Watch service in Vietnam (pics)
Discussion
Just to set the scene, it might be too long for some.
Just a little story i wish to convey, going back to 1972 whilst i was a young sprog in the Royal Navy, i was flush with a bit of cash and decided to buy myself a nice watch (at the time i was green), anyway was in Chatham dockyard in Kent and went out to purchase my pride and joy a "Rotary Incabloc 17 Jewels". I was pleased with it, it cost me the sum of around 35 pounds if my memory is correct, around 1.5 to 2 weeks salary. It endured the rgures of Naval engine rooms, boiler rooms, swimming in many oceans, sands from many beaches until in about 1978 it gave up the ghost, so it found its self thrown into a drawer, winder missing, glass cracked, no strap and no pins, looking extremely sorry for its self. The watch then got lost with all other household junk and found its way to survive 4 house moves around the UK and garage workshop drawers.
Whilst back at home last October the watch turned up in the kitchen cupboard, right at the back, found inside a small jam jar kept for screws (everyone has one of them), any way I pulled it out and a thought occurred, as I am working in Vietnam at the moment I wondered if it was worth seeing if it could have some life breathed back into it. I brought the watch back with me after my home visit and thrown it in another drawer in my hotel room, forgetting it, so yesterday it got “found” yet again.
Bearing in mind I am in the deepest Southern part of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta, where mosquitoes as big as birds can bite chunks out of you, really. The only major transport around here is boats and motor-bikes as the place is covered 80% by water. I decided to venture into town to see what I could find, I hope the next few pictures gives you an idea of what happened on the day. Please appreciate that I didn’t take any pictures of the watch before he started work on it and it was in a real mess, I really wish I had done, as you would have seen the transformation.
Enjoy the pictures and the up to date technology used.
Mr Phuc, yes that is his name
poor man, although its pronounced "Foop"
Ensuring the new glass is "round":
This is the machine he started the glass grinding on:
You can see the state of the original "glass":
Which broke as it came off:
Glass and winder ready to go on:
A final clean up:
Fixing:
High tech specs:
Finished:
Sat next to my daily wearer a 1980 CWC divers watch, ex RN:
As i was sitting waiting for the watch to be finished this guy rode past and really warranted having his picture taken, i doubt you could get this much in a Transit van:
Just a little story i wish to convey, going back to 1972 whilst i was a young sprog in the Royal Navy, i was flush with a bit of cash and decided to buy myself a nice watch (at the time i was green), anyway was in Chatham dockyard in Kent and went out to purchase my pride and joy a "Rotary Incabloc 17 Jewels". I was pleased with it, it cost me the sum of around 35 pounds if my memory is correct, around 1.5 to 2 weeks salary. It endured the rgures of Naval engine rooms, boiler rooms, swimming in many oceans, sands from many beaches until in about 1978 it gave up the ghost, so it found its self thrown into a drawer, winder missing, glass cracked, no strap and no pins, looking extremely sorry for its self. The watch then got lost with all other household junk and found its way to survive 4 house moves around the UK and garage workshop drawers.
Whilst back at home last October the watch turned up in the kitchen cupboard, right at the back, found inside a small jam jar kept for screws (everyone has one of them), any way I pulled it out and a thought occurred, as I am working in Vietnam at the moment I wondered if it was worth seeing if it could have some life breathed back into it. I brought the watch back with me after my home visit and thrown it in another drawer in my hotel room, forgetting it, so yesterday it got “found” yet again.
Bearing in mind I am in the deepest Southern part of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta, where mosquitoes as big as birds can bite chunks out of you, really. The only major transport around here is boats and motor-bikes as the place is covered 80% by water. I decided to venture into town to see what I could find, I hope the next few pictures gives you an idea of what happened on the day. Please appreciate that I didn’t take any pictures of the watch before he started work on it and it was in a real mess, I really wish I had done, as you would have seen the transformation.
Enjoy the pictures and the up to date technology used.
Mr Phuc, yes that is his name
poor man, although its pronounced "Foop"Ensuring the new glass is "round":
This is the machine he started the glass grinding on:
You can see the state of the original "glass":
Which broke as it came off:
Glass and winder ready to go on:
A final clean up:
Fixing:
High tech specs:
Finished:
Sat next to my daily wearer a 1980 CWC divers watch, ex RN:
As i was sitting waiting for the watch to be finished this guy rode past and really warranted having his picture taken, i doubt you could get this much in a Transit van:
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