# Another Accuquartz



## Silver Hawk

Needed to get one for some time....bit of a gap on my website  . It's not quite mine yet because I've yet to hand over the agreed money ( h34r: ), but you know what they say, possession is 9/10ths of the law :blink: :lol: .

A Bulova Accuquartz from 1974 (N4)...this is the "proper" Accuquartz with a quartz controlled tuning fork; Bulova also used this name on their slightly later quartz watches with stepping motors rather than tuning forks.

It has a Cal. 2242. Regulation on these movements is a little weird; they still have the regulators on the tuning fork cups like the older transistor controlled 214 and 218 Accutrons, but altering them really makes no difference to the tuning fork frequency or the watch regulation. Instead, you start adding or moving tiny screws to the six holes on the left hand side of the movement --- this either engages an internal capacitor (screw present) or disengages one (screw out) which in turn affects timing. All screws out is fast:

Screw 1 = -0.1 sec/day

Screw 2 = -0.2

Screw 3 = -0.6

Screw 4 = -1.2

Screw 5 = -2.1

Screw 6 = -3.4

All screws in would be about -5 sec/day. Later on, they introduced the variable trim capacitor....much easier to regulate!


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## bridgeman

Silver Hawk said:


> Needed to get one for some time....bit of a gap on my website  . It's not quite mine yet because I've yet to hand over the agreed money ( h34r: ), but you know what they say, possession is 9/10ths of the law :blink: :lol: .
> 
> A Bulova Accuquartz from 1974 (N4)...this is the "proper" Accuquartz with a quartz controlled tuning fork; Bulova also used this name on their slightly later quartz watches with stepping motors rather than tuning forks.
> 
> It has a Cal. 2242. Regulation on these movements is a little weird; they still have the regulators on the tuning fork cups like the older transistor controlled 214 and 218 Accutrons, but altering them really makes no difference to the tuning fork frequency or the watch regulation. Instead, you start adding or moving tiny screws to the six holes on the left hand side of the movement --- this either engages an internal capacitor (screw present) or disengages one (screw out) which in turn affects timing. All screws out is fast:
> 
> Screw 1 = -0.1 sec/day
> 
> Screw 2 = -0.2
> 
> Screw 3 = -0.6
> 
> Screw 4 = -1.2
> 
> Screw 5 = -2.1
> 
> Screw 6 = -3.4
> 
> All screws in would be about -5 sec/day. Later on, they introduced the variable trim capacitor....much easier to regulate!


cracking photos and explanation-but know where you live


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## Silver Hawk

bridgeman said:


> cracking photos and explanation-but know where you live


 :lol:


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## sompting jon

Silver Hawk said:


> bridgeman said:
> 
> 
> 
> cracking photos and explanation-but know where you live
> 
> 
> 
> :lol:
Click to expand...

+ 1 :lol: :lol:


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## foztex

Well done Paul,

and excellent info. I always wondered what the wee screws were for. I do like that case, its very similar to my first ever accutron, the franken I made up from a NOS case.










cheers

Andy


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## JonW

Wow! loving that technology. Superb info Paul.


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## watchnutz

Didn't know thats what they were either. Mine has the 5 screws, from top down, in.

Thanks for that, Paul.

side note: did you get the Diamond 60 running?

Cheers


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## mel

Very nice Paul, enjoy it, as I'm sure you will :lol:



bridgeman said:


> cracking photos and explanation-but *know where you live*


But, Bridgeman, *he'll be at home*, they had - ooooh! - maybe half an inch of snow in the South Seas area and the whole place ground to a halt ! :yes:

How these Southern Softies would cope with the five inches that's still lying here, I dread to think h34r:


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## dombox40

Thats another nice watch Paul I,m glad its filled a missing link on your forum which I use a lot as a refrence.


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## knirirr

Excellent stuff - it's nice to see that you managed to find a good one in the end.


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## PhilM

Simply stunning Paul :heart:


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## Robin S

I mentoned in another thread I had an Accuquartz coming in a job lot of 4 'spares/repairs'.

Well it arrived and it's got the same movement as the one in this thread - if only it was in the same condition and erm.... working :cry2:

Still at least if it does spring into life i'll know how to regulate it (with 3 of the little screws to play with)


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## webvan

Silver Hawk said:


> It has a Cal. 2242. Regulation on these movements is a little weird; they still have the regulators on the tuning fork cups like the older transistor controlled 214 and 218 Accutrons, but altering them really makes no difference to the tuning fork frequency or the watch regulation. Instead, you start adding or moving tiny screws to the six holes on the left hand side of the movement --- this either engages an internal capacitor (screw present) or disengages one (screw out) which in turn affects timing. All screws out is fast:
> 
> Screw 1 = -0.1 sec/day
> 
> Screw 2 = -0.2
> 
> Screw 3 = -0.6
> 
> Screw 4 = -1.2
> 
> Screw 5 = -2.1
> 
> Screw 6 = -3.4
> 
> All screws in would be about -5 sec/day. Later on, they introduced the variable trim capacitor....much easier to regulate!


Excellent information thanks, haven't seen it anywhere else on the web. Was it part of a service manual for the 2242?

I recently acquired an Anniversary Accuquartz (picture below) with screws 4 and 5 in and since it was running about -1.2spd I removed screw #4. Now it's running about -0.6spd, about 50% less change than what I was expecting. Actually I'm not sure I'm reading your table right though since you wrote that all screws in amounts to -5spd, while adding all the "screws" would amount to -7.6spd ?


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## webvan

After three weeks of testing and two screws to play with I've obtained :

1. screws 4 and 5 : -1.2spd

2. screw 5 : -0.5spd

3. screw 4 : 1.1spd

Which let me find that :

1. rate with no screws : 1.8spd

2. impact of 4 : -0.7spd

3. impact of 5 : -2.3spd

Not sure why I'm not getting the numbers in the table above, still wondering where they came from and how you got to -5 by adding them all up, must be missing something.

I'll be keeping screw 4 and adding one in screw 3 to slow it down.


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## webvan

Has anyone else been playing around with the "miniscrew" settings on their Accuquartz ?

Not sure what happened with my picture above, here is that (rare ?) Anniversary Accuquartz :


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## Silver Hawk

You sure are resurrecting old topics over the last few days


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## webvan

ok...as long as they are topics of interest it shouldn't be a problem, right?

Since you're back on this topic may I repeat the question that stayed unanswered last year : "Excellent information thanks, haven't seen it anywhere else on the web. Was it part of a service manual for the 2242?

I recently acquired an Anniversary Accuquartz (picture below) with screws 4 and 5 in and since it was running about -1.2spd I removed screw #4. Now it's running about -0.6spd, about 50% less change than what I was expecting. Actually I'm not sure I'm reading your table right though since you wrote that all screws in amounts to -5spd, while adding all the "screws" would amount to -7.6spd ?"

I need to get some new Renata 344 batteries and will resume my testing of the impact of the screws adjustment.


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## AlexC1981

webvan said:


> Has anyone else been playing around with the "miniscrew" settings on their Accuquartz ?
> 
> Not sure what happened with my picture above, here is that (rare ?) Anniversary Accuquartz :


That's interesting. I have an Accutron with a very very similar dial


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## webvan

Ah, is it round maybe, got a picture ? ;-)


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## AlexC1981

Certainly do.


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## webvan

Nice, that's another rare beast because the theory was that the anniversary tuning fork shaped case had only been used for spaceview models (SS and GP) and now we have an Accuquartz and an Accurtron (presumably with the 218?) does it have any markings in the back?


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## AlexC1981

Just "Bulova, Water Resistant" etc. And the number 5-99235.

The case is a bit different from the Anniversary, it's perfectly symmetrical and the chapter ring doesn't slope. The photo below shows it a bit more clearly. It is a 218 movement manufactured in 1976.


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## webvan

Ah yes, not quite the same, I think there might be a late spaceview with that case. Based on the serial number it seems to be a "Swiss" Accutron...fascinating watches ;-)


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## foztex

I'd not seen the anniversary Accuquartz before, very cool. I've a vertically asymmetric on too, but not as chunky.










Andy


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## webvan

Wow, that's something else, "groovy"! Any year markings in the back? It's got the typical "diamond" on the left side. I had one like that once but it ran like crazy and my Accutron guy wasn't able to fix it to he kept it in exchange of a discount on my bill ;-) Need to hunt one down again.


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## webvan

This ad from 1975 just popped up on the web, Accuquartz Anniversary it is :


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## webvan

I have now found a nice matching box for my Centenary Accuquartz :


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## webvan

Fixed the links and added a new ad I found, this time it's legible, but still in French ;-)


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## Oliverb

That's the style box I use for all but one of my Accuquartz watches. The boxes actually marked "Accuquartz" are quite rare. I just bought a 2240 Accuquartz in its original plastic flip top box marked "Bulova Accuquartz". I've only seen two or three boxes marked Accuquartz.


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## webvan

Wow, well done, could you post some pics? Thanks!


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