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The Brighton Watch

superdean.com

Finished builds and required tools.

ST3600: 月亮 “Yuèliàng” (“The Moon”) [27 Feb 2024]

Another ST3600 commission – see below for required tools – I would normally add a splash of colour; but I’m actually a little bit jaloux of the white-on-white: very versatile with the strap pairings.

ST3600 front

This is my 2nd ST3600 commission and the 4th one I’ve built. The build was going swimmingly until I trimmed the stem and found it was very difficult to wind. After tinkering with a spare stem and greasing/oiling I ended up replacing the whole case (with another new one). Nothing obvious with the crown tube by eye but clearly something out of tolerance somewhere. In the end it turned out the smoothest one I’ve built.

ST3600 back

Molniya 3602: “White Lightning” [12 January 2024]

Marriage of an 1980s Molniya 3602 movement (serial 595600) with a new case, dial and hands. And the company actually still makes something similar in their Tribute series; the latest is based on the 3603 which has shock protection.

The Molnija movement is basically a copy of a Cortebert movement as used e.g in Rolex watches from around 1940. The Russians improved accuracy of the movement quite a bit when they upgraded it to their 18 jewels version of the movement but the basic design remained the same until the closure of the factory in 2007.

Molniya 3602 front

This was a really interesting return to where it began for me two years ago. The 3602 was the first movement I fully stripped down and rebuilt.

I swapped the dial out for the one I originally discounted as “a bit old-fashioned” and found the hour hand was so flush to the dial I’m surprised it ran at all. On closer inspection I found the hour wheel tube to be very short. Fortunately I’ve built up a nice collection of sparesfor this movement and quickly found a suitably long replacement.

They very often have broken balance wheels as they have no shock protection, so if you can fix balances you are onto a winner; otherwise you may have to buy a few donors to make a good one.

Molniya 3602 front

Tools

Molniya 3602 tools

References

ST3621: “Red hand… spells DANGER!” [7 December 2023]

A Seagull clone of the 6498. It sounds like a rework of the 6497, putting the seconds at 6 o’clock; but the movement is actually a little more open – you can see the escape wheel nicely – and this clone has more interesting finishing.

ST3621 front

I do like this black PVD case, but in hindsight I would go for the slightly larger crown: it’s a little tricky to wind and pull out even though I haven’t cut the stem right up to the case. And the case clamps are quite fiddly: I find it easier to fit with the movement angled almost vertically, poking the clamp beneath the lip (bend towards the dial) before putting it flat and fitting the screw.

The whole build is around 120 bucks for the parts and I’ve chucked it on a nice Hirsch strap. I bought three sets of hands so I could use one of each colour: if you’re being picky you’ll notice the seconds hand is a slight different yellow to the numbers on the dial… but hey, we’re amongst friends!

ST3621 rear

Tools

Only one screwdriver required for this build to release the stem and fit the case clamps.

ST3621 tools

Not to be skimped on (Swiss)

Can be skimped on (eBay)

Nice to have

Movements references

NH35A: “B&H Pool Cruiser” [27 September 2023]

This is my first NH35A build. I just wanted to get a feel for it given the abundance of mod kits for these Seiko movements.

£60 for the parts, probably the same again on tools.

NH35A front

Initially I was confused by the dial feet spacing so I removed the plastic movement spacer. Do not do this! Unless you want to disassemble the calendar works to get it back on again. However, having done this, I was surprised to discover how many plastic components are in there.

The dial comes with extra feet for other movements, but these can simply be twisted off with an old pair of blunt tweezers. This does leave little nubs that will stop the dial laying flat but the dial is soft and they can quickly be ground off with sandpaper. The feet you need to remove are those with the smallest gap between them.

NH35A rear

I have to say, this movement does feel a little cheap compared to an ST3600, say, but it is also pretty rugged. I actually thought I’d broken it putting the dial side back together and then didn’t follow the usual precautions: subsequently lost an index and bent a hand… but when I realised what I’d done I popped the cots back on and continued properly! (I’d fitted one of those plastic wheels upside down so you couldn’t adjust the hands.) Finally, you don’t need the extra movement spacer that came with the case, nor does this movement require a dial washer.

In conclusion: this case looks cool but it feels very poor quality: the bezel tolerance is particularly bad. But it was a fun little project that will stay in the collection.

Tools

If I hadn’t cocked up the spacer I wouldn’t have needed a screwdriver at all. But I used a Bergeon 30080 screwdriver, red (1.2mm) to remove the calendar works… although it might actually be a 1.4mm.

NH35A tools

Not to be skimped on (Swiss)

Can be skimped on (eBay)

Nice to have

ST3600: “BigDeano” [28 August 2023]

Disclaimer: any resemblance to watches real or imagined is entirely intentional.

ST3600 front

You can fund the whole build and tools for not too much over £100.

The ST3600 is an inexpensive but nice-looking ETA 6497 clone. I bought the movement, case, dial and hands separately on eBay. Make sure to buy a 37mm dial and not 38.9mm (which I bought first in error but still used the hands).

ST3600 rear

Components

All sourced from eBay.

Tools

You don’t need many tools for this build… in theory. But I ended up dropping a case clamp into the movement and doing a complete disassembly to retrieve it. And I did this twice! So, if all goes well, here’s the minimum set of tools required:

ST3600 tools

Not to be skimped on (Swiss)

Can be skimped on (eBay)

Notes

Whilst on paper this is a simple build, the case clamps are particularly fiddly and need to be fitted with the movement in the case (unlike a vintage Omega 601, for instance, which can be swung out of the way). With the movement in the case, really get in with the loupe to understand where the lip of the case is; you can press the movement gently into the case to make a little space for the clamp. And with a bit of luck you’ll get the screw in.

Once the balance is spinning, tighten the clamps and make sure it doesn’t stop with pressure from compressing the dial.

There is talk of these movements coming out of the factory unlubricated, but that’s a whole different story, see watchmaker resources for an introduction to oiling.

Omega 131.019 gold-plated

30463681 (1970), cal 601, worn crown, crystal loose, case back a mess… however, good amplitude so full service not required.

Replaced the case back with a NOS original and fitted new crystal: 30.8mm, 3.5mm height (Sternkreuz Sku: MG3011-308).

Omega 131.019

Rone 34mm FHF ST-96 11.5’’’

I think this might be my rite of passage.

Rone Countryman

Bought for 25 bucks four months ago, and it just had a slippy mainspring. So, I attempted a service and immediately the cannon pinion evaporated. Ordered a donor and broke two escape wheel pinions on the rebuild. OK, ordered a second doner. When that arrived I serviced the keyless works and sent the yoke spring into orbit. No worries, I have another… also sent that one to the Moon. But wait… I found the first on my pants! Right, on the home stretch, located the case and movement spacer from months previous and it’s back together, looking exactly like it did when I bought it! But I have grown as a human being.

Raketa 2609.HA 11.5’’’

Solid Soviet-era watch, 38mm, just needs a little love.

Mr. Jones “The Accurate”

An actual quartz repair!

£145 RRP – see website – which is quite surprising given I bought a whole new movement with battery for £9.