In praise of ETA: An heirloom workhorse

While I was still fiddling with fake Rolexes and Breitlings back in junior high, I repeatedly stumbled upon an ugly, old watch that didn't run. It said "Klaiber Automatic - 17 Jewels Waterproof Incalboc - Swiss Made" on the dial. This was a few years ago before I knew much about any type of watch. Last year, while visiting home, I dug out the watch and learned that it was my grandfather's "getting-into-college" gift for my dad from 1982, and that it had been lying in the storage room for at least 20 years. I gave it a few winds and shakes and it didn't seem to work, so I opened the case back and immediately was greeted by a whirling noise (presumably the mainspring unwinding). With the back open, I gave it a few more winds and to my surprise, after 30 years, it ran again.

To my surprise, there was no visible corrosion in the movement which was good enough for me. The rubber gaskets had completely disintegrated and stuck onto the case and caseback and the nickel plating on the brass case had worn off significantly. The spring bars had also failed and the shoddy bracelet was very loose. To my delight, the unmodified and bare ETA 2789 movement (ancestor of the ubiquitous 2824) was the higher 25 jewel version instead of the 17 jewel as indicated on the dial. The lume even still glowed, albeit very weakly.

ETA 2789

25 Jewels!

 First thing the next day I braved the Beijing cold and searched for a watchmaker who would service the movement. The first two turned me down outright, saying "it couldn't be done", which was ludicrous since over 25 million of the movement had been made and spare parts would be easy to find. The third told me it would take 2 months, much too long since I was coming back to the US. Finally I found a shop with two southern Chinese watchmakers who would service the movement and replace the deteriorated crown for 120 dollars. "Are you in a hurry?" he asked with a thick southern accent. "Kind of, what do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused. "Well, if you're in a hurry come on Monday (in 2 days), if not, come on Tuesday." I quickly said "I'll come tuesday after work", took the receipt, and left. 

No corrosion anywhere

On Tuesday, I picked up the watch which was running strong as it did some 30 years ago. With some self adjustment I managed to get it to better than COSC (or even Patek Philippe seal) performance with a 260 degree amplitude. A new leather strap gave the watch that funky retro look.

Superb performance!

Brass base metal showing through nickel plating, case back is stainless steel

To think that my grandfather had spent what was at least several months wage on this watch is more than intriguing for me. Not only was this the dark ages of mechanical horology, it was the dark ages of China, when foreign goods could only be bought in a special store or while traveling abroad (an extremely rare phenomena at the time). I may not have been passed down a Patek or Vacheron, but thinking in context, this was arguably rarer in China than Patek in the west. It looks beat up, but at heart, it's still beating strong.

Beijing Watch Factory (BWAF) Beihai Limited Edition Overview

The Beijing Watch Factory (BWAF) Beihai is a very popular limited edition Chinese Watch. Released in 2008 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the manufacturer, the piece features distinct lugs, a pressed silver dial, and the manufacturer's top of the line SB-18 time only movement.

The specifications
Movement SB18-3
Movement 26.5 mm diameter (~12 ligne), 3.86 mm thick
Based on Miyota 8200 (not official)
Power reserve of 42+ hours
Hacking, manual wind
21,600 vph
38 mm x 9mm case
Water resistant 3 atm
Genuine lizard strap, turned edge, fully stitched, lined in full grain leather
Tang buckle with the tiananmen logo stamped underneath.
Limited edition of 2008 pieces
Production started in 2008 (not all 2008 pieces were made in the same year)

The Movement

(Aftermarket stingray strap that's not even the right width on my own Beihai)

The most distinct feature of the Beihai is the movement
Some analysis suggests that the movement is based on the Citizen/Miyota 8200, but BWAF says it's in house. I think this is quite similar to the Nomos alpha movement based on the Peseux 7001. The modifications to the movement, even if it's not totally in house, are extensive. 

There are striped finishes (Cote de Pekin?) on the 3/4 plate and 4 screwed on gold chatons. All screws are heat blued. The swan neck fine rate adjustment is real and even the tiny micrometer screw is blued. The baseplate has a perlage finish. There is no anglage on the plates but overall the finish is much better than can be expected of a sub-1000 dollar watch. The stripes are relatively shallow and the perlage is not quite as fine as some of the swiss brands, but overall the finish is very unique and well executed. From what I am told, the gold chatons are real and screwed in.
The movement retaining ring is metal, which is a nice touch.
I am told that servicing costs only around 100 USD, which is an absolute bargain compared to any swiss brand.

The same SB-18 movement is also used in the variety of art watches BWAF makes, including many hand painted enamel dials and cloisonne dials that retail in excess of 10,000 dollars. A solid gold version of the movement was used in a 200,000 dollar special edition Athena watch.

The watch



Since it's intended as a dress watch, 38mm is, in my opinion, the perfect size. The case is finely made with a screw in case back and comfortable onion shaped crown. The fancy lugs are 
reminiscent of watches from the 1950's. The crystal is very slightly domed which creates a high quality feel. All markers are applied on the dial, and the symmetry of the dial is well executed. The caseback engraving is deep instead of shallowly etched.

Compared to the Zhufeng, the watch is better although more expensive. They use the same movement (the store says the beihai gets the "better" grade ones, but I'm quite skeptical). The key difference for me is the wearing comfort. The zhufeng has a rounded back that doesn't sit as well as the beihai's flatter back.

The strap is of surprisingly good quality and alone would cost at least 150 dollars to buy, fortunately BWAF sells them for around 100 which is a bargain. The edges are turned (instead of cut) and fully stitched so I would expect the strap to last a good length of time, even with daily wear. I have worn mine for about 40 days total so far and there is no sign of wear on the strap except the inevitable creasing.

A wristshot on my 6.5 inch wrist