# Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

What does one do when you have a bunch of crusty old Citizen parts, and not enough to make an original watch? Well...you have to make something. Dare I say a tribute? A Mod? If you have read and seen my work over the years I never quite liked to build Mods. Not to say I haven't, it's just when I have the opportunity to restore a watch back to it's original state I'll always do that.

"Speedy Mon" is a case where I wanted to combine two of my favorite watches together. Since I don't have an original Speedy dial.....(finding one is nearly impossible)....I feel justified that this needs to happen. 

Combining a 67-9313 Speedy and the 67-9071 Monaco into something might not ever been done before. A "character" shall we say... instead of just a mod, using only original Citizen parts. Nothing aftermarket. Well....except for one thing. You have to wait and see later in the thread.

For starters.....I just love the Speedy. It could be said it's Citizen's most famous 8110a chronograph from the 1970's. The Monaco on the other hand was a watch that was very difficult to find to add to my collection. The cases are made out of PVD coated aluminum which wore terribly over the years. Had Citizen made the case in all stainless...I would have bought many. What I do love about the Monaco is its dial. They came in two colors....green and gold. Getting a green Monaco dial has been a challenge for years, and had it not been for Stephen, "Speedy Mon" may never have existed. I had built a Monaco for him using a lot of NOS parts he had provided me, and the left overs from the job included this green dial. Perfect for getting the best of both worlds in my eyes.

Now it was time to find a Speedy Case and a donor movement to make this a reality. I hope you enjoy where this is about to go, because it's going to get a lot cooler. Lets have a closer look at the parts in the next page. Be back in a bit..... "31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Lets have a closer look at "Speedy Mons" case.

It took quite a while to find a Speedy case complete, especially with a bezel that I could live with. My criteria had to be an un restored case with no polishing of any kind. That kinda made that more difficult because Speedy parts never really show up that much, and when they do, the pickens are scarce.
So... I had to pass on a few until this one popped up on Ebay from a seller in India.

Not really sure what this Speedy was from new. A black dial..a white possibly? It is clear it led a "very" hard life.

I mean...look at the bezel near the 11 o'clock position. That looks like a smashed crystal for sure.....all dented in pretty hard. What a knock that must have been. This proved to be slight problem, which we'll get into later.

The case back looks like it bounced down the road and took all kinds scrapes. Probably got run over by a truck as the case back is dented in. Still...it was un restored and came complete with it's original signed crown and stem. Both pushers looked pretty good so I couldn't pass it up..... but...it had no movement holder.

So next what we need is a donor 8110a movement, and a holder. I prefer a metal one, with screws and clamps as those work much better than the plastic ones that come in the Speedy.

I learned a lot of interesting things while making "Speedy Mon" that I'd like to share with you.
It became so much more than I ever expected, as you will see in the end. 

I want to say....sorry Jaliya, but the 67-9119 is the perfect donor for the Speedy in every way and

lets face it ....we weren't restoring this one, but your welcome to have the left overs. 

See ya in a bit......"31"
View attachment 14171525


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







The donor.....is a Citizen 67-9119 which has crawled from the depths of what could have possibly been the worst flood or typhoon in the Philippines. As always.....Ramone stocks the best Citizen parts at awesome prices, but you ain't getting it with the original box and papers.

From the other side it looks like I can work with it. The movement looks intact and there is fine sand stuck everywhere.

I can see the hairspring appears to be good but.... I'm feeling pretty positive that what's underneath the dial could be scary. That dial is smashed and I don't see the main chrono runner pivot. I'm not going to put any faith in the calendar wheels being any good, or the bent minute recorder hand.....which is useless. What I'm hoping for is that the main plate is not bent.

Lets see what this thing looks like inside.

Stay tuned....

"31"
View attachment 14171745


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Now it's time to get to the down and dirty. This is the risk of buying a parts watch where you cannot examine it up closely. Now I could have taken the easy road out and just overhauled a clean movement in my stock but..... that does not show case any skills. This movement is about to make the Watchmaker (man) out of you . Roll the dice and pull the trigger.... I felt confident that I could save this movement from the pictures Ramone had shown in his Ebay auction. If you look at the below picture of the balance side you can see that despite the sand and dirt....the damage really doesn't look all that bad. The screws look to be in nice condition and I see almost no rust. 

The dial side on the other hand shows a completely different disaster. All crunchy and crusty, it's clear we won't be using the calendar wheels. (I have special plans for that) 

You can see the dial support spacer is crumbling away, and it's not until we remove the calendar disks that we see the horror that lies beneath. From all the dirt that has fallen out so far...I think I might need a mini dust pan and brush.






See ya soon with some more...... "31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

View attachment 14184157
Now that we have the dial off, we can see the rust and dirt on a lot of the settings and chronograph parts. I've got to decide along the way what I'll save, and what is too rusted to re use. The hour recorder pivot is gone/broken off, and so far maybe setting parts and reset levers will be needed.






Pictured above is a good shot of the center post tower. You can see it's bent, maybe due to the impact the watch took, and that will have to be straightened. The minute recorder pivot is intact and I hope it is re usable. 
The main sweep seconds runner has the tip broken off, so one of those will be added to the parts list. Here is a pic of the runner out of the tube.






It was so rusty and cruddy in the tube that the only way to remove it was with a set of hand removers. Since it has no tip anyway...in the recycle pile it goes. 
After a soak, and cleaning by hand things look a little brighter. The amount of dirt and sand falling out of this thing is so bad that a pre wash in old solution is needed to see the over all condition of the parts. The escape wheels shock cap jewel has slid sideways from the impact, and jammed in the setting. The escape wheel pivots survived, but it's going in the lathe to be checked for straightness. I don't want any problems during the overhaul and repair. The cannon pinion is a rusty mess (below) and you can see the hour recorder with a broken pivot next to it.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







This is an interesting pic of the minute recorder runner and the escape wheel. My focal point in this picture was the minute recorder runner. It's straight, and other than some crust on the pivot...it checks out ok. I'll polish the pivots later as I prepare for the ultra sonic cleaning. An extra bonus? The minute runner has it's original copper support washer still intact. Excellent.  Those are missing in a lot of 8110a's and they are needed for the chronograph to work correctly.

But then...it happened. Right after I looked at this picture on my camera, something caught my eye. I could (see) the escape wheel pivot is bent.

Son of a gun.....remember the jammed cap jewel in the picture above? For sure I'll need to check the escape wheel jewel, as it might be cracked. Heck...all the jewels need a very close inspection with this kind of damage. This thing must have slammed into something pretty hard. 

At this point I'm thinking.... what a tough Citizen 8110a chronograph movement... to go through what this thing went through. 
Forget the lathe....we won't need it. The escape wheel pivot can't be straightened, as its made off hardened steel. It will just snap off so... in the junk pile that goes. Add escape wheel, and possible jewel to the list cause were not giving up on this 8110a just yet. See ya soon with some more......


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

For my detail oriented viewers....you may have noticed in the first picture that my 9119 donor did not have a stem and crown. When I got the watch and opened/examined it for the first time, I could see no stem at all. I had bad feeling that the stem did not rust off and the crown was lost. Someone had tried to turn the hands and snapped the tip off inside the movement. Here is a picture of the stem tip (below). When we get to the settings... were going to check and see if the clutch and winding pinion have lost teeth, cause its looking like that might be possible. Look at all the sand on the main spring barrel. This movement reminded me of those Citizen 8200 Diver watches I posted a few years back here on the WUS forum. Just click into my profile and onto latest started threads to view it.






See ya in day or so...."31"


----------



## jaliya48 (Jan 15, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> View attachment 14171739
> The donor.....is a Citizen 67-9119 which has crawled from the depths of what could have possibly been the worst flood or typhoon in the Philippines. As always.....Ramone stocks the best Citizen parts at awesome prices, but you ain't getting it with the original box and papers.
> 
> From the other side it looks like I can work with it. The movement looks intact and there is fine sand stuck everywhere.
> ...


YIKES! A moment of silence for that 9119...May the movement live on in the SpeedyMon! The dial looks burned/heat damaged; wonder what happened. 
I'll be keeping a keen eye on this thread! Another great writeup!


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Hey J.  You know...I never considered heat. That crack and the melted hour markers. A possible heat gun to dry it out from further damage once it was found? It didn't smell like house fire, but of swampy stale water.


----------



## jaliya48 (Jan 15, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

It's possible, only us 8110 fans know that the 9119 dial is plastic! Looking forward to more updates!


----------



## Morris Minor (Jun 23, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

I reckon you must be the only watchmaker who would look at this and think ' I can do something with that'! Great thread - remarkable what you can do.

Stephen


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Time to dig into the Citizen 8110a parts tray of despair. This is where all the misfit/broken/cosmetically challenged parts go. The final destination, and some.....deemed to cosmetically unfit for nicer builds, is where we will find what "Speedy Mon" needs to finish his 8110a. I never throw anything away...even damaged beyond repair because sometimes I'll go back to this tray for metal parts to repair other brand watches where.... I have no replacements. Example: I needed a vibration pin to repair a 70's Tissot Diver watch with a Lemania 2591. The vibration pin was snapped of the Tissot's regulator...so.... a Citizen 8110a works as a donor with professional modifications.






(Above picture) I'm lucky....as the tray of despair has provided the rest of the parts we needed. Some of "Speedy Mons" parts are just too rusty to re use and you will see on the right what is being replaced. Some rust is eating into the metal, and lifting the plating on the parts.

Needed and found---Broken detent/calendar advance coupler and spring/set levers. Since I'm building "Speedy Mon" for the long haul..... I'll use the nicer screws too.

Finally...coming down home stretch with two more pictures to show you in the next page.....see you there. "31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







(Above picture) Here we have a cannon pinion, stem detent spring that is not rusty and weak. Remember our broken stem tip? Yes...we needed a clutch and winding pinion too. The teeth were gone from the clutch and I did not photograph that....sorry.  I even found an hour recorder with a straight pivot (those are getting really harder to find these days) and I stock no more NOS ones.

(Below picture) is a semi cleaned main plate. This is where I will make the final checks and inspections before the ultra sonic cleaning. At this point I'm inspecting all the jewels for cracks...and.. as you have seen from earlier pictures...our escape wheel is no good. Plus...we (had) a jammed cap jewel. Since the escape cap jewel could not be installed due to the damage/impact, I had to remove and replace the entire setting. The jewel did survive though (amazingly) but I had to press out the setting and replace it. With that installed now... I'll set and check the end shake of the escape wheel. With the above finished and the center post tube tower straightened, we are ready for the ultra sonic machine. See you in a couple days with a tray of sparkly clean parts.

"31"


----------



## Simon (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

OUTSTANDING post - so enjoying it, cant wait to see the final outcome. 
I think this is so good and many WIS here would love to follow it, but fear it will get little appreciation on the low traffic Citizen forum
Perhaps a Mod could move it to Public Forum?


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



Simon said:


> OUTSTANDING post - so enjoying it, cant wait to see the final outcome.
> I think this is so good and many WIS here would love to follow it, but fear it will get little appreciation on the low traffic Citizen forum
> Perhaps a Mod could move it to Public Forum?


Hi Simon. Thank you for the positive reply.  I never considered publishing this thread in the Public Forum. I just figured "Speedy Mon" would be for the vintage Citizen fans.

Perhaps.... one of our viewers could (post a link) to the beginning of this thread in the Public Forums.

Then... up date the link every couple of days as I publish new information until "Speedy Mon" is finished. There is a lot more to come yet.


----------



## Nokie (Jul 4, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Fascinating.

Besides your great pictures, you also write in a very entertaining, common sense manner.

Will now be checking back here everyday to see your results.

Good luck.


----------



## NC_Hager626 (Sep 20, 2018)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Your creation of a "SpeedyMon" out of two watches and your parts bin is very interesting and shows a lot of skill, dedication, patience and ingenuity on your part. And I will be following your progress - cannot wait to see the end product.


----------



## Crucible (Jul 21, 2016)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Is it weird that, for me, this is like watching some watch-maker thriller? It elicits a mix of emotions - anxiety, fear, hope, humility, excitement...

I honestly find the pictures more fascinating than 99% of new watch pics. The best part for me is that you are being so thorough and methodical with the details.

I tend to be a real hard-liner for a nice case-back.... but I'm in love with that mangled beast. It just raises so many questions. Has so much mystique. Makes me imagine Mad Max wearing a Citizen chrono....

And it warms my heart to see pieces of history that were destined for the land fill being saved from oblivion. Reminded me of that old Disney movie "Suzie the Little Blue Coup". Crazy to think that Speedy Mon is looking at another 60 years of life after this.....


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Thank you all for the inspiring and positive compliments.  I'll post more later tonight.

"31"


----------



## Dxnnis (Nov 24, 2018)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The SpeedyMon" A Custom Chrongraph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

You really should film these kinda things for YouTube, skill is amazing


----------



## rfortson (Feb 18, 2012)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Man, what a great thread! Well done, and I can hardly wait for the next installment.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Things are looking much brighter today. The sun is out, and there is nothing prettier than a large quantity of Citizen 8110a chronograph parts ready for assembly. For all the tedious and time consuming hours, were not off the island just yet. Even with a powerful ultrasonic cleaning in the ole' L and R Vari-Matic..... I'm still finding "tiny" grains of sand here and there. Now in the majority of cases,(heck..never) does a watch movement come to me in this way. You would think that sand... (even the tiniest of grains) would just fall away, and out to the bottom of the cleaning solution jar. Even with strong solution, and ultrasonic, you will usually have to clean parts here and there when we reach this point. 
In the back round of the tray...you can see a partial, cleaned 8110a movement. That is there in case other parts are needed... because not everything that (visually) looks good, is good. (Example: Springs are some of those items)
"Speedy Mons" movement will be a slow, build and test... step by step process and it is kicking and screaming the entire way.






Now it's time to change the eye loup power from 5X to 7X....maybe 10X. If any grains of sand are stuck in any pinion/leaf or train teeth that could be catastrophic. Changing the power of your loup narrows your field of vision but increases magnification. I must now go through every part, one by one and check for sand.....grains smaller than what you find on most beaches. I've decided at this point to remove the balance wheel and hair spring, and check and see if anything is stuck between the hairspring coils. If (any)... dirt or sand is causing the hairspring to touch itself anywhere between the coils, and not allow the spring to vibrate between the regulator vibration pins, we will have a (very) difficult time "tuning" the movement. The timing machine will show scattered lines and dots all over the place. With that....we will not get off the island and be able to navigate back home with "Speedy Mon". See you soon with some more.... "31"


----------



## timefleas (Oct 10, 2008)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

First, thanks to member Simon, for realizing that this is really something worth sharing with everybody, and referring to it in the Public Forum. And to 31 Jewels--perhaps the bests narrative I've read on rebuilding a watch--ever--I, like everybody else, look forward to seeing how the project turns out and in seeing more from you--good luck!! (This, and your earlier threads could all be assembled into a single 'work' and published--really outstanding!)


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Welcome back.  Well...the day has finally come....as it's "Speedy Mons" first start up of his 8110a. Any one who has ever rebuilt an automobile engine knows the feeling the first time the engine fires up. I get the same feeling every time I install the balance, and it starts to tick again. Coming to life....what could be a better thing. It's like being a new Dad. I had to spend another hour or so making sure all the sand was removed from different parts, to ensure no future running problems. Then...another ultrasonic cleaning before assembly begins. Now... completed and running (and wow! it looks fantastic) it's time to let it run for a couple days chronograph (on), and check performance. Then..followed by another 2-3 days of chronograph (off). Once our 8110a movement has passed the initial bench tests...it's time to get it on the timing machine and "Tune It". We'll come back to the "tuning" part later in the thread.

By this time, you all are probably wondering... "What are we going to do for a hand set?" Follow me to the next page...

See you there. "31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







I'd like to introduce you to the Citizen 67-9151. This watch...without any doubt was the hardest and most rare of the Citizen 8110a models to find. At most...maybe 2 a year ever surface, and when they do....they are mostly cobbled/beat very worn out examples. I bought this 67-9151 as a complete original except, it had a missing movement holder. I am fortunate to have found this one, with its original dial and hand set that was never restored. This is a watch that not only looks beautiful in pictures, it is even better in person. The dial glows with an awesome green (cat eye) effect. You can Google search this model, as it was offered in 3 different versions.. and Stephen has excellent reference material in his blog for this watch. Maybe you see where this is going.....(smile face)..if not, let me show you something else.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Here are two very nice examples of the 67-9071 Citizen Monaco in green and gold. 
Gold Monaco on the left is an all original except the sweep and sub dial hand restoration. The ultra violet rays from the sun had faded the sweep and sub dial hands to an almost (yellow) in color. Similar to the previous picture of the 9151 (above). I had to restore them back to the factory spec colors of orange.

Green dial Monaco on the right is Stephens. He had sent me a NOS set of hour and minute hands, and they were very bright in color. In order to match the hands, I had to restore the sub dial and sweep hands to a slightly different shade. This is to create authenticity, and to properly restore the look and originality of the watch. 
Though every watch may look the same when (new)....they all change differently as the years go on. This picture is an excellent example to show case that.

You can see that Citizen did not lume anything on the Monaco dial. All they did was use orange fluorescent paint (no lume) on the hand set as well.

I wanted an original, un restored set of hands for "Speedy Mon"...but not in orange. Luckily....

a 67-9151 would be the perfect donor to provide these in "white" instead.

Lets do a mock up in the next page.

See you there soon.... "31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Before we get to the Speedy case part of this thread... I wanted to build a mock up of "Speedy Mon" and see what the hands and dial will look like in the case. As you may have noticed in the (above) pictures of the 67-9151, and the two Monaco's, I wanted "Speedy Mon" to have an original set of hands that are (not) restored. To get them in white, I sadly had to part out a donor 9151. If... the donor 9151 had a really nice dial (it's trashed-(frown face), I would not be using these hour and minute hands for "Speedy Mon".

This is also the perfect time in the build to see if the Monaco and Speedy dial are the same diameter, and... will it fit in the case "without" (Mods).

If I have to (Modify) the "dial or case" in anyway....."Speedy Mon" would not have been built.

And...by luck...like it was meant to be... the Monaco and the Speedy dial are the exact same diameter at (28.56 MM). Plus.. it looks really cool, and I am inspired to continue.






The sweep and sub dial hands we are going to use are very "old and early" aftermarkets. What makes them special are a few things. (1)-They are made out of solid brass, and not chromed steel. (2)-The quality and spec are the best I have ever seen in aftermarket Citizen parts. (3)-They are powder coated instead of painted. (4)-They have a hint more (fire) in their color than the original factory orange from Citizen.

Now I know (my bad on this) that I said in the beginning of the thread that we would be using one thing aftermarket in the creation of "Speedy Mon"... but, as it turns out....this is not a bad thing. Let me further explain when we get to the case in the next couple pages...... See you in a few days...... "31"


----------



## Abhishek.b27 (May 20, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Amazing stuff!!! That 8110 variant with that dial - they don't make anything that pretty these days!


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Welcome back fellow vintage Citizen fans.  It's time to get up close and personal with "Speedy Mons" case. There is no kidding that this girls seen some rough times. I noticed that the bottom pusher is seized and the case itself is really worn. For all its hardships....it looks like no one ran a buffer on it. I can still see whats left of the original finish and...once its cleaned up it will look a (lot) better. 






Getting really close in the next pic....you can see in detail how hard the inner edge of the tachy bezel was hit near the 10-11 o'clock area. I can see that even with a new gasket.... a (spec) Speedy crystal is not gonna be pressed right in. It will shatter or crack for sure.

Now what...? Well...my first thought was to put the bezel in the lathe, and machine just the hammer'd sharp edge out. Then...the spec crystal will press in no problem. I'm like....nah....your going to see that shiny edge where I machined out the damage. It will stick out like a sore thumb, and I don't want to polish/refinish or (modify) this case in any way.

Then........I had a moment.....and remembered I have a thick dome magnifier crystal from back in the day when I was restoring my Leopard collection. You see, I love Citizen watches... (heck)....all watches with facet glass crystals. Restored many for my collection, and always had a very hard time finding OE replacements for Leopards, Crystal 7's and V2's.

The "Facet Glass Crystal Glory Days of the 1970's" was a short run. Many of those models have very low serial numbers and Citizen...well... just didn't make that many replacements. To get around that.....I started using (spec) dome glass crystals. Always liked the domed crystal on diver watches, and even Omega uses them on their Speedmaster. The deep magnifier effect and curved dome adds depth..... and (that) would look cool on "Speedy Mon"

I'll dig it out of stock and we'll come back to that a little later.  Lets get this bezel off and have a look at the pushers. See you in a bit... "31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Once the bezel is lifted off the case, it shows some genuine honesty. That this bezel, case and case back all match. First we had sand from the Philippines....and now dirt from India. I don't think I've ever had so many different kinds of substrate from different parts of the world.....all at the same time on my bench. The closer we get...the more it looks as though the bezel gasket did its job of keeping out the water and dirt.

If we were to be watch detectives...and try to figure out what was this Speedy's demise was.....I'd be putting my money that it all went wrong with the crystal getting broken first. Now... this is all circumstantial evidence of course, and likely it wont hold up in Watch Court. Once you see what the lower pusher and case tube look like, it could be that this Speedy had other problems too. Lets look at those next...


----------



## fish70 (Oct 12, 2006)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Cool thread 31 Jewels. I can't wait to see the finished product!


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Now that the pushers are removed from the case...we can see the lower reset pusher is (bent) pretty bad. Not only was it seized in the tube... it left us a real rusty mess inside of it. One piece of advise I can give someone taking on a project like this is....do not (yank it out) with a pair of pliers. You don't know if the pusher is truly bent and using a pliers will destroy it. Soak the entire case in industrial penetrating fluid for a few days....take your time.....it will eventually work its way out. If you find it to be bent....then lets talk about why the Citizen 67-9119 makes the perfect donor for a Speedy.

(1)--You get a complete movement....even for parts.
(2)--You get an exact set of Speedy hands. The 9119 and 9313 use the same hand set.
(3)--You get a set of pushers. Ahhh...these are very important because they are the exact same spec. Good thing I have a 9119 donor... cause were gonna need one for "Speedy Mon". 
(4)--You get a (metal movement holder) with (both screws) and (mounting clamps). We'll get to the technical part of that later in the thread.






In the next pic (above) you'll see the inside of the case tube. It is scored and black with rust. Almost looks like a lone cylinder of an engine block where the piston was seized. This will have to be cleaned and honed so that the pusher will slide, and the new "0" ring will seal. We will re use the pusher springs...provided they are not rusty or weak and... the little copper "c" clips to hold the pushers in the case. The only way to get springs and "c" clips from Citizen is to buy a new pusher and those......are long out of stock.

Time to get this crust bucket cleaned and ready for a fresh over hauled engine. 

See you in a couple days with some more....."31"


----------



## camaroz1985 (May 10, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

This is impressive. Learning a lot and excited to see the finished project.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*









Lets talk about movement holders. This is an important part of the watch that gets taken for granted. I talk about these things quite a lot because without them....we can't mount the movement in the case. The early Speedy productions of around "1975" used metal ones. They are extremely rare, and I've seen only a few. During the 3 year run...Citizen switched over to nylon plastic ones instead and.... while that may have been great at the time....time did not fair well for old nylon. It shrinks...gets brittle and does not secure the movement in the case the same way as metal ones with screws and clamps.

To use the (67-9119 movement holder) in a Speedy case.....(two) places need to be machined down in the lathe. The large outer edge needs to fit within the case.....while the smaller side needs to fit within the case back. In the creation of "Speedy Mon"...as you may have noticed... in the very (first two pictures of this thread) is a different movement holder. This is from a Monaco. I had never tried to test fit a Monaco movement holder in a Speedy case before because... parts Monaco's are something I've never been able to buy easily.

At first....I wasn't sure if I wanted to cut the Monaco's movement holder down to fit because amazingly....it fits in the Speedy case perfect. The only machine work needed to the Monaco's holder is the portion that fits in the case back (below picture). The Monaco holder will (not fit) into the Speedy case back without this machine work.

Since I don't have a Monaco case and....probably never own one.....the holder is going to work perfect.








Now that this is done...it's getting a lot more exciting. Hang with me a little longer gang cause I promise you wont be disappointed with the "Speedy Mon" prize.  See ya in a couple days with more. "31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







No job would be complete with out replacing "o" rings and gaskets. I can't tell you how many times I see chronograph watches where a shody/partial service attempt was made..only for the movement to go back into a dirty case. Sticking pushers is always troublesome, and this is an important part to do the job (right). I'll use a piece of peg wood, cut down to fit within a case pusher tube to hone and clean the bore from rust and dirt. If the tube hole a few thousands too big....then the proper spec "o" ring needs to be used to ensure (smooth non sticking action) Until you have that.....no movement should go back into any case.






(above pic) Now that "Speedy Mons" case parts and finished movement holder are cleaned spotless... and...we have smooth pusher action, it's time to show you what calendar wheels we will be using. See ya on the next page.....


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*









Let me introduce you to the Citizen 67-9038.

What...wait a minute... What is this beat up mess you ask? You thought I'd show you a sweet restored one ...but no... not this one. I had to dig really far back in my picture archives to find this watch and... I only took 4 pics of it. I bought this watch for parts in February 2012 off Ebay for $30 bucks. It would be a spoiler to give you it's donor history (I'll save it for another restoration thread) as it was stripped completely. Never did I think I'd restore it but....I did. 

The one thing I prized the most about it was its black date wheels. White date wheels are the most common you'll find in an 8110a. But black.....not so much.

"Rare" I almost hate to say the word cause its used a lot, but so true. You will see them on Citizen Bull Heads more often but....you cant use them due to the dial configuration.

Citizen used black date wheels in the 67-9038, and... the company made different variations of this watch sold all around the world. Some have only ever been seen in 1970's catalog pictures, and I long for the day some one has collected them all.

Hey J....you have one of those 9038 dials if I remember correctly. 

Finally... after all these years...Its time to get the black date wheels out of safe storage and... clean them up to prepare them for "Speedy Mon"

Plus....I'll take in the celebration of my 700th post. 

See you in the next page......


----------



## schumacher62 (May 23, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

all so very fascinating! i had no idea...im entranced.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







And here they are.

"Out of the dark and into the light" people have said and... it's almost poetic that now, I finally get to use them in something special.

Cleaned, and ready to be installed in "Speedy Mons" 8110a movement.....they might as well be gold.

Till this day, I document what country my watches come from on Ebay. The 67-9038 I showed you in the previous pic came from South America. I bought a lot of sun burnt, and worn Citizens from South America over the years.... and as you will see in the above (detailed) pic.....the Spanish "Sunday" in "Red" has faded.

This is awesome for me cause.... I'll be using the English part of the day wheel where it is pristine and... "bright red" from being covered by the dial for so long from the suns ultra violet rays. Now that the wheels are installed on "Speedy Mons" movement.....(below pic) I am glowing myself.


----------



## Simon (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Loving this no31 - such a great thread - we need to have this made a sticky for posterity
but.......how long how long till the finale?


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



Simon said:


> Loving this no31 - such a great thread - we need to have this made a sticky for posterity
> but.......how long how long till the finale?


Hold on grasshopper .....turn the next page......


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







It's dial time.

If you can forgive flaws in color.....then "Speedy Mons" dial will work for you. Since its going into that mangled Speedy case, all things can be forgiven. What the dial does have is (bright color) and I kinda dig the (tie dye effect) of the gold spots peeking through the green. The hour markers still have their original orange lines faded to yellow and...just the outer black edge needs a little repair. There are two hurdles to get through. One is the "N" in Citizen. Its a little bent, and I have no spares. To me..it's those little details that Citizen went out of their way to enhance the dial. They could of just painted the logo on.....but they didn't.  They made you a little one out of metal, and they get messed up (very) easily with careless hands. I should be able to straighten it a bit....but it will not be perfect.

Second thing is the (oil film) on the dial. Radico will only get you so far with cleaning, and dials can be scratched just the same way as any beautiful cars paint finish. To prevent that.....and to clean it beyond requires risk and experience. 
In the same way you would study an old painting...a curator will study the dirt on the actual paint (up close) with magnification, to determine the best possible way.

If I feel the dials finish is stable enough...I'll precede to the next level--beyond Radico. Now....every good (watchmaker thriller) needs a little secret here and there, and this is one I need to keep. Why 31...why?  Well....it's because I don't want someone to ruin a dial and blame me.
You would read this posted later...........oh....oh 31 said this is how you clean a dial and now mine's ruined. Know what I mean? 
What I can say is it worked, and it looks way better than in this picture. You'll see it again later in the thread, as I've got one more stop to make before we get to the crystal.

See you in the next page...


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

View attachment 14256521


What Radico does (very) well is clean hands.

The trick is to be very careful, and not push the 40 year old lume out through the hand. Even paint on hands can be lost by getting a little aggressive with cleaning.

What ruins lume and dial paint? Oil.

Ever see a very old divers watch where the lume looks dark..almost black? Oil....wicks up the cannon pinion and it keeps going until it hits your "pretty" dry lume and now.....it sucks it in. Ruined....can't fix it.

That happens when a watch was serviced over and over again without cleaning the entire watch movement in ultrasonic. That is called shoddy work and.... oil will get on the dial, and wick the entire way across.

Depending on what type of oil the (last/past) "watch butcher" used.....sometimes detergents and other harm full chemicals can be present in oil.

Now its cased up with no ventilation, and the destruction begins. 
(See "Speedy Mon" dial pic in page 41)

If its not oil...its crystal cement or epoxy fumes. Lume gas too....and you think I'm crazy, but no sir.  
(See "shoddy work that's rushed" in definitions)

Dial and hand cleaning is an "art" in itself with watchmaking.....and it takes a long time to master it. 

"Speedy Mons" dome magnifier crystal is looking awesome in the bezel....Can't wait to show it to you.

See ya in 48.


----------



## jaliya48 (Jan 15, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Excellent progress, Brian! I'm thoroughly enjoying this writeup! I might have a 9313 bezel if you want to replace yours. It came on a trashed case that sadly has a hairline crack near the bottom pusher so the case is a writeoff. 
Where can one find those early aftermarket hands?


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Test hit guys. I can't see pages 4 and 5 on my PC so I'm sending this reply to see what you can see.

Note---- If you can see it (reply to my other post about it) That's so we don't fill this thread up with interruptions once the site Admin figures out the problem.

Regards,

Brian Leiser


----------



## fish70 (Oct 12, 2006)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> Hold on grasshopper .....turn the next page......


This is the last page apparently!


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Now...I see all 5.  Yeah! Ok.....so what I'll do is wait until tomorrow.

If everything is visible...where I can see all 5 pages from my PC....logging into the forums, and out.....

I'll finish the rest of the "Speedy Mon" thread.


----------



## jaliya48 (Jan 15, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

We're back in business, Brian! Just read page 4 and 5. Can't wait for the next update!


----------



## Morris Minor (Jun 23, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



jaliya48 said:


> We're back in business, Brian! Just read page 4 and 5. Can't wait for the next update!


Same here  Not working on my phone but that's not a major issue for me. If Admin have sorted it, then thank you!


----------



## Dxnnis (Nov 24, 2018)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> Now...I see all 5.  Yeah! Ok.....so what I'll do is wait until tomorrow.
> 
> If everything is vise able...where I can see all 5 pages from my PC....logging into the forums, and out.....
> 
> I'll finish the rest of the "Speedy Mon" thread.


Hope it works, really want to see the end result


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Hey....welcome back. It's crystal time. Dome glass magnifier....I should say.
In this part of the "Speedy Mon" build, I was originally intending on using a spec flat glass replacement. Since I did not want to cut the inner edge of "Speedy Mons" Tachy bezel with a lathe, this brilliant idea came to me to use a (dome). It is by accident, and not intended.....that I had one of these crystals left over from my Leopard restorations and.....it was the exact spec I needed.

No crystal gasket is being used at this time ... and since the bezel has damage, the crystal will be epoxied in. This guarantees 100% protection from water on this sealing area. I will wait about 4-5 days to let the fumes gas off and the epoxy to (dry). We don't want fumes to damage the dial. It gets better.... Turn to page 6


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Here are two of my favorite pictures of the crystal (off) the watch.

I can see where it's going...and I like it a lot! See you in a few short hours. "31"


----------



## jaliya48 (Jan 15, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Very nice! I've always been a fan of domed crystals and this sets things off brilliantly!


----------



## Simon (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

welcome back 31 - the wait has been killing us
that dome crystal is perfect and beautifully follows the camber of the bezel - love it


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







Ahh...the time has come to get "Speedy Mon" ready for the tuning shop. Because the movement is mounted in a metal holder, it will be easier to tune it in the case. If....the movement would be mounted in a plastic holder....we would not be able to do so. The plastic acts like an insulator, and it will affect the timing machines ability to precision time it.






The case back will need a slightly larger gasket due to how much pitting is on the sealing surfaces. I'll use water proofing grease to seal and lubricate the gasket as well as the case threads.

Given what we had to work with....this movement turned out really nice. I decided to tint the rotor (green).....since the corrosion stripped the finish away but, the good news is the rotor bearing survived from our donor 9119.

I thought this might be a nice way to personalize "Speedy Mons" 8110a movement. 

I'd like to show you one more thing in the next page before we get the timing machine fired up.

See you there
"31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*









With the use of a metal movement holder, Citizen used a re tension spring to keep the movement from moving in the case. It also acts as a buffer and, to add (vibration resistance.) Most of the time these get lost, and they are absolutely needed. I find myself making these from scratch all the time, and for the life of me....other than economics.....why would Citizen stop using them.

I would gladly pay $10.00 more to get metal mounting parts in a watch (any) day.

Lets get "Speedy Mon" in the timing machine and start tuning. 

See you in the next page.....


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*









Precision Timing:

This is the most important part of the watches job. "To keep time accurately."

The Citizen 8110a responds very well to fine tuning and... at 28,800 BPH is considered (high frequency). The faster the movement runs, the more "stable" the positional timing is. Citizen included a fine regulator screw on the balance bridge and it makes a world of difference. Let me show you "Speedy Mons" "base" tune and "final" tune results:

Base Tune:

Amplitude--232

Beat Error-- .0ms in every position. This is Excellent!

DD-- +15 
CD-- +13
DU-- +20
W--- +21
CU-- +16
------------
Note--DD is not included in this number and is only for fine tuning. It is a (non wear position) on the wrist.
= +70 S/D Positional.

Too fast. This is not acceptable.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Tune:

Looking at the numbers and crunching the deviations....I've decided to tune -15 seconds from each position. Lets look at the Final results:

Amplitude-- 229

Beat Error-- .0ms in every position. Perfect  Note- Without a fine regulator adjustment screw.....the beat error could change slightly in different positions.

DD-- +0
CD-- -2
DU-- +5
W--- +6
CU-- +1
--------------
Total S/D Positional= +10 What more could you ask for?

I could probably tune another 1-2 seconds from this but.... I would rather be a smidge fast than slow.

It's "gold" and ready to go.  The hard work pays off and now..... I must gather my finished pictures to show you a completed Citizen 8110a "Speedy Mon".

See you soon.....


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*









Hello Mon......It's Presentation Day.

For how much I love an original Speedy, I think I love the "Speedy Mon" more.

It's not mint in the box....it does not have it's original box and papers and.... I don't have to worry about a nick or scratch. It is original......or is it? Is there another "Speedy Mon" out there? I'll tell you that story another day.

For now....enjoy the show, and thank you for taking the journey with me.

Regards,

Brian Leiser







"31"


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*







This is an excellent picture of the case back in detail. You can see right where the dent was in the letter "e" in steel. When I screwed the back on....the rotor touched the dent and actually would not allow the rotor to turn. I had to use a brass punch flattened and smoothed on one end to drive the dent away far enough to get rotor clearance.






The next pic is a tad over exposed.....but it shows the dial in the most detail. Clean and free of oil it will live long enough to see another generation of use......beyond me any ways.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*















I've been asked many times over the years....

Hey "31" how come you never post your finished watches with straps or bracelets?

My reply has always been:

It's up to the viewer to decide in his mind what would look better on the watch. Some like nato's...some like straps.....some like steel bracelets.

I'll break the rule this one time... 

I'm a bracelet kinda guy, and the solid link oyster looks excellent on "Speedy Mon".

The brush finish of the links match the patina of the worn case and... does not draw the eye away.

A new bracelet on an old un restored watch that looks good? Darn....that rarely happens.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*









Last picture of the group.

I thank you for stopping by and seeing me over the last few weeks.

It has been fun to bring something different to the "Vintage Citizen Community"

Thank you for all your positive compliments and.... to the Moderators and IT guys of the WUS forum for taking care of us.

Cheers to all....

Brian Leiser
"31"


----------



## Dxnnis (Nov 24, 2018)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Been a joy to follow this adventure with you @31 Jewels


----------



## jaliya48 (Jan 15, 2010)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

A fitting conclusion, Brian! I liked what you said about the watch and dial being ready "for another generation" of use; I plan on passing down my 9119 to someone special one day. Let's hope he (or she) is a WiS!


----------



## Simon (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Loved it Brian - outstanding thread - one of the best in my 13years or so here
BRAVO


----------



## NC_Hager626 (Sep 20, 2018)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Thanks Brian for taking the time to put the thread together with your pics and explanation of the process in assembling your "Speedy Mon" - the restoration process was very interesting.

Here is to you, enjoying your "Speedy Mon" in the years to come.


----------



## Simon (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Brian
Is it for sale?
seriously


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



Simon said:


> Brian
> Is it for sale?
> seriously


Nooo. Sorry Mon.

I could not duplicate this watch if I tried. It takes a lot of key ingredients to make an authentic "Speedy Mon"

Here is the recipe....

(1) Speedy Case (Complete)
(2) Monaco Dial
(3) 67-9151 Hand Set
(4) Monaco Movement Holder, or one from a 67-9119
(5) Citizen 8110a Movement
(6) Black Date Wheels for an 8110a
(7) Dome Glass Crystal

"31"


----------



## FreddyNorton (Aug 18, 2016)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Great thread and the watch is amazing. The dial reminds me of the old "red line" hot wheels cars of the late 60s early 70s with the metallic colors.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



FreddyNorton said:


> Great thread and the watch is amazing. The dial reminds me of the old "red line" hot wheels cars of the late 60s early 70s with the metallic colors.


 You may have just started a trend Sir. I knew I had a couple of those from when I was a kid. 
I looked in the attic tonight and pulled out one of 2 red lines that are pretty nice yet. "Light My Firebird" is the name of this one.
I started to laugh while I was taking this picture, because there is something I never noticed before. In the 35 years I've owned this car....wait does that look like?........holy moley Mon....

Is that a Blown Chrysler Hemi in a Pontiac? Those valve covers sure make me wonder.


----------



## Crucible (Jul 21, 2016)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

It warms my heart to see you going so hard on such details as pushers and date wheels - it really is the small things that count! The amount of effort and expertise required to restore the pushers speaks volumes about the full scope of the project


----------



## Crucible (Jul 21, 2016)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> View attachment 14287635
> 
> 
> Precision Timing:
> ...


I'd love to see a fully independent thread on this topic alone - something to consider


----------



## Crucible (Jul 21, 2016)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> View attachment 14289487
> View attachment 14289493
> 
> 
> ...


Your ability to take stunning photos is on par with your elite watchmaking skills - I'm in love with the photos as much as I am with the restoration!


----------



## Crucible (Jul 21, 2016)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> Nooo. Sorry Mon.
> 
> I could not duplicate this watch if I tried. It takes a lot of key ingredients to make an authentic "Speedy Mon"
> 
> ...


You forgot a couple of ingredients....

(8) 2 years of watchmaking school
(9) many additional years of watchmaking
(10) a big ol' pair of cahones ;-)


----------



## texastom (Mar 4, 2015)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

WOW, thanks for taking the time and trouble posting and explaining. Great job.


----------



## carlosimery (May 13, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

What is this beautiful thing?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Meatshield the Yeti (Jun 18, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

So interesting - thanks for posting!


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Timing Up Date:

After a month (31 days) of continuous wear with "Speedy Mon"..... I removed him from my wrist only for showering, he has gained 2.25 minutes.

Not too bad for a rusty parts movement brought back to life. 

"31"


----------



## SC-Texas (Nov 11, 2013)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Wow. Great job!

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


----------



## Davidka (Apr 1, 2014)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Good job and interesting thread. Thanks.


----------



## jackie01 (Jul 4, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> View attachment 14287635
> 
> 
> .


Hello Brian. The lift angle set on timegrapher shouldn't be 39 degrees or even 36 degrees like some sources in web say? Then the amplitude which you gain be something about 200 degrees.

I love your restoration threads - get us more


----------



## Satyricon73 (Sep 19, 2012)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



jackie01 said:


> Hello Brian. The lift angle set on timegrapher shouldn't be 39 degrees or even 36 degrees like some sources in web say? Then the amplitude which you gain be something about 200 degrees.
> 
> I love your restoration threads - get us more


The lift angle of the 8110 is 36 degrees. 
https://www.lepsi.ch/lift-angle/

What do you think it is?? There is a default 52 degrees within Timegrapher 1000 and it´s "basic" with many calibres, but Citizen movements seems to run between 36 and 58 degrees.

Brian, amazing work once again!!!


----------



## Pucciowitz (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> View attachment 14289509
> 
> 
> Last picture of the group.
> ...


Great job!


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



Satyricon73 said:


> The lift angle of the 8110 is 36 degrees.
> https://www.lepsi.ch/lift-angle/
> 
> What do you think it is?? There is a default 52 degrees within Timegrapher 1000 and it´s "basic" with many calibres, but Citizen movements seems to run between 36 and 58 degrees.
> ...


I remember this question being asked when I was in watchmaking school. Just about everything your going to find in the watch repair industry will be 52 degrees.

Setting a timing machine to 36 degrees might show a higher amplitude all though I've never tried.

Most timing machines are fixed and not adjustable.

(Shout Out)-----If someone out there has access to a digital timing machine and.......has an overhauled 8110a I would like to see the amplitude difference between 36 and 52 degrees. Please post here in the "Speedy Mon" thread.

Regards,
Brian Leiser
"31"


----------



## jackie01 (Jul 4, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

Hello Brian, thank you for reply

My 8110A which was recently serviced indicate something about ~220 - 230 deg with 52 angle lift set. When I set angle lift to 36 I receive "only" about ~185deg. So it is different measurment and which is properly?
Regards
Jack

PS If time allows me I'll upload some photos.


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



jackie01 said:


> Hello Brian, thank you for reply
> 
> My 8110A which was recently serviced indicate something about ~220 - 230 deg with 52 angle lift set. When I set angle lift to 36 I receive "only" about ~185deg. So it is different measurment and which is properly?
> Regards
> ...


Jack. Can you set the degree angle on your timing machine? If so.....it is interesting that it shows less amplitude. 185 seems right on the border of where I would say that something is wrong.

You have drag somewhere/possible weak mainspring/hairspring that is not flat or bent/in correct oils and many other things could be wrong.

"Never Ever" oil pallet fork (pivot) jewels. That creates way too much drag in an area that has no torque on it.

So many causes but 220-280 is the sweet place to be for amplitude in an 8110a.

I would use 52 degrees on the timing machine and not change a thing.

What I wonder is where that 36 degree spec came from?

Is it even correct. I have found that not everything said on the internet is true.

Regards,

Brian Leiser 
"31"


----------



## jackie01 (Jul 4, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> What I wonder is where that 36 degree spec came from?
> 
> Is it even correct. I have found that not everything said on the internet is true.
> 
> ...


Well said Brian. It is not technical spec from Citizen but only the website - https://www.lepsi.ch/lift-angle/
I will stay at 52deg which idicates the 230deg of amlitude, the more that the watch is a great timekeeper and the balance swings freely and I can hear the hairspring ringing - you know what I mean 

Regards
Jack


----------



## Mathytou (May 10, 2012)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

What another great restoration!
I've read all your other restorations on sweep.hand.org and it's brilliant.
You are a master.
Thank you for sharing.
Cheers


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



Mathytou said:


> What another great restoration!
> I've read all your other restorations on sweep.hand.org and it's brilliant.
> You are a master.
> Thank you for sharing.
> Cheers


Hello, and I thank you for the positive compliment. I have another "Speedy Mon"#2 to publish very shortly in February 2020. A Citizen Monaco is on the way too. 

Regards, 
Brian Leiser
"31"


----------



## FerrisAus (Aug 10, 2018)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*



31 Jewels said:


> Hello, and I thank you for the positive compliment. I have another "Speedy Mon"#2 to publish very shortly in February 2020. A Citizen Monaco is on the way too.
> 
> Regards,
> Brian Leiser
> "31"


I am also eagerly anticipating your next blog post. I've really enjoyed reading your previous entries


----------



## brenguy (Oct 28, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

great thread... watching!


----------



## brenguy (Oct 28, 2019)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

I contacted Citizen support to get to the bottom of it for us all. Here is their response (
id post a picture but the forum won't let me cause i'm new):

Thank you for your email. This is CITIZEN Customer Support headquarters for overseas markets.

We are glad to hear you could still keep your watch in mint condition. The required lift angle of 8110 movement is 36 degrees.

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your inquiry and hope this is useful.

Should you have any inquiry, please feel free to contact us. We would be most pleased to serve you.

Yours sincerely,
Customer Service
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.

On 2020/01/11 9:14 AM, CITIZEN WATCH Customer Support wrote:


----------



## 31 Jewels (Oct 15, 2011)

*Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*

brenguy.

Thank you for taking the time to contact Citizen to get this information.

I like that you actually posted the reply from Citizen and... this is excellent reference material to be used in the future. 

Regards,

Brian Leiser
"31"


----------



## Kmacfarlane (Mar 5, 2017)

31 Jewels said:


> *Re: Citizen 8110a "The Speedy Mon" A Custom Chronograph by Brian Leiser "31 Jewels"*
> 
> Thank you all for the inspiring and positive compliments.  I'll post more later tonight.
> 
> "31"


----------

