# Latest Addition



## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

This Luch quartz/balance just arrived. USSR watch that is to all appearances a NOS. very interesting blue pattern to the dial but sorry to say the photo is very poor. I have to work on that!



















I also picked up a Hamilton ELECTRONIC RR Special with an ESA 9154 movement. The stem was pulled out but old fumble fingers found out how to resecure it and all is good now.


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## dombox40 (Oct 20, 2008)

Hi thats a very nice watch looks NOS. I have just bought a chayka that looks very simular only difference is

it has a stepping motor instead of a balance wheel ask paul for the technical details


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Very nice Bill...got a couple of the dark blue/black dialled ones...but nothing like the condition of your one. The chromed case looks perfect. These movements all have that big white slodge of white paste in the middle of them....not sure what it is or what it is for...but they all have it :lol: .

Being quartz controlled balance movements, quite accurate watches...and only a very few manufactures went down this route...Timex, as I'm sure you'll know, was one of them.

Are you going to post some pictures of the ESA-powered Hamilton RR? :huh: I'd like to see that one! :thumbsup:



watchnutz said:


> side note: did you get the Diamond 60 running?


Still in the "box" waiting to be done Bill...together with the Vantage you kindly gave me. Going to have a go today & tomorrow.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Wery cool Bill, these Soviet's are intriguing. Did they copy a western dsign?


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## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

Hawk, I have a photo of the electronic RR Special in my album. (see link in my signature) Judging from the reaction to this thread, 3 reponses in 115 looks, I don't want to bore the group with a photo of another rather ordinary looking watch. As for the blob on these Luch movements, they always seem to be over the same solid state devices on the board. Do you suppose it has anything to do with controlling heat from the components?

PG, it doesn't appear the Soviets copied much from the East on this movement. As Hawk said, the only other quartz/ balance wheel I am familiar with is the Timex and that is entirely different architecture from this. Timex just took their electric watch and added a quartz oscillator circuit to control the timing.


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## bridgeman (Dec 9, 2008)

watchnutz said:


> Hawk, I have a photo of the electronic RR Special in my album. (see link in my signature) Judging from the reaction to this thread, 3 reponses in 115 looks, I don't want to bore the group with a photo of another rather ordinary looking watch. As for the blob on these Luch movements, they always seem to be over the same solid state devices on the board. Do you suppose it has anything to do with controlling heat from the components?
> 
> PG, it doesn't appear the Soviets copied much from the East on this movement. As Hawk said, the only other quartz/ balance wheel I am familiar with is the Timex and that is entirely different architecture from this. Timex just took their electric watch and added a quartz oscillator circuit to control the timing.


well I am interested in this type of movement


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

watchnutz said:


> Judging from the reaction to this thread, 3 reponses in 115 looks, I don't want to bore the group with a photo of another rather ordinary looking watch.


Bill, no one said educating the uninitiated would be easy :lol: . I am _sure_ you will not be boring anyone....so please post away... :thumbsup:



watchnutz said:


> As for the blob on these Luch movements, they always seem to be over the same solid state devices on the board. Do you suppose it has anything to do with controlling heat from the components?


I had reached the same conclusion....it must be a primitive heatsink.



bridgeman said:


> well I am interested in this type of movement


Me too!


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

It does look (the white blob) like heat conducting paste used around the time (and still) which was used to improve the conduction of heat from transistors to heatsinks in power and RF amplifiers, basically you smeared it thinly on the back of the transistor case and bolted it down to the heatsink. Whilst I've never thought of using it as a heatsink itself, since it's a heat conductive compound, I suppose it would help, and at the level likely in a watch would probably do the job by itself. :yes:

If I ever come across one, I would be able to confirm if that's what it is simply by the *feel of it between the fingers*. h34r: (the paste, - bad boy!)

Edit:- Thought came to me, if you have a busted one and clean the paste off, you might find a large-ish (for a watch) area of unconnected PCB underneath, an island of copper not connected to anything else, this would be the heatsink and the paste is doing it's job of conducting the heat to that island. It's not stuff i would have thought should really be in a watch, it has a slight abrasive edge to it to help it mate from transistor to heatsink - if that got onto mechanical bits of a watch it wouldn't be nice!


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

An interesting piece of Soviet watchmaking history, I`d be quite happy to have one in my collection


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

That heat sink paste is like smooth peanut butter in consistancy, that white blob looks like solid plastic?

We use it when fitting ignition modules. I was told if you use too much ie apply it too thickly then it actually doesn't work as well.


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