This time a very obscure watch on the bench. I couldn’t find any info about Marchal La Haye.
All I know is that it’s a 1940s dress watch with an AS 984 movement, a lovely dial with a railroad minute track, luminous sword hands, and hooded lugs.
It did run but only intermittently, so it’s in need of a service.
Here we go.
Founder & editor of WahaWatches. I’ve been collecting watches for years. My favourite part is to pull them to bits.
This Omega Seamaster Cosmic was a tough call.
The dial, hands, and the front of the case are in good condition but the back looks like it was used as a block plane.
During the inspection, it was immediately clear that it needed a service because the movement was very dirty. I also noticed that the sweep second pinion friction spring needed to be replaced because it was badly distorted. The crystal also needed to be replaced.
Based on the condition, the initial verdict was that this watch wasn’t worth the time and money. The owner would sell it as is.
However, it pains me to see a non-runner. Especially when it’s a watch like an Omega that would be a good runner with some love and one tiny new part. I decided to ask around for a used spring in good condition.
Luckily, I was able to find one so here we go.
Founder & editor of WahaWatches. I’ve been collecting watches for years. My favourite part is to pull them to bits.
Another Buren Grand Prix on the workbench. I’ve had two close encounters with a Buren Grand Prix before. One of them even had the same movement, the Buren 1420.
This one is from the 1960s and in great condition. The case looks like new and it has the original signed crown. That’s the first time I’ve seen a signed crown on a Buren other than a micro-rotor one (Super Slender).
Sadly, it regularly stopped without an apparent reason and it didn’t keep accurate time. The amplitude was also much too low.
Founder & editor of WahaWatches. I’ve been collecting watches for years. My favourite part is to pull them to bits.
Cortebert is probably best known for their railroad watches. They supplied both the Turkish as the Italian railways, though they used the Perseo brand name for the Italian railroads.
T.C.D. Demiryolları is the Turkish State Railways (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları), so this watch was for the Turkish railroad system.
It’s powered by the Cortebert 739, which is a rebranded Unitas 6325 movement, a so-called “Wehrmachtswerk”.
The movement with the stem release button, mobile stud holder, and KIF shock protection date this watch to the late 1960s.
This Cortebert did run but the amplitude was very low and the watch gained a lot of time. The hands also seemed to be misaligned and you couldn’t feel any resistance while setting the hands.
Founder & editor of WahaWatches. I’ve been collecting watches for years. My favourite part is to pull them to bits.
This time, a service of a lovely DuBois 1875 dress watch. The case is chrome-plated but still in good condition with a diameter of 33 mm without the crown.
Lovely two-tone dial with Roman numerals and the original hands with some patina.
According to Mikrolisk, DuBois 1785 was founded in 1952 in Le Locle, Switzerland.
The movement is the FEF 190 with Incabloc shock protection and 15 jewels.
The watch had a very low amplitude and it was possible to wind it forever, which points to issues with the mainspring.
Founder & editor of WahaWatches. I’ve been collecting watches for years. My favourite part is to pull them to bits.
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