Reply With QuoteGot to be our very own Silver Hawk ( Paul )
https://electric-watches.co.uk/
A new arrival today, a Tissonic in pretty good condition, runs but stops and starts and the date is a bit sticky so needs a service. Any suggestions who might be best to help? I used STS for my Speedsonic but wondered what other options there might be.
Last edited by Robertf; 25th March 2023 at 13:22.
Got to be our very own Silver Hawk ( Paul )
https://electric-watches.co.uk/
Cheers..
Jase
Thanks good shout will get in touch
Seconded. Great service from Paul. Reminds me I need to send off my Longines for another new battery.
Originally Posted by JasonM
Thanks both, unfortunately closed for business till late October. Any other suggestions?
A great addition!
I'm also in a bit of a tuning fork phase so would be keen to hear of anyone else that can look at them
Try messaging forum member keitht he has serviced and fixed a few hummers for me over the years
Bought my Accutron from Mike Cardew and he replaced a coil when it failed. Would happily recommend, message me if you want his details.
Thanks gunner and rasputin10 I've made contact with Mike and will get hold of Keith if I need anything further.
The OP above with the Tissonic, I've also got a Rado Electrosonic which is the same ESA movement. I've asked Mike if he'll look at that too, and will update here if he does.
Photo attached of the Rado
I marvel at why people buy hummers!
Dwindling parts supply, very few repairers who’ll go near them, I cannot think of one good reason for buying one. I briefly looked at getting involved in fixing them and decided against.
The technology is fascinating and was ground- breaking in its day......but so was the steam engine! If parts were available I’d take a different approach, but being realistic they’re not a good buy.
Good luck to the OP........he might need it. A mechanical watch can be in poor condition but a repairer can get it running, albeit not as well as intended but a running watch is far better than a non- runner and that’s what you’re faced with if you own a hummer or early quartz watch.
90% of the population probably marvel at why we buy most of the watches on here. I think they're a lovely addition to a collection and the smooth running seconds hand (a la spring drive) can be quite mesmerising.
I marvel at people who buy watches. Why don't they use their phone instead?
Did somebody say there was a shortage of spares? I don't think I got that memo.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I don’t dislike them, but the prospects of owning a watch that can’t be fixed doesn’t appeal. Like lightbulbs, electronic components fail eventually, not a problem if replacements can be sourced but a big problem if they can’t.
When tuning fork and quartz watches fail they’re dead and need parts to fix, a mechanical will keep running and remain functional even with significant wear to key components. I see this frequently when working on older watches, it’s usually the auto- winding parts that wear, but the watch will still keep going and provided it’s oiled correctly it’ll keep going for a long time. Relying on an ever- decreasing supply of second- hand parts to keep electronic watches running isn’t a sound basis for ownership in my opinion, I think folks beed to be aware of this problem before buying them and it’s the reason why I avoid them........with both my collectors hat and repairers hat on.
I mean they are a piece of horological history, I think that's as good a motivation as any. I like mine and if I have to scour ebay for parts one day to keep her going, so be it.
That's my feeling too. Pick up cheap non runners as they're either repairable or useful for parts.
Part of the fun I find in this hobby is overcoming challenges. Owning a watch that isn't a challenge, has unlimited parts availability and is plentiful in supply I find rather dull. This is only my opinion and not a judgement on anybody else's taste or collection, but if the only hurdle to overcome is money, then it's much like football clubs being the best because they have the most cash.
If we take it back to cars, many years ago I had a Lotus Elise. It wasn't perfect, and took quite a bit of living with. It leaked sometimes, had a roof that was like putting a tent up, and ended up on an AA truck quite a few times in the four years I owned it. Despite all that, I absolutely loved it. Compare it to a similar era Porsche. Excellent to live with and to drive. Most people say a better car. I've never owned one, but have been in many, and found them a little dull. Good, but I didn't love them.
Going back to watches, many other models/brands might on paper make a better ownership proposition, but I'm not sure that's the point. I'm interested in the evolution and the design. I like quirky and I like difficult to live with. I find it more rewarding to find something a bit battered and then finding parts lists and hunting bits down. If I can get some more years out of it I feel it was worth it.
As i say, the above is just my opinion. I am obviously biased as I own many electric watches/hummers, and the idea that my collection is a fool's errand doesn't sit terribly well.
I do think though that having an interest in horology or watches in general would mean that one would agree there should be a place in any collection for any type of watch that took someone's fancy. For sure, there are easier watches to own, but anyone buying any watch that's 50 years old will have an idea that parts supply will not be plentiful.
I shall finish this extended diatribe with some photos of these much maligned electric watches ;) :)
Ooof!
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Absolutely
OoooooooooooI marvel at people who buy watches. Why don't they use their phone instead?
Did somebody say there was a shortage of spares? I don't think I got that memo.
Some lovely stuff there. I like the Railroad and the Junghans. The Accutron top left too is prettyAbsolutely
Looks like a pre-Astronaut Astronaut? 1962 maybe?
Unfortunately I have an Accutron with sentimental value - my father bought it around 1970 and despite a few repairs over the years it's a non-runner. It's certainly getting harder to find anyone in the UK to have a look at it.
I'm a little hesitant to purchase another Accutron, but at the same time, many examples can be had for relatively modest prices and if it dies it's not the end of the world.
keitht has certainly been very helpful in the past, but I think he was out of parts to get my watch running again.
Probably off-topic for this thread, but whilst hummers are defunct tech now, I'd be interested to understand what Swatch and other groups' restriction of parts and adoption of newer materials means for us all with more "traditional" timepieces now and a few years time.
As above, Mike Cardew services these and Hisonic/GX Cosmotrons. I messaged him about an ESA9162 and he can service them too (parts are trickier for them though).
Your Accutron is sentimental, so probably worth sorting it sooner rather than later. Good luck with it
Superb collection of hummers on display, thanks everyone for posting!
Bit of an update - I believed the watch needed a service as I had replaced the battery when it stopped a couple of times, but it kept stopping and never ran more than about 15mins at a time after I changed the battery. Reflecting on what might be wrong it occurred to me that the old battery almost fell out of the watch so I had another look and the fork shaped clamp that holds it down had been bent upward I think, so having now bent that back down for a good connection the watch has run faultlessly for over 24 hours.
So no need for a service for now - will run it for a while and see how it goes.
Regarding why anyone bothers with Hummers, I have 3 in my collection, a cool 70s accutron that I paid £5 for in a charity shop as a non runner, which runs beautifully now it has the correct battery in it, and the other is my everyday watch, a Speedsonic fully refurbished by STS. They are all great in their way - cool 70s styling and excellent accuracy, and a really fascinating technology cul-de-sac that can be explored for not a lot of money, what is not to like! I know STS has all the parts for speedsonic full restoration, so as a would-be owner considering a hummer I would not let a lack of parts be a concern at least for Bulova-licensed movements.
Good news that it turned out to be something simple :)
Having never got involved with hummers I don't know whether running it without servicing till it stops is a good idea or not. With what I term modern quartz movements I would run one till battery life became short (approx. 12 months), and that usually equates to well over 10 years, but the earlier designs will suffer excess wear if the lubrication dries up or goes sticky.
I was under the impression that no more parts are being produced for any of the hummers, even the Bulova stuff. I was told approx. 15 years ago that the coils were no longer available.
I'm obviously a glutton for punishment as I've just bought this non runner
Superb, really like the Ultronic, have thought about buying a chrono version of that very watch a few times.
Out of interest do people leave their hummers, humming away or pull the crown to avoid running down the battery when worn on rotation?
Posting Permissions
