Restoration of 1950s Montrose Wristwatch

Brian's watch has made it through step 1 in the Walnut lab... takedown. Given how he'd explained it to me, I was really expecting to find something obviously wrong inside like a broken balance pivot, big clump of oil/grease but no, his dad really took care of this watch even after it stopped working. Aside from a little bit of loss of luster due to age, it was spectacularly clean inside.

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What I did find was dried up and crusty oils in the bearings. Maybe that's it? There are a few small pieces of dusty/fuz hanging around as well. I think the first step is going to be a good clean, probably replace the mainspring (it looks to be in ok condition but it looks like it has been rubbing metal on metal a bit as it expands and contracts causing some shiny spots. Since it is open, now is the best time to do it. Then reassemble with fresh oils and see where we stand. I do need to see how clean I can get that dial face though!

On a very positive note, I put the balance assembly back in place with the balance cock and mainspring and it oscillates very freely.

Here we go!

 

I forgot to add the the first mystery solved here is that the movement is based off of a Buren Calibre 410. At first I though perhaps it was an Omega given the 410 mark by the balance and that Montrose did use many of the movements as bases but the large “BAA” marking on the dial side of the mainplate was the dead give away.

 

Buren has a storied history and was known for its quality. At one point they were a member of the “Dirty Dozen”, a group of manufactures selected by the British MOD to manufacture wrist watches for soldiers during WWII. In 1966 they were bought by the Hamilton Watch Co. (American manufacturer) and quickly took over production of all Hamilton movements. They were no stranger to innovation either. I’m 1954 they patented the first micro-rotor automatic winding mechanism.

My opinion of the 410 based on what I see in your watch is that it is good quality movement for mid-range pieces. There are no rough/unfinished surfaces but there is also not an abundance of decoration. The holes drilled in bridges/cocks are all countersunk and those countersinks are polished. The staffs are completely finished, even on the surfaces that have no contact with other components. The Buren 410 though is a 15-Jewel movement whereas yours has had the center wheel pivots jeweled (lower friction throughout the going train) as well giving it the “17 J” designation.

 

I started cleaning (removing bulk oil/debris from the jewels with soft wood) and inspecting the parts (under the microscope) this weekend. There is definitely some crusty/dried oil on and around the jewels as I had said before but still nothing else obvious has jumped out at me for a reason it wouldn’t run.

I recently “repaired” another watch that had one tiny little piece of grease/dirt in the wrong place and after that was out (I thoroughly cleaned and oiled the rest of the watch as well, of course) it is running like a champ.

Only time will tell

 

Rich,
I love the heirloom jobs!
Good call on the mainspring, I was thinking 'something doesn't look right' just looking at the photo, before I read the text in your post. The crystal should polish out to like new. Be gentle with the dial, it would be tough to replace or recreate he original finish, but a light cleaning by hand should 'freshen' it up. Can you tell if the case was originally polished or did it have a brushed finish?
Regards,
Art S.

 

Brian,

The issue with the dial is that NOS is much more of a challenge than it is with movement parts and dial refinishing can have mixed results. I tend to be aggressive on restorations but, in this case, if Rich is both good and lucky and the dial cleans up a bit (dirt removed and maybe the applied numbers shined up), living with a bit of patina may be worth it. If the applied finish goes to hell when he pops the numbers off to clean it up, you may not have a choice.

Regarding the strap, personally, I think leather would be a nice juxtaposition to the atomic age design of the case. Maybe a dark brown or black alligator / croc.?

Regards,
Art S.

 

@walnut - forgive my ignorance, but I had no idea you did this. I may have some watches to send you and get some estimates from you in the near future. I have a couple of oldies that nobody seems to know how to fix.

I love to see old watches get restored!!


PDG

 

There is a tiny crack into the bottom of the crystal near the center of the edge. I am going to polish it up nicely and there should be some sort of filler that can leach into it to clear up the crack, but I've also got my eye out for an appropriate replacement. The case was/is polished.

Personally, I think a medium brown, alligator pattern leather strap would be a fantastic choice to go against the gold case and two-tone dial. That would change it a bit from how your dad wore it though. I replaced another in the past with one by a company called "Condor" and it seemed pretty good quality.

 

After cleaning I fit each wheel into its location to make sure it spins freely. Three of them on the Montrose did not. A couple of extra runs through the bath and it appears to be getting much better. It is almost as though there is a dried layer of old oil that has become so hardened that it won’t come off easily. This extra friction is certainly not helping. We’ll see if anything else pops up though.

 

There is a shop called Esslinger.com that carries several designs of expanding metal bands. Here is a link with one example.

 

I am slowly making progress on getting the dial cleaned up.

Before:
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After:
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The “dark” area turns out to just be a very dirty section. The middle has a light brushed nickel finish. The outer area has a slight pinkish hue and a grainy/sandy finish that apparently holds onto dirty really well.

 

Rich,
Try a dilute soap (dawn dishwashing liquid) and water mix. Then, if inadequate with soap, switch to lightly acid mix of dilute lemon water. Use just water in between and after. Use damp toothpicks with very light pressure. Don't touch the black paint (or, at least, use extreme caution/care). I think much of the dirt will eventually lift but I recommend avoiding perfection.

Brian,
Two reasons for this:
1. Dirt tends to get everywhere. Although Rich hasn't posted a side view of the case, I suspect there i a separate front bezel that holds the crystal as well as a back cover. The joint between the crystal and the case is not hermetically sealed nor are the sections between the parts of the case. Over 70-80 years even minute amounts of dirt getting in will accumulate.
2. Generally a dial is not cleaned the same way a movement is. It's often set aside during the service. So while the movement gets cleaned and oiled in order to enable the watch to function, the dial may simply retain a degree of build-up. As a reference, when a Rolex is sent in for a refresh at the factory, standard practice is to put a new dial on - this is why 'original dials' have become a big deal on vintage Rolexes. The challenge is Montrose isn't Rolex, meaning you don't even have the option of just getting a new one.

Regards to both,
Art S.

 

Art makes a very good point. Here is a picture of the back of the case. The movement sets inside the back with the dial resting on top. So any dirt that gets in is more likely to make it up onto the dial than into the movement.

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Today I did a partial assembly of Brian’s movement to see how everything is coming along. I’d say it is going pretty well!

 

It took me a while but I finally found the right replacement crystal for Brian’s watch! It is a CS420 by GS Supplies.

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I'm back in the lab after a bit of a break. Most of my available time has been spent working on house projects and figuring out how to coach a U11 soccer team. This morning was spent getting Brian's watch back together. The only minor issue I ran into was that somehow the hairspring got canted to one side and the outer coil was bouncing against the center wheel causing it to time at approximate +980s/day! That was a scare I didn't need. I popped it under my microscope, saw the issue and adjusted the hairspring stud. All good now. Here are a few progress pictures.

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And of course we have the obligatory, fully assembled and running like a champ picture! She'll be heading home soon.

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