Stocker & Yale

Just got this. Crown missing. Looks like the stem
is present. Can't wind it. Probably does not run.
Does anyone know how the movement comes out of the
case. Front I'm guessing? Is it worth repair?

Roger

Looks like it was made in 1991

Nice Swiss made Stocker & Yale Sandy 490 Series I, military watch with the ETA 2801 manual wind 17 Jewel, hack sweep seconds with Tritium low radioactive green glowing hands. They were under contract and used in the 1st Gulf War & Desert Storm Era.

The crystal holds the movement in place in the case. You have to take a sharp knife and carefully pry up between the crystal and the crystal ring, going in small steps completely around the case. Then remove the plug from the back of the case and release the crown. The movement will then fall out of the case. The bezel ring is also a pry off, but they can be pretty tight. Its easier to remove the crystal if you can first remove the bezel ring.

They generally sell working for $150-400 depending on condition on the market. Worth fixing ? Maybe-maybe not depending on many things, including the owner...

regards,
bb

These plastic cased watches were not made to be taken apart and repaired - they were meant to be tossed out when they stopped working and a new one was given as a replacement. I am not sure that they can be taken apart without damaging the case. Also, I see that this one was manufactured in December, 1981. The tritium in the tubes will have become relatively dim by now. Tritium is three hydrogen atoms together in one molecule and it has a small degree of radioactivity. The half-life of pure tritium is about 12.5 years but the tritium in the little tubes you see in tritium watches like this one tends to be a bit less than pure so the half-life is more like 10 years. Half-life means the time it takes for the radioactivity to decay by 50 percent. So a watch made with tritium tubes in 1981 will have had its tritium gas in its tubes decay by over 3.5 half-lives making it somewhere around 7 or 8 percent of its original intensity. Even if you could get the crystal off without damaging the case, the cost of fresh new tritium tube fitted hands alone would likely be more than the watch is worth as a used watch (freshly made tritium sells for around $30,000 per gram). My suggestion is that you enjoy your watch as it is, and if you would like one in good working condition (though with very faded tritium tubes) they seem to be plentiful on Ebay for around $150.