Restoring a Blancpain Vintage Watch with a Hidden Gem inside !!!

[@GentlemensWatchServices]

Great work again. This must be from the period when jewels in watches were like mega-pixels in cameras...it's got more so it must be better!

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Very true!

[@garyboyle695]

Manufacturers put in more jewels than necessary to inflate the price.

[@heinrethasangerhaus4242]

Very elegant watch. The first time that i see a winding system in this way. Interesting. Nice service.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Yes it is very unique I think

[@muffemod]

I'm late to the party. But I will start my weekend with this great video! Merci!

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Perfect!

[@LarsC70]

Beautiful work as usual and always steady on the hands. I have a question regarding the graphite oil you are using for anti sliding. I use Moebius 8217 and whant an ail with higher friction. Best Regards Lars

[@Cleveland.Ironman]

Great Restoration of a beautiful watch! Do you know when this watch was manufactured?

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Thank you. Not sure of the year

[@darcybrawataakaontariostac6835]

Great job as usual but thats the highest amount of jewels i’ve ever seen in a watch

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Thanks for watching!

[@ygrbooks]

Very nice restoration on a really special watch: 👏👍👌!

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@metaldetectingthenortheast1294]

Well that's a neat design. Reminds me of the longines 34x and 35x automatics but they had teeth on the outside rotor ring.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Yes I love it

[@brucebarlow6604]

Yes Perfect a lovely vintage watch. Are you following the Rugby World Cup. Keep well from New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Yes I am following the world cup

[@hughbryant1326]

This movement is beautiful but sadly I have not heard of the make. I found it fascinating . Hugh UK

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Blancpain is a great manufacturer of watches

[@realricciardo85]

Final result is ravishing! 👏👏👏👏 I've noticed you're using a different press (Bergeron) for installing the crystal.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

I have a Bergeon and an Horotec. They are different so depend what I do I prefer to use one and sometime the other one

[@narendravara5134]

The crown looks worn was this not replaced?

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

It is fine and I prefer to keep it original

[@alisaeed280]

❤ احسنت .. شيء مبهر جدآ

[@captaincargoshorts2068]

Wierd question but have you ever gotten frustrated at a watch movement during a service? I cant imagine the patience working on these movements must require

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Yes of course😆

[@robertjordan7323]

Curious? Are those 30 jewels on the winder do anything or just for show?

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Yes they reduce the friction and wear

[@csachevauxsansabri2612]

Hi just decided to become one of your patrons with my contact email, hope it helps keeping your great work going

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Thank you so much. Really appreciate it

[@ismaelcastro4823]

isn’t that cal. exactly like the AS 1681?

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Maybe

[@paynehl]

AS1681 family for sure. AS 1701 I had has the same automatic bridge. That’s an interesting rotor solution to reduce strain on the arbor ( or slick marketing ). 😊

[@90762709]

It makes me laugh when you say it’s simple. To the average person it’s complicated! 😂

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

😆

[@IntegrityTimepieces]

what tool do u use to polish the pivots?

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

It is called eve flex

[@IntegrityTimepieces]

@@FrenchWatchCollector thank u i really appreciate u explaining things in the comment section u just put the eve flex in a pin vise?

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

@@IntegrityTimepieces Yes it is some eve flex in a pin vice

[@olivierevrard4618]

Good job mon ami 👍🏼 I have one too but made of steel and date, I think it's from 1964, but the movement in my case is a 41 jewels R300 by Rayville, can someone tell me why I have 41 and not 53? I sent an email to Blancpain in Switzerland but they couldn't answer me, could it be a prototype? If anyone has information about it that you guys would like to share that would be helpful to understand little bit more about this amazing watch. Merci.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

I am not sure why. It is a lot of jewels less than the 53. Need to disassemble the watch and check the jewels to see the difference

[@olivierevrard4618]

@@FrenchWatchCollector Oui! I think I will send it to you for a check and full service.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

@@olivierevrard4618 No problem

[@DutchClawz]

What did you use to polish the pivots? I know you explained in a video not too long ago but I cant find it anymore

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

It is called Eve flex

[@csachevauxsansabri2612]

I wounder, are the gray parts replacement parts?

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

I don't think so

[@csachevauxsansabri2612]

@@FrenchWatchCollector it's just because they seme so out of place with evrething gold plaited and then underneath the gray parts pop up

[@hockeyrd99]

@@csachevauxsansabri2612 Those are likely steel parts. They plated the bridges and parts that won't be subjected to a lot of wear, and left the steel parts alone. Consider the gears; brass gears on steel pivots.

[@prighult]

Bonjur

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

👍

[@randynessinger2295]

Come on Frenchy, You've never worked on a AS 1701, They used this in the first 50 Fathoms as well. Not sure why, being the oldest watch company in the world, but, the winding rotor, finish and color is why their High Horology.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

I never worked on a Fifty Fathoms

[@randynessinger2295]

Right, But, I'm sure you've worked on plenty of A Schild movements before, They just changed the rotor assembly and it appears the the date change wheel and cover plates on the dial side, otherwise it's the same as early Zodiac's and a ton of others. AS was the largest movement maker in Switzerland.@@FrenchWatchCollector

[@vyasaddison4561]

👌👌👌

[@borassictime918]

The Cyclotron was launched in 1959 (a time when 100,000 Blancpains were made every year) and its R300 jewel count was the highest in a wristwatch, this being only a couple of years before Rayville was acquired by SSIH in 1961 with absorption under Omega in 1968 and use of the Blancpain name ceased altogether in the mid-1970s. So, this model can only have been made for a few years in the early/mid 1960s, but I’m not an expert, so others will know more.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Thank you so much for all the nice information

[@borassictime918]

@@FrenchWatchCollector Thank you for showing us such a lovely restoration of such a nice watch 👍

[@sathomasga]

It seems like the only point of that rotor system was to increase the jewel count just so Blancpain could claim the record. It''s hard to see how it's functionally better. Standard automatic works seem to do well without all that complexity.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

@@sathomasga the system has less wear than a system with a bearing I would say but it is much more complex

[@hockeyrd99]

@@sathomasga True.. I had a Waltham with 65 jewels and one with 100. Mostly on the rotor. lol Since I considered them basically 17 jewels automatic, I gave the 65 jewel one to a friend who collected them, and sold the 100 jewel one since people value them.

[@davidassayag6634]

Bonjour. Pouvez-vous me dire quelles huiles et graisses de chez Moebius, ai-je besoin pour commencer dans le domaine des montres? Merci.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Je vais bientôt faire un tuto

[@davidassayag6634]

@@FrenchWatchCollector Merci. Il y'a tellement de références chez Moebius !

[@mischab.9049]

Очень жаль что осталась старая изношенная заводная головка (Krone)!😢

[@jayruggiero1315]

53 jewels would have made it more expensive to import here in the US. More jewels meant more import duties. Plus, i guess even one of the oldest watch companies isnt above a bit of marketing BS. Nice work, i enjoy your channel.

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

Thank you very much

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

:)

[@iancarnell5020]

Crown is worn out !

[@FrenchWatchCollector]

I kept it as it is usable and I wanted to keep it original