A vintage YEMA flown again [Archive]

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marc_wl

March 4th, 2006, 19:30

Just as a watchmaking training (complete job here (http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=3258)), this (60's, 70's?) French YEMA with an automatic ETA 2472 caliber and a nice caseback with armories but a quite damaged dial by year of careless wear...

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/1936/eta247213r2rb.jpg

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5425/eta247212r21kr.jpg

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/929/eta247215r2ax.jpg

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/9821/eta247211r3da.jpg

http://img310.imageshack.us/img310/5291/eta247207r9ve.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5882/eta247209r3ua.jpg

JohnF

March 5th, 2006, 01:43

marc_wl

March 5th, 2006, 02:15

Hi Marc -

Great patina on that watch! Or, more exactly, is there anything really left of the face?

But a stunning tribute to the mechanical integrity of the ETA. While the previous owner obviously believed that a lot of oil was better than a little, it probably saved the watch from complete destruction, as long as the oil didn't get dirty...

We're gonna have to talk about how you are getting so good. And why your blog hasn't updated since the season's greetings as well...:-)

But seriously: are you just learning by doing, or have you had external help?

I hope to crack open my vintage Gruen tomorrow and suprise everyone here...

JohnF

Oh yes your're right, I'm very lazzy about that blog!! (<|). I was just thinking about to post something about vintage watches or watchmaking but I always prefer to post on the WUS fora where there are a lot of friends!!

The dial of this Yema is likely a sort a transparent film deposited on a layer of polished aluminium or so. I think that most of the damages at the periphery comes from that dammed oil that penetrated by capilarity between the film and the metal O|. There are still some problems too with the automatic block that rattle sometime. I should practice more to surge this block and to fix it if possible...

For the rest, I have a technical notebook for wristwatch watchmaking but no other external help. That's why I don't really learn and will remain a watchmaker of the hell.

marc_wl

March 6th, 2006, 01:48

Just a few more pictures out of the CF card and my beloved new camera* :

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c337/marcwl/ETA2472_17r.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c337/marcwl/ETA2472_16r.jpg

And accompanying my two other YEMA members: a 70's green dial fitted with a FE (France Ebauche) 4312 automatic 17-jewel caliber, a 2005 re-edition of the 70's Rallygraph.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c337/marcwl/ETA2472_18r.jpg

__________________________

(* a Konica-Minolta digital reflex with a Sigma EX-DG 50 mm macro lens replacing my previous Minolta Dimage 7i. The CCD of the latter suddently gave "crazy" colors after 3 years of service. Being currently repaired, hopefully for free since Minolta admitted a known problem of manufacture with the 2002-2004 Sony CCD mounted in their camera...leading to premature abnormal aging...)

Ray MacDonald

March 6th, 2006, 02:21

Thanks for posting, Marc. I believe Yema is now an independent French company again after they were owned by Seiko for many years. Is that correct?

marc_wl

March 6th, 2006, 03:07

Thanks for posting, Marc. I believe Yema is now an independent French company again after they were owned by Seiko for many years. Is that correct?

That's right. Here is the Yema entry at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yema) confirmed by other sources :

"Yema is a watchmaking company in Besançon, France. They claim that their watches "stand out from the rest by virtue of their specific design and technological characteristics".
Founded in 1948 in Besançon (Doubs) by Henry Louis Belmont, the company distinguished itself in the very beginning by creating the first automatic chronometers manufactured entirely in France, and became famous for the technical qualities and sports characteristics of its watches.
Having been owned by Seiko Watch Corporation of Japan since 1988, the company recently returned to French hands via a buyout by Louis Eric Beckensteiner. As a result, a transition is occurring as of September, 2005. The new Chairman has set a target for watch sales of 50,000 in 2005 and 100,000 pieces with a turnover of 10 million euros in 2008".

marc_wl

March 12th, 2006, 00:44

Hi,

A kind comment of Hartmut on the watchmaking forum, made me thinking again to the original red central hand of my rescued Yema. I tested a spray painting (this link (http://forums.watchuseek.com/showpost.php?p=22076&postcount=7)) that renewed fully the central red hand. I don't know if it really the original one, but for sure I prefer this to the chrome-plated new one!

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/3523/pict0030r6im.jpg

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/3882/pict0034r7rn.jpg

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1245/pict0035r9ox.jpg

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/9866/pict0033r4zn.jpg

(Background: US Power Squadrons Star Finder and Identifer N°2102-D and a nautical slide rule Copyright Wees System of Navigation, Annapolis, MD, USA)

Cheers,

Hartmut Richter

March 12th, 2006, 15:35

Wonderful! Looks much better in my opinion - distracts a little from the damaged dial and gives the whole thing a little colour.

Had a look at my ca. 1965 Provita ETA 2472 again and the whole watch looks in good shape, except the balance hardly swings. I suspect that it is either extremely dirty or the hairspring has come loose at the outer end and is only held by the adjustment arm. Can't tell, though, unless I take the automatic bridge off. Oh well, no hurry at present - I am surviving on an early seventies ZentRa with Durowe (Int) Cal. 7525 which is working quite well now that I managed to adjust it to ± almost nil per day.

Hartmut Richter