Here is a superb find! I really like Citizen Hisonic watches. They are running the Bulova Accutron 218 tuning fork movement under licence back in the 70s.
This one I bought in Japan with only poor photo to go on. Took a chance and when it arrived I was happy with the dail and that it had its original bracelet and clasp but it was in poor condtion and would need a really good clean. Some of the links on the bracelet were completely seized up with rust!
I took the caseback off to inspect the movement and was quite shocked by what I saw.
What a mess! Despite its appearance I figured it could still be possible to get this one back in order. It would all depend on the extent of that battery leak. If its got onto some critical components then I would be looking for donor parts. It was also at this point that I thought I should get the camera’s running on this one as its a good candidate for a YouTube video. You can watch the video of this rather epic restoration here:
I will now assume you have watched and enjoyed this video. Here are some macro shots of the Accutron index wheel. Remember this thing is 2.3mm dia, 0.001″ thick and has 360 teeth cut into it!
Here is the index pawl jewl assembly. Also gives an indication of just how small these components are.
Finally the case and its components are stripped, cleaned and lightly polished ready for assemby and to fit a new genuine Hisonic crystal.
Before I show you the final shot of the watch here are some closup shots of the index assembly. Fascinating engineering!
Here is one of my hairs from my head next to the index fingers. This is micro engineering at its finest.
