Help with an A386

jsaen · Sep 1, 2016

I have purchased an un-loved A386, and I'd love some help in figuring out to do with it.

The tachymetre is grossly wrong. I've purchased a new replacement one, because even a non-original tachymetre is so much better than this thing. Does anybody know how to get an original tachymetre? :whistling:

What would you do with the dial? Would you get it refinished? Or some other watchy word that I don't know?

Are the hands totally wrong? Would you get those replaced?

Would you get it re-lumed?

any other advice, other than you should have purchased a perfect one? (because these are hard to find.)

WatchVaultNYC · Sep 1, 2016

The answer is to sell it to me, because I prefer hopeless beaters

x3no · Sep 1, 2016

This may solve the inner tachy issue? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zenith-El-P...128070?hash=item3f6823fac6:g:mzEAAOSwzgRWzysb

watchknut · Sep 1, 2016

x3no
This may solve the inner tachy issue? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zenith-El-P...128070?hash=item3f6823fac6:g:mzEAAOSwzgRWzysb

That may or may not be heading to join this watch ::bleh::

Reminds me, I need to end the auction!

kurtj29 · Sep 1, 2016

Get the movement serviced. It looks like the hour and chrono hands are not resetting. That dial is absolutely beat to you know what. Was it sitting in the bottom of a bird cage without the crystal on it?

I guess your choice would be full service - get new hands, dial, and case polished - I hear Zenith can and does have all the spare parts. Probably not cheap. Probably ruins the historical value.

2nd option - I know in the car world the "new thing" when finding old beaters the idea is to clean it up, remove the dirt without damaging the underlying paint as it is, fix the mechanicals but leave the paint and body as is.

I would go for a full service, new hands, service dial, but see if they will return old parts. (Probably not).

But I am not a vintage guy (yet).

jsaen · Sep 1, 2016

I just dropped it off at my watchmaker for servicing today. I did tell him I'm bringing in a replacement tachymetre.

kurtj29 · Sep 1, 2016

Please post pictures when done.

LouS · Sep 2, 2016

For the record, that is a Zenith tachymeter. It appears here and there, notably on the prototype 3019PHF

x3no · Sep 3, 2016

Hands http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=142105468061

m neuman · Sep 4, 2016

If you want replacement parts I have hands, dial (service) and nos tachy.

jsaen · Sep 4, 2016

LouS
For the record, that is a Zenith tachymeter. It appears here and there, notably on the prototype 3019PHF

I did not know that at all. On my A386 it's actually really jarring both because of the font and because it's very silvery.

jsaen · Sep 4, 2016

m neuman
If you want replacement parts I have hands, dial (service) and nos tachy.

Thanks, I did see that you have those hands for sale on ebay.

What would others do, would you use a service dial, or would you get the dial I have "cleaned?" Has anybody faced this choice before?

mappleluna · Sep 5, 2016

jsaen
would you get the dial I have "cleaned?"

+1 for the dial cleaning temptative. Would be curious to see the results.

Bienne2998 · Sep 5, 2016

Hi Jsaen
Normally I always prefer originality. But when a dial looks like the above one, I would not be happy wearing it - it would always bother me, when I would look at the watch. At the end I would just put it in the save and never wear it. It is just me - I cannot speak for others.

I would send the watch to Zenith but would check first, that they just do a service to the movement and change the dial and the hands and send the old parts back (I have seen that they do that). I would keep the parts if ever you want to sell it, you or the new buyer can change the face of the watch back to it's original state - but meantime you can wear a really nice watch.

I was fortunate to acquire one of each (original and with new dial) at times, when they were still affordable. Yes - they look different, but I really enjoy both of them (of course I like the original one more...

mappleluna · Sep 5, 2016

Bienne2998
and send the old parts back (I have seen that they do that)

I've sent a 386 last year to Zenith and they've filled all my requirements (no polishing, keep original dial etc). I think they are aware of the value of those vintages but be sure to express clearly your full requirements first

mappleluna · Sep 5, 2016

wristpirate · Sep 5, 2016

Initially I would wear it as it is.

After a while if the condition of the dial really bothered me I would swap it for an original dial in better condition or a service dial. And keep the old dial in a safe place in case I wanted to sell the watch later.

I have no experience of having a dial cleaned as I'm too paranoid the surface would be ruined and then need to be redialed.

jsaen · Sep 5, 2016

Bienne2998
Hi Jsaen
Normally I always prefer originality. But when a dial looks like the above one, I would not be happy wearing it - it would always bother me, when I would look at the watch. At the end I would just put it in the save and never wear it. It is just me - I cannot speak for others.

I would send the watch to Zenith but would check first, that they just do a service to the movement and change the dial and the hands and send the old parts back (I have seen that they do that). I would keep the parts if ever you want to sell it, you or the new buyer can change the face of the watch back to it's original state - but meantime you can wear a really nice watch.

I was fortunate to acquire one of each (original and with new dial) at times, when they were still affordable. Yes - they look different, but I really enjoy both of them (of course I like the original one more...

Thanks for all the good advice, and it's amazing to me that anybody has *two* of these.

What's the advantage of sending back to Zenith vs a competent local watchmaker?

jsaen · Sep 5, 2016

sailor
Initially I would wear it as it is.

After a while if the condition of the dial really bothered me I would swap it for an original dial in better condition or a service dial. And keep the old dial in a safe place in case I wanted to sell the watch later.

I have no experience of having a dial cleaned as I'm too paranoid the surface would be ruined and then need to be redialed.

As soon as I opened the package it was at a state that I don't want to wear the watch. The tachymetre is a jarring metallic that doesn't really come through in the pictures. The hands are bent so much they hit the red chronograph hand some times and stop. etc. So I need to do something. Since I have to do something I think I should do more than just the minimum acceptable. I think. :thumbsdown:

mappleluna · Sep 6, 2016

jsaen
What's the advantage of sending back to Zenith vs a competent local watchmaker

my watchmaker didn't have spare parts available, the only reason on my case