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Thread: NCC-101 Restoration.

  1. #1

    NCC-101 Restoration.

    IN 1972 Rado introduced the NCC line of watches. NCC stands for New Case Conception, or something similar. The idea was that the movement wouid be surrounded by the crystal and a rubber bladder. These would form a perfect seal when the top and the bottom of the case were screwed together.Since the bladder surrounded the stem tube a split stem was required. Five different models were available between 1972-78. The NCC-101 with the blue stripe is quite an uncommon variant and I had been looking for one for quite some time. Here's what I got.






    I had done a polish of the crystal and a bit of work to the case, but it was pretty rudimentary. After 18 months of work, on the screws I finally managed to get all four out and only broke one. Even with the screws out the case was still rusted together. I finally managed to pry it apart and then it took another ten minutes to get the movement and gasket free without damaging that. Simply cleaning the rust out of the inside of the case took an hour.

    The case taken apart:







    After a clean the blue bladder looks really nice and free of tears.



    The back. I polished the edges with 1500 grit and gave the lightest possible cleaning to the back as the engraving has almost disappeared already.



    The crystal and case cleaned and sanded. The edges are sharp!







    Old screws



    One of the great things about collecting for years- I have a spare set!



    Back together:








    The fishtail before re-brushing:



    Some formal shots of the finished project:









    Thanks for looking!

  2. #2
    MultiModerator Martin's Avatar
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    Another beauty brought back to life. Thank you for taking the time to document and share this with us.

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    Another Member crownpuller's Avatar
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    Swee-eet. Another cracking restoration.
    A lesson in how to take 40 years off something; now, if only you could apply that to people, you'd be rich beyond your wildest dreams !
    Some people have opinions - The rest of us have taste.

  5. #5
    18+ months? You have the patience of Job. Very nice.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Martin View Post
    Another beauty brought back to life. Thank you for taking the time to document and share this with us.
    Quote Originally Posted by happyscrappyheropup View Post
    Great looking restoration.

    Thanks guys. I like to record as much for myself as for anyone else. There have been a few times where I have made horrific mistakes and it's always good to keep reminders of that.
    Last edited by Henry Krinkle; Jan 23, 2015 at 02:30 PM.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by crownpuller View Post
    Swee-eet. Another cracking restoration.
    A lesson in how to take 40 years off something; now, if only you could apply that to people, you'd be rich beyond your wildest dreams !
    People might not like my methodology. I always liek to leave a few marks and scuffs behind. I do not want to remove the character of the watch, nor do I want to remove everything it has been through. I like to keep a little character.

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  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by mlcor View Post
    18+ months? You have the patience of Job. Very nice.
    Most of that 18 months involved spraying penetrating oil on the screws and then ignoring it for a month or two. My Diastar "0" on the other hand did take two years of work and then another ~ year to get a vintage Rado strap and buckle for it.

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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Henry Krinkle View Post
    People might not like my methodology. I always liek to leave a few marks and scuffs behind. I do not want to remove the character of the watch, nor do I want to remove everything it has been through. I like to keep a little character.
    thats really interesting Henry -i like that !!!

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by shameless View Post
    thats really interesting Henry -i like that !!!

    Thank you! I really like working on watches and I do like them to look good, but wiping out a watches history completely seems wrong.

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