- From the front there is little to distinguish this Tissot Seastar from many of its 1970’s stablemates. The word ‘Electronic’ on the dial is a clue that there is something different going on here, and opening the caseback reveals an electronic or transistorised calibre, the ESA cal.
- ACES Manual (staff and partners only) The Automated Client Eligibility System (ACES) User Manual provides users with sequenced procedures for using ACES, ACES 3G and ACES.online to determine a person's eligibility for cash, medical and Basic Food assistance.
PAGE 6 — DLW400ESA4 WELDER/GENERATOR. OPERATION MANUAL — REV. #0 (03/14/18) SAFETY INFORMATION DO NOT operate or service the equipment before reading the entire manual. Safety precautions should be followed at all times when operating this equipment. Failure to read and understand the safety messages and operating instructions could.
Personally, my fascination lies with mechanical watches, though some of the early or more interesting quartz movements can also pique my attention. I fell into watch collecting almost by accident, having always admired quality watches, but never taken it any further. Slowly my interest grew until one day I spotted a vintage Seiko diver in a charity shop. Before I knew it, it was in my pocket and the slippery descent into watch collecting had begun. 6 months later I had several dozen vintage mechanical watches. Some years down the line and I have lost count of the number of watches that have passed through my hands.
My day job is writing about motorsport technology (as Editor of Race Engine Technology's reports) and since a young age, I have taken things apart to see how they work. Watches are no different and once I got my head around how tiny they were, the realisation dawned that they are just mechanical devices like any other. So began another branch of the obsession, watch repair and refurbishment. It is a constant learning process, but one that is immensly satisfying. I would class myself as a collector, but according to one watch industry professional I spoke to, I am a 'Gentleman Dealer'. Either way, this site is here to share a love of watches.
Lawrence Butcher, owner, Retro Wrist Wear
Battery powered watches are a bit of a rarity on the blog, this Zodiac Spacetronic is only the second.
(Click pictures to enlarge)
The founder of Zodiac, Ariste Calame, set up his first watchmaking workshop in 1864, but it wasn’t until 1908 that he registered the company name “Montres Zodiac”. Joined by his son, Louis Ariste Calame, and various other family members shortly afterwards, the company started to grow and developed strong export connections with the US.
A new factory was opened in Le Locle in 1951 and around that time, two significant models were gaining recognition; the “Autographic”, an automatic model with a power reserve indicator, and the watch for which Zodiac is probably best known, the “Sea Wolf” diver, first introduced in 1953.
Like many companies, the 1960’s and 70’s were the golden era for the brand with many visually and technically interesting models hitting the market, the Super Sea Wolf, Astrographic, and SST (Split Second Timing) models in particular. There were also some great mechanical chronographs sprinkled throughout the line-up, like this Cal. 90 powered model I repaired a couple of years ago.
For much more information about the Zodiac brand and their history, check out the site Vintage Zodiacs.
The Spacetronic model in this post is from the early 1970’s, a period when the line between mechanical and electric/electronic watches was blurring, resulting in hybrid calibres – battery powered watches with a traditional mechanical escapements. The calibre inside this watch is one such hybrid, the ESA Cal. 9150, also known as a “Dynotron”. I’ve written a description of how a Dynotron calibre works in a previous post, anyone interested can read that post here.
Esa 9154 Service Manual Online
The watch arrived in good clean condition. The upper jewel and Incabloc shock spring were missing, but I had parts left over from my previous Dynotron project so that wouldn’t be a problem. Even with a new battery fitted, the watch showed no signs of life, and on close inspection I could see that the oil had completely dried out, so the first step was to service the movement.
After servicing, the watch would run in two or three positions, but would stop almost immediately in others. Watching the balance wheel in motion revealed that the magnets on the balance wheel were scraping on the induction coils, too much end shake perhaps?
Alas, I wasn’t that lucky as under the microscope I could see that the tip of the upper balance staff pivot had been broken off, possibly at the same time that the shock spring was damaged, so parts would be needed after all. However, my luck was in as a search on eBay quickly unearthed a brand new complete balance.
Once the balance arrived it was plain sailing from there and the movement was back up and running again. The dial and hands were fitted, the case cleaned, and the crystal polished to finish the job.
Esa 9154 Service Manual Pdf
And finally, just to finish off this post, here’s an advert from 1970 showing the white dialled version of this watch, along with a couple of other models in the range.
Esa 9154 Service Manual
Rich.