How To Replace a Quartz Watch Movement

[@MyRetroWatches]

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[@mariajefferies5563]

Always wondered if it was possible to save a loved watch you have gave me hope thank you

[@michaelcannon3172]

Just did my first transplant, Your video was a great help. 100% successful.! Cheers.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Your welcome

[@nandutzu]

That's quite a nice watch, even if it is an Adidas fashion watch. It's all stainless steel, it has that 90's adventure/diver look. Tag Heuer like. And the movement, being an eta, it's not that bad.

[@AntoDaMainDawg]

I agree

[@tomhill4003]

THANK YOU! I have a couple of sentimental quartz watches kicking about that need new movements. I'm ready to take them on!

[@daleyurk4369]

Mike, when you get a chance, can you just give an overview of how a quartz movement works? I think I understand the electronics, but not sure how that translates into hand movement. Also, wouldn't there still be some minimal service necessary? Oiling, etc? Thanks for the video!

[@SonnetGomes]

Excellent video. Its great to know quartz watches can have a 2nd life. Thank you so much for rescuing this beautiful watch!

[@jeffreyhickman3871]

I didn’t know that this was an Adidas until I read it in fine print on the face. I thought 💭 this watch may have been a Timex, or a Casio. For it being an Adidas, it is built out of much sturdier materials than vinyl, or plastic. It’s even a great 😊 color. It only has a date feature (no day), but that’s totally fine. The thing I liked about earlier 👂 watches is the glass crystals. Earlier 👂 spring wound watches are another great 😊 thing. I don’t know what year this watch is, but I’ll guess sometime around 1986. Your friend, Jeff.

[@jeffreyhickman3871]

This sounds interesting 🧐. To replace a movement in a quartz watch. Not usually worth it, unless the watch is sentimentally important. This looks like 👍 a good enough watch to replace the movement in it. Your friend, Jeff.

[@adrianbirkett594]

Thanks Michael, have done a few of these for family and friends, jewelers were demanding 150 euro for a new movement 😂, jessy James springs to mind!!!. Adrian.

[@thepenultimateninja5797]

A little tip for the second hand - cut a strip off the side of a post-it note and use the adhesive part to grab the top surface of the hand. You then have a nice 'handle' to help you position the hand. Once the hand is in place, gently hold the center of the hand down with a pegwood stick (or toothpick) and peel off the post-it.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Nice tip , thanks

[@mtbbiker6401]

Great tips. Are there any tricks on how to properly align the second hand with the dial indices other than trial and error? I must have set the second hand 20 times just trying to align the indices on the dial. I let the movement run and then place the second hand, adjust it slightly with light pressure to see where if aligns, try to adjust with tweezers, hack the movement then press firmly but it takes me multiple attempts to get it close. Maybe it partly depends on the quality of the movement. Swapped a Miyota 2035 last night. Maybe there is a better way? Trying to understand how it's done during mass production.

[@thepenultimateninja5797]

@@mtbbiker6401 Nope,I'm plagued with the same problem lol

[@shivakumar-bx9ho]

Shows your experience and expertise very clearly. Excellent piece of work.

[@stevejohnman68]

Very good helpful video, ive tried this a few times, always struggle with the secound hand , press it on with my little hand press tool i bought , when i turn it over just falls off! Ive realy got into collecting watches and have bought a few spare, repair lots on e bay, most work with a clean and new battery but i now have a few nice watches that prob need new movements so i need to learn how to perfect this!

[@dcooper6160]

I bought an old olympic dive watch a few years back from a second had shop for extremely cheap. Turns out the battery acid had melted like the on in the video. Just getting into watch repair and tinkering so hoping to use it as practice to try get it working again

[@johnrutherford4276]

Thank you Mike, that was great- I’ve got a couple of my wife’s watches that need new modules. Feeling confident enough now to have a go. 👍

[@glasius22]

How did it went?

[@jonabitstream]

I’m noticing that the seconds hand hits all the indexes spot on. Not bad for a low-cost timepiece!

[@MyRetroWatches]

It will do if you fit it correctly with a ticking hand it only ticks once a second so you just have to line it up as good as you can.

[@jonabitstream]

@@MyRetroWatches I agree, which is to your credit, certainly, but it seems many watch dials have the marks unevenly spaced, as the seconds hand sometimes does and doesn’t line up as it goes around.

[@kellypaws]

I wore an Adidas for years and years, because it was really attractive. It was a really nice watch.

[@vapingwithjames3370]

That’s actually a nice looking watch and the screw back is nice touch.

[@rayquintanilla614]

Thanks! I have a couple of quartz from the eighties I wanted running again, now I know. I did not even think to put hour hand on then wind around to check the turnover. Now I won’t have to make that mistake.

[@mack460]

I was rooting for you with that second hand placement!😂😂😂❤ great job!

[@Andrew-J316]

Great video. Usually change the date wheel but the circuit change method you proposed is a much better idea is cases like these! Thanks for the tips!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Andy B thanks. The date wheel would have been changed if that plastic weld was not there

[@vapingwithjames3370]

I would like to see a video of someone taking a quartz watch and fitting it with an automatic movement. Great video.

[@saevans63]

Thanks for the this video. I have an old Pulsar from the 80s I hope I can get it going again now that I know what I’m looking for.

[@NathanChisholm041]

I like pulsars or Seiko cheaper watches range! It's still going after 20yrs...

[@MyRetroWatches]

Steve Evans thanks Steve that’s great if you have learnt something !

[@rons7555]

Yes, I enjoyed it as I’ve never done a quartz watch before. Very interestingly informative video. Thanks.

[@adamp3223]

Nice little watch, honestly. Good quality applied indices, and I really like that hand set

[@lasersnake]

Nice video. Great help.

[@nixbronowski5822]

Great vid thank u! is it possible to install a quartz mechanism to replace an automatic mechanism?

[@jackochainsaw]

Hi Mike, thanks for this vid. There was something you skipped over with this and I realise you did this for brevity but I still would have liked to see you remove the crown stem and the watch hands. However, because I've seen a load of your other videos I've got a fair idea of what to do. (The stem having a release mechanism on the movement and using a plastic bag and some hand removing tools to gently lever the hands off.) I have an ultra cheap Chinese watch (Laverado with some sentimentality attached as it has a really nice dial face and reminds me of a happier time) that I was tempted to have a go repairing as it loses about 5 minutes an hour (which suggests something is broken inside) as at points it becomes very loud which is not standard for a quartz watch (unless a Timex) which suggests there is either some fouling or the movement is rough as sandpaper. I wanted to put a better movement in replacement but after seeing the date wheel alignment, it made me nervous. Hopefully I can find something as I'm eager to give it a go.

[@ThePillenwerfer]

Good result and more of your pal's watch survives than if you'd changed the entire movement.

[@TheNimbrod]

Exactly I was looking for a how to guide for absoolut beginners :D thanks now I can rescure my watch :D

[@Rich77UK]

Cousins is magnificent. Cheap too. The only trouble i have is shipping to mainland Europe. It makes buying a single £4 movement not viable.

[@benjroof]

Many thanks for this video.Much respect for your work.!!

[@brianstevens9477]

Excellent video👍 thank you for your time.

[@MrR2185]

I really enjoyed this video. I had no idea you could swap out the modules like that, in a quartz. That was slick. I also like that watch, I know it's more of a fashion piece but it does look nice with that shade of gray on the dial. It pretty much looks like a Tag Heuer from the 90's with Omega Seamaster 300m handset lol.

[@HoOGenghisB]

This reminds me of processor/motherboard compatibility when building PCs.. Is there a PC part picker website equivalent to this stuff?

[@jamesmarshall474]

Great video, thank you very much

[@albertomartin1214]

More videos about quartz watches, please. There is not much videos on the web.

[@artmccomeskey738]

cuz theres not to much to do to them ....most of the time all u do is end up replacing the entire movement as shown .....most of the time the old batteries sit in there and leak acid and end up destroying the movement ......most quartz movements are readily available and not expensive this one was like 10 quid...swap it out and good to go

[@mtbbiker6401]

Wow you did any great job of aligning the second hand with the dial indices. This is always the hardest part for me that requires multiple trial and error settings to get it close. Any tricks?

[@MyRetroWatches]

Hack the movement to start with then the second hand should be in it’s stopped position then it’s just a case of lining it all up when fitting.

[@fenech97]

Nice video , I enjoyed it very much . Thanks for sharing.

[@dodgydruid]

Wow in my naughty box I have the exact same as this other than its gold toned and a very nice one too :) Gets fresh cup o' tea and kicks cats out of room...

[@TriantafyllosThessaloniki]

Nice approach. I liked this video. Greetings my friend 🙂

[@josephsantana3094]

Pretty much all of the disassembly was excluded… we don’t see how you removed the crown, movement, separated the hands, ect… all pretty important for DIYers watching this.

[@mCblue79]

This video is a great help, thank you ☺️👍🇦🇺

[@MyRetroWatches]

You’re welcome 😊

[@uniquehorn1480]

Nicely done!

[@wirdy1]

You can trust cousins when they give alternatives. In my very limited experience, Ronda movements have been nicer & more accurate than the eta they replaced. Were you lucky or did you check the gear train & rotor was free with a pulser before swapping the circuit?

[@MyRetroWatches]

wirdy1 hi, thanks for your comment. I figure cousins alternative would be right but their returns process is not easy.. figured changing the date wheel would be simple! I did not check the train but where the circuit goes and the battery the acid damage was isolated so I took a chance. If the date wheel would have changed then it would have been a new movement in the watch .

[@wirdy1]

@@MyRetroWatches thanks, I've never had to return anything to Cousins, but I'll keep that in mind for the future if I need to source a 50/50 item. I think a complicated returns process means most can't be bothered & the part then sits in the spares box for yrs to come!

[@paulneedham5900]

Lovely Video. Thanks!

[@R-EVLMNKY]

Hi Sir, I have a Vintage Timex Mickey Mouse electric watch, running good before but now working intermittently, is it possible to just replace it with modern quartz movement for reliability? Any movement you can recommend? Thank you.

[@starwarsjohn9807]

Thanks Michael for another helpful video, would love to see a video on how to restore vintage swatch watches without breaking the crystal.? As I have a ton of them from my childhood. Cheers buddy from John

[@dodgydruid]

There are a couple vids on this out there, you have to go in through the crystal side, I fixed my granddaughter's eta powered flip flop learn to tell the time watch from doing that.

[@starwarsjohn9807]

Thanks Ian, your a top man I will have to check them out. Regards from John

[@MyRetroWatches]

Star Wars John I’ve never worked on a swatch...

[@Segafishy]

Being Adidas I was half expecting it to be one of those little movements you often see in the cheaper watches (I took so many apart in my childhood being technical although not enough to put them back together it seems RIP Air 2000 and Dragon Ball watches) I've got one known survivor I may need to do this too if I can find it (A Milan branded Rolex datejust lookalike) so this definately comes handy.

[@ellamackay3120]

I have an old Accurist ladies watch I bought years ago. I had to buy a new movement for it 1L40. I lost a couple of the hands it has a sub dial in place of 6 with a little second hand. I can’t for the life of me get hands for it as I don’t understand sizes. I went to Miyota site but drawings might well have been double Dutch. It had black leaf type hands Hour is 120 Minute is .70 Second is .1.7 Hole for hr and minute 1700 Hole for sec is 900? I think that’s right. I’ve no clue. Maybe you could read it better on Miyota. I will donate for your help. Thank you for reading this. I adore this watch and can’t bear to bin it.

[@rfc490]

Great vid,,im thinking of repairing my own CWC divers with a quartz movement. Like the Adidas watch in the vid, it has sentimental value for me.

[@scotty162]

Good job mate!, thanks.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Made before you cleaned cases too :)

[@dodgydruid]

I invested in a better tweezer set as I have enormous trouble with the ones I have and I suspect one so called "anti-magnetic" one was made on national opposites day as I have to demag it all the time, got a set with a double crank on one of them as I want something to easily pop screws in without my phat hands getting in the way of it all, have heard them referred to as "w"s. Going to dig out my Adidas Adventure now if the movements are only £9.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Ian Watson this was my mates watch . Nice to see you have one too. As for tweezers I will only use Dumont they are pricy but man you get the best quality out there. I use a pair of 00 and I abuse them yet the show no sign. Think they might even be hardened steel.. Also have some hairspring tweezers also by Dumont . £25 a set minimum though

[@MyRetroWatches]

Ian Watson don’t forget £9 plus vat and then post. Also unless you buy the alternative you are faced with doing what I did and remove the circuit

[@bondoff]

"The movement is kaput!" Hahahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@constantinosantoniades3934]

Thank you for the amazing video! I have a watch that I need to replace the movement and I found the same movement on cousinsuk but it has a different day wheel with bigger text than what my watch currently has. The movement is the Movement ronda 517 Day @12h (horizontal) date @ 6h Can you please show how we can change that?

[@colinmartin2921]

Brilliant, thank you.

[@msmoppett]

Bought VX32E movement from Cousins (Thank you) BUT movement does not simply fall out of my Bering watch as described in all the KZbin vids I have seen. There appears to be a s/s ring beneath the seal that remains a fixture. Any ideas how to remove it please?

[@MyRetroWatches]

Without seeing it I have no idea

[@tillmerit8431]

Hello, I have an older model Rolex date just (I think that's the name) that I received from my Dad. I'm curious to know if it's possible to replace the movement with something like a Seiko movement?

[@MyRetroWatches]

If you have a genuine Rolex to not replace it with a Seiko movement! Your Rolex movement , even quartz could be serviced to run properly.

[@davidwebb3253]

Thanks Mike, another great video, need to dig out that old Casio divers watch. A question, if you had fitted the new movement as delivered, would the date have still shown & changed in the aperture at 3, even though the new one was described as date at 6 ?. I might not have phrased that question correctly, hope you understand.

[@MyRetroWatches]

David Webb I don’t honestly know. As then number would have been on its side it would look weird

[@davidevans4609]

Is it possible to change a quartz to a meca quartz to get a smoother sweep to the second hand?

[@MyRetroWatches]

In theory it might be possible gig there are so many factors from thickness of movement stem alignment. Day date windows. Then diameter of a movement / finding a movement spacer to increase / decrease the fit. Something I have never done or had interest in doing. Same with converting a quartz to mechanical.

[@raymondgrosvenor3764]

Very entertaining and informative keep up the great work 😎👍

[@MrSmoothasf]

Is it possible to say put an automatic movement in?

[@MyRetroWatches]

A common question and not one I can answer. You would need to know the thickness of movements and if they align with the crown tube. Also then buying a plastic spacer. People have done it on watches just not me.

[@batman00796]

Great video! By the way, I need to know if I could fit a generic bezel onto a Victorinox V25006 or summit Smurf'. I got it working and it's 10 or more years old and the company doesn't make any spare parts. Thanks

[@whity4584]

Brilliant job

[@HRM.H]

Im looking to either update my quartz watch or make it a automatic. Its a vintage Seiko 5Y23-6069.

[@adamsibbald3533]

do you know if its possible to replace the movement in a vintage swatch? I've got 1995 limited edition nd it has just started buzzing and not holding time :(

[@MyRetroWatches]

Sorry no idea

[@michaelcannon3172]

Very informative, Raring to go !

[@keithallanson7843]

I have this watch 25 years old in 2 tone gold never missed a beat would never part with it.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Keith Allanson that’s how it should be. I have a citizen two tone my dad got me for my 18th back in 1990. Still runs but I broke the second hand . Reading your post reminds me to dig it out and find a hand for it

[@keithallanson7843]

@@MyRetroWatches I remember the day I bought it in Skegness on holiday with my kids, bought it in H Samuals think it cost me over £100 back then and the gold still not faded

[@bjcundiff8623]

Do you have a video, or know of a video that goes over the seiko 5 with the 4r36?

[@MyRetroWatches]

Bj Cundiff sorry I’ve not done one.

[@РоманРоманов-э9у]

Thanks.

[@lorriestafford7905]

I’m cannot get the back put back on. Any suggestions?

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@lorriestafford7905 might be a press fit which would mean you need a watch press.

[@donnyboon2896]

Why wouldn't you buy the Cusins direct replacement? Is it because it wasn't ETA? Or was the 6 o'clock date less expensive? Just trying to understand your thinking.

[@MyRetroWatches]

In all honesty I can’t remember now. Most likely one of those reasons. Sorry

[@JFrusci]

Is it possible to convert a quartz movement to an automatic movement?

[@jackochainsaw]

Yesn't. It depends on how much space is available inside the case. Sometimes because it is a Quartz movement, the internal space is not big enough as quartz movements don't take up much space, most of it is plastic filler to keep it central and in position. Quartz watches can be thinner than automatics because they naturally take up less room inside. As long as you can source a mechanical movement that will fit the hole and matches with the diameter of the dial (and also permits the crown to align) there is nothing stopping you. Sometimes it is easier to change the dial face at the same time, that way you get a movement (with date window) that matches the dial and hands which can be a good modification. It is a tricky mod though, potentially. Also, if you are going to put a mechanical inside, you would want to get a clear/transparent case back that fits (so that you can see the jewels and balance), and if you are going to that trouble you may as well fit a sapphire crystal lens, replacing your old mineral crystal one. All of the equipment required for that costs money and patience. A good example of a watch that is both mechanical or quartz but essentially the same case is the Tissot Powermatic PRX 80 and its cheaper but equally luxuriant PRX Quartz variant. It can be done.

[@rayray..3349]

THANK U Sir.

[@Sestra_Prior]

Hi, sorry for the question, but I have searched the internet and not been able to find an answer anywhere else. I set about replacing the defunct quartz movement in a second hand watch I picked up (having watched this vid), but I now think the watch has had the wrong movement put into at some time in the past - which is perhaps why it wasn't working. The watch is Rotary LB00001/25 - with the sub seconds; it had a Miyota 1L45 quartz movement in it - how can I find out which movement it should have? Really hope you can help - I would really appreciate it!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Sorry I would have no idea. Your best bet is googling the model number of the watch and looking at the image search

[@Sestra_Prior]

@@MyRetroWatches Thanks so much for responding. I have tried that, but it is not a common watch, and the few images I did find did not show the movement or make any mention of it. Not to worry... I'll keep searching :). Thanks again.

[@lanceflanagan]

I'm gutted. I bought a new movement and battery for my old watch which seemed to install OK but it's not running and I just can't figure out why!

[@justinbarber4567]

You missed the stages of removing and then refitting the movement into the case.?

[@See_Sharp]

Is it possible to replace only the quartz oscillator? One of my watch is very accurate only 1sec every 1 month, I want that accuracy to transfer to another watch.

[@MyRetroWatches]

See Sharp hello. So in theory yes. You would solder a new quartz crystal to the module . I have never done this though but know guys who have done them on digitals. Think you have to find one of a similar size and some vibrate at different frequencies.

[@ChrisLee-UK]

I can managed most things but I always struggle with the second's hand! Every bloody time lol.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Second hands are hard to master. Good magnification is the key

[@artmccomeskey738]

no clean up or polish to case and bracelet???

[@MyRetroWatches]

Hello, I did not polish but I did end up running it all through the ultrasonic. Its a mat finish, almost titanium looking so polishing anything would not have been the right thing to do. Thanks for watching.

[@alan-sk7ky]

ETA the Cosina of watches

[@servantofyahhopeful-elect8744]

Website name?

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Found one :)

[@freequest]

Don't really understand what difference the date is at simply because no matter where it is on the dial, it should still change at midnight. The only reason I could see for getting something specific is if the fonts were only designed to be viewed correctly at that o'clock. And I can not see any difference here.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Not sure what I said in the video as this was years ago but it’s the date window position that is important when buying a replacement. Some watches are at 6 or 4 . Buy the wrong one and the date will not line up. Buy at date at 3 for a date at 6 movement the number will be on its side and not upright.

[@mastermkvillar5404]

How ti remove crown?

[@jackochainsaw]

There is a crown release hidden on the back of the movement. It's normally near the stem, you press it down and the stem slides out. If you watch some of this KZbinr's other videos you'll see it.

[@markwoods1504]

My God I used to have one of those people watches years ago.

[@australier263]

For an 8 pound watch it is not provitable to change the quartz movement! The battery and manhour cost even more! Take a cheap Chinese/Japan Miota, ETA NH34/35 mechanical movement and upgrade this time Maschine! Mostly it will fit into the housing! Did this hundreds of...times! Brgds JB 🇦🇺😮

[@MyRetroWatches]

Not sure where you get £8 from. This is my friends watch. The first one he ever bought so wanted it running again.

[@martinward7239]

Absofuckinglutely mint

[@JayB-lz6yd]

if it was me, i would've upgraded it with a far better one. recent quartz are thinner so you just need a spacer in front of the dial against the case and sanding down the back of the movement ring to bring it back whee it was. flush to the case back. for 20/40 bucks you have very good stuff. it's personal i hate plastic haha!

[@2000globetrotter]

This is all very well but at no point did you show how to remove and replace the watch stem, which was, as a novice, the one thing I needed to know! Useless!

[@bodgitandleggitgarage]

1st boom

[@russb24]

Today I learned that I've been pronouncing Adidas wrong all my life. Along with most other Americans, I've been putting the emphasis on the second syllable.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Russ B haha, yep over here we say it differently. Same a Nike the E is not it’s own syllable

[@oliverk8258]

no good. this guy assumes the viewer is a watchmaker. needs to be simpler.

[@MyRetroWatches]

No I don’t…. I explain to find the codes on the modules and then you can purchase a replacement.

[@deanagoes2791]

Loks so cheap and plastic...

[@isopticon]

Completely useless video, it's showing you how to buy the movement but is not even showing how to remove the stem. Don't waste your time watching if you want to do it yourself.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Before you discredit my video understand your own question. Nearly every quartz movement ive worked on, and there is many have a different stem release and its not that difficult to work it out if you pay attention to the movement in front of you. If you are blindly assuming they are all the same then perhaps changin a module is not something you should be doing.

[@isopticon]

@@MyRetroWatches The most shocking is that like most low level KZbinrs, you cannot take criticism. Since I have rightly left my comment, I watched another video with similar title to yours and the guy showed how to remove the stem. And from this I worked out how to do it in one watch and the second one, as I wanted to swap the movement from one watch to another. Thanks to him I have accomplished my task. You simply forgetting that you supposed to make video to help people. You make videos for self glorification. 99% of audience will watch your video but will not attempt to do anything, I actually did and left for you very valuable feedback. Your video is useless, so stop crying and make another one which will be helpful to youtube community. You are welcome.

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@isopticon How am I not taking critizsm? I explained to you that not all modules and movements are the same. You found your answer elsewere and isnt that great. You sould leave it there. I am too old to deal with reponses like you have just typed, seriously. You simply have no idea bout my channel or what I am doing you just didnt like this video because it did not show what you wanted. Had it shown the answer then your tone would be much diffrernt.

[@isopticon]

@@MyRetroWatches look, your watch repair skills are awesome, but this particular video titled "How to replace Quartz Movement" does not provide what it preaches. Sit back and look from the perspective of someone typing this question on you tube. One could not even take the movement, out of the case ;-). You are not too old to deal with my comments, you are just working your old ways. I wish you all the best, and if you will not make a proper video on "How to replace Quartz Movement" I will.