ETA 2783 - Stem Removal and Replacement

I have a Glycine with a 2783 movement, but the case is very worn with the chromium plating coming off. At the same time I have a compressor case to suit a 2783 movement so I would like to swap the dial and movement from the Glycine into the compressor case.

The challenge at the moment is that I am unsure how to remove the crown and stem from the 2783, and Google doesn't seem to offer much help. I was hoping someone here on TZ might be able to offer advice?

Alternatively I guess I could just send both watches off, as although it keeps remarkably good time the Glycine could doubtless do with a service and the date doesn't change at midnight, only manually via the first crown stop.

My hope is that, between the two movements, it might be possible to salvage at least one working watch!

The photo below is of a 2824 but the 2783's method of stem removal is the same to all intents and purposes. Pull the crown out to the second position to "hack" the movement, then between the crown and the upper crown wheel (the one with the large blued screw on top) you can see a hole containing a button with a slot across it. Get a 1.2mm screwdriver (red top) and press it into the slot whilst pulling on the crown, the set lever will disengage from the stem and the assembly will withdraw. Refitting is the same as removal just be careful not to use too much force pushing the crown home before you press the screwdriver in the slot. Try gently rotating the crown back and forth as you slide it back in to line up the square section of the stem with the clutches slot, you can dislodge the yoke if the stem isn't far enough in which will mean quite a bit of disassembly to resolve.

https://thewatchbloke.files.wordpres.../p1060199a.jpg

Superb - thank you.

I will sit down later in a quiet place and give it a go.

Fingers crossed!


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Good luck willie. Let us know how you get on.

Well, good news and bad news I'm afraid.

I took the back off both watches and sure enough they were both ETA 2783. Following your excellent advice I removed the stem from the Glycine and did the same for the other, a Bentima. I then took the movements out and, after using Rodico to remove a few specks of dust, put the Glycine event into the compressor case. This is where I hit a problem.

I could get the stem to engage by pressing the small button but couldn't get it fully seated. After a few attempts I realised why - the movement was at a slight angle, and it appears the case is slightly too small for the movement. This was borne out by the Bentima movement, where the dial was clearly slightly bent. This had been part of the description on eBay so was not a total surprise, but I hadn't realised the case and movement were mismatched....more fool me.

I therefore reassembled both watches as originally received.

So now I have two quandaries.

First, how do I tell what movement would fit in the compressor case, as it would be good to have at least something in there?

Second, I now need to source another case for the Glycine. I don't expect to find an original Glycine case, so I will look out for one designed specifically for the movement. I see the movement is 11.5 ligne, so will any case sized for this fit?

Thank you again for all the help.


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The simplest jobs never go smoothly! You'll need a case for an 11.5 ligne movement but it will need to accommodate the same movement depth, stem height, centre seconds height and movement clamping system as the ETA 2783. An 11.5 ligne Seiko will not fit in the same case as an 11.5 ligne ETA for instance.

Yes, what started out like a simple case swap has now morphed into something bigger.

At least all the measurements you've mentioned now seem blindingly obvious, having experienced what happens when they are incorrect!

The trawl for a matching case...and a matching movement for the compressor, now starts in earnest.


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Good thread, please keep it updated.

Willie, you just need to buy another donor watch for the case ;).

Really enjoying this thread.

Right....after a few hours fettling here's where things stand.

The 2783 definitely won't fit in the compressor case. As has been pointed out, the stem height is incorrect - the 2783 being too high a movement for the case.

What I also found is that, other than the dial, the Bentima movement is actually in pretty good shape, although it does seem like there is way too much oil on the movement, in that the oil is clearly visible!. When the movement was in the compressor case I couldn't change the date, and indeed there was barely any movement between the crown on the "hands set" stop and fully out. Apologies for the amateur terminology, but hopefully you get what I mean?

Having now removed the movement (again!) and put it in a movement holder the rotor is now freely rotating, the stem is engaging correctly, and both the date and the hands can be set correctly.

So I now have the following:

• A Glycine 2783, in a poor case, that doesn't change the date at 12 am and where the engagement of the hands on the stem is inconsistent
• A Bentima 2783, with no case, but that sets both the date and hands correctly, but which has a bent dial and second hand
• A compressor case into which neither of the above movements will fit!

As has been suggested, I am going to have to source either a new case for a 2783 or a suitable donor watch. I have a few I am watching on eBay but will also have a look elsewhere to see what I can find. If anyone happens to have one sitting in a drawer......

So far as the compressor case, a few minutes...or perhaps more....spent on Google turned up a photo of a Glycine with an ETA 2408 movement. Of course I don't have such a movement, but looking up on the Ranfft database showed that the 2406 and the 2391 movements should be equivalent. All have a stem height of 1.85mm as opposed to the 2mm height of the 2783, which would make sense.

As luck would have it, I have a Garrard with a 2391 sitting in my watch drawer - another impulse purchase. Removing the stem from this movement and trying it in the compressor case shows that it would fit. The stem would engage, but I would need a longer one than is currently fitted to the Garrard. I doubt I'll use that movement anyway, but at least I now know what I am looking for!

Regarding a suitable crown for the compressor case, although the one currently on the Bentima movement is a diver crown, it doesn't have the cross hatches I would expect for a proper compressor crown. Sourcing one of these may be like hen's teeth, but I can see a Pierce Super Compressor crown on eBay at the moment. Does anyone happen to know whether the crowns on a super compressor also fit a compressor? The thread looks the same (pac 9?) but I am thinking more of the inside cavity on the crown where it fits over the tube?

I have a couple of watches fitted with 2783 movements currently inbound so will hopefully find one that I can swap the Glycine movement into.

A quick question, if I may.

Looking at the existing 2783 movements that I have the casing ring (hopefully the right terminology - the ring that sits between the movement and the case itself) is separate but does not "lift off", "fall off" or otherwise easily detach from the movement. Clearly it is secured somehow, but I don't want my ham-fisted attempts ending up damaging the movement.

I am guessing that the casing ring will be important in that it will ensure the movement sits snugly in the case itself, so I plan to swap casing rings as I swap cases.

Now the question (or perhaps two) - is there typically a standard way that these casing rings are attached to the movement - by screws or similar? Also do I need to remove the rotor first?

Think I might have found it - two small screws on the periphery of the main plate that overlap the casing ring. Presumably when those are removed the casing ring can be detached.

Will have a better look later.

Had a look, and yes it's those two screws that secure the casing ring.

Sadly with the first swap I tried the movement was still loose within the case, in that you could see it slightly pivoting when turning the stem.

I soon realised that re-attaching the casing ring to the movement once it's outside of the case is not as easy as detaching in.....at about the same time my admiration for those who do this for a living increased significantly.

Will leave it to the weekend and have a proper play then!

We're all rooting for you!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alfat33

We're all rooting for you!

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Thanks.

I am just waiting on yet another (!) case to arrive from Spain. The one that arrived last week (a Monvis from Italy - a 2783 in a period diver case with a nice screw-down crown) looked ideal in the photos, but unfortunately the case/dial measures around 26mm rather than the approx. 30mm of the Glycine. That said, it is running like a gem and after a little light polish with the the Cape Cod the case has come up a treat.

The result is that I now have a small, but rapidly growing, collection of ETA 2783 watches in varying degrees of condition.

What I have noticed is that in general the 2783 movement keeps remarkably good time, and other than on the Glycine they invariably click the date over almost spot on midnight.

Getting the Glycine into a decent case is becoming something of an expensive pursuit, but I am getting a lot of fun from it.

I should have some time to play around this week and will update with more news as and when.

Thanks for the update willie. I'm no expert but I had also noticed that a 2728 movement that I have runs very sweetly, it's a day date that flicks over at midnight in an instant, unlike some much more expensive and newer movements.