On My Bench - Another Turtle

JimInOz · Aug 26, 2020

This time, a Seiko 6306-7001.
The 6306 was the first "Turtle", followed by the similar 6309, and then a host of other Turtles over the years.
Slightly different to the later models, this one is fully jewelled (21) and has a hack function which was not carried over to the 6309.

First look at the front shows a nice case, a bezel in good to excellent condition and a dial/handset unaffected by moisture which is often seen in these divers.

The back is thankfully free of scissor gouges and scrapes left by pliers but use of the correct opener wouldn't have deformed the detents as they are, I may be able to make them look a bit better.
There are a couple of dings on the lugs that may need attention as well.

The movement looks clean and no evidence yet of any ham fisted attempts to "service".

Balance and hairspring look OK from here, will know more as we get into it.

The original Seiko Hardlex crystal has been replaced with a sapphire AR item, this gives the dial a bluish tint at som angles and the owner isn't enamoured with the look so this may have to be changed out to a plain crystal or I may polish off the AR coating and see what it looks like then. Pic below shows the clear vs AR appearance.

JimInOz · Aug 26, 2020

A check on the Timegrapher at full wind indicates that a service my be beneficial 😗.

Now to let the power down and start disassembly.

JimInOz · Aug 27, 2020

First task was to uncase and disassemble the dial side. I forgot to set the hands for removal so I had to put the crown back in after I uncased the movement.

Final step was to remove the balance cap jewel/pivot jewel.

Edit: I made a GIF as I thought it'd be easier than scrolling through 20 or so images.
If it's giving anone the shits, let me know and I'll do it the old fashioned way.

Edit: I slowed it down and added captions, so maybe a bit easier to understand.

alefar · Aug 27, 2020

Thanks for sharing, looks lovely and the movement seems to be in a really nice condition too!

JimInOz · Aug 27, 2020

OK, following some feedback, I decided to try a video so it can be stopped if anybody needs to go for a relief stop, or a beer.

So what works best for most of you?

GIF or Video?

rob#1 · Aug 27, 2020

GIF is OK, while the video appears smoother. It’s handy to be able to pause too 👍.

Next stop, a nice soundtrack to complement the action 😉

Twocats · Aug 27, 2020

There is a special place in my heart for any turtle watch.

JimInOz · Aug 28, 2020

Here we are with the other side of the movement. Pretty much the same as the 6309 but with additional jewels and a hacking lever.
The hacking lever is actuated by the crown/stem and touches the Escape Wheel Pinion to stop the watch while setting the time.

Sorry about the lack of a musical soundtrack. Just hum to yourself 😉.

JimInOz · Aug 29, 2020

After I put the balance Assembly back on the plate for cleaning, I remembered I had to put jewels in the plate, and the train bridge, so the balance was removed and the jewelling tool came out. All fairly straightforward.

A shot where I'm cleaning out the plate hole after reaming/broaching and ready to set the jewel.

And here's the newly jewelled barrel arbor hole in the main plate.

With both of them done, it was time to clean all of the movement parts in the ultrasonic cleaner. After passing through three jars (Clean, Rinse 1 and Rinse 2), the parts are ready to be checked again.

Mmmmmmm........nice and clean, this is the train bridge with the new jewel far left.

But even though things are supposedly clean, each component needs to be checked.

I'm now on my second pre-dinner stout, so I guess I won't be doing any more on this tonight 😉.

JimInOz · Aug 30, 2020

Good news. Reassembly went without any problems.

After being given a full wind it was onto the Timegrapher to check basic performance.

Not a bad result, considering the first check when it arrived.

I'll let it run for a day to let the lube distribute itself (mainly on the escape) and then I can regulate it.

Next step will be to work on the case.

loniscup · Aug 30, 2020

Very nice! Video is better I'll have to agree. Lovely watch 🥰

yande · Aug 30, 2020

You have come a long way Jim.
Inspirational and impressive..

JimInOz · Aug 31, 2020

yande
You have come a long way Jim.
Inspirational and impressive..

Had lots of help along the way Mark.

And lots of that was from forum members (they know who they are).

😉

JimInOz · Aug 31, 2020

Got to check "24 after full wind" Timegrapher results today. Considering that all parts, including mainspring, are original (I think), it's not a bad outcome.

At full wind, it was this.

And after 24 Hours:

Not sure if I should tweak it any more or just leave it as is.

Any tips from @ChrisN, @Archer, Bueller.........anyone..............anyone?

JimInOz · Aug 31, 2020

While the movement was ticking away, I started working on the case.

It was a bit grungy.

And evidence of some serious ham fisted attempt at removing the caseback.

Not once but twice! 😡

JimInOz · Aug 31, 2020

So the caseback was put aside while I tried to reduce the impact of some bad dings on the lugs and do a sympathetic improvement to the case finish.

The worst of the dings were cut down with a graver and a fine stone and then the circular graining on the case top was re-done.

Then the mirror finish to the undersides was re-done, starting with 2000 wet/dry paper, and working down with grades of 12µ, 9µ, 3µ and 1µ abrasive film.

While it won't be perfect, it'll be much better than before and will still have a slight "age" patina.

JimInOz · Aug 31, 2020

Next was the crystal bezel ring. Corrosion was removed and the inside of the ring cleaned with pegwood.

After this it will go into the ultrasonic for a good clean.

Bezel was next. Due to its fragility it can't go into the ultrasonic so all cleaning has to be done by hand.

First it's held in the chuck on the lathe (uncoupled) and while I turn the chuck by hand, I use pegwood and brushes to clean corrosion and gunk from the underside of the bezel. After that, a microfiber cloth and isopropyl alcohol with finish the job.

p4ul · Aug 31, 2020

Really fascinating process, thanks for taking the time to put this together.

One small prob ref musical soundtrack, you said to hum and the Benny Hill Theme came to mind - can you go a bit quicker?
😗

JimInOz · Aug 31, 2020

p4ul
Really fascinating process, thanks for taking the time to put this together.

One small prob ref musical soundtrack, you said to hum and the Benny Hill Theme came to mind - can you go a bit quicker?
😗

Don't worry. I've cancelled my plan to use GIFs and videos, the additional overhead eats up too much time and doesn't add a great deal of value unless a video is actually better understood than a still picture.

ChrisN · Aug 31, 2020

JimInOz
Got to check "24 after full wind" Timegrapher results today. Considering that all parts, including mainspring, are original (I think), it's not a bad outcome.

At full wind, it was this.

And after 24 Hours:

Not sure if I should tweak it any more or just leave it as is.

Any tips from @ChrisN, @Archer, Bueller.........anyone..............anyone?

That's a good result for these calibres, Jim. I'd leave it now. This is an interesting thread as well even if I have Benny Hill on my mind, now!

Cheers, Chris