turn the ring from brass will be what I will do first.

Cleaned up and running. Now I need some hands a crystal and the back crystal.

Dial side -

Nice!

This is a great running little watch.
Does anyone want to fit some hands and crystal for me?

Amazing transformation!!!!

Regard! Mark

what is the size of front glass?

Great job Dave,

Interesting little watch, thank you for sharing it with us. Paul-T

Nice job on the clean up Dave. Look forward to seeing it completed. If for some reason Peter cannot come up with a crystal for the back. (I am sure he will) I can help you out.

Thanks guys,
I'll try to get the measurements, but be forewarned: my measuring skills are questionable. I gave up on trying to replace crystals myself. They never fit!

Here's what I have based on my measurements, (which translates = close!)
Crystal 41.5mm
backside viewing port, including brass ring 18mm

hour hand .077" 1.9558mm
minute hand .0283 .71882mm
second hand maybe .5mm

I'd like to farm this job out.

Did ya get the rotating back scenes disk in place and does it work/rotate correctly ?

regards,
bb

Yes sir, it does.

This was a fairly simple task, once I was sure that disc was just press fit over the pivot post.

Great, well get Peter to turn you a brass insert and fit the two crystals and you should have a $1K watch. Now if the disk paintings were somewhat more "revealing" and were still sharp, you would have a $2K watch !! Retail figures of course...

Those gun metal cases can be polished and re-blued with a good quality over the counter cold blue liquid application that is used on guns.

regards,
bb

Nice job Dave!

Tim

Sounding good. I've found one example for sale on the net for $1950 or best offer, but I don't know how realistic that is, and have seen no others to compare it to.

Here's the back, but the case obviously needs attention.

Good news! Found the back bezel and crystal!

I knew it was there when My brother in law gave it to me over the holidays. But, when I got it out at home I could not find it. Thought I'd looked everywhere and it was gone forever.

Now we're in business. On to the hands crystal and rebluing of the case.

Dave, cleaning and re-establishing successful operation of that cylinder movement does your skills great justice. The same care should earn you a Rare collectible. The crystal and hands should not be too great a task.

Dave,

This is an unbelievable transformation! Very nice job! If you strike out on the glass crystal, I can make one for you no problem.

Again, I'm totally amazed that a watch that recently looked practically hopeless with all that rust and glue everywhere turned out so beautiful. The rotating "sexy girl" through the little movie window is super-groovy; I've never seen one of those before.

William

Thanks Dave and William,
This old watch was actually trying to run before I ever started on it. And after cleaning it. I don't see many Colibri movements, but this one has impressed me. It runs well.
Think I'll study blueing processes and see if I dare attempt that on this old case. I won't do anything irreversible for sure.
I'll keep you in mind for the crystal William, but I'd like to send the watch to someone for both fitting of hands and crystal at the same time.
The only hands example I have found is this one:

Got the hands and crystal installed. Case still needs bluing, but it doesn't look bad the way it is.
The picture pronounces all the case defects.

Here she is:

nice great job.

Dave
You have made this metal that was all most lost,
that you hope it to be a watch.
That Very Great work that you put in, I would say was a lot of hours.
Now you have a Great Time Piece.
Way to go Dave.

James

Another classic drug back from the edge of the grave!

BEAUTIFUL job!

HIGH regard! Mark

Nice project Dave,

Makes me wonder how many watches I passed on because they didn't catch my eye at the antique store or flea market.

I'm attracted to the real eyesores. Always hoping I can bring 'em back.

As I may have mentioned, this one belongs to my brother in law, who found it in a pile of junk in the garage, left by his father.

He wants it back now!

Dave,

Tell your brother that he can have it back ...for $5,000! What a great job! This thread is rich with visual drama!

William

Yea right!

Unfortunate part is, He only sees the sentimental value of it.

Oh well, I thoroughly enjoyed the project and the comments here it generated.

Thanks guys.

Dave,

I got caught in a similar deal with my folks. I worked out a deal with them that they could have "their" watch back... but that everyone in the family understood, it comes to me when they pass.

R/Pault

Paul, I've been watching a LOT of Agatha Christie mysteries this past week, so I hope you can understand why your last sentence bothers me.



Regard! Mark