1964 US Military Vintage Watch Restoration

[@grapeape3633]

I was wondering if you could make a video on buying watches for a beginner? I'm trying to get started in watch repair, but I have very limited knowledge on what to look for when buying. Thanks, always love your videos and I enjoy learning from them.

[@Jonas_GD_1234]

If you want to get startet I would recommend buying a new seagull movement on eBay (something like a st36, that’s another eta clone) and taking that apart a bunch of times. After that it always is kind of a gamble on eBay

[@grapeape3633]

@@Jonas_GD_1234 thanks, I'll check those out.

[@watchluver]

@@grapeape3633 buy old nonworking pocket watches usually about $25.00 to $30.00 and tear into them, worse case is they are still broke when you are done! and take lots of pics step by step...

[@Dane-bootsNcatsN]

If you watch the whole video, in a lot of them he kinda talks about beginner things and what to do and what to get into. And yes, pocket watches are a good start because they are bigger movements but basically the exact same

[@bgee461]

Before you start, have a look at how much tools are.

[@decab8292]

The great thing about your videos for me is the fact that in today’s throwaway society you are one of the few who are not participating in it. Keeping the past going, brilliant !

[@geraldstamour1312]

As an assembler(bikes,grills,outdoor powered equipment,etc.) myself, I'm absolutely fascinated with clips of this sort!

[@WristwatchRevival]

All of this stuff has a lot more in common than it doesn't.

[@geraldstamour1312]

@E VanFor what it's worth, that makes at least two of us!

[@wadehampton1534]

Gerald StAmour, I did the assembly thing for a couple of years after I got out of the Army (in 1988). I worked for a Huffy Bicycle Subsidiary called YLCE (Yorba Linda Cycle Enterprise ). We had a route of department stores that we went to, and we assembled bicycles, BBQ grills, exercise equipment etc. at a piece rate. I learned a lot from my time assembling everything under the sun, it was an amazing experience that still serves me well today.

[@geraldstamour1312]

@@wadehampton1534 I did the exact same thing for Huffy ServiceFirst! PS: Thanks for your service!

[@wadehampton1534]

@@geraldstamour1312 very cool Gerald, what years did you work for Huffy? I worked with them from 1989-92, then I went to college and earned a BSEE, eventually. It ended up taking almost eight years to finish the Electrical Engineering degree. I ran large four color (CMYK) printing presses to put myself through college. I specialized in the Heidelberg Quick Master four color press. It a very cool machine, it makes its own printing plates, on the press, using laser diodes. It burns them in perfect registration (usually) and you can be up to color and running keepers within a hundred sheets of paper. I had a hard time walking away from the printing industry, it was paying about $80k/year. But I had to work twelve hours shifts, of hard manual labor. Ultimately, I went to work for myself, as an engineer, and I don't regret any of it at all. I'm retired now, at sixty-one years old, my back suffered from being badly wounded in El Salvador in 1986. I ended up with long titanium rods in my back, and it finally caught up with me.

[@glenh4971]

Really splendid detective work figuring out what was wrong with this watch. Great job!!! Military watches are very desireable. You are becoming a watchmaker.

[@stephenhenion8304]

It's always cool to hang out with you and your "Watches". You have a great narrative style and very handy skills with each of your builds. Thanks Marshall!!

[@demmertp]

Wow that was a tough nut to crack with all the hidden problems. Nice job restoring this watch.

[@torokun]

Thank you for not giving up and granting this guy another life! It's a beautiful watch and piece of history.

[@ianitor]

it's cool to see the the detective work behind the three issues that cropped up, even if it was irritating for you...

[@Darthbelal]

I love that you sunk your teeth in on this watch, did the cleaning, the trouble shooting and took what many amateurs would've regarded as a hopeless case and got the thing up and running correctly. SWEET!

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

It sure took a very close inspection of the wheels to find the one with a couple of teeth blunted, which probably happened because of the bit of debris loose in the watch. Looking at each and every wheel all the way around was doubtless quite arduous. I am curious, was there supposed to be a gasket behind the crystal?

[@jevfrocleblando7519]

So educational and entertaining at the same time, I appreciate you making it accessable to novices like me.

[@MichaelBonenfant]

That strap is such a great color and fits the watch unbelievably! It looked good before it was put on, but a thousand times better with that choice.

[@chaosncheckt9356]

Well done. I have a plastic and metal version of this I got in 1979 while at Ft Bragg. Good memories

[@gwsjr1]

Does your watch say "unserviceable" or "nonsurvivable" on it?

[@chaosncheckt9356]

@@gwsjr1 Unfortunately no, it says "Assembled in the Philippines" and "Water Resistant" both on the back and in the center there is the number 68. Of course I had to dig around in my "stuff" to find it and was surprised just putting it on my wrist it started to work. Also noticed it's made by Timex.

[@randycrager4074]

I love that flat black dial. Was looking at a few for my twin Grand sons. Never really noticed how nice they look but am now fully aware. Thank you Marshall, love your videos.

[@Ladco77]

I've always been interested in timepieces, but watching your videos is really making me want to learn how to work on them myself. I have made novelty clocks before with off the shelf battery powered movements, but this makes me want to dip my toes into the mechanical world. I love the art and engineering in the mechanical movements.

[@bowerbirdstyle7661]

I really like these black dials with clear white numbers - so easy to read. Great job! Enjoy.

[@fredruthven4566]

Could the mainspring have been damaged at around 6:37 when the ratchet wheel was lifted off the barrel? It looks like there was a sudden release of energy from the mainspring. Hard to tell! Good job as usual.

[@johntwemlow6089]

I know I'm a long way past the original post of this video, but I agree with you Fred.

[@DavidPlass]

I kept saying to Marshall (through the video) that he needs to release the mainspring...but he didn't listen.

[@TerryClarkAccordioncrazy]

I was amazed when that thing came out from the front without damage. The rest of the magic you did to get it running was awesome too.

[@MrValve-fr8hd]

Thanks for making this. I have a really similar military watch (Hamilton) from the 70’s. It’s doing the same thing, it will wind forever and only run for a couple of hours

[@shaunbrowne5139]

Brilliant work Marshall...once again. You have an infinite store of patience and good nature. You definitely should be proud of your effort here. Dismantling, troubleshooting and re-assembling it three times yourself to get it right is three times I am quite sure that a client would have taken it back to a professional repairer to eventually have it done properly.

[@stevenstewart3414]

Marshall, I watch ALL of your videos. I go to your channel and search for any that I haven't seen. And although you've worked on some beautiful watches, this one speaks to me. I just love it for some reason. Maybe it is because I'm a veteran from a family of veterans, but I love this watch!

[@frankroper3274]

This guy is a pro! I don't know why he under rates himself! He is a natural at this and it is not as easy as it looks!

[@moviesfan5513]

He is skilled and has natural talent.

[@VWatchie]

Just love it that you didn’t try to force that hour wheel off, and after only a few minutes of watching this video has answered two questions that I’ve been thinking about lately. That is, how to get the movement out (have a similar British military watch) and how to get the hour wheel off (have a Tissot 781). Thank you very, very much!

[@brand-x7049]

The tab was on the spring when you rewound it, but it's missing at 11:05 when you go to put the lid of the barrel on. Probably cracked when it went through the winder slot; it looks like the broken bit is also in there at 11:05 at the point closest to you. Such is life. :)

[@thehistoryprof6750]

My dad was military and owned only one watch which was a Benrus mechanical in the sixties. Remembering he had to wind it up and unfortunately I don't know what happened to it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@psychominded3243]

Your videos are not only interesting and educational but I find the quite therapeutic.

[@clarencebryant9986]

I have this exact same watch and have not worn it in years because it will not run or wind. I dropped it at the watch repair shop yesterday and look for ward to having an educated conversation about it with the repair guy.

[@bruces3575]

Amazing patience Marshall. I am certain that by the third assembly I would have been rushing it. As much as I would love to do what you are able, I just think that I don't have the self control that is needed. That alone is a gift.

[@WristwatchRevival]

Thanks. It's definitely something I had to learn as well

[@bigbrotherwatchesdannyboy306]

Dear goodness what a gorgeous watch. ❤ Thanks for sharing!

[@MrBaxtrax]

I have a 1970's Westclox automatic I bought for 12.99 with paper route money 40+ years ago, a WW1 Elgin trench watch that was passed down, an 80's X Swatch I bought as a teen, and Jaeger-LeCoultre I purchased last year on an auction. I'll let you guess which one I wear every day as I head out the door.😁

[@boydsargeant7496]

Great job Marshall! Love it when there are lots of issues, that’s real watchmaker life!

[@donaldbarden6294]

Outstanding repair! Love watching you work. I believe your patience rubbed off on me when I rebuilt the carburetor on my Yamaha outboard!

[@mike44njdevils1]

Marshall, such a pleasure to see you back! What a tidy little watch. Very nice restoration.

[@derekwarner6898]

Enjoy the way you show the down side and the upside to your fascinating hobby.

[@Andrew.W75]

Great video, I have one of these made in March 1967. Bought it unserviced from Spencer Klein, the vintage Seiko specialist. Got it serviced in the UK by a watch maker & now it runs great, gains about two seconds a day & has an amplitude of 315 degrees, with a new main spring. The movement in these is a modified ETA 2372 I believe. A lot of these were worn in Vietnam but due to the moisture & humidity they weren't really up to the job & were often replaced with Rolex, Zodiac, Glycine & Seiko watches!

[@1dngrdave]

Hey Marshall! New subscriber and timepiece enthusiast here! Like everyone else I am glad I found your videos. I have a couple Waltham pocket watches, a ladies I am not sure of the model, and a Vanguard. I got the ladies working fairly easily thanks to it only being over wound. Plus in the back case lid there must be around 13 or 14 engravings from services. The earliest is 1932. The Vanguard is giving me some issues but I just ordered an ultrasonic cleaner and a set of the oils you use. Next the microscope and screen and, I am going to probably get myself in too deep, dive into it. Your videos have given me confidence and renewed my drive. Thank you Marshall! David

[@bratisme121]

Rainy day makes a perfect day to binge your videos!

[@wadehampton1534]

Beautiful work, Marshall! It's always a pleasure to see you bring another watch back to life again. I've been watching and learning about serving mechanical watch movements, and I'm feeling more and more confident that I could do this (providing that I have the proper tools and lubricants). You make it look so easy, but I think that we all know that it's not. Remembering the order of operation, and keeping things laid out in an organized fashion, is paramount to the success of the project. That's where experience kicks in, and it becomes second nature. I'm seriously considering getting into the hobby of watch service and repair. I'm retired, and I have a lot of free time on my hands, so I may decide to do it. I'm gathering my courage, and a few dollars, and the first thing that I'll buy is that set of good jewelers screwdrivers that you have, along with the basics compliment of tools that you recommended in one of your videos on the tools needed to begin with the hobby. It's not expensive, really, all hobbies take an initial layout of funds to get started with, and then you add on the "nice to have" tools as you progress in your experience. I'm a lifelong musician, and I started out fifty-five years ago with a single acoustic guitar. Fifty-five years later, I have accumulated sixty to seventy thousand dollars worth of musical instruments and studio recording gear. You can't put a price on passion, it becomes your life's blood, and enriches your life in uncountable ways.

[@saurus738]

How they actually manufacture the small parts was extraordinary work

[@darylhughes277]

I've only recently found your videos and have been hooked for a week or two now I like that you don't edit out all your mistakes it makes it far more relatable to the new people thinking about or just beginning to get into the hobby to see that someone like yourself with a bit of experience can and does still make rookie mistakes on occasion

[@gwsjr1]

I'm relatively new to the hobby and enjoy your vids. As a toolmaker by trade, I've tend to inspect my work as I go so when I disassemble a vintage, I inspect each piece as I'm taking the movement apart.

[@shirts2003]

I love heritage pieces. The main reason I wear redwing iron ranger boots. The reason I love vintage…anything. Hamilton watches makes a very nice homage version to this watch, but there new; this has a story, part of which is written on the case back. Beautiful restoration sir.

[@TheWeirdoifyer]

Would love to see some of the watches you've serviced and kept for your own use

[@eddiestipe2009]

It would be nice if the person who had the watch was to contact you. Thank you for sharing your project with us. Very informational.

[@thomkarlowicz7418]

I would love to send you a picture or video of my dads tanker watch that I repaired because of your sharing your knowledge in such a great way. Ireally enjoy how you show your skills!

[@FattrTV]

Would have loved to see this one lumed. Would make it a great outdoors watch again. I love these videos, I started buying a few vintage watches and taking them to a local shop. He loves when I come in because he knows I'm bringing in weird stuff he hasn't seen in decades.

[@ThePillenwerfer]

I could put up with the shot lume but the rusty second hand would be patina too far for my tastes.

[@bmc5108]

One of your best videos. The watch came out looking very cool. Not flashy, but very confident and solid.

[@tonyganter7284]

It is a pity you are so far away from me. I have an Omega Seamaster Chronostop watch that I bought new in 1968. In the mid 1990's I had it repaired serviced my a large jewellery/watch sales company, who claimed they had an Omega trained watchmaker. It came back with it keeping time but the stop watch feature was irrepairable, and was no longer waterproof for swimming etc. In early 2000's, my daughter who was at university. said that a friend had had a vintage Omega repaired by a +\- 70 year old Omega watchmaker. I took the watch to him and when I put it on the counter, he immediately identified it as an Mexico Olympic model. I new that as I had bought it in late 1968. It took him 18 months to repair it. He said after he had opened it that he would be visiting Zurich in a few months and would get spares there or he would make them. It runs, but I do not wear it, but it needs a service.

[@Daniel-yf9iy]

Great video. I inherited my Dads pilot’s version and had taken it to a local watch shop and they did a beautiful job on it. It has oodles of character. It was fun watching you work on this one.

[@TheGekko64]

Another great video! I'm taking Mark Lovick's WatchFix courses and he always says to inspect every piece and part of the movement under magnification during disassembly and, "whilst" putting it back together. Now I see why! It is amazing to see how precise the tolerances are in these movements, that just a miniscule rounding of a few wheel teeth would render the watch inoperable.

[@terribleadelaidedrivers8754]

Nice work. I would love a military watch. The utilitarian look of them appeals greatly to myself.

[@TheJimbodean67]

Trouble shooting is what separates the men from the boys. Upside is the knowledge gained. Downside is the time invested. Well done sir!

[@Ryan_Tinney]

Terrific job on the video. It is great to see the troubleshooting that goes into the repair.

[@moviesfan5513]

Marshall your voice is very authoritative like a Professor or something. I like your videos because it sounds very polished.

[@devonshire56]

This is my thing too, love old military especially bumpers. I only wish I had all of your incredible tools. I sell mine on eBay and only list those which run excellent. I'm still learning but you are a few steps ahead of me. Whenever I work on a watch I hear your encouraging voice guiding me to be cautious, I now ruin far less watches than I used too.

[@richardherbst488]

I wouldn't start restoring watches, it's not my passion. But watching these videos and listening to Marshall's narrative is fascinating. I wish he would take a look at legacy aircraft instruments, not the solid state stuff but the air and moving mass devices like gyroscopes, altimeters, airspeed indicators, magnetic compasses. These instruments are reliable, still in wide use and are basically unchanged since the 1920s. When they die, it's cheaper to replace them with electronic instruments, but older aircraft still have panels full of these.

[@marydegenkolb9603]

My husband has this type of watch. He wore it in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. It still runs and is secured in a lockbox.

[@chadpyett6441]

thouroughly enjoyed this episode even the part of going back in satisfying to figure it out.those army watches are so cool and simple

[@jamessexton4288]

Excellent. Not only the content but your presentation is perfect, very enjoyable and, of course, very informative. Thank you. My first job in 1965 was an apprentice to Louis Newmark. Happy days.

[@THE_STRANGER116]

Been taking an extended break from MTG due to burnout and school. Hearing you talking about watches and repair has been a weird but phenomenal experience. Now I look forward to each new vid like I looked forward to every new LR ep. when I was grinding arena.

[@noeldavis618]

I love how persistent you are. I’m not sure how many people would take the time to look at every tooth on every wheel. Glad it worked out in the end! Great watch (double entendres intended).

[@Русский-з9о]

Danger clock! Veru danger! Radiation!

[@SandieSmith4]

Phew! That was a chore!!! Great job!!! It looks awesome!! I graduated high school in 1964!!!🥰

[@peterbardason5703]

Your a genius...for someone to do it as a hobby your remarkable

[@DaveMGmovies]

Great job with perseverance. As always, enjoyed the journey with you.

[@chronozen845]

The contract numbers might say it was 1964, but most of these mil watch were actually deployed and used years after. Had some benrus type II and hamilton mil-w on my drawer. Yes i'm obsessed with mil-w specs or general purpose types. Great to see some revival on the benrus, awesome work and efforts. Hats off.

[@chucky35uk]

Fantastic viewing Marshall…been watching loads of your videos..preparing myself for my 2nd dive into watch repair….my 1st attempt was premature….with the knowledge from your vids…and the right tools…I will get this watch running again 🤞🏼

[@HAL_9k]

love military field watches :) great one!

[@Pithead]

Yeah yeah, why don't you just shut your airlock!

[@Русский-з9о]

Danger! Clock radiation!!!

[@AgencyZedProductions]

Looks like a nice GG-W-113. I have a 1967 Waltham version which I wear on a bund strap to give it a bit more presence on the wrist. Great channel.

[@JR-bj3uf]

You know that makes so much sense the the watch would run up until the point when the offending teeth made contact. It is strange that the teeth are not universally worn and only worn in that area. Thanks for doing the hard work and running down the issue.

[@DeanG55]

So far in all your videos I have seen, you have not mentioned how those teeny screws and other parts are made. Keep the videos coming. They are masterfully put together and highly entertaining!!

[@bmb1352]

I love the old benrus's. I just picked up an old military issue hamilton from the late 80's. For how simple the face is they are a beautiful watch.

[@mm-oh4oe]

I am impressed with your skill and patience ! Thank you. Your videos give me encouragement in my hobby .

[@knottreel]

I needed to see this. Troubleshooting can have its subtleties.

[@markc.5750]

Man! Your patience and tenacity is in God mode.

[@briancarpenter1255]

Awesome work Marshall. I so enjoy the journey through each watch repair. I have a re-issue of basically this same watch that Benrus did in 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day and it a little more modern in that it has manual wind ETA 2801 manual wind movement and a screw down case back but it is pretty much true to size of the original being 33mm in diameter.

[@DrPronghorn]

I have several watches I'm going to service that have a similar ETA movement, so this video will be helpful. Thanks!

[@Talony]

you have good hands ! i cant even hold my phone steady while watching your video :D thanks for another great video.

[@davidpugh8772]

such a cool timepiece I love keeping the dial original and not polishing the case so it shows it's battle scars!

[@jeffpanian433]

I loved the journey! I like seeing the need for additional trouble shooting.

[@0dbm]

Amazing work thanks

[@vayde]

Really enjoyed the troubleshooting aspect of this one! Great job :)

[@norliasmith]

No beat error at an amplitude of 300 plus, with roughly being 2 seconds off each day is impressive

[@tertommy]

Marshall has the patience of a saint.

[@JimmysGarden]

Thank you for the great video, I enjoy relaxing and having drinking a coffee while watching. As a newbie I have a lot of great videos to catch up on.

[@pjoe1950]

Watching this show reminds me when I used to watch Bob Ross paint. Mesmerizing.

[@grampy5697]

Hello Marshal. I enjoy your videos and the historical comments you interject. This restore was of particular interest to me because I used to have a military almost exactly like yours, but made by Bulova. I got the watch from my uncle who was a B25 pilot in WWII and was KIA (ironically, by friendly fire). I was pretty young when I got it and didn’t really appreciate its emotional value at first and wore it through my years in elementary school. When I got older I stopped wearing it daily and just kept it in a safe place with similar items. Through a few residence moves, I lost it. Sad for me. But that isn’t the reason I’m writing this. One of the interesting things about my watch was that the second hand stopped when the winding stem was pulled out. I always thought it was deliberate so that soldiers could synchronize their watches for missions. In watching your video, I noticed that in the very beginning, while you were showing the “broken” watch, it did the same thing. After the final repair, when the winding was stem was pulled out, it didn’t. The second hand kept moving. Maybe because mine was WWII vintage, while yours was made in 1964 or it wasn’t made to pause and it only did because of the issues you addressed. Either way, your videos are well done and very interesting. Thanks Tom

[@NomadicPhoton]

The function you’re referring to is called “hacking” or sometimes “stop seconds” most mechanical field watches do hack. It was, like you said, so the watches could be synchronised to the second.

[@0017Bulldog]

This was awesome! I thoroughly enjoyed this...so well done. I have this same watch in a 1966 version. Still running strong with no service. Thank you.

[@ericdonnelly5824]

I really liked that style of watch.

[@invertthelab6532]

and somehow basic watch like this brings classic and simple feeling

[@esteban8840]

4:44 the smell can be explained by the fact that they used to service watches with animal and vegetable oils and grease before synthetic oils, the watch has probably never been serviced or rarely and the oils went bad, I often see this in clocks, sometimes watches. Good video!

[@MrSloika]

Yup. Prior to synthetics, watch oil was made from refined whale oil. By 1964 synthetics were available, but there were still a lot of old school watch makers that didn't believe in any of that fancy new tricknology. When those natural oils go rancid they really do smell horrible.

[@jacoboakley7108]

Hi there. I appreciate your gusto as an enthusiast. Remember to always let the power gently off the mainspring before removing the bridges. Otherwise, you risk serious damage to the pallet stones and train wheels.

[@deceptor99]

Well done. That was the best watch repair ever for me. You explained every step and I learned a few things. Honestly I am so impressed with your patience and problem solving skills.

[@RoeLunatic4ever]

Very nice! Awesome detective work! Love this one.

[@bradmeekakasilvertopflyer]

i was born in november of 1964 love your content i have considered trying my hand still a little shy about it , happy birthday watch 60 years old this november 2024....

[@cipedead0777]

Thank you for the ride. I love your time that you put in to each video. One day I like to be able to fix my TAG Heuer watch. I am looking into getting some of my first tools to start out. On some old ebay watchers first. Thank you

[@nikolaslarson6891]

Lovely timepiece and an absolutely brilliant video!

[@adrianbirkett594]

Well done detective! 😂, another watch saved!. Very enjoyable video. Thanks Adrian 🍀🍀

[@dominickcabal5347]

Perseverance is your greatest asset...keep em' comin' and thanx for sharing!👌👍✌

[@7curiogeo]

Really like your perseverance. That is a cool old watch, one of my friends came home with a watch like that.

[@madmanmechanic8847]

I restore old muscle cars and to marine repair I felt your pain when you had to tear it apart and do it all over three times I have lost count how many times I had to do that with projects . I have been plumbing my rental plus my double wide installing a new water heater and this week has been hell. I put in some new piping for the well house and broke the main water line. Its been Hell Week . I get your pain on these projects . I just love your videos they un stress me they are mesmerizing I sure hope to learn this trade. Dont change a thing my man keep doing what you are going the editing is spot on!

[@amme30]

Great job, lovely watch and great filming and editing. Thank you for making this video