Whats Inside a "Mumbai Special" Watch?

HI guys and thank you for tuning in. This might be a video that split opinion and can open the door to some healthy debate. What is inside a Mumbai Special watch. This phrase I do not really like as it is stereotyping a whole group of people which is wrong. So lets look at one of these watches closely inside and out. Watch as I discuss this watch and then open the caseback, examine what is in there, disassemble and service.
I welcome everyone's opinion on this subject but please keep your comments respectful.
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[@MyRetroWatches]

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[@RocketSailing]

My Retro Watches Thank you for youre vidieos sir! Much enjoyable! Im just starting out this hobby. 30 years ago, I was a toolmaker. Most is forgotten. But my tooling liking is the same. But, when shopping around. (Have eBay basket loaded, But not pressed pay button yet. Lol) The Bergeon, Horotec ect. Makes the eyes watering.. 😂 So, Ive decided to go with cheaper brands. To start with, then get better things when experience builds. Dont want to wait for china shipment. So only sellers with products in stock. Pointers and suggestions will be much appriciated! Will check youre sale links! Cheers from Sweden!

[@pawanshankar5892]

Sir there is good amount of info in your vedio but i have a genuine camy 21 jewels hand winding in a bad shape but still what is the price of the genuine camy 21 jewels in market currently please leave your reply.

[@pawanshankar5892]

Sir there is good amount of info in your vedio but i have a genuine camy 21 jewels hand winding in a bad shape but still what is the price of the genuine camy 21 jewels in market currently please leave your reply.

[@OffGridInvestor]

I NOTICED these on ebay. Unrealistic colors and even designs the Japanese would NEVER do. The store I looked at was APPARENTLY all vintage unsold new stock APPARENTLY caused by the quartz crisis... all Seiko and Citizen. Considering how cheap a citizen is, it's like faking a Ford 😂😂. So a few indians are like "what are we faking ferraris for? Let's face a Ford or toyota"....

[@e.m.pinballfan2477]

It’s great that India has people willing to give old movements new life! I think everyone knows the dials aren’t legitimate but they are beautiful! Much respect to the watch people in beloved India!

[@alabastermontague6841]

Enjoyed this video. My take is that mechanical watches with relatively bulletproof movements -- HMTs, the most common Seiko 5s, mass-produced Swiss -- were in some ways easier to keep going through thick and thin than quartzes: there'd be someone in the nearest town who did that work and had a pile of donor parts. The redials and recasings are part of a process that retains the ticking heart of the watch because it carries financial and sentimental value, and buyers outside India aren't used to that.

[@spencer.watches]

I'm not going to lie, I kind of like that. I'm only 7 minutes in, but if the movement is even half decent that's a great deal. As long as the buyer understands what they're getting into, I see no problem with this sort of watch. In fact, I sort of want one as a cheap thrill.

[@scdevon]

I don't see what the problem is with these "specials" even if everything is fake. You're getting a pretty good jeweled mechanical movement for $13 bucks (pounds). The "before" on this movement could have easily been put into beat and regulated on the time graph machine within a reasonable tolerance even without a service.

[@elund408]

@@scdevon the problem is they are selling them as somthing that they are not. we know they are not but others buy them thinking they are getting a somthing they aren't,

[@1955mercury]

@@elund408 This video makes me want to buy one. I'd wear it because I wouldn't have to worry too much about damaging it.

[@elund408]

@@1955mercury many don't run long enough to make it worth while, you can buy a seiko 5 for about $100 and have watch that will last for years or a timex or casio for $50 that will last for 5-6

[@finck2208]

I love the Mumbai specials. A cheap way to get in the game. Everyone I know who ordered one has evolved as a collector.

[@allieflounder5764]

Steven Turner totally agree...and I love the ones I have

[@MrAlcmj]

For the amount of money, I honestly wouldn’t mind having a ‘Mumbai special’ collection. They’re becoming a thing of their own. Also really liked your clarification on the derogatory term. 👍

[@gizzyguzzi]

It's words. People need to get over it. Stereotypes are for a reason. When i was a kid I was told 'sticks and stones may break my bones, words will never hurt me'. India very much is a caste system. People born into their class with little hope of ever advancing. I expect that is why they can sell these watches so cheap, parts are cheap and labor is cheaper. Maybe think of your purchase as helping someone there make a living!

[@shawnz241]

I wouldn't mind having a franken-Seiko made of old parts for the right price. The idea that someone put their head to piece together something is worth paying $20 for.

[@ShaunSommer]

I have a frankenwatch myself. It was an Allwyn A6319 (India variant of Seiko 6319A). Didn't run great, but for $25 USD it is a project to learn on.

[@shawnz241]

@@ShaunSommer that's a great idea! I never knew Allwyn was a Seiko variant.

[@siddhunkarthik]

👌🏻👍🏻

[@rahulshah1408]

I just bought one by accident for 40. Wish me luck. It can be utter junk.

[@cristobalosuna3106]

Nice and honest video as usual, thanks for showing. Having been in India several times I do understand people refurbishing and selling these watches, they don't think in terms of "fake" or "genuineness" they have other things to worry about.

[@jamespenson8912]

I can’t tell you how many years I have wondered what is really under the hood when I see these listings on eBay. THANK YOU for showing us!

[@nicksantitoro]

Greetings from across the pond in the USA. I have recently started with the watch repair hobby. I had one of these I bought a few years ago and decided to try to service it. The amplitude went from around 190 to 230 degrees when I was finished so I guess I did pretty good. I had a laugh when you mentioned the bottom shock setting being a pain. I almost gave up on mine but finally after probably 30 minutes and almost losing it several times I got it back in. Thanks for the great channel, it’s a great one to learn from.

[@unclekevin5094]

Very interesting and relaxing video. Thank you. My job is often quite physical and I have broken several watches and as such have purchased several of these "Specials" from Ebay over the years. I have had these Camy as well as Henri Sandoz (which have the same movement that you have just worked on) but have more recently stuck with the more reliable and solid £15 Casio. Who really minds if they are 50 or more seconds a day wrong for that price.

[@dennisc.1189]

I just loved your story about this watch. Just like mom used to say honesty is the policy. Great work on this video.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you.

[@stevenalba2640]

I bought, a while back, a Favre Leuba Mumbai Special for the movement; my watchmaker needed some parts that were impossible to find so I contacted one of the ebay shops thatbadvertised the FL's for about 29 dollars. The shop owner had the movementbthat we needed and sold me it for 18 dollars. A good source for hard to find watch parts!

[@wirdy1]

Thanks for this video. This has given me the inspiration to see what's inside & COA an India-special ricoh redial automatic that I've had sat in a drawer for years. As you say, what an excellent way to learn on the job, with no real consequences for errors.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Good luck. I do like Recoh watches. Genuine ones are very understated so you get allot for your money.

[@joseinluzon2218]

Great video! Thank you. A few years ago I bought 5 of them. 2 Oris, 2 Fortis and a Helbros. They were cool, interesting and very cheap. Awesome dials! They all ran fine. It’s funny, now I recall they all had the same case- mainly the dials and case markings varied. I ended up giving them away or selling them cheap and had no complaints. I think it was a phase I needed to go through to grow. I don’t regret buying them at the time. I don’t think any of us is born a watch snob. I hope the re-makers of these watches earn enough to feed themselves and their families. As naive as I was, I never fooled myself into believing I was buying rare vintage watches for dime store prices. They were fun. Nice colors. I moved on to my Rolexes, Omegas, Blancpain, Breitlings, etc. Now I regret not keeping these cheap watches. I don’t really own any fun watches anymore. Thanks again. With this simple timepiece, you just reminded me why I first fell in love with watches. I’m not sure how much time I have left on this planet, but I will always love watches.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Great comment so thanks for that. I think many of us fall for these at the start and it’s a good thing as it hones your skills at what to look out for. At first we don’t spot what these are but then it’s obvious . They are cheap but mechanical so there are the two main pluses ! Sounds like you moved onto some high pedigree stuff afterwards!

[@watchmedraw4340]

I love it ❤️ I've never really had a bad word to say about Mumbai watches. This one suprised me. It's even better now that it's properly serviced. Even the dial looks alright in my opinion. Not original or vintage but it is nice. My first Seiko was a Mumbai and I love it. It has a sunburst red dial. It's in my regular circulation of daily wearing watches. I honestly wouldn't mind buying that watch.

[@PMS1950]

I have a similar watch from the same stable and have quite enjoyed wearing it. Timekeeping is good and it has survived some rugged treatment. The crystal hasn't proved a problem and although it doesn't draw admiring glances (am I bovvered??) it fulfils its purpose and does its job.

[@OffGridInvestor]

That dial ACTUALLY looked like aluminium!! The movement reminds me a LOT of one of the old soviet 70s movements. Maybe slava or podeba or raketa or something. Except for the big bridge on the back is a bit wider towards the thin end with the soviets. I'm a bit of a soviet watch enthusiast.

[@GarySlegg]

An excellent video. I too have seen a lot of these watches on eBay, they look great and I have nearly been tempted; it’s reassuring to know that they will actually arrive in the post and are made from genuine Swiss parts. For £13 you can’t really complain. I think you should love this watch in the same way an art dealer would love a forged painting by John Myatt!

[@a.aguilar]

I bought a couple HMT. They are great to learn and easy to make them run, but hard to adjust the rate, not to say the beat error as they don't have an adjustable stud. I keep them so maybe one day I'll try to correct the BE readjusting the balance position, athough that's a technique I don't usually need.

[@pstamaria]

Nice review dude. I have a couple of those which I got when I first started collecting watches. They still work well after all these years! Thx

[@100amps]

Good video, Mike. Where I see the value in these watches are in the movements, either for practicing/learning, or for parts. The ones currently on eBay usually show a photo of the movement, and are usually identifiable, so you can pick something that looks interesting or otherwise worthwhile.

[@Mymatevince]

Nicely put together Mike, a thoroughly enjoyable video :-)

[@markhorstman5853]

Hi 2023 just received 2 refurbished Seiko 5 from India they look new ,from the 1970s really cool!

[@captainturbo4164]

I own a Seiko special and love it, reliable and unique. Great video as always ⌚👍

[@j81851]

Love your channel and content. A constructive criticism however, loose the music while you talk. No talk = music background if you like. Talking = no music. I love your honest narrations, your kind and caring manner and your transparency. I THINK THE MUSIC DETRACTS FROM THAT WHILE YOU NARRATE AND DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR GOOD WORK, THROUGH EXPLANATIONS AND HONESTY! I think you are a WAY better watchmaker than your modesty lets on. I enjoy every one of your videos literally from start to finish. I am an electrician and engineer so attention to detail just really gets me going.. I see that in you and appreciate your kind, gentle persistence in making it happen getting these watches rebuilt. Keep up the good work!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Wow what a comment. To be fair this is the second video I’ve put background music into , in part as I am trying new editing software out but also trying to improve my video content to get the videos presented better. Quite a few of you have commented on the music and also it being to loud. Please accept my apologies for this and I will be dropping it from now on other than some of the fast forward parts or similar clips where I’ve used it in the past. If I don’t try I don’t know. I’ve now tried and know it’s a bad idea! Other than this I am so pleased you like my channel . I did not expect this video to do so well but it’s had more videos then many of my other videos ever have , and in only 48 hours ..

[@hydorah]

@@MyRetroWatches I think he's right about the music. music or dialogue, never both, it creates a horrible sound clash. To be honest I do prefer no music at all!

[@KellyAnnaM1]

It is so peaceful watching you take this apart and test it.

[@viewsandreviews180]

Another great presentation (too good to call it a video). I agree this would be something a “newbie” like myself could take on as a project. At worst if I completely cocked it up it wouldn’t be financial ruin and if it was running accurately again at the end the watch might become a favorite. Thank you for taking the time to post this; your enthusiasm is another great part of your content.

[@MrKenny777]

I’ve bought several of these watches over the years. It always seems to be a generic 17 jewel Swiss movement with rust spots and a brand new hand painted dial. I still like tinkering with them though. I love your videos Mike no matter what type of watch it is.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you Kenny, to be fair on this one the movement is pretty good and bulletproof.

[@davidj180]

Well, it is what it is. If one accepts that it's a fun homage to an earlier era in horology, it's a bargain with a neat little old vintage Swiss movement. I've spoken with a couple of Indian watch dealers and their take on the Frankenwatch phenomenon is that these FHF ST 96 movements were used by many of the Swiss watch companies in the period so the re-casing and re-dialing, albeit not strictly accurate of course, is perhaps not a complete deception on the heart of the watch. When one ponders the dramatic and complicated growth of the Chinese watch industry over the past decades, I give the Indians, the world's largest democracy, a pass.

[@rossjackson3670]

Really enjoyed the video. Great for a novice like me still in lock down (Scotland). I'm where you were in 2016. I Took up the hobby last week of January 2022. Spent 4 weeks getting tools from ebay. Opened my fist watch last week of February 2022. Bought 2 watches from India. What a revelation! Videos from someone like yourself are such a boon. Thank you

[@MyRetroWatches]

Welcome to the very deep rabbit hole you are about to fall in. Its fun though and full of highs and lows. Watch some of my videos and you may find some useful tips. Also if you are on facebook consider joining my group. 10000 members and of all experience so all questions are valid and help would be received.

[@_Hanover_]

I have ordered 2 of them in the last year and received neither. I really wanted to see how bad they truly are. Thank you for doing this

[@joeconrad3828]

Mike Sanden Same for me. Ordered two HMT Pilots from ebay in Feb. and never received them. Seller refunded for one, and asked me to be patient due to the Covid crisis. I waited, and now eBay won’t allow me to leave negative feedback because it’s been too long. Had a shipping notice that they were “scanned into a sack” in Delhi so I presume the problem was with DHL. Don’t care about the money so much as I’m disappointed to not get the lovely watches.

[@intezamable]

@@joeconrad3828 For a time ebay suspended all sales from India due to India's nation wide lockdown issues and related postal build up, one can still claim paypal refund, I think till about 6 months after, feedback is only 3 months, the button to claim unreceived items is hidden after 3 months, then you can select it from here www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/returns-refunds/get-help-item-hasnt-arrived?id=4042 any such action accumulates for the seller and they might suspend his items from the search results abroad, which is why its better to talk to the seller first.

[@NathanChisholm041]

Never buy a watch from India! Scam artist central!

[@ajaychoudhary9817]

i love these watches i have 5 of these in different colors so happy to see you cover this watch!!

[@Andrew-fb4vn]

My guy... I just picked up an old camy movement to tinker with. Sure enough, you’ve already got a tutorial up. I’ve been staying in India through the pandemic, so I’ve had great access to cheap movements to practice on. Old HMT, Enicar, Camy, and seiko movements are ubiquitous here. I don’t know if this is something you’d be interested in or not, but I’d love to send you one of the vintage HMTs I’ve been working on. The movement (based on the C021) isn’t much to write home about, but they’re still charming little pieces imho.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Andrew thanks. I have wondered about the HMT watches but ones over here are not always genuine

[@Andrew-fb4vn]

@My Retro Watches, finding authentic HMTs can be a bit of a challenge since, afaik, there is no solid reference catalogue publicly available. In my experience, you really have to know someone reliable who’s been working on these watches for a long time. With that said, there’s no reason to fabricate the movement since there are millions out there, and original cases/dials aren’t that rare - they just require a fair amount of TLC. Actually, the watch that originally got me interested in HMT was the Janata Devanagari with an aftermarket blue dial (the authentic version is only in white). imgur.com/a/3W08J60

[@Blasthoff]

Thanks for this video! Being new to watch repair and only recently seeing this stuff out there piqued my curiosity. You've answered a thousand questions for me having been filled with a mix of doubts and curiosity about what I was looking at. Some may scoff, but I found your guided exploration very educational with a ton of experience gained!!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jimbaird8976]

My first toe in the water of collecting watches was an Indian seiko five. The face hadn’t been repainted and it was worth the money. £15 i think. Good timekeeper and a useful beater watch. I never bought another but it got me interested in vintage and automatic watches. Fascinating video and informative without being pretentious. Thank you Subscribed.

[@moleman1961]

These are what i call a gardening watch! Work well enough to see you through a few hours in the shed or garage too! Something you don’t mind scuffing up a bit, and, getting weld spatter on an expensive watch ruins the crystal (learned that the hard way!).

[@MyRetroWatches]

indeed. Though I do have some Seikos for that purpose.

[@mikemullenix6956]

The swiss movement looks real. And that makes this a great purchase. Excellent job cleaning and lubing.

[@SilentWatchUnboxing]

I also got a couple of these "frankenwstches" from India, and I knew while i was ordering them on eBay, that they must be fake, but for the price, there's not much to loose, and they're quite fun almost funny watches!

[@scooterhocfecit3685]

I bought one of these Indian watches because it had a really cool red face. It ran terribly at first, but I tweaked it on the timegrapher and it ran perfectly for about an hour. Then it stopped completely. I think the problem was in the winding mechanism or mainspring. I'm no where near your mechanical level, so now I am (slowly) working on my first quartz conversion. I have a new movement, stem, spacer, hands, and sticky dots. I would like to see a conversion if you're up to it. Similarly, I found that they had not epoxied the crown to the stem and it came off. So what if its not genuine... if you like the look of it, wear it. Love your videos.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks for your comment. Conversion would make an interesting topic but I prefer my mechanicals so it would be almost go against my logic to replace a mechanical for a quartz movement. I would just try to fix the mechanical one or replace it with another donor.

[@dodgydruid]

I'm eyeing up fitting Miyota quartz movements to two of my Soviet quartz pieces, the parts for the 3050 CCCP movement are just non-existent so have ordered a cheap Miyota day date quartz and some stem extenders and going to see if I can bring these huge square watches (45mm square) back to life.

[@ThePillenwerfer]

@@MyRetroWatches How about going the other way: quartz to mechanical? It would be interesting to see how realistic it would be to do and you may like the look of a particular quartz watch but still want it to tick.

[@watchmedraw4340]

My first Mumbai was a Seiko and my first Seiko. It had a sunburst red dial. I loved it and that's why I bought it.

[@josephstratti52]

Enjoyed you video immensely,this FHF movement is one that I learned watch making on.I still have the first FHF movement that I learnt on many years ago and as a functional watch your Mumbai will give good service and for the price a fine entry to watch making.good on you for the memory of this little movement to me.FHF by the way is the oldest ebauche manufacturer in the world

[@MyRetroWatches]

Joseph Stratti thanks for watching. I enjoyed the movement and in my next video coming sometime this week this also has a FHF 76 movement.

[@jamesspaulding2231]

I’ve bought three Citizen gold day just style watches a bright red Citizen watch from India and the seller stated that they have authentic Citizen movements in new aftermarket stainless steel cases and as I received them and opened them and they all have authentic movements and they all work flawlessly and look great. The most expensive one was $21. Absolutely happy with my purchases but now I stick to buying new and from reputable dealers mainly because I bought two vintage watches from the USA and got burned. I have been looking at a few shops here in the USA that specializes in vintage Swiss watches they do restoration on them then sell them I’m just waiting for my vintage gold Omega to show up and everything else I purchase new. Sorry for such a long comment. Absolutely great video, thank you.

[@Omar-qf5mi]

Great timing! I have been considering getting one of those $20 seikos but feel I'm likely to get a dud.

[@MyRetroWatches]

stay optimistic!

[@peterk2455]

Nothing wrong paying $25 for an Indian refurbished Seiko, as long as the movement is genuine. Which they most often are. Cases, dials and crystals are often generic. There are plenty that screech 'fakes...rip off' etc. I've noted that quite a number of them will pay $70 for a Vostok, assembled from various parts.

[@Happy357mag]

If I make my own car and use a Mercedes engine does it make my car a Mercedes?

[@gizzyguzzi]

I found one Indian seller on eBay right now has thousands of watches, including ST96 wristwatches. They all look nice, and the seller at least includes a picture of the movement. Price? $13.49 including shipping to USA! I don't see any reason to complain about 'fake', but these brand names mean nothing to me. I didn't consider them frauds. I just thought they were trying to be watches. The seller has decent feedback, maybe it will even run! But like you said, can't go wrong for beginning watchmaking hobby! Hardest part was picking a couple favorites of all the choices!

[@donbrough6386]

Great video Mike, very relaxing watching you work on movements, even this one!

[@Alias_Anybody]

My experience, I bought a bunch of those: From one seller, I got an "HMT pilot". Strong beat, surprisingly well lumed hands, pretty accurate (I regulated it to about 6 seconds per day!). Afterwards I was pretty thrilled and got 4 more from another seller. 1st one was another HMT pilot, strong and pretty like the last one. The next one was an HMT Janata, this one works and is fairly accurate but has a somewhat weak beat (I'm not a watchmaker, but it's audible) and sometimes stops when setting the time. It also needs quite a lot of power in the main spring to start running after it stopped. I'm not a watchmaker so I'm not quite sure what causes this, but well. At last I bought two HMT Sona. One is pretty lovely, strong beat like the first one (I regulated it into the +10 seconds range) the other one though came with a missing screw (holding the movement inside the case) making it flop around, and it's very inaccurate without me being able to regulate it any better (the lever would collide with a gear!). I wrote the seller, and they said it was fine when they sent it and I should bring it to a watchmaker for inspection. The conversation kind of ended there as the little thing cost me about 14€ and every first-world watchmaker would laugh me out of his shop for the audacity alone (can't get the money back because the buyer protection ran out). I would be really interested in what causes the issue though, but well, I lack time and ressources to get into watchmaking myself. I'll just keep it for spare parts because I could at least switch hands, crystal, case and dial if necessary.

[@Andrew-fb4vn]

Where are you located? I may be able to help you with that second sona.

[@Alias_Anybody]

@@Andrew-fb4vn Austria. Unless you live somewhere in the EU, the shipping would most likely be unpleasently expensive, especially now. I've ordered a de-magnetizer for the slim chance that that actually causes the issue, otherwise, as I said, spare parts.

[@RadioWhisperer]

A great video, thank you for helping educate the community about these watches. I know i learned a great deal. One small suggestion, since the bench video is done at a pretty constant distance, would it work to turn off auto focus so it doesn't hunt every time your hands appear? It always seems to find your hands (brighter objects) rather than the movement and the constant switching could be a queezy experience for some viewers. Great info though, i always learn something from your content, thank you for putting them out!

[@joelsam244]

Very common in India.... What happens is an old watch store will go out of business and someone buys the old watches the buisness had lying around along with the store and either he refurbishes it or he sells them by lot for dirt cheap to a refurbisher... Then they get refurbished and sold.... It's a bit sad but I'm actually glad that a mechanical watch drive is alive here.... PS I'm in India..m love your work😌🤍

[@saisamayseva8712]

Nice.In fact I learnt watch repairing on this type of watches.They are sturdily built and last for more than 3 decades without repair after buying in brand new condition.All the best.Thanks.

[@MyRetroWatches]

They are surprisingly robust but then I find most mechanical watches are, especially the manual wind ones. I guess when they stop they sit in drawers for years so a 50 year old movement may have only seen half of that on active duty.

[@NouMoe55]

Thanks for this Mumbai Watch movie. Learned a lot :)

[@danytoob]

Hey Michael...great video. I'm also an amateur, self taught hobbyist and thoroughly enjoy your content. Inspires me to carry on. I'm limited to collecting/restoring early 1900's U.S railroad watches (am fascinated at the tech precision of more than 100 years ago that are still able to keep remarkable time! ... though obtaining parts is always an adventure - lol). I also am addicted to watchmaker tools and noticed the movement holder at the beginning of this vid ... looked like it was branded "Pioneer, British made". Do you recall where you got that one? A quick search didn't yield much. In any event, excellent stuff and keep it coming. I always look forward to your next post. Thanks!! DT

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks for your comment. I get asked weekly on the Pioneer holder. Truth is its vintage and I saw it on eBay so bought it as sometimes my Bergeon 4040 annoys me. To get one you just need to keep a saved search on eBay. I have seen the same style of holder in other brands (not that I can remember the name) just search for movement holder / vintage movement holder. Give it enough time and one will pop up.

[@hal0eight]

Those ST96 movements are solid, good quality movements. Made by the millions in the 1970's. The only problem with them is they have never been serviced and the oil is either a gel or completely absent. If you put in an armoured crystal they feel much more solid.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks for commenting pal. I was surprised to see what was inside and for the little money it’s actually pretty good value. If they just put on some generic dial and at least a tension ring crystal it would be a decent low end mechanical watch for the masses. Dressing it up as something it’s not has made them detrimental. Shame really.

[@WatchUP69MrRangeman]

This by far the best video on this subject... I’ve had a few of these and they’ve always been a good way, especially on the cheap side to experiment with taking watches apart. I did mod a few by replacing the dials with genuine SEIKO dials and used them as something unique, and sold them as unique. You really can’t get upset over £15 delivered... with patience and some background checks you can buy a few of these and build a complete watch that all matches, apart from the serial number, but isn’t most of the used cars in the road running non original parts like oil filters, shocks and wheels? A very affordable watch that’s perfect for tinkering... fake Seiko’s are so obvious to those who’ve owned this brand for a while, but to the excited eye they look too much of a bargain to avoid, and only later discover it’s rubbish when they’ve joined a SEIKO group or watch group like Retro where the experienced notice it’s not genuine. Watch channels and Facebook watch groups like this are very worth joining, even myself use them to discover new identities to knowing if a watch is 100% original. Great job my friend as always... that didn’t feel like 54mins, it could’ve gone for another 54mins it was that involving ;) Big thumbs as always!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks Phil. Great comment

[@WatchUP69MrRangeman]

@@MyRetroWatches Great reply :))

[@phillipmaciver3226]

Had two decent ones, and two very poor ones. All good for practicing on, but the deceit from some sellers is rife. Some have several ebay accounts accounts but are all at the same address. I agree that the HMT are a far more honest machine, and as such are a better purchase for a practice piece in my experience.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks I am reading allot of comments talking of HMT so perhaps in the future I will look at one for the channel.

[@helgetippmann]

The vintage egg timer is super cool. 👍

[@MyRetroWatches]

Haha thanks!

[@daveyoder9231]

Enjoyed this thoroughly. The movement was Swiss, but the dial was repro. I see some "vintage Oris" showing the same movement on Ebay. Could the wobble be an overlarge jewel hole? In any case, I look forward to going through the rest of your videos. Thank you!

[@johnsrabe]

Thanks! I’ve always wondeded about these.

[@wildernessofzinn17]

Great video!. You made a great baby-step tutorial for us just getting into the hobby. Thanks!

[@jenilocke8255]

Thanks for showing this video. I've seen these watches on ebay but avoided them, I now wish I had bought one to play with as my first try. I dropped the balance on the watch I started with ( cringe, a fake rolex my husbands sisters gave him) into carpet and realised it was, shall we say, not best pleased at that treatment! I have put it aside to try to fix the balance at a later date when I may, or may not, have enough experience to repair it. I must congratulate you on your technique because you make it look much easier than it is to manipulate these tiny parts. Thanks again for taking the time to put these videos out.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you. Balances do not respond well to rough treatment unfortunately. I am sure you will get the hang of it. Just a case of patience and gaining experience.

[@jenilocke8255]

@@MyRetroWatches I just bought a microscope from ebay (tried to use the link on your site but they were out of stock☹). I got the boom arm one you recommend. It will take a while to get to me down under but I look forward to seeing things clearer. PS my mother has an omega constellation that belonged to my grandfather for me but it will be a while before I will be game to service that lol.

[@violinmke]

You might get a Mumbai Special or you might get a Delhi Disaster.

[@RockandrollNegro]

Occasionally, you'll get a Bengali Bargain.

[@allanrichards6448]

I think as has been said these are good practice movements for those learning to repair and work on watches. The problem is no matter how many hours you put in and how good you get it, it is still only worth a pittance. If I had your expertise I would get more satisfaction bringing a good vintage watch back to life.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks and you are right on every point. I was just curious to see what this was made with and then how good it could work. The better brands are nice to work on but the Swiss stuff especially, parts are hard to find and stupidly expensive which is what puts me off some more higher end things. I get just as much enjoyment fiddling around with these types of watches. That said I do have a drawer full of classic vintage watches to explore. some look awful on the outside but the movement look beautiful.

[@lotsatrains]

Excellent video you really have a great talent to take that apart and service it, I probably would have wrecked it for sure if I had done that but anyway I think it’s still a pretty nice watch I really appreciate mechanical watches even in this digital electronic world that we live in today and I would still be proud to have one like this to wear once in a while, thanks for making this video, Cheers Ken

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you Ken. Appreciate your comment

[@ianmansfield68]

Is that a hexagonal pattern on the dial face? I only noticed it at the end. There seem to be a number of Camy watches for sale on Ebay, all with the same trader in India, and all about the same price! £13.20/£13.80 seems to be the market rate. Interesting breakdown and rebuild video with some relaxing piano music.

[@jimcrickmore1347]

Hi thanks very interesting & easy to follow.

[@jeb-zf4un]

If it said upcycled camy on the dial we'd all be happy. Great video.

[@jorgeolguingarcia]

Loved the video, you are a very respectful guy and made very enjoyable the content. I think many many of us WIS would fall for this "specials" in the beginning, and it served very well for a very fun video. I'm sure that in my first 2 or 3 years of my beginning as a watch enthusiast O would have bought 3 or 4 of this type of affordable mechanical watches. In the end all is a learning experience. In the end, if someone knows what they're buying, it's an affordable way to get into watches. Best regards

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you sir. Agreed , many of us fall for these and in many ways that’s a good thing. All part of the learning curve

[@tonyfremont]

Aside from the dial, I think it's. Real win for the money. You got a perfectly good FHF movement with incabloc shock protection. It shouldn't be that hard to find a decent dial of the right diameter, but one with the posts in the right spot will be a lot harder to come by, probably. That's why they make dial dots. ;)

[@walther9161]

That’s fine in the plumbing fixtures industry all the time. Fixtures are made for home centers that aren’t as sturdy as ones for the product showroom. Cost savings is the goal.

[@Demosthenes409]

The coolest thing about these frankenwatches are definitely the dials. I've been looking at the vintage seikos on ebay. Real or not, they look really interesting compared to the authorized seikos offered today. I am highly considering buying one and replacing the movement with a brand new one so i can have a unique, perfectly functioning watch.

[@Jeremy-yr8yg]

Gonna pick me up a few of these franken seikos! Also citizen. Still cool pieces for cheap and will be great for practicing my beginner watch making pursuits!

[@nunyabizness199]

I really enjoy watching these videos, thank you !

[@Greg-et2dp]

My Retor watches you are good at restoring vintage watches my friend

[@jimbaynes524]

I find what you do very fascinating. I would like to be able to do that, however, my eyesight and memory is not very good anymore. I hope you continue with your posting.

[@amphibiousone7972]

The first actual cleaning and lubrication this watch has probably ever seen. I enjoy working on my $17.00 Amazon Chinese Watch Movements. I think the core components aren't that bad. Interesting watch, definitely not a "SuperFake" generic Chinese Movement. I find it amazing that I can find a working movement for less than $30.

[@aks9319]

Greetings from India! I like your videos a lot I have just recently developed this hobby however never felt for this kind of watches may because we over hear kept time before even these things existed .However iam currently hooked up to these As we have had some Sweet Guests who paid good homage and we lost track of keeping track of time . I won't have thought of disdaining some country whom I owe 4.3 Trillion dollars and Reparations. Well excellent videos please do keep making them.

[@milladazadi]

I really love that it is a Swiss movement in it

[@amezcuaist]

A lot of Indian watches have the HMT lettering which stands for Hindustan Machine Tools. India had a massive need for millions of watches . It`s a part of world watch history . I like the yellow face and 20 seconds a day is part of the fun .

[@alabama3226]

I got one almost like your but my lens pops out right out of the box don't know how to fix it , love the watch though great video

[@Pastrychefben]

Great video again. Really love the depth you always go in to!

[@YellowPinkie]

This is great! I've often wondered what was inside such and been scared off because of the (kinda justified) criticism they receive online. Having seen what's inside I'd be tempted to risk £20 or so on one of these; knowing it's not what it says it is and that it will need some playing with. I subscribed, Thank you!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks for your subscription and watching.

[@jeff1176]

I'm really glad you explained these Mumbai specials. After watching your retro watch videos, I found myself liking some of these unusual watches. Some of the Omega's I have been seeing are fetching quite a lot of money. However when I looked closer at the dial logo's stating what movement, case back movement numbers, even the add movement numbers, none of them match. I'm just getting into the watch collecting world. That being said, the cases, I agree are seiko cases, movements are seiko as stated in the ads, so something was a miss. Like you though for less than $20.00 usd I'd be in the game. I know they are not quite fakes but aren't real either. Great video to be sure.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks for your comment and glad you liked this video. The Seiko ones have more Seiko genuine parts than any others. Probably because Seiko mass produces these watches in the 70s and now they are being rehashed. Even the blue dial one I showed in the picture that I did not like because everything was non genuine visually yet it still had a good 6309 movement in it from Seiko ..

[@jeff1176]

@@MyRetroWatches its because of you and your vidoes of these 70's watches that I have been biten by the retro watch bug. Some of them are so unusual that I just have to have a few, and for the prices you really can't beat them.

[@aaron2709]

Very educational. I like your school bell.

[@MyRetroWatches]

haha yes, reminds me of Lunch & hometime.

[@billmaloney6077]

I discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago and am really enjoying your videos, especially that you go through the trouble of explaining what you are doing. As for the watch, although it is fake in some ways I really do like the look of the dial. I'd say stick a proper fitting crystal on it (if you haven't already) and enjoy it once in a while. The story is more interesting than that of a typical high end Rolex or some other major brand. The price is better than a lot of cheap quartz watches too.

[@kewrock]

I bought a little Citizen automatic frankenwatch from India about five years ago. I was searching for something else and stumbled on the Indian sellers with these watches. I got one with a green chrome starburst dial with day/date and a stainless twistOflex style band. The dial, movement and caseback are all marked Citizen. Probably fake. I saw nearly identical watches marked Seiko, Oris and a couple others. I like mine. I wear it all the time. It keeps time, and surprisingly, the re-builder made it waterproof. With a (sloppily) glued glass crystal and a fresh o-ring in the back. $20US. Worth every penny.

[@robertmduckworth6566]

Man! Your videography skills are on a new level! Great video.

[@MyRetroWatches]

At first I thought you were joking but then I realised it was you Bob. I worked hard on this one to make the beginning parts more interesting, also using some new software to edit with that helps.

[@user-dz9yi5iy3y]

Hi mike, I have dedicated a lot of time into researching listings on eBay, and am willing to answer any questions you have about them. They are quite endearing in the fact that they often have been repaired to the best of the backstreet watchmakers ability just to get it working for another short time. In the Indian watch market it seems if it’s half done, then it’s done.

[@halflife103]

I have seen people use the term Mumbai Special = Good Dehli Disaster = Bad I ordered two... They say they are refurbished, which is okay to me. I got them because i love the way they look. Its unique and you wont find another like it. I am happy with that. Watch snobs dont bother me none.

[@markwoods1504]

I actually have 3 Camy watches ( Not from India ) they're 1 Camy 1950's Geneve Sport and 2 Camy Geneve, I do know that Camy in the 1970's made inroads into the subcontinent ( India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh ) they were bought out in the 1980s by one of the big watch houses in Switzerland.

[@deeparks3112]

FYI; I would say that the lettering/logo on the watch face was silkscreened on.

[@russheath15]

Great video mate very interesting nice work as well I will say.Nice to here someone with an even unbiased view on things much better than most of the opinionated KZbinrs we seem to get. I think you did the watch justice there with your review.Have just subscribed and look forward to watching more of the same. Keep up the good work fella👍

[@MyRetroWatches]

What a nice comment thanks . It would seem this video has been received better than it would, I thought some of the watch snobs would murder me for it. Thank you for your subscription.

[@michaelandrew4488]

I kinda' like the watch - the face & hands combination look fine. As a fun "beater" this is an interesting project.

[@zaygezunt]

I'd like to think you were right Mike but worry the money we pay goes to the owner of a sweatshop who pays his workers a pittance to put together movements, repainted dials and new cases that he bulk buys. I don't buy them in case I am inadvertently supporting the wrong people. Either way, it was a really interesting video, thanks

[@WillyMcCoy50]

I have ebayed some classics from Mumbai. Usually watches from the 1940s. I picked up a Taubert & Fils that was Borgel cased. I payed $5 and $20 for snail slow shipping. I am glad there is a watch restore industry there. Yout watch is nice.

[@chrislopresto1766]

no one ever shows the setting plate and screw which i think are two the hardest parts to put back together. why?

[@BionicMerlin]

I have a "Mumbai Special" I purchased on Ebay recently. They don't all have the same case. Mine looks like very shiny chrome with a fixed bezel that resembles a Vostok "scuba guy" case only smaller. The back won't screw all the way in and if you tighten it, the movement stops. The movement runs for a while and stops. Maybe my fault for tightening the back. Movement appears to be a Seiko 5 17 jewel. The band is very shiny chrome and very soft. I like your frankenwatches better. :)

[@stevantunic511]

I got a vintage seiko for a fiver from India. Everything genuine Seiko although the original 17j movement had been swapped for a 21j seiko movement. Very impressed with it. I wouldn't go for a non Seiko, they are real dogs dinners.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Yes many of the Seikos have genuine movements just different to the ones it states. I bought a 6309 for parts and got a 6319 which is a higher jewelled and better movement in my opinion so I was happy

[@jimwiskus8862]

I thought was a Cadillac video! You improved it significantly. I assume you went back and greased the keyless works? Just me, I would oil & grease everything as I went. Mayor will help.😊I was curious too if you took the barrel apart and cleaned the spring? I do t recall seeing that. All that said the love and care you put into it, I’d wear it. I would love to see the differences between a real Seiko and a fake. Maybe a video in the future? Take keep up the great work. Tell me is 65 too old to start working on watches. I think it could be fun! Cheers from the USA!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Any age is a good age to start pal. Yes I service mainsprings but it’s hard to film nicely using mainspring winder. I have thought about the Seiko thing but problem is the “fakes” are usually powered by real Seiko movements .

[@chucknorris-pw4jc]

thanks,been wondering about ebay listing from india!!!

[@violinmke]

I forgot to tell you what touched my heart in the Oris like watch.Their redial was a bright blue with an inner dot circle of red, white hands and a red arrow sweep hand. They also cared enough to lume it good for an hour in total darkness including a dot of lume on the sweep hand tip. Also within 1 min a day. So I'd call that a win. I pull it out sometimes and still wear the cheerful "swiss" windup.