Changing The Hands On A $25 1960s Swiss Watch - ETA 2472

In this video I change the hands on my dialless ETA 2472 Swiss watch movement from the 1960s.
chapter index:
0:00:00 introduction - my plan is to change the hands on this ETA 2472
0:00:30 note about the 1TB microSD card inside the case back, steel and leather bands
0:01:07 overview of hands I ordered from Cousins UK
0:01:20 importance of Ranfft for figuring out what size hands correspond to a particular movement
0:02:01 going over the receipt for the hands from Cousins - they're not expensive at all and neither is shipping
0:03:20 showing why new hands are needed for contrast
0:07:12 mention of how easy it is for me to make videos and that I've made over 350 already, only 70 of which I've posted (not including shorts)
0:07:45 opening the case back with case back wrench
0:08:04 1TB microsSD card reveal
0:08:10 removing the movement from the case
0:09:19 replacing the stem and crown and securing the movement in movement holder
0:10:10 removing the old hands
0:10:55 showing how damaged the old hands are under the microscope - that damage was done over the dozens of hours I've worked on this movement
0:11:50 the first complication: I forgot that I had installed a tiny hand-made washer under the seconds hand (made from another seconds hand)
0:13:07 discussion of how the hands stacking is necessary for the watch to work without a dial (otherwise the hour hand gear will pop up and spin freely, changing both the time and the time that the date change occurs - not fresh!)
0:13:18 second complication - removing the minute hand without pulling the cannon pinion off the driving gear (this is again a problem that results from it not having a dial)
0:14:32 carefully removing the hour hand with the hour hand gear attached - only possible because there's no dial on the watch, and safer to do it that way then try to remove the hour hand from the gear in place to avoid using the hand levers against the bare gear
0:15:18 visual discussion of how the cannon pinion is attached to the driving gear
0:18:25 reattaching the stem and crown which is necessary for setting the date changeover to midnight after the new hands are fitted
0:20:20 placing the hour hand gear back on the movement
0:22:00 fitting the new hour hand - new hands are much more difficult to fit than old hands because they haven't been "opened" up to the slightly larger diameter of their fittings
0:28:47 placing the hour hand gear with the hour hand already attached on the movement
0:29:26 prematurely placing the minute hand before setting the hour hand to midnight
0:30:20 removing the minute hand and repositioning the hour hand for date change at midnight by rotating the hour hand gear - this is only possible because the absence of a dial allows the free rotation of the hour hand gear to find the right position
0:32:00 refitting the minute hand now that the hour hand is (hopefully) in the correct position for date change at midnight
0:33:20 refitting the spacer washer and the new seconds hand
0:42:40 finally getting the seconds hand attached then damaging the minute hand trying to get all three hands aligned in stacking space
0:48:24 third complication - I accidentally bent the new minute hand
0:48:35 repairing the bent minute hand (15 minutes)
1:03:10 refitting the stem and crown and setting date change at midnight again
1:05:00 refitting the repaired minute hand
1:06:32 fourth complication - the second hand is too long
1:09:40 now bent second hand needs to be straightened
1:14:00 final fitting and recasingShow more

Ranfft Watches website for watch hand mounting diameters:
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&ETA_2472

Cousins Wholesale in the UK for the hands:
http://www.cousinsuk.com

Watch Specifications:
Dial Markings: none (no dial)
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Year of Manufacture: 1960s (dated by movement type ETA 2472)
Caliber: 2472
Jewels: 25
Case Diameter without crown: 34mm
Lug-to-Lug: 40mm
Lug Width: 17.5mm
Thickness: 11mm
Weight Watch Head Only: 29g
When I Purchased It: December 2021
Where I Purchased It: ricardo.ch
How Much I Paid For It: 25 Chf

Before opening any vintage watch or clock for the first time I recommend checking it for radium paint. I didn't do that in this video because it wasn't the first time that I opened this watch. For more information on radium and how to check for it using a geiger counter see these three videos:

Which One Is Radioactive!?
https://youtu.be/eo1m1OQD-2I

Crimes Against Horology: Radium Removal and Other Disasters
https://youtu.be/2D8uoX2U1-4

How to Re-lume a Vintage Watch
https://youtu.be/0fFX1LkpjMU?t=829

The NetIO GC10 that I use is no longer made. It uses an SBM-20 geiger muller tube, which is also used in the GQ GMC-300E and other geiger counters.

My videos are for entertainment and educational purposes only. Critical / corrective comments and links to resources including other watchmaking channels are welcome.

#restoration #watchmaker #comedy #watchrepair #watchrestoration #ETA2472