CaptainCrunch
New member
Hi all! I'm new to the forum and was hoping to find some information about the authenticity of a purchase I made recently...
In the photos you can see my new project, an (allegedly) Enicar branded watch with a Valjoux 92. I started watchmaking about a year ago and really wanted to work on a chronograph. The price seemed decent for a watch with a column wheel movement that looks to be in good shape. I do have some concerns about authenticity and the case has definitely seen better days.
I did a little bit of research to try and figure out if this watch was built by Enicar. It seems like there may have been a period in the 50's where the Valjoux 92 was being built and Enicar wasn't yet placing their Saturn logo on the dials. I'm not sure, however, and would love to get your input on this. The dial seems rather generic and I can find other chronograph watches with very similar-looking ones; albeit with different branding. It was listed as a triple-signed watch, though the case back looks a bit out of place and I wonder if it's a later addition.
Anyway, I will give this movement a service since it's not running all that well. The amplitude is low (~150 degrees) and the watch is gaining a lot (>2 minutes/day). The hairspring looks a bit lopsided and I hope the gain is just caused by some dried-up oil in its coils.
I would appreciate any information on the authenticity of this watch. Real or not (or Frankenwatch?), I think it's pretty and will benefit from a service and some cosmetic work on the case (will try my luck with electroplating...).
Edit: For some reason, it only lets me show the photos of the case back in the post. The photos of the dial and movement are just pasted as links:
View attachment Enicar_front_456456.jpg
View attachment Enicar_back-1.jpg
In the photos you can see my new project, an (allegedly) Enicar branded watch with a Valjoux 92. I started watchmaking about a year ago and really wanted to work on a chronograph. The price seemed decent for a watch with a column wheel movement that looks to be in good shape. I do have some concerns about authenticity and the case has definitely seen better days.
I did a little bit of research to try and figure out if this watch was built by Enicar. It seems like there may have been a period in the 50's where the Valjoux 92 was being built and Enicar wasn't yet placing their Saturn logo on the dials. I'm not sure, however, and would love to get your input on this. The dial seems rather generic and I can find other chronograph watches with very similar-looking ones; albeit with different branding. It was listed as a triple-signed watch, though the case back looks a bit out of place and I wonder if it's a later addition.
Anyway, I will give this movement a service since it's not running all that well. The amplitude is low (~150 degrees) and the watch is gaining a lot (>2 minutes/day). The hairspring looks a bit lopsided and I hope the gain is just caused by some dried-up oil in its coils.
I would appreciate any information on the authenticity of this watch. Real or not (or Frankenwatch?), I think it's pretty and will benefit from a service and some cosmetic work on the case (will try my luck with electroplating...).
Edit: For some reason, it only lets me show the photos of the case back in the post. The photos of the dial and movement are just pasted as links:
View attachment Enicar_front_456456.jpg
View attachment Enicar_back-1.jpg