Sandoz LCD

[charger105]

Hi All.
I recently picked up this Sandoz LCD:





I was very surprised at the marvellous quality of this watch. It's very heavy SS. Notice the setting buttons on the back !

Does anyone have any info on this watch ?
Does anyone know how to get the back of this watch ? There doesn't seem to be a cutaway groove to get a caseback knife into.

Unfortunately the left digit is all black (LCD bleed ?), but the other digits are pretty good and it seems to be running well. Can anyone help with a new display ?

Rgds,
Andrew.

[rewolf]

Very nice one
I have some photos of this model from an ebay auction in July 2005 - back then I bid 50€ for it and didn't win...
I guess the back is pop-off, from the photos I have I can't see any other way.
The module and thus the LCD could be Optel (just a guess).

[charger105]

I got the back off......it was snap-on, but with no helpful groove !
The module was attached to the back via 3 steel posts, and 3 tiny circlips. Here are some pictures. Note the exposed wire-bonds on the IC and the degraded display.





Rgds,
Andrew.

[charger105]

Well I finally got a replacement display for this beauty ! It's now running and displaying perfectly.

Sandoz1.jpg

I've only ever seen one of these before, on Peter Wenzig's site.........they must be fairly thin on the ground.
Although it's not marked, I think it is an Optel manufactured module. It uses the same display an Optel module uses anyway.

Rgds,
Andrew.

[moonraker]

bit of an old post to resurrect but i wonder where you got the new lcd?
i have been looking for one for a while for this: -

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/7926/imgp1317hy2.jpg

yours is the first watch i have seen with the same module (i took a while to get the back off too!)

i love the look of this watch and really want to get it going?

Thanks

[Adam]

Just to join in on this module I have a Waltham here with the same module and a working Elgin on its way that even though its gold has a great coffin shaped body a bit like the Sandoz. Moonraker looks like from chargers answer you need to find yourself a working optel lcd.

will post pics when it arrives.

Adam

[Huertecilla]

that even though its gold

Solid gold or gold plated?

[Adam]

gold plated, I could never afford a gold one.

Adam

[moonraker]

yep, it needs a new LCD alright. As far as i can tell the module is exactly the same as Chargers, so where ever he got his is where i need to get mine....

There is a name on the back of the lcd, its a company that is still in business (i forget the name) dont suppose i would be able to get one from them though!

[charger105]

Hi Moonraker.
Any of the back-set models should have this display. It's also the same display as the Optel stem-set watches too (i.e. Optcom, Segtronic etc.). It'd be a shame to scavenge a display from a nice old stem setter though.

Keep an eye out on Ebay for a back-set or stem set watch with the diamond colons. You may find watches with diamond colons that are side-button set.......these cannot be used.

Degradation on these displays is usually visible when powered down (just like yours !), in my experience. So if you see one on Ebay that looks good, it probably will be.

You can get gold tinged or silver tinged ones too. Make sure you get the right one or it'll look odd.
Rgds,
Andrew.

[Huertecilla]

In 1968 Sandoz (with Avia and Invicta) took over Waltham.

The intercompanie ties were incredible.
Three other Swiss companies; SSIH, Landis&Gey, Gebefina financially participated in Optel.

Through other paticipations like in USUAG and SGT conglomerates the ties come together.

Sandoz LED/LCD had Waltham made modules.
Sandoz had a model with a DSM display and the Optel TNFE display was a simple a change over.

The Optel TNFE module is exactly that; a DSM module with a display upgrade. That explains the diamond shaped seperators.
The Optel made display was the easiest upgrade and probably easy to outsource.

It makes these modules VERY interesting.
If I remember correctly they both have an IC and a transformer delivering 7 Volt to the display.

[Huertecilla]

There is a name on the back of the lcd, its a company that is still in business (i forget the name) dont suppose i would be able to get one from them though!

Try http://www.zantechinc.com/store/about-us.php

[Huertecilla]

gold plated, I could never afford a gold one.

I asked because there seem to be no 18k lcd watches save for óne very limited model but one never knows.

[charger105]

I recently acquired another nice Swiss back-setter.
Here's the Ebay image:

titus2.JPG

As you can see, the display was cooked.
I had a spare movement kicking around, so I replaced the whole movement, including the backplate. It's reasonably tricky to remove/install the display on these modules, so a complete movement swap was simplest.

titus1.jpg

It's a massive SS watch, and very heavy........... quite a lump on the wrist.
It needs a bit of a tidy up, but I really like this watch. The speckled background of the LCD is spot on.
Enjoy !
Rgds.