Jacques du Manoir

[k***@yahoo.com]

Hello,
I want to buy a pocket watch. I made a little research on the internet
and I saw some decent priced swiss made pocket watches, brand Jacques
du Manoir. Unfortunately there are two problems with these watches:
1. They have Ronda (model 515) movement, which I understood (after
some investigations) that it is not so good overall like an ETA.
2. I can find little information about these Jacques du Manoir
watches. They homepage is also very simple. Are they really quality
swiss watches ?
And another question would be, it is possible to change the Ronda 515
with an ETA movement, is an equivalent ETA movement for that Ronda
model ?

----------

Thanks,
Kantor

[Frank Adam]

Post by k***@yahoo.com
Hello,
I want to buy a pocket watch. I made a little research on the internet
and I saw some decent priced swiss made pocket watches, brand Jacques
1. They have Ronda (model 515) movement, which I understood (after
some investigations) that it is not so good overall like an ETA.
2. I can find little information about these Jacques du Manoir
watches. They homepage is also very simple. Are they really quality
swiss watches ?
And another question would be, it is possible to change the Ronda 515
with an ETA movement, is an equivalent ETA movement for that Ronda
model ?

Bever heard of them as a company, but having a Ronda quartz
movement(or any quartz) i'd says it won't be the highest quality item
you could get.
The ROnda 515 are not horrible movements though. They're just a
cheaper design. On the scale of quartz movements the 515 would be a
medium one. Unlike many others at a similar price, the movement does
have metal plates and metal gears, which is not a bad thing.

As with all quartz stuff, if you like it and the price is right for
your wallet, then go get it.
If the movement fails at a later time, most watchmakers won't bother
servicing these, rather just replace them, so each service will land
you with a nice shiny new movement. The 515s are available and i
expect they will be for some time(and usually there is always a
substitute when they get discontinued), so it should give you many
years of good service.
The only real problem with a pocket watch case would be if it is a
hunter case. Meaning that the dial is covered by a lid on a hinge.
On some cheaper ones, these hinges can be a bit flimsy. Another thing
is that many users just slam the lid shut and wear out the lid where
the latch comes in contact with it. If it is one of those types, try
to get used to pressing the crown when you close the lid and releasing
it to lock only when the lid is flush wiht the case..

[Frank Adam]

On Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:03:08 +1100, Frank Adam

Bever heard of them..

Sorry, just a slight sniffle.. :)

[k***@yahoo.com]

Yes, I know that it is better, or it is advised to press the crown and
than to close the lid.
Jacques du manoir is a division of the Boegli company (which also
makes some musical pocket watches).
I thought that I will buy the watch, and change the movement with a
higher end ETA.If I can find an ETA to fit in that pocket watch . . .
The good things are that I'm a very technical man, and I have precise
hands so to speak, but I'm afraid that I will bend the hands, or
scratch the dial . . . because I never did something like that
before. By the way, I have also bought the tools needed. Some bergeon
hands removal tool, case opener . . .

[dAz]

Post by k***@yahoo.com
Yes, I know that it is better, or it is advised to press the crown and
than to close the lid.
Jacques du manoir is a division of the Boegli company (which also
makes some musical pocket watches).
I thought that I will buy the watch, and change the movement with a
higher end ETA.If I can find an ETA to fit in that pocket watch . . .
The good things are that I'm a very technical man, and I have precise
hands so to speak, but I'm afraid that I will bend the hands, or
scratch the dial . . . because I never did something like that
before. By the way, I have also bought the tools needed. Some bergeon
hands removal tool, case opener . . .

http://www.ronda.ch/en/products/datasheet/515.html

1. ronda movements are generally not compatible to ETAs in as far the
dial and hands fitting unless you glue the dial to the movement which is
not advisable.

2. quartz is quartz, it really makes no difference at all what is
inside, just buy the watch for the look and style, changing the movement
will not make the watch perform or keep better time.

3. quartz timing is fixed at the factory, it cannot be adjusted
afterwards, the real high end quartz can be regulated, but unless you
want to buy a $5000 timer that can reprogram the EEproms forget it, I
have been repairing watches for 40years and I don't even own or see the
need for a quartz timer, if the watch is not keeping time, I swap the
movement out.

[Alex W.]

Post by k***@yahoo.com
Hello,
I want to buy a pocket watch. I made a little research on the internet
and I saw some decent priced swiss made pocket watches, brand Jacques
1. They have Ronda (model 515) movement, which I understood (after
some investigations) that it is not so good overall like an ETA.
2. I can find little information about these Jacques du Manoir
watches. They homepage is also very simple. Are they really quality
swiss watches ?
And another question would be, it is possible to change the Ronda 515
with an ETA movement, is an equivalent ETA movement for that Ronda
model ?

How stuck are you on this particular make?

If you keep an eye out, there are still firms that make
mechanical pocket watches. Orient is one such maker that springs
to mind.

Alternatively, you could invest in a vintage pocket watch by
Elgin, Howard, Hamilton or Waltham. These are available in
abundance and at reasonable cost, will retain their sell-on
value, and are precise and reliable enough for most needs.

[Zsolt]

Yes, I thought about that, but I don't know, and I want to ask you if
I could find such a vintage timepiece in a quiet good shape. Because I
don't want to buy suck a pocket watch with a defect hinge, or lid that
is not closing smoothly and such things . . .

[Jim Bianchi]

Post by Zsolt
Yes, I thought about that, but I don't know, and I want to ask you if
I could find such a vintage timepiece in a quiet good shape. Because I
don't want to buy suck a pocket watch with a defect hinge, or lid that
is not closing smoothly and such things . . .

How wedded are you to a watch w/a hunter case? Open face watches are
plenty sturdy enough. I seem to recall that at the last the (US) railroad
watch specs specified open face.

[Kantor Zs.]

        How wedded are you to a watch w/a hunter case? Open face watches are
plenty sturdy enough. I seem to recall that at the last the (US) railroad
watch specs specified open face.

It could be an open face also.

[Zsolt Kantor]

By the way. What kind of maintenance is needed for a quartz watch ?
beside the battery change, it is also needed to lubricate the gears,
sometimes . . . ?

[Zsolt Kantor]

Another thing. Can somebody recommend me a good watch, pocket watch
repairing book ? (for beginners)

[Alex W.]

Post by Kantor Zs.

        How wedded are you to a watch w/a hunter case? Open face watches are
plenty sturdy enough. I seem to recall that at the last the (US) railroad
watch specs specified open face.

It could be an open face also.

In which case a railway watch would be well worth a look. The
dials may be a bit old-fashioned for modern tastes, but the
movements were always high-grade and reliable. As far as pocket
watches go, the period of the twenty years or so before World War
One really was a golden age: the average quality of timepieces
was never higher and began to drop drastically after the war.

[Tom Charlton]

Post by Alex W.

Post by Kantor Zs.

Post by Jim Bianchi
How wedded are you to a watch w/a hunter case? Open face watches are
plenty sturdy enough. I seem to recall that at the last the (US) railroad
watch specs specified open face.

It could be an open face also.

In which case a railway watch would be well worth a look. The
dials may be a bit old-fashioned for modern tastes, but the
movements were always high-grade and reliable. As far as pocket
watches go, the period of the twenty years or so before World War
One really was a golden age: the average quality of timepieces
was never higher and began to drop drastically after the war.

I agree. American-made railroad grade pocket watches from this era are
accurate and reliable. The movements in these watches are also some of the
most beautiful ever made. As a matter of fact, I think the E. Howard Series
1 and Series 10 *are* the most beautiful watch movements ever made.

[Zsolt Kantor]

I saw Waltham and Elgin pocket watches only in pictures. But only from
those pictures I saw that the movement is very solid, very well made.
In those days generally the things were made much better. I remember
a friend of mine had an old, russian made bicycle. The material and
the build quality was much higher than the bicycles (average bicycles)
made nowadays.

[Zsolt Kantor]

I think the motto nowadays is: make it faster, make it cheaper !