Sunday, July 30, 2017

Watch Sighting: Armani Exchange Diver-Style Watch

I recently saw this nice looking diver-style watch at the runway T.J. Maxx in Dunwoody, Georgia.  This is a nice looking diver-style watch with clean lines, a strong uncluttered dial, and 100 meters (10 atmospheres) of water resistance.  It's fine for swimming and snorkeling, but probably not suitable for full-fledged scuba diving.   The watch has a 44 millimeter diameter case and a unidirectional rotating bezel.  In short it looks like a serious watch.


Since good watches don't stay at the runway T.J. Maxx for long, I looked on Amazon to see if I could find this watch.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find one with a stainless steel bracelet.  However, the watches that I did find opened up the possibility of alternative color and strap combinations.  Dive watches with leather straps provide a more casual but adventurous look.  They are certainly worth checking out.

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Watch Sighting: Michael Kors Caine Chronograph Watch

I recently sighted this Michael Kors Caine Silver-Tone Chronograph Watch.  It looks like a nice solid watch with a 45 millimeter case, stainless steel case and bracelet, accurate quartz movement, and 100 meters of water resistance.  I like the brilliant blue dial, the slanted racing font for the numbers and the solid construction.  It looks like a good competent watch!


Michael Kors Caine watch

I spotted this watch at the Fossil Watch Outlet at the North Georgia Premium Outlets shopping center off of Georgia 400.  If you don't have a convenient outlet near you, it may also be available on Amazon.  Instead of going to the watch, it can come to you.  You can check out Michael Kors watches on Amazon here.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Thrift Store Find - Keiser 8-Day 7 Jewel Mechanical Clock

Here is an interesting clock that I recently found at a local thrift store.  It's a German-made mechanical clock.  It currently shows the time correctly twice per day.  It's a potentially interesting project and a bit of a dilemma.  I'd like to get it working again.  However, there are no extra funds for a serious professional repair.  Yet, an amateur repair has a good chance of simply making a mess.  Putting a quartz movement on the back and calling it a day is a possibility, but would destroy any "collector value."


The clock is about 5-inches in diameter with gold tone hands and markings.  The background of the dial is a simple grid.
 
Kaiser 8 Day Clock

I took the cover off of the movement to reveal the complex 7 Jewel movement underneath.  I stopped at this point because I would require a smaller screwdrivers, some sort of cleaner for the parts, a parts container, and most importantly a clue about how to put it back together again!

Kaiser 8 Day 7 Jewel Clock Movement
 
The movement appears to be a two-deck affair with lots of gears and small pieces.

Kaiser 8 Day 7 Jewel Clock Movement (Side view)

Since it is a wind up clock, there is also a spring to worry about.  I believe it is contained in the drum shown below.  Any tension on the spring would need to be released carefully.
 
Kaiser 8 Day 7 Jewel Clock Movement

This gear assembly looks really cool.  It would be fun to actually see it in motion!  The question is how and when . . .
 
Kaiser 8 Day 7 Jewel Clock Movement

One thing that I noticed is that some parts are missing.  There is a fixed winding key screwed into the back that winds the alarm bell.  However, there was no winding key for the movement itself.  It seems possible that the clock might work if it were simply wound.  Ah well, I may actually have to read up on this topic.  If only there was a place I could find books on clock repair . . .