Hi All,
I've been enjoying this forum for years but never had anything to brag or ask about. But behold....I stumbled upon the Champ after years and years of exploring the web. And now I need some help.
Case number 5258655 - Movement number 1384950 - Marked also 28-20 asterisk square - I could not match the serial number to a date although one website said 1931 or 1941.
I'd appreciate some assistance as to the year of manufacture. I also searched and searched the web for any repair or disassembly instructions and had zero hopes of finding anything. And I found zero sources as one can imagine considering that this watch is almost non-existence. However, if there is anyone that has ever worked on this watch then any feedback would be appreciated. My watch was not working and issues indicated a fully wound mainspring as it worked some times when pressure was applied to the crown.
Now....how do you even get inside?
I patiently examined the watch for a few days to figure out and narrow down potential entry points. There were no secrets under the dial and unscrewing any accesible screws on the back also didn’t allow for any entry. I then followed the wear marks on the movement which showed the most amount of scratches and pry marks around the pendulum pivot. I decided to take my chances and after applying some tape pryed the pendulum upwards from two points using levers for removing hands. And presto...with a second away from a heart attack....the pendulum detached from the movement giving access to the base movement.
The build is pretty simple once you see it. The pendulum pivot is held in place with a tube that sits loose and is cut in half allowing for a click attachment, almost like a cannon pinion. Very simple and smart although not that straightforward. The winding mechanism advances by means of two ratchet levers held together in one springloaded assembly. After cleaning the watch started to run but stops when wound tight. So I need to inspect the barrel and mainspring much closer and see if a NOS replacement might do any better.