What an exciting way to spend a Friday Night! Laughing Out Loud!

This is the ~~victim~~ watch in question:

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for Watch review

Yup, my beloved Alpha Watches

Power Reserve GMT Automatic, model 566-TY2856. WIS Honeymoon

I bought this watch in May of 2005, and it's been a stalwart, reliable timepiece. thumbs up

It seems to have been a true Limited Edition, too. It quickly disappeared from Alpha's web site, and I've never seen another on the forums. An original design ( 'least AFAICT it is not a clone of any specific model, despite the "Swiss Made" lie on the dial Laughing Out Loud!

), the fit & finish is superlative, and more than 8 years on, it still runs like a champ. Add it all together and it's easily my favorite Alpha Watches

and, indeed, one of my favorite watches Period.

But, you ask, "If it runs so good, what was the Caveman Watchmaking about, Ricky?" Glad you asked! Laughing Out Loud!

Over the years the inside of the crystal has developed a sort of "haze".* This started back in.. Oh, late 2009 or early 2010. At first it was so slight that it was easy to overlook. By the summer of 2012 it had progressed to a point where it was undeniable, and I decided to have a go at cleaning it. Some of you may remember this post, where I hinted at it. And where I learned that it was easier said than done! Yikes! Scary!

Turns out, you see, that this watch is a semi-front-loader. While the caseback must be removed to pull the stem, the only way to access the dial or crystal is via the front, through the removable bezel. (See the link for photos.)

Well, long story short, I never got around to it. In my defense, the.. Ah, parting of the ways with pmwf came just a few days after I made that post, and suddenly I had my hands very full with Caveman's Watch Forum

. Fast forward to Friday, and I realized that I just HAD to do something. Now, I freely admit that I was rather scared of the job. I am blushing

Hey! We're talking attacking the face of the watch with prying tools and presses! Mar the finish here and it's an order of magnitude worse than a scratch on a caseback. But I finally realized that the bloody haze was ruining my enjoyment of the watch I'm frowning

, so really I had nothing to lose. But as I mentioned to Bro. Joe it was "one of the most hair-raisingly excruciating bits of Caveman Watchmaking I've done in a coon's age. ..I was on pins-n-needles the whole time".

I took precisely one in-progress photo:

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
Mainly just to prove I had done it, I guess. Rollin' on the floor laughin' me ass off!

Mind, it really wasn't that big a deal, once I steeled meself to the task. I used the thinnest blade on my Swiss Army Knife, tapped that into the joint with me watchmaker's hammer. Once I had opened the gap I switched to a thicker caseback knife, taped off the fulcrum point on the case, and she popped right off. A little Windex® on a lint-free cloth, and the haze was history. thumbs up

But now I was faced with the job of pressing the bezel back on. At 42.5mm it is far too big for the dies that came with my cheap Chinese press, so pause for nearly an hour whilst I fabricated a custom die from an inch-long slice of a 1-3/4" steel pipe sourced from ~~the junk pile~~ my meticulously-cataloged cache of raw materials. WooHOO! It worked a treat! thumbs up

Sure I took an After Photo, too:

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
Mind you, if ye've been paying attention to the Rollcalls you've already seen it. winking smiley

Sorry about the reflections Oops! My mistake!

, and particularly the one o' me fat fingers. Rollin' on the floor laughin' me ass off!

While I did put one scratch on the watch, near the inside edge of the 11H lug, it's minuscule. Doesn't even show up in the photo, and I'm certain that 2 minutes with the

scratch pen will remove it entirely. The difference the cleaning made is DRAMATIC. Though it really isn't evident in the photos, to the naked eye it is a HUGE improvement. So all in all, I am One Happy Camper. smiling bouncing smiley

Thanks fer readin'. y'all!

Sláinte! smileys with beer

-Ricky

* - As to where the haze came from, I don't have a clue! confused smiley

It's a water-tight watch, after all. Even it is only 3 ATM WR, it's a tested and proven 3 ATM, so obviously it was not the incursion of dust from the outside environment. But I've seen this problem on a number of watches, and the only thing I can figure is that the haze is generated by the natural decay of the luminous paint used on dial & hands. If anyone has a better theory, I'd love tae hear it!

Messages In This Thread

Adventures in Caveman Watchmaking	Caveman001	29	October 19, 2013 12:55PM
Nicely Done! and bonus points for tool and die making!	flasharry	6	October 19, 2013 01:32PM
Re: ..and bonus points for tool and die making! Well. Man is The Tool-Maker, right? Anyone's not prepared to make a custom tool / jig / die when he needs it is a sub-human creature, from my POV.	Caveman001	7	October 19, 2013 02:25PM
+1 (n/t)	flasharry	1	October 19, 2013 05:02PM
Wow! Great job on a really nice watch. How about a pic of that custom die? I'm having a hard time picturing what it looks like, and how you formed it.	JFK3531	4	October 19, 2013 01:40PM
Re: How about a pic of that custom die? Ahhhh.. For the nonce I will respectfully decline. 'cause it is one Ugly Sumbitch. Quote JFK3531 I'm having a hard time picturing what it looks like, and how you formed it. It's literally nothing more than a slice off the end of an ol' iron pipe. Rather than (over) engineer a connection to the press, I just slapped in a piece of 1/4" sheet steel between the ram and the die.	Caveman001	4	October 19, 2013 03:26PM
Nice job and great watch... It's a real GMT (n/t)	JP	5	October 19, 2013 02:43PM
Oh, sure it's a real GMT. And a Real Power Reserve, too, for that matter. Quote JP Nice job	Caveman001	3	October 19, 2013 02:54PM
Great work - popping that kind of bezel would make me nervous for the same reasons. (n/t)	JY	5	October 19, 2013 04:22PM
Thanks mate! Quote JY ..popping that kind of bezel would make me nervous for the same reasons. It shouldn't, though. Either you can handle, or you can't. Doubt is the Province Of Pussies.	Caveman001	5	October 19, 2013 04:28PM
Re: Doubt is the Province Of Pussies. You know that I'm more likely to jump in over my head than hesitate, but I would still be nervous about damaging it. :-D	JY	3	October 19, 2013 04:41PM
My Orient SK has a greasy rim inside the crystal too... Plus there is a tiny black particle of something on one of dates, very annoying. I guess I have to do the same one of these days...	James T. Kirk©	2	October 19, 2013 04:24PM
Then don't be a Pussy. Like I was, for well over a year!	Caveman001	3	October 19, 2013 04:32PM

It had to happen sooner or later.

Ricky Lee

July 08, 2012 04:57PM

There are precious few watches in my collection which I have not removed the caseback for a peek at the movement. What can I say? I'm the curious sort. Blushing

So. When I realized today that I'd never done so on the watch I was wearing on me left wrist.. well, sure I broke out the Jaxa Tool and had a look-see!

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
The

Big Pilot Power Reserve GMT Automatic, of course. My favorite Alpha by a Country Mile. WIS Honeymoon

As I've mentioned before, I believe. Smile

Big surprise! Oops!

Honestly, I'd expected a plastic movement-spacer ring. Crazy! Loco!

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for Watch or Accessory Review

Not this finely machined solid hunk o' stainless steel! I am confused

After seeing this, α just went way up in my estimation! Thumbs up!

While I'm impressed with the design and workmanship of the insides, I am also at a loss as to exactly how one would pull the going works. I am confused

That pretty solid SS movement ring is not removeable, at least not in any conventional sense. It doesn't appear to be a monolithic part of the case proper, nor do I see any screws that would release it. It appears to be a press-fit?

I'd appreciate any thoughts you True Gurus might have. Dr. Murphy? Professor Keaton?

I think it's..

Photo by Ricky Lee

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..a front-loader, with the bezel separation point being as indicated by the green arrow.

But I'm too chicken sh*t to try it on a whim. Wink

Long story short, I am stumped. Yikes! Scary!

Anyone? TIA for your thoughts! Thumbs up!

Sláinte!

-Ricky

"He looked down through the scratched, greenish glass that topped the counter. Watches there, each face to him a tiny and contained poem, a pocket museum, subject over time to the laws of entropy and of chance. These tiny mechanisms, their jeweled hearts beating. Wearing down, he knew, through the friction of metal on metal. He sold nothing unserviced, everything cleaned and lubricated. He took fresh stock to a sullen but highly skilled Pole in Oakland to be cleaned, oiled, and timed. And he did this, he knew, not to provide a better, more reliable product, but to ensure that each one might better survive in an essentially hostile universe. It would have been difficult to admit this to anyone, but it was true and he knew it. --William Gibson, narrative describing Fontaine, All Tomorrow's Parties

Messages In This Thread

It had to happen sooner or later.	Ricky Lee	401	July 08, 2012 04:57PM
1.) does the so-called HRV have anthing to do with it? >> >> because there is some funky hardware leading in that direction in your photo. 2.) If you put your sticky ball on the front, can the bezel be unscrewed? Because you will feel like an idiot if you pry off something with threads inside. I remember some Waltham PWs that were like that. Also, I have seen some cases to fit Chinese 6497s that have a screw bezel front and back.	Dave M	116	July 08, 2012 06:48PM
That's no "so-called HRV". 'tis the fully functional pusher for (independently) setting the GMT. Quote Dave M 2.) If you put your sticky ball on the front, can the bezel be unscrewed? Because you will feel like an idiot if you pry off something with threads inside. Honestly? Never occurred to me. Danged Fine Point, though! I shall try tomorrow, over coffee.	Ricky Lee	118	July 08, 2012 07:31PM
This little companies will surprise you sometimes. thats for sure (n/t)	Lawrence Talbot	54	July 08, 2012 10:26PM
I've actually seen that type of spacer on watches you would never think would go down that road.... One of them being Immersion Dive watches.......its mamouth!!	dano0	73	July 08, 2012 05:01PM
I don't believe it was Ricky's intent to show off the size of the spacer rather... ... that the fact if was machined out of metal rather than being a piece of plastic, which is more usual for cheap watches to use. Me, I'm not noticing the cartoonish ratio of watch to movement, or what the spacer is made of. I'm more interested how Alpha was proud enough of the rough-finish movement to put a display back on the watch.	Chris L	129	July 08, 2012 05:10PM
I fully understood that... The heft of these said spacers is massive though.....and yes....that does stick out too (size of movement)	dano0	71	July 08, 2012 05:34PM
Re: ..and yes....that does stick out too (size of movement) Please. Do not make me break out the dread Digitus Impudicus twice in one thread!	Ricky Lee	76	July 08, 2012 05:43PM
You are correct. 'twas the SS vs. plastic aspect that surprised me. It's not something you see every day on a watch of this price point! Quote Chris L Me, I'm not noticing the cartoonish ratio of watch to movement, or what the spacer is made of. I'm more interested how Alpha was proud enough of the rough-finish movement to put a display back on the watch. To that I say: As for the former, remember this is a ~ 48mm watch. You don't find many 18-ligne automatic movements. To your latter point, remember "The camera is merciless". This movement is actually quite handsome, compared to a base-level TY-2856. BTW, see my MOD CENTRAL post for an embarrassing admission...	Ricky Lee	122	July 08, 2012 05:27PM
48mm you say..? I'm interested, but I bet it's long unavailable! (n/t)	JY	61	July 09, 2012 05:16AM
You are correct. That model is, alas, pure Unobtainium nowadays.	Ricky Lee	70	July 09, 2012 05:52AM

Adventures in Caveman Watchmaking

Messages In This Thread

It had to happen sooner or later.

Messages In This Thread

It had to happen sooner or later.

That's no "so-called HRV".

This little companies will surprise you sometimes. thats for sure (n/t)

I've actually seen that type of spacer on watches you would never think would go down that road.... One of them being Immersion Dive watches.......its mamouth!!

I fully understood that... The heft of these said spacers is massive though.....and yes....that does stick out too (size of movement)

Re: ..and yes....that does stick out too (size of movement) Please. Do not make me break out the dread Digitus Impudicus twice in one thread!

You are correct.

48mm you say..? I'm interested, but I bet it's long unavailable! (n/t)

You are correct. That model is, alas, pure Unobtainium nowadays.

I've actually seen that type of spacer on watches you would never think would go down that road....
One of them being Immersion Dive watches.......its mamouth!!

I fully understood that...
The heft of these said spacers is massive though.....and yes....that does stick out too (size of movement)

Re: ..and yes....that does stick out too (size of movement)
Please.

Do not make me break out the dread Digitus Impudicus twice in one thread!