Noname-Optel - repair/disassembly/misc questions

[peachykeen]

Hello there,

I've received this Optel watch today. Apparently not a DSM, it's the LCD model only -- but for the price I paid I'm not complaining.
It came without a strap and pretty much gunked up with a solid brown layer of nicotine. Wiping it with washing benzine, alcohol and Ballistol oil got rid of most of the dirt, but it still needs some decent scrubbing as you can see in the pictures. Anyways, I was surprised to see it fire up after adding a battery and so far it keeps time well -- as far as I can tell after 2.5 hours.

Some questions:
- Has this case been used by some known brand? It looks different than the Optel watches I've so far seen.
- The bracelet has a somewhat odd 19mm which I so far only found on Seiko watches and some 1970's Swiss made LCDs. I've added a bracelet I had lying around but I'm unsure whether it looks "right" on the watch. What type of bracelets was originally used on these watches?
- As you can see, the display is still more or less readable, but it shows some signs of bleeding in the upper right corner and the segments are quite uneven if you look at them at an angle. Is this a serious sign of decomposition or is the display still to be considered "good"? I remember having read about some forum member who supposedly still has some displays in stock, but I can't find the post any more. Whom should I contact for a new display?
- I would like to give the case another good scrub to get rid of the remaining gunk. How do I remove the movement from the lower half of the case?
- How to remove the crystal in case I fancy buffing the faceplate?






Thank you!

[BENRUS]

Hello , Welcome to the forum!

I think you have a rare example. I'v dug through most OPTEL WATCH posted Internet pictures, and have yet to see this version with the running/time setting insructions on back plate.
The original watch band may have just been a leather strap like the Walchron model.
Greg Zanoni is the son of Louis Zanoni. Greg has kindly provided some of us members here with replacements parts for purchase. You would have to contact him to see if, and what he has available for sale by eMail (I will send you a PM with address).
I would totally use that display you have until it gets worse
For removing the movement, you should see 3 screws (Don't count the trimmer screw, and don't adjust that one).
There is one to the left of the display thats a little hard to get to carefully, and there are 2 more visible screws...1 at the top right above display, and 1 at the far bottom right. Just noticing yours has an extra screw where the battery contact is, Both my examples are soldered...No screws (so you might have to remove that 1 too).
The crystal should press out from front-to-back, It is tension set.

Very nice watch in my opinion, and I would love to see more pictures when you get it cleaned up more.

Thanks for posting here!

Here's that other thread you mentioned about display replacement: viewtopic.php?f=37&t=6265

[peachykeen]

Thanks a lot for the instructions. I'll give it a try next weekend.
I'm a bit concerned about the crown because it looks like a one-piece construction to me and I have no clue how to pull it out of the case. On all the other pictures of Optel modules I saw so far, the crown seemed to be made of two parts, one half that sticks through the case and another half that's affixed to the module, with both halves connected via sawtooth shaped disks, i.e.: http://www.crazywatches.pl/images/uploa ... mlcd5a.jpg

[elceedee]

A beautifull vintage, this Optel, Congrats!

[Kasper]

closed i can think of as shape is a lcd from Mido.

[peachykeen]

Hello Kasper,

closed i can think of as shape is a lcd from Mido.

Yes, but it's a lot bigger. The size is the same as the more common Optel watches with rounded corners. I wonder if it's some kind of an early model. The missing battery hatch and the screwed internal battery terminal instead of a soldered one make me think it could be some first design approach that was later on discarded in favor of the much more convenient design with an external battery hatch. It's so far actually the only Optel watch with this movement and case construction I've ever seen.

[azimuth_pl]

hi and welcome,
I love that design of your Optel watch.
the movement is typical Optel but the case is 99% EPSA Swiss (unless it is stamped somewhere).
I don't believe it is an early discarded design as it's a Field Effect type so if it would be early it would more than likely have a DSM.

in my opinion this is a Swiss assembly made to decrease production cost to minimum and made from an Optel USA module and Swiss case.
bear in mind that private-label production is as old as mankind:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_label
depending on supplier contracts a product is either combined from parts and sold to a private label as a complete product ready to be resold...
...or certain components are provided to the private label party for assembly (either inhouse or outsourced assembly).

the battery clamp with screw must have been a cheaper solution as the case manufacturer did not have to drill a hole and add a hatch.
moreover the battery clamp is Swiss made ESA identical to the ones used Omega 1250 or 1300 calibre.

the crown also appears to be a cheaper solution as it is held in the case with the clamp affixed with screw in bottom right corner.
not sure if this solution is much cheaper but we would need to see a close-up of the crown assembly.

the other Optel watches had two crown types as shown on my site - either press-fitted or threaded:

[peachykeen]

Hello,

there we go. I started disassembling the watch and took some more pictures.

Module taken out of the still pretty dirty case.


Back side. The module has a 5202 chip, which means it's for Field Effect displays only. The chips are dated 11th and 16th week of 1974. The crown is indeed of the "cheaper" kind.


Case stamping. I'm wondering what logo they removed on top of the patent number:


Case soaking in hot water with added rinsing agent. Putting the parts into an ultrasonic cleaner didn't help, so I guess I have to do the good old approach of soaking them and brushing them with a toothbrush.


Shortly after the last picture, I noticed that the screw terminal at the opposite side of the crown fell off. I hope I can fix it with superglue once the case is clean and dry.

That's all for today.

[azimuth_pl]

Thanks for the pics, would you mind showing the crown clamp and crown assembly in more detail (zoom) to have a comparison against the standard types?
The screw terminal that got loose must not be glued but be press-fitted to the caseback - but only in case it is connected with a solder point on the electronic substrate.

The case has an EPSA logo but the one that was removed was very likely from another private-label.
It is not uncommon for companies to resell their dead-stock to third parties who modify the product to resell with a new logo.
This happened with many tuning fork ESA watches sold in the 70's by Omega to Titus and also the Bulova Thermatron was recalled from market, modified and resold by another company by repainting the logo on a watch dial ;)

PS. be careful when brushing the acrylic crystal with painted black mask....it's nitro-cellulose paint that peels off easily after so many years (in most case).

[peachykeen]

I tried pressing the screw terminals (a second one got loose as well) back into place but they are becoming loose again as soon as I screwed the module back in place.
One more issue that concerns me: I found it difficult to snap the case together without making the watch stop running. As soon as it snapped together, the colon stopped blinking and the watch would just sit there showing the time without advancing any further. It took a number of approaches until I managed to close the case without stopping the watch.

Thanks for the remark concerning the crystal. The paints stayed in place, but I've not been able to push it out of the case and I don't want to crack it by using too much force.
As matters stand right now, I guess it's best to leave the case as is. I would love to see it polished and brushed, but without a way to remove the crystal, that won't be possible. I don't want to damage the crystal.

Anyways, if I feel like tinkering around a little more, I'll open it again and I'm gonna try to take the pictures of the crown assembly.

[azimuth_pl]

first punch the terminals with a hammer and then install and punch them in place and they will fit :)
be careful with closing the case as you might easily crack the LCD panel.
either way, if you're not lucky you can always send the watch over to Poland for a free rebrush.

[peachykeen]

first punch the terminals with a hammer and then install and punch them in place and they will fit :)
be careful with closing the case as you might easily crack the LCD panel.
either way, if you're not lucky you can always send the watch over to Poland for a free rebrush.

Thanks for the info and the offer to rebrush it. I'm having a talk with my local watchmaker to see if he's interested in touching up the case. If he doesn't show any interest, I'll most definitely come back to you