Olivier Chambert, award winning watchmaker
. Your chronograph is in good hands!Under the loupe today is a very nice vintage Ollech & Wajs 2002 Valjoux 7730. O&W was created in Switzerland in the late 1950’s, and grew in popularity in the 1960’s, especially with servicemen, sportsman, divers and aviators thanks to a strong reputation for quality and dependable mechanical watches. O&W still operate today, see their website 
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Peter sent me this Omega Chronostop Geneve watch for a service and a bit of TLC. The watch is not keeping good time and has a “sticky” pusher.
This quirky vintage chronograph is powered by the Omega Calibre 865, and has an unmistakable design with a crown at 4, and a one pusher operated Chronograph complication. 
Following on from this post, Anthony sent me another watch for a service. Once again it is a watch with military influence: a very nice Ollech & Wajs Chronograph. O & W is a Swiss watch company created in 1956, which specialises in automatic and manual-wind mechanical military and dive watches.
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On the blog today is a vintage Chronograph by American watch company Waltham. It is powered by a Valjoux 7733. “Valjoux” was a manufacturer named after the “Vallee du Joux” in Switzerland, primarily known for its Ebauche Chronograph movements, and widely used by many manufacturers in the 1970’s. The Valjoux 7733 is a cam type Chronograph (as opposed to Column wheel type), with a horizontal clutch mechanism. It was produced in very large numbers, and over the years has earned itself a well deserved reputation for reliability and robustness.
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Oliver sent me this lovely pocket watch for a service. It is in a silver case, and has a chronograph complication, with a centre seconds chrono hand and 30 minute register. There is also a seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
The case and movement have a matching serial number, so it is nice to know that the movement is original to the watch.
After studying the hallmarks on the silver case, I was able to identify the marks of the London assay office used in 1913-1914, so the watch would have been produced around that time. The “sponsors mark” belongs to George Stockwell, who was an importer of cases and watches during that era.
Today I am featuring this Speedmaster 1750032.1. It is the little cousin of the Speedmaster professional “Moonwatch”. It is similar in appearance, but slightly smaller at 39mm in diameter, which earned it its nickname “reduced”. It is however functionally very different, being an automatic watch rather than a manual wind: it is powered by Omega’s calibre 3220, which is based on an ETA 2892 ebauche with a Dubois Depraz Chronograph module.
The watch came in a very sorry condition, missing its stem and a pusher. I was expecting a replacement of the missing parts and a straightforward service. It turned out to be a very challenging project indeed.
