"Casing the place"

[Bruce W Sims]

OK, so before anybody starts tuning up on me, my purpose here is not to open
any old wounds or debates.

I have really gotten tired of getting my butt handed to me over at EBay, so I am giving some
real consideration to going out on ALIBABA and seeing what my Chinese brothers can do
for me. To date I have been all over the INTERNET looking for cases and frankly its getting hopeless.

I figure my alternatives are to cast in bronze and then turn the result or see if there are any other folks
who are making their own cases. Thats one rather labor intensive answer.
Absent that, I have purchased some of the Chinese products and its
basically sheet metal work,. However I Have gotten one or two
pretty decent items so its a matter of running those producers down. Has anybody else gone this
route and want to compare notes? Most of my working movements are late model Walthams
and I DO have a few decent cases that I can use as models if I want to try to make my own.

OH and BTW....how come information about how American Case makers did their job is in such short
supply?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[musicguy]

Very good question, and one that should be asked.

persoally, I always use vintage cases.....and yes some sizes
and thicknesses and stems and more really make casing fun.


I will move this question to watch repair with redirect to here



Rob

 

[Jim Haney]

Bruce,
I just don't think there is a great demand for Modern cases. It goes against putting a 100+ year old movement in a New case.

I know Vortic is have some success with the PW movements mounted in WW cases, but it does not appeal to me to use newly made cases on vintage watches.

Military Edition | Military Watches Online - Vortic Watch Co.

Vortic Watch Company's Military Edition allow you to sport salvaged antique American pocket watches that have been upgraded to premium unique timepieces. Get on the waitlist today!

vorticwatches.com

 

[thesnark17]

Another member of the forum has been iterating plastic 3D-printed cases for a while now. I am excited to see where it goes, since the tech is readily available.

Orphaned 1800's Longines PW Movements - What To Do With Them?

Yes it is a beautiful watch movement. I and got it for

mb.nawcc.org

 

[hc3]

Just what are you trying to accomplish?

Unless there's some practical or aesthetic reason that only a modern case will do, don't bother. I suspect that you'll spend more on a modern case than you will an equivalent old one.

 

[Bruce W Sims]

Just what are you trying to accomplish?

Unless there's some practical or aesthetic reason that only a modern case will do, don't bother. I suspect that you'll spend more on a modern case than you will an equivalent old one.

I know this is a "collectors" forum and I truely admire the folks who single-out a particular make and model of watch and refurbish, protect and display said piece in near-pristine
condition. I, myself, am not a "collector" as such but I have about 40 movements I would like to refurbish and get out into appreciative hands. So far the only fly in the ointment is the dwindling number and quality of resources. My investigation into various offers of parts, movements, cases and accoutremont has doubled the number of fraud
inquiries on my cards. And I am just plain not beliving the inflated prices people are
asking for pure crap on EBAY and ETSEY. There is, I believe some way to restore a
19th Century Waltham or Elgin so that when a person passes. their inventory does
not wind up in a dumpster. This is, in my view, essentially the same thing a person who
rebuilds a 1972 Super Beetle or a 1980 Sears Roebuck Garden Tractor. I have a sense that there are other folks such as myself who are motivated by something other than the
financial and commertial aspect of this watch-building/watch-making activity and it sure
would be nice to connect with these folks. Thoughts?

BTW: Thanks to the Mod for getting me into the right pew in the right church.
Much appreciated.

 

[karlmansson]

I tried to make a process for recreating worn out, plated cases by casting in sterling silver. I think this is viable for wristwatches but for PWs I think it would be less work to just turn rings. I can elaborate on my process if it’s sounds interesting. It does rely on you having a master though. So a similar case or the original that you are looking to replace.

 

[gmorse]

Hi Karl,

Wouldn't a cast case need some machining to create accurate seating for the movement, bezel, back, etc?

Regards,

Graham

 

[karlmansson]

Yes, sure does. That was part of the process, to create reference surfaces that could be used for machining.

There is quite a lot of work involved in both machining and finishing of the case. Figuring out the correct angle for the snap case back was also challenging.

Silver is very soft to machine though and the machining process went smoothly with some purpose ground cutters. Hardenable tool steel is a good option.

 

[Dave Haynes]

Genuine gold filled cases can be resurrected with a liberal amount of Simichrome and a rag. It quite literally hides the rough spots by polishing the brass. Additionally, they stay that way for a very long time. Trust me it works like a miracle. Use quite a bit and go slowly.

 

[Jim Haney]

Another thing to consider and easier than creating a new case is Plating the old ones. If the color is matched correctly

 

[darrahg]

I agree with you wholeheartedly on this subject. However, you might want to consider joining a NAWCC Chapter that is located in your area in order to gain some contacts with others working on watches. Any more, watch parts must be acquired in bulk or pay inflated prices for specific ones in order to repair collections or work on a few watches. And, those excess parts from bulk purchases just rest in cabinets waiting for someone who needs them. At least this is what I have to do. The trick is to find these repairers who are willing to help and the best chance right now is associating with a local watch and clock chapter. At least you have a better chance of finding someone that you can trust and can help in this type of situation. The other option is to keep looking for specific parts on-line at inflated prices or buy in bulk yourself and sell what you don't need later. It is getting tough and I do appreciate your predicament. Good Luck!

I know this is a "collectors" forum and I truly admire the folks who single-out a particular make and model of watch and refurbish, protect and display said piece in near-pristine
condition. I, myself, am not a "collector" as such but I have about 40 movements I would like to refurbish and get out into appreciative hands. So far the only fly in the ointment is the dwindling number and quality of resources. My investigation into various offers of parts, movements, cases and accoutrement has doubled the number of fraud
inquiries on my cards. And I am just plain not believing the inflated prices people are
asking for pure crap on EBAY and ETSEY. There is, I believe some way to restore a
19th Century Waltham or Elgin so that when a person passes. their inventory does
not wind up in a dumpster. This is, in my view, essentially the same thing a person who
rebuilds a 1972 Super Beetle or a 1980 Sears Roebuck Garden Tractor. I have a sense that there are other folks such as myself who are motivated by something other than the
financial and commercial aspect of this watch-building/watch-making activity and it sure
would be nice to connect with these folks. Thoughts?

BTW: Thanks to the Mod for getting me into the right pew in the right church.
Much appreciated.

 

[Firegriff]

With cases and parts and tools quickly disappearing we are going to have to learn how to print them or machine them ourselves. also if you do not care about quality then china is ok Just do not buy any thing made of plastic from China unless you want it to crumble the first time you touch what ever it is you bought from them I have literally had this happen.

 

[Bruce W Sims]

OK...this is just a quick down-and-dirty follow-up to what I started a few weeks ago.
As I mentioned a lot of the watches out of the PRC are quartz or Mechanical in pretty
chintzy cases. They are base metal alloy with a capital "B" on "Base". The Mechanical watches
make a WestClox look like a Hamilton. I have no use for these for the project I have in mind.

OTOH the second picture has three items (see: 144344) with three possibilities. They are reasonably
well-constructed, though if you look closely the cases are not hinged at 3 or 9 o'clock. The Other matter is that if you look closely, what looks like a "bezel" is actually an integral part of the case. I'd either need some work-around to mount the movement through the back .......or......fireup my lathe and cut the vestigual "bezel" loose and cut/fit for a snap-on using
the same or other bezel. Lastly, I have not even begun to approach anyone about sizing as my single querie garnered me more attention than a blonde virgin in a prison yard. Any-who I am open for comments or recommendations.
Remember the whole point of this exercise is to get working movements out of the closet and into responsible hands.