This video chronicles the urgent restoration of a vintage Smith's W10 British military watch that survived a washing machine cycle. The owner's swift initial actions, including placing it in rice and partially disassembling it, significantly minimized water damage. The video details a full service, beginning with inspection, complete disassembly, and meticulous cleaning of all components using watch cleaning and ultrasonic machines. Key steps include the replacement of a brittle gasket, careful reassembly of the intricate movement (noting a unique two-screw balance bridge and hack mechanism), and precise lubrication of numerous parts. The hands' tritium lume is reinforced with a clear binder, and the acrylic crystal is restored through wet sanding and polishing. Despite an initial misassembly affecting performance, a quick diagnostic on the timegrapher allowed for correction and fine-tuning, resulting in the watch running with near-perfect accuracy. The project successfully prevents long-term water damage and significantly improves the watch's overall condition and performance.
Summarizing the "Washing Machine Watch" Restoration
0:09 Emergency Watch Patient: The video begins with a vintage watch showing internal water condensation after going through a washing machine cycle.
0:33 Proactive Owner Actions: The owner, Alex, immediately placed the watch in a bag of rice and performed initial disassembly, including removing the hands, case back, and crown, which significantly limited the water damage.
1:33 Initial Assessment & Movement Condition: Upon inspection, the movement was still running, and there was surprisingly minimal water ingress, with only a few small droplets found near the mainspring.
1:44 Gasket Failure: The original case back gasket was found to be brittle and flattened, indicating its failure to seal the watch properly.
4:09 Unique British Military Watch: The watch is identified as a Smith's W10, a vintage British military watch, notable for being among the last serially produced watches in Britain and featuring an unusual two-screw balance bridge and a "hack" mechanism (stopping the seconds hand for precise time setting).
5:21 Full Disassembly & Cleaning: The watch undergoes complete disassembly, with all movement parts cleaned in a specialized watch cleaning machine to remove old oils and prevent rust. The case parts are cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner.
12:45 Dial and Hand Restoration: Water spots are carefully removed from the dial, and the original tritium lume on the hands is reinforced with a clear binder to prevent future degradation from moisture exposure. The parts are dried with a fan.
23:18 Mainspring Reinstallation: The mainspring is safely reinstalled into its barrel using a mainspring winder, preventing damage and contamination.
24:43 Lubrication Process: Various components of the movement are meticulously lubricated with different viscosities of Mobius oils and greases (e.g., HP1300, U 9415, blue Mobius grease) for optimal function.
39:44 Timegrapher Diagnostic & Correction: An initial timegrapher reading showed poor performance (running very slow), leading to the discovery and correction of an assembly error where a critical fork was misaligned.
45:35 Excellent Performance Achieved: After correcting the assembly error and performing final adjustments for rate and beat error, the watch achieves near-perfect timekeeping (0-1 second/day, zero beat error).
46:01 Crown Reattachment & Crystal Restoration: The crown is reattached to the stem with light Loctite for security. The heavily scratched acrylic crystal is wet sanded through multiple grits and polished with Polywatch, restoring its clear, "good as new" appearance.
51:04 Final Assembly: A new, pliable gasket is installed in the case back, and the watch is re-cased, ensuring improved water resistance and overall integrity.
52:38 Successful Outcome: The restoration is declared a success, having not only protected the watch from lasting water damage but also significantly improved its running performance and aesthetic condition.