Hello everyone! This is No from Matsuno Watch Shop.
As you know, Matsu and I work together, but Matsu started feeling unwell after me. He said he was having difficulty breathing, so I told him to go to the hospital, but the examination revealed that he had gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Does esophagitis affect breathing? I had a urine test done just to be sure, and they said, "You have sugar," hahaha. ...No, it's T urine. It's commonly known as T... Aren't you piling up? Reflux esophagitis (severe), gout, chronic diarrhea (severe), farsightedness, and T urine? That's a full count of adult diseases.
Matsu's air conditioner broke down last summer, and he's trying to get through this summer's heatwave without one, but he can't beat it if it suddenly breaks down. Why don't you at least buy a new air conditioner? It'll make people think that you're a bad company that's not making much profit.
Everyone, please take good care of yourself. I'm worried that you'll turn into dried fish if you don't come to work the day after a tropical night.
Well, I'm busy every day as usual, but today I'll show you some rare Valjoux watches and some Valjoux watches that are becoming a staple on my blog.
Valjoux 89 Breitling Tri-Calendar Moon
It's an old Breitling Tri-Calendar Moon. Triple calendar + moon phase. It doesn't have a chronograph so it's simple, but it's about boys' size, so I think it's less than 35 mm (I didn't measure it, sorry). The smaller it is, the more troublesome it tends to be. I'm not saying it's troublesome. I'm just saying it tends to be troublesome.
The condition is quite serious: the accuracy has improved considerably, the calendar sometimes does not change properly, and the moon sometimes stops in a strange position.
I've done a lot of work on Valjoux, but this is the first time I've done an 89. I looked around to see if there were any parts, but there weren't any. That's to be expected.
First, the time part
This is the barrel, which is the part that holds the mainspring. If you remove the spring and let it spin freely, it will wobble. The barrel must have some clearance (space? gap? margin?) vertically and horizontally, but as it wears down over time, the clearance becomes larger and the watch will wobble. Normally, it would be replaced with a new one, but the part is not available.
Filling the holes
We use a chisel to fill in holes that have become larger due to wear. If we hit it too hard, it will break, so we fill it in gradually while keeping an eye on the balance. We hit it a little, assemble it, hit it a little more, and assemble it again, repeating this process. See, it's not just annoying, it's time-consuming.
Now that the time mechanism is finished (no photos), let's move on to the calendar.
This is the part related to the calendar on the dial side. I removed it, but the wheels for the day of the week, month, and moon phase are attached to the scratched screw holes. The reason why this is scratched is that the female screw has worn down from repeatedly tightening and loosening the screw, and it no longer fits the screw.
If it doesn't bite, it's loose, so I'm tapping the screw holes to tighten it so that it bites. But it's getting close to its limit. It would be best to replace this plate, but... well, that's not an option.
Can you see what's changed?
Yes, the screw holes that had worn down were reinforced. The screw holes were first machined out. A brass rod with a hole drilled in it (a cut pipe) was then hammered in. It was quite a difficult job, as the height also needed to be adjusted.
For now, if we go this far, we can just cut the tap and it will become a screw hole. The reason the month display didn't work was because the female screw was loose and we forced it in, causing the wheel to tilt. Okay, time for the tap...
There is no tap...
Taps are made of metal to cut metal (hard to understand), so they are very hard. The same goes for dies. So if you force them, they will snap and break right away.
I couldn't find a tap with the right degree size, so I had no choice but to make one. Cut the threads into a stainless steel rod with a die, add a relief line, and temper it to create a simple tap. It's not very reliable for stainless steel, but since it's brass, it's OK even if it's simple.
This is how you set up the taps.
In the photo, the watch has a moon phase, so the holes being threaded are for making the screw holes that hold the lever that fast-forwards the moon phase. If one screw hole is damaged, the other screw holes will also deteriorate.
Try turning the car on
Let's try putting each wheel on and see how it works. You'll notice a brass washer on the right side. This is an extra washer.
It's now in good condition, so I'll assemble it.
For now, it's in shape, so I'll keep an eye on it for a while. What bothers me is that the pin that controls the moon phase is pretty worn out. Normally, it would be pretty difficult to fix it without the parts, but if it doesn't work properly, I'll just have to reset the pin, I wonder if that can be fixed. It's pretty difficult.
It would be nice if we knew from the beginning how difficult it would be (not good), but the repair cost for now is about 20,000 yen. Yes, we are providing the screws and such for free! But if we knew in advance, that would be good. But that's okay, thank you for using our service!
The next classic? The Valjoux 72C
A classic? 72C is a Tri-Cal Chronograph. Hmm, I guess it's just a matter of getting used to it, but it's still difficult. I'll do my best. This particular watch was requested from outside the prefecture. In addition to this Valjoux, I have also been asked to make subs and other watches. Thank you!
As for the condition, first of all, there is no crown. Hmm, I see. It is immediately obvious that there is no crown, but the tube on the receiving case is also missing. Did the tube get stuck to the crown and disappear with it, or was it never there in the first place? When I try to match it with the vintage crowns I have in stock, I definitely need a tube.
Let's make it.
Drilling holes into a stainless steel rod. I feel like I'm using a lathe every day.
Something like this
The tube is in three stages. I wonder why, even though I'm sure I measured the size. Well, actually, I found a ready-made tube that seemed to fit. It was a waste to drill holes. It's quicker to modify a ready-made product. The crown is a used, but vintage crown.
I ordered it from the US as an assortment. The current crown does not have this shape, it is thicker and ruins the design. Even if it is used, this one is definitely recommended.
Let's make a core
I thought there would be at least a core (the part that connects the crown to the mechanism) for the Valjoux 72, but there were none in Japan. Not only the local material stores, but none in Tokyo either. So I searched overseas to see if there was one...and there was, in France.
I thought you should send it right away, but you're on vacation. I'm on vacation now. I don't know when it will be, so I'll make it myself. I should have made it from scratch. It's a pain though.
Finished!
Actually, I have made the cores for the Valjoux 72 several times. The feature is that there is a big difference between the thick and thin ones. It's a bit pointless, isn't it? Indeed. But if it's not thick enough, it can wobble, so you have to make it very carefully. ...I'm sure there are people out there who feel the same way. I often see the cores being worn down when the crown is pulled out due to the considerable force applied.
From the time-of-day clock
The barrel is deteriorating, but I'll try assembling it as is for now. If the inside of the barrel and the core are not worn out, I'll continue to use it as is. There are few parts in circulation.
Problems discovered as they were put together
The photo shows the escape wheel and the fourth wheel. The ruby that supports the axis of the fourth wheel was cracked, so I replaced it. I wrote that I would replace it simply, but since there is no genuine one, it is difficult to find a matching stone.
Completed after omitting a lot of details
I put it together, but when I try to use the chronograph it stops... grrrrr. If it stops right away it could be that the gears are not meshing well together, but it stops at a certain point.
I thought something was wrong, so I looked at it and found that some of the teeth on the chronograph runner were deformed. Well, it would be best to replace the gears if possible, but for now I'll adjust it and see how it goes.
Tri-Cal side
We will also do a running test on this model to see how it goes. Since we make adjustments while watching the situation, it will take time for older models. Parts that would normally be deteriorating... Normally, there aren't any in 2018. Anyway, thank you for using our service!
Of course, we don't just repair Valjoux watches. We do a variety of repairs. Please feel free to contact us by email with your requests! We are always busy with repairs, but we do our best to accommodate as many as we can. As much as we can.
The other day I went out to eat with my younger brother for his birthday. He is a fisherman, farmer and surfer. When I asked him if he was busy lately, he said, "Yeah, I have to dig a well tomorrow." What? Did he join a group or something? "In the old days, I dug my own wells, so I dig wells." I kind of get it, but I don't.
Apparently they dig wells in the fields, but I wonder if there are people in Japan today who dig their own wells. Well, I'm not one to want to emulate this kind of reckless energy.
Adios! 
(It seems to be an emoji for a well.)