1962 Thin-o-matic T-452

It's been a while since I had a new model to showcase.  They are getting harder and harder to come by.  Most watch models I haven't seen yet are either rare, super expensive, or didn't stand out against the other models offered at the time.

I recently received a 1962 Thin-o-matic T-452 in need of some TLC.   Based on the number, if you've followed my previous posts you might guess that this model is gold filled (the 4) with a stainless steel back (the 5) and based on the 2 it's the second Thin-o-matic model in gold filled with a stainless back.

The T-452 was produced for three years so if you find one in the wild it could be from 1962, 1963 or 1964.  The only thing that changed over the years was the price - by 1964 it was $95 on a bracelet.  That's equivalent to just under $1000 in today's dollars.  The model is pretty simple looking, in my opinion, and it looks like a lot of other models from the 1960s.  The Thinomatic on the dial helps to identify it.

My project watch presented as dead on arrival.  First impressions are the watch hasn't been serviced in a good while.  Hopefully nothing is broken.  The bracelet is original, that's a nice find.  I'm not sure about the crown, it's marked with an H but it's not flush with the case. It's in the winding position, so either the stem is too long or the crown is too shallow.

The expansion part of the metal bracelet is a little loose but it's also caked with the DNA of whoever wore this watch until it stopped working.  Perhaps it will regain some spring once it's cleaned up a bit.

The case back is stainless steel - if you didn't know what model it was, that would be a good clue to aid in identification... it would be a T45-something.  I don't see any obvious way to open the case so I suspect this model opens through the crystal.

With the crystal out of the way I can confirm that this watch opens through the crystal.  I'll use a small lever to carefully pry the crown out and separate the two-piece stem.

Oh snap!  Literally and figuratively, the stem didn't separate - it broke, leaving the threaded portion in the crown.  You can still see the male and female sides are still joined.  That's a first for me.  Now I'll need to replace the crown and get a new female stem.

The movement is a 17 jewel 620 caliber based on a Buren 1005.  The balance moves but the rest of the movement doesn't.

There are no service marks inside the case which makes me wonder if I'm the first person to clean this watch in the last 60 years?  Based on the length of the stem tube sticking out of the side, there's no way this watch had a flush crown like the catalog image seems to suggest.

Everything is disassembled and cleaned.  That's easier said than done with this movement, there are a LOT of parts to separate.  I quickly realized this movement was very gummed up inside.  It's nice a clean now though.

Piece by piece, the movement goes back together with fresh lubricants and once the balance goes into place, the watch comes back to life.  It has a nice motion so the next step is to let the timer listen to the ticking.

Nothing wrong with this movement - it's ticking away a smidgeon fast but it will likely settle down after a while.

A new crown and crystal completes the restoration.  This watch is now ready for wrist time.  The bracelet responded fairly well to the cleaning.  It still a little loose but not as bad as it was.  I know some enthusiasts are really into restoring bracelets but it's not my thing and I don't have the tools to take it on.  I'm more of a nice-strap kind of guy.