6139 Pulsations - back from service

[leffemonster]

My inherited 6139-6020 Pulsations has now been returned from having a full service and crystal replacement. 'Before' photo with cracked crystal replicated below -



And with the replacement crystal fitted, as worn today -



Many, many thanks to Simon (aka siralan) for carrying out the work over the weekend and doing an absolutely superb job. I'm new to this game so don't have the detailed technical knowledge to write a full post on the work that was necessary, so hopefully Simon will do that at some point soon. However, even with my limited knowledge I appreciate that getting the watch from a position of running with an amplitude of 134 pre-service to 210 post-service shows the benefit of stripping down and cleaning these vintage timepieces.

As a newcomer I found it fascinating reading the updates from Simon, including photos of each component at each stage of the work. I had no idea that the internal components could get so dirty, or even how many components there are in what is, when all said and done, a mass-produced watch. It's a shame it hasn't got the original bracelet as I think it would look better with one, but I realise that these aren't easy to find and probably command a premium price. As a non-collector I'd be happy with a non-original but guess they're hard to find as well!

So again, many, many thanks Simon for helping get my late father-in-law's watch back to full health. I'm now the very proud owner of a very nice looking watch that, so far, has kept almost perfect time.

Regards, 

Nick 

[Groundhog66]

Looks great, hopefully Simon will chime in with the details!

[trandy]

I love that watch....simply superb.

[tritto]

Fantastic outcome Nick. Looks like that crystal polished up a treat :-)

[SeikoPsycho]

She's a Beauty Nick!

Nice work Simon.......

[siralan]

When Nick gave me his watch to work on I was slightly nervous because despite some external signs of wear the dial was in superb condition and being an early '69 6139A model it has the two piece chrono hand. That said I was also very confident that I could improve it by fitting a new crystal (that Nick supplied), cleaning it up and giving it the full service it needed.

The first thing I did was to take the back off. It was on REALLY tight - you know, the tight that makes you wonder if it will come off at all and if it does,  can you avoid the tool slipping and scratching the caseback.

It came off, just at the point where I was going to have to think about an alternative plan - and no slips.

Inside was a pretty clean movement - not pristine, but much cleaner than many I've seen. I do love this part as it's like opening a wrapped up present.




The next thing I did was to fully wind the mainspring and pop the watch on the timegrapher to see how it was running




not great - but to be honest I wasn't unhappy because I was sure I could improve on these figures and it also justified the need for a service.

Having established a good baseline I went on to strip the watch down. The case and pushers were very dirty - again nothing unexpected and at least an indication that the watch hasn't been molested in the past.






then out with the movement




which despite a bit of tarnishing on the hands from the lume is in superb condition.

Then, off with the bezel (see the groove at 12pm)




and we're almost there




the last thing was to push the acrylic crystal out (with tension ring, so no gaskets), being careful of the internal plastic tachy ring. 




this is in perfect condition.

So, at this point we have a collection of parts




and it was time to start the cleaning process - into a hot bath.




while these were soaking I tackled the most scary part (for me) - removing the hands. With the 6139 I remove the three hands together with a presto type tool,  having first aligned them to 12pm.






phew!! - perfect.

Underneath the dial everything looks good - the printing is still crisp and bright.




flipping over and with the rotor removed the movement looks equally good - just a little rubbing from the rotor on the chrono bridge.



 
there is the to be expected build up of dried oil and dirt








but this looks good




there is the all to familiar black paste on the mainspring barrel (both upper and lower)







and in the mainplate lower bush - thankfully the lower bush doesn't have any major wear 




the pallet jewels are very dirty




here's the full set of movement parts, prior to cleaning




and the mainspring, barrel and arbor




this was a good start and I was looking forwards to the next steps.

[siralan]

The case, pushers, springs and crown/stem assembly cleaned up very nicely






and after this, just about every movement part gets cleaned first in essence of renata, then with rodico. I repeat this until the part is completely free of visible dirt / oil. This is an iterative process with most parts (except the screws) getting at least two goes.




I always find green crystallised oil in the centre chronograph wheel




this one was about the cleanest I've come across.

I always find the centre wheel teeth that are driven from the mainspring barrel are clogged deep with the black residue that builds up. I clean this with a very fine oiler, multiple baths in renata and rodico.

There is also a build up inside the shaft which cleans out nicely





it would be very easy to miss this level of dirt as the components are so small and the particles even smaller.








it's worth taking the time because I know that every component is as clean as it can be






the diashock assembly also gets cleaned using the same process.

Then the oil is applied




and the cap jewel replaced ready for later




here's the cannon pinion being cleaned - these are always very dirty (inside and out) but always come up nice and clean (unless rusty)




what you can also see in the bath are the tiny specs of chrome plating that come off. If these weren't removed then they would stay in the movement and accelerate wear.

These are all nice and clean now




so next I oil the centre chronograph wheel




I find that the oil (Moebius 9010) is drawn into the inner shaft without needing to depress it (as per the tech manual).

The mainplate and all four bridges get cleaned in the ultrasonic bath, dried and then cleaned in renata and then with rodico.






finally I clean the mainspring components. I use a lint free cloth for the spring itself and I use a cocktail stick with tissue paper to clean out the barrel.

The arbor always has dried caked on black grime which I have to pick off with the oiler.








this is always the messiest part of the cleaning operation but I figure if I'm going to do the full service its worth doing it completely.

[leffemonster]

Thanks for posting these Simon, I've enjoyed seeing the photos again and learning a bit more about what's inside the case and admiring the workmanship of those who made the watch and people like your good self who keep them ticking!

For info, I've worn it all week and it's gained about 20 seconds so far. Running sweet as a nut!

Nick

[siralan]

Here are a few pictures of the assembly






























the watch was quite heavily magnetised, including the hairspring. Here it is after several dips in renata, with several coils still sticking together.




so I demagnetised both the movement and the balance assembly






that's better




and here it is fitted and running




the final job before regulation is to clean and oil the top diashock




and then fully wind the mainspring and see what we've got .......






now that is a lot better.

I leave the movement running overnight to stabilise and let the oils disperse evenly. I love watching the trace improve and the amplitude increase. 




the next job was to fit new gaskets






and then to re-fit the hands - very very carefully.






Adrians VTA repro tool is perfect for this job.
 
Then re-fit the internal rotating ring




and press the new crystal home






Re-fitting the bezel on this style of watch (with a high dome crystal and very narrow bezel) is tricky. I don't have a die that is both wide enough and deep enough to fit over the crystal and reach the bezel, so my technique is to fit the bezel by hand, pushing it home using a nylon die.

and then re-case the movement and fit the crown/stem and the pushers (with gaskets greased)




and then re-fit the autowind framework




and the rotor




and a new caseback gasket




and that was it, job done.




I'm pleased to say that this job went 100% as good as it could (for me).

[SeikoPsycho]

Great write up and tutorial Simon, as always!

Fantastic results!

[69ChevelleSS]

I am amazed by the guys that can actually work on these incredibly small pieces of intricate engineering!  I can't even imagine how small the screws and bits are.  I know that I'd have parts flying all over the place!

I have another hobby and that is collecting 1:18 scale models.  Part of my joy comes from detailing lower priced models and making them look like higher priced ones.  Even with a magnifying head set, I find that my fat fingers often drop small stuff on the floor, never to be found again.

Thanks VERY much for sharing this tear down and re-build.  God bless you for having the skills and patience to successfully disassemble and reassemble something this complex (and small)!

[stuart]

Great job and fantastic looking watch

I have a couple of 6139's to work on but I've been putting them off due to the extra complication of the movement, I need to wait for a weekend where I'm feeling especially relaxed

[C4L18R3]

That is a great watch with amazing work put into it!

I envy you guys who are able to understand and do this sort of work. It is amazing how much detail goes on at that scale