Restoration: Indus De Luxe with ETA 2391 Movement

I received this Indus De Luxe in a batch and I decided to restore it. It’s a front loader, which means that the bezel and crystal have to be removed to be able to lift the movement and dial out from the front. The movement is an ETA 2391 with a mobile stud and 17 jewels. I’d estimate this Indus to be a 60s watch.

Disassembly

I start by removing the power from the mainspring by moving and holding the click away from the ratchet wheel whilst letting the crown slip between the thumb and index finger. Then I remove the balance and the pallets. This is to avoid any damage caused when handling the wheel train later.

I flip the movement over to the dial side to start with the motion work. This model has a cannon pinion with a driving wheel that drives the 3rd wheel.

After the motion work and the keyless works have been disassembled I flip back to the other side again. I begin with lifting the ratchet wheel and crown wheel with the little shim. Don’t forget the click and click spring. After that, the barrel bridge can be removed.

Then, I lift the train wheel bridge to expose the train wheel. I find it useful to always take a picture of the train wheel, even if I’m not going to write an article. This way you can easily check how the wheels are supposed to interconnect. Even now I don’t really need it anymore, I still like to take a picture as backup.

After I lift all the wheels and the barrel, all the parts are cleaned in the watch cleaning machine. The mainspring had a broken bridle so I fitted a new one after I cleaned all the parts.

Assembly

As always, I start with the train wheel. Remember to fit the intermediate wheel before you replace the barrel.

Then I refitted all the wheels and the train wheel bridge. Remember to take care when you are installing the train wheel bridge. Then I start with the barrel bridge and the click with the click spring.

I then replace the shim and crown wheel and the ratchet wheel. After that, I continue with the dial side. The post for the setting wheel, return bar, and the cannon pinion all receive a tiny amount of Moebius 9501. I also use 9501 to lubricate the stem, clutch wheel, and winding pinion in the keyless works. After that, I flip the movement again to replace the pallets and the balance.

Then, I flip the movement again to reassemble the pallets and the balance.

After that, it’s just a case of fitting the hour wheel and the dial and then re-case the movement. It keeps very accurate time again with a powerful amplitude (+4 sec per day with an amplitude of 320 degrees).

What do you think of this Indus watch? Let me know in the comments below.