Ridley Project #3

[bobridley]

Having served people for the last (30) years, I've had the opportunity to meet some great people. Not just in positions of great stature, but in the simple fact that they are just great people in themselves. Along with this opportunity, I've enjoyed seeing various watches.

This is my first post with the “Rolex Forum” and I wanted to share some of my experiences that you might enjoy them.

My first post represents a particular watch that came to me last year.

The owner acquired this piece in the late 50’s or early 60’s ,from Bucherer’s Jewelry Co.(located in Neuchatel, Switzerland.). He described himself as one who had prosthetic arms and learned to wind his watches by lowering the watch down to the heel of his shoe and then rub back & forth.

This gentleman provided (2) pictures of himself wearing watches, as illustrated below.







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Having pulled a broken watch out of the drawer, he considered whether or not the watch would have some value; contacted me, and we then began to speak about the possibilities of restoration.

As it turned out, the broken watch in his sock drawer was a rare, Triple Calendar Chronograph, Anti-Magnetic Rolex # 4768 with a Valjoux 72C movement.

As you can see below, both of the upper case lugs were broken from the case. One lug was missing and the other lug was available. The remaining lug, was used as a pattern to fashion the replacement lug.





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The grade of steel used during that time was along the line of #302 or #304. Unlike the surgical quality of steel used today (#904), this particular grade was softer as well as vulnerable to water corrosion. However, in keeping with this period, we chose to go with a #304 grade steel for the sake of blending and consistency.







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Interestingly, wrist watches have only been around since WWI and the interest in restoring timepieces is perhaps, at it’s highest point yet. Due to sentimental as well as fair market values, the owners are more interested in having their prized, micro-engineered products restored. However the services needed for many repairs go beyond those services offered in the day to day repairs for newer models. This, in part, is why we've retooled...to address restoration needs that are not being addressed to the extent that it should be.
In the field of watch repair, there are two schools of thought and perhaps these two “schools” are primarily based on one’s person (disposition). Some can look at the many demands of restoration as a frustration while others can look at them as a challenge and thus enjoy the "fruit of that labor."
There is no demeaning to either “school” .…each side has a vital function in maintaining watches as well as preserving them. Today, there remains a great need in providing proper services for both current day as well as earlier models.












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Note: In the illustration provided below, the push buttons located on the nine o’clock side of the case are hidden. These buttons operate the forwarding of the calendar indicators to the desired day, date, & month, whereas, the visible, flat buttons on the three o’clock side of the case active and reset the recording hands.







I hope that ya'll enjoyed these pictures as much as I enjoyed going through the process to get his watch back into function.
Having the opportunity to meet and help Rolex enthusiasts has been a real treat.

Best Regards, Bob Ridley