
Rich, thanks for your kind words! If it sweeps it means that the dead second is either broken or missing. These parts are unfortunately not made and incredibly rare to find, but it is definitely worth looking at. Send me an email at ambwatches@gmail.com
My gentleman friend’s pride and joy was a Bulova Acutron off face watch. One side was flat along the band and the rest protruded to the other side away from the band. He has been told parts are no longer available for this model. Could the works from another watch be placed in his? Do you think it can be repaired? I would love to have it repaired for him.
There are very few qualified people who can still work on Accutrons but they are out there. Bob Piker is a guy I have done work with in that past and he is fantastic. You can contact him through his site http://mybob.net/accutronrepair.htm
Hi,
I am looking for a lost top pusher end cap for a Gallet michron 12. Can u replace or give any referrals for the part?
Thank you,
Howard
Howard, sorry for the delayed response. Unfortunately pushers are a terrible hard thing to replace. I would say to try a material house like Jules borel or cousinsUK, and if those don’t pan out stalk the gallet forums, and eBay. Sorry I couldn’t be of much help!!
Hello;
I’m looking for a dial similar to the 1941 Bulova Chronograph you recently did. I was stunned at the cleanliness of that dial. I have a 40’s chrono with a patina’d dial, and I’d like to have a crisper dial. My thoughts are to find another Valjoux 23 dial, and see if it’ll fit, then have it re-painted. Thoughts?
I have a Waltham 8 Day Mantel clock. Not sure when it was made or anything. I was told it did not wind and when I opened it up to see if I could spot the damage I found a broken gear. I can supply you with pictures if you want them. I have no idea where it came from and I have found very limited info or pictures of the movements. Please help me find where the broken part came from.
hi
do you know if the omega costellation 198.002 is waterproof?
i don’t mean if i can go for a swim with it….but at least if i should not be worried if i wash my hands and a bit of water goes on it..
thank you very much and merry christmas
I would er on the side of caution and say no water is good. Without knowing the service history, its hard to know wether something as simple as the rain may cause the watch to fog up.
I have the following watch and was trying to determine the year. It was my grandpa’s watch from when he was in the military. Unfortunately he has passed so I cannot ask him more details. Any help is well received.
WATCH NAVIG.
TYPE A17A
Spec. MIL-W-6433A
MFR. BULOVA PART NO. 45145
ORDER NO. DA-36-038-ORD-20328
STOCK NO. 6645-526-5063
US PROPERTY
That’s an amazing military watch!! If you have some time, please contact me via e-mail and id love to see some pictures and tell you all that i can about it!
I found your site while looking for info about my Dad’s two Bulova Navigator watches. A17A Serial #0444 and #6968. Both are working great and in pretty good condition for their age. He also has a Glycine Airman with case in great shape. And a Mickey Mouse Ingersoll working. Before I send pics, first I am wondering if your still active as I see the last comment was in 2017.
Hey, still active at the bench, just not so much on the blog send the pictures over to ambwatches@gmail.com
Hi, I have a A17A in running condition and was wondering about value. Can send you a pic?
Absolutely! Send it over to ambwatches@gmail.com
Hello – You posted about a Tissot 516 GL. I purchased one but need to find a replacement crystal. Any suggestions? Thank you for your time. Regards, John
You should check with some crystal fitting companies like W.S. McCaw in Ohio. Hope that helps!!