Tag: automatic seiko

On Oils and Greases as prescribed by Seiko

theindianseikosmith2 Comments

Mastering the art of lubricating or oiling mechanical watch movements is intricate and the correct choice of lubricants has always sparked palaverous debate.

Novices such as myself have spent hours poring over numerous forum posts and have read lengthy comments by experienced watchmakers in trying to determine which lubricating oils and greases are the most essential and are ‘universally’ acceptable, if there is indeed such a thing.

The driving force behind this phenomenon are, firstly, the vast selection of modern Swiss made oils and greases, and secondly, their equally lofty prices. A widely circulated piece of internet folklore is the exorbitant cost of inkjet printers’ ink, which, according to a popular publisher, is quoted as US$5,654 per litre. Watchmaking is in another league however. The quintessential Moebius oil used in servicing watches – the Moebius 9010 – costs a staggering US$11,500 per litre at popular online retailers!

For the beginners however, there is respite when it comes to vintage Seiko. Perusing the official Technical Guide, we come across the following 5 basic oils, the simply named S-2, S-3 and S-4 made by Seiko Corp., the Moebius Synt-A-Lube and a regular silicon grease.

Additionally, there is an S-6 watch grease also by Seiko. It is recommended for servicing a few calibres of both the Suwa and the Daini factories such as the 6306, 6309, 7016 etc as well as the modern 7Sxx and 4Rxx calibres. However, I was unable to acquire it as it has been out of production for quite some time. Experts liken it to a soft gel like silicon-based grease and is needed for the ‘pawl lever and second reduction wheel of automatic winding mechanisms’ in these calibres. Moebius HP-1300 or the Seiko S-4 is an alternative.

There is also this concise and efficiently presented chart of lubricating points for Seiko watches available on the internet and I am currently looking for a higher resolution one or an actual print. If any of you readers can point me in the right direction, it will be most helpful.

Similar to the S-6, the S-2 mainspring grease is also long out of production. It was a graphite based thick grease for ‘slipping attachments of the automatic winding mainspring’, otherwise known as “BRAKING GREASE”.

The S-3 mainspring grease is also another graphite based braking grease and is thick and slightly oily. Others as well as I have used it in Seiko mainspring barrels with good result and this retails for around US$26 for a 10 gram tub (US$2,600 per kilogramme).

The S-4 watch grease is the lubricant for use where the movement parts are subject to high pressure as well as for metal-on-metal friction. It is a thick black grease that does not flow and contains lithium soap and molybdenum disulphide. This is also available online for around US$32 a tub (US$3200 per kilogramme).

The Moebius Synt-A-Lube is the one for ‘high speed, low torque’ applications and we have two modern alternates for it. One is the aforementioned Moebius 9010 which is fully synthetic, has a long service life and is THE lubricant of choice. It is available in multiple viscosities and even one that fluoresces bright under UV light so we can see how good (or bad) our oiling technique really is! This one is priced at around US$23 for a vial of 2ml (US$11,500 per litre).

Fluorescent Moebius 9010 (under UV light)

There is also a much cheaper alternative to this – the classic Moebius 8000, a natural oil which has a shorter service interval than the synthetic version. This is quite budget friendly at just over US$3 for a 1ml vial (US$3200 per litre).

Silicon grease with the specification of 500,000 centistokes is a very viscous silicone oil and is a necessity for keeping nitrile rubber gaskets supple. It has excellent water repelling properties and is necessary for slick operation of the crown and pusher gaskets and maintaining water resistance and longevity. Applying this to crystal and case back gaskets prevent twisting and slipping thereby reducing chances of damage due to pinching of the gasket. A thick paste like grease is also available and can be used as needed.

High Viscosity Silicone Oil (left) & Silicone Grease (Right)

So there we have it—a simplistic guide to the various greases and oils Seiko recommends for servicing their vintage mechanical movements, designed for fellow enthusiasts. Professional watchmakers can afford a vastly superior range of modern Swiss and Japanese lubricants and their choices are further dictated by factors such as cleaning fluid contamination and inventory concerns. Nevertheless, I will venture to say that the lubricants covered here are quite cost efficient and adequate for beginners to invest in.

On dissolving broken stems and saving crowns

theindianseikosmith7 Comments

A frequent challenge faced when working on wristwatches is the occasional breakage of a stem, typically near the threaded portion of the crown and often the broken piece is impossible to grip with a pin vice or flush cutters. In the case of vintage watches, replacement stems and crowns may not be readily available. While the broken stem can sometimes be salvaged with the help of stem extenders (illustrated below) rescuing the crown presents a more intricate task, requiring the delicate extraction of the offending stem fragment without causing harm to the crown.

Tap 9 and Tap 10 extenders (top)
A stem threaded into an extender (bottom)

Scouring through the internet, the oft found bit of wisdom is to first prepare a saturated solution of alum powder, (potassium aluminium sulphate) which is available is speciality grocery stores. The crown with the broken stem is submerged in the solution and over the course of several hours or days (sometimes requiring the application of heat) the softer steel of the broken stem dissolves into the alum solution forming a black sludge. Meanwhile the harder stainless steel (or brass, aluminium, copper and even gold-plating) of the crown-in-distress is unaffected.

The advice is perfectly fine and works as advertised. However, when we come to Seiko watches, there is a frustrating surprise lying in wait. MOST STEMS MADE BY SEIKO ARE OF STAINLESS STEEL!

Submerging a Seiko stem and crown in alum solution, even at elevated temperatures, proves futile. Heated alum solution (and even concentrated acetic acid/ vinegar) does nothing. The offending crown in my case was a 50M04NS crown from a beaten up 6119-6400, popularly known as the UFO. The stem in question, the 357612, features a square shoulder at the crown end for a tiny gear bearing the part number 998613 supported by a spring. This configuration is found in the Seiko 61 series of calibres with internal rotating bezels, correctly termed as the Rotating Dial Ring. While the stem could not be saved due to being rusted solid, the crown remained in fair condition. Although not rare, and aftermarket reproductions in plentiful supply, I still tried to look around for some guidance to save the target of my attention.

During a conversation with a seasoned collector and restorer who goes by the moniker ‘saldog’, and boasts of a far more experience in collecting vintage Seikos than myself, I stumbled upon a working solution (pun intended).

Descaling powder, used commonly for cleaning coffee pots, dishwashers and washing machines was the answer. A saturated solution proved effective in targeting the heat-treated and hardened stainless steel of the stem while leaving the softer stainless steel of the crown unscathed. Accelerating the process is possible by heating the solution, perhaps on a coffee mug warmer. As you can see below a merry stream of bubbles erupts from the tip of the broken stem while the crown remains unharmed.

And there you have it—a guide for all fellow enthusiasts to follow when faced with a broken stem lodged in a crown out of a Seiko, desperately in need of redemption.

An introduction

theindianseikosmith5 Comments

Welcome everyone to the first instalment of my blog! Here, I aim to chronicle my profound fascination, and what I hope to be a long and serious affair, with vintage mechanical timepieces, particularly highlighting the allure of Seiko’s enchanting and reliable vintage watches!

My venture into collecting and restoring old Seikos has its roots in my childhood when I often dismantled things to uncover their inner workings (and rendering them non-functional in the process). Looking back, it’s clear that the absence of today’s ubiquitous digital devices played a profound role as well.

As I mentioned in the “About” page here, while tinkering with DIY kits and preparing Arduino sketches, one of the most impactful events to affect all of humanity struck in the early months of 2020. Stumbling upon an old HMT mechanical watch, most of which are powered by the 17-jewel hand-winding calibre 020 licensed from Citizen, I found myself with ample time during the lockdown. With no better activity in mind, I decided to crack it open, turned to a YouTube tutorial, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fumbling through the initial steps, dismembering old movements, acquiring necessary tools and absorbing insights from seasoned experts through online posts and videos followed by hours hunched over my makeshift bench, I now find myself in the humbling depths of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Now, I want to embark on this blog as an act of self-encouragement with the audacious aim of furthering my education and learning more about restoration and repair of vintage watches.

Needless to say, I do not have any formal training as a watchmaker . With only the opportunity for self-instruction at my disposal, I regularly make comical blunders, perhaps an indication that I am taking my first steps up the “Slope of Enlightenment”.

The aim here is to share anything I find captivating and worthy of preservation with fellow aficionados. This exercise is purely a journey of self-discovery and I fully appreciate that the wealth of expertise and superior resources wielded by seasoned individuals in the vintage watch repair and restoration community far surpasses my own. I refrain from working on others’ watches primarily due to time constraints as my own pursuits take up much of my time. Moreover, I prefer having sole ownership of the outcomes, whether good or bad, resulting from my explorations and creative endeavours.

I am excited and look forward to presenting before you a wide array of mechanical watches, mainly from Seiko, with intermittent features of electric or quartz timepieces. Occasionally, there may be highlights from other manufacturers.