1940’s Gallet Multichron Chronograph

[JimDon]

I swung by a new flea market and came across a booth with some watches. I was talking to the guy for a while about watches and ended up buying a messed up Elgin for parts. I guess he took a liking to me and said he had an old chronograph and if I was interested. He said it was a Gallet. I met him today and picked up this rare beauty. It runs but needs work on the chronograph minute hand and a service. It is amazing because it is only 29 mm in diameter:

 

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[artslinger]

It is a beauty, looks quite a complicated watch with all those small parts. That is definitely a show of high end and quality. Congratulations on that little gem! Do you change the bands when you do sell some of your watches? I always do, it makes such an incredible difference. Of course, not when it's a high end original band, but definitely any replacement band. That watch would look beautiful with a black leather band. Amazing score!

artslinger

 

[Nitric]

That is awesome!!! I love working on the complicated stuff too.

It would look really cool with a crystal on the back. I picked up one of the smallest chrono minute repeaters I've ever seen. It's too big for a wrist watch and aweful small for a pocket watch...I still haven't cased it.

I love this complicated stuff!!! And yours is odd, because I can't remember seeing too many that aren't perfectly round. That has an oval shape to the movement. I also wonder what they removed from the balance cock? Looks like they ground something off at some point, maybe even at the factory.

 

[JimDon]

Import Code was ground off the balance cock. I’m not sure why it could be a replacement. I replaced the Crystal and put it on at leather strap but I did order a special military strap for this one.

 

[vpnavy]

Nice buy! Thanks for sharing...

 

[Professor of Engineering]

I love the inner workings of the watch...simply beautiful!

 

[Hawks88]

That’s a great looking watch. Congrats

 

[tamrock]

That's a rare find JD. Kudos to your success.

 

[JimDon]

That's a rare find JD. Kudos to your success.

It is rare indeed but it also makes it very difficult to find parts. My guy is going to service it for $300 plus any parts which will be on a quote “basis iif he can find them. I am hoping it won’t need any parts.

 

[Nitric]

It is rare indeed but it also makes it very difficult to find parts. My guy is going to service it for $300 plus any parts which will be on a quote “basis iif he can find them. I am hoping it won’t need any parts.

I'm horrible at remembering things and what interchanges.....All my books, I either gave away or packed up. Is the maker of the movement Gallet? Or are they just the watch makers name? The ground balance cock makes me curious if they used another makers movement. If that sentence made any sense at all."Debranded" for Gallet, type of thing.

If you do run into a parts issue? PM me, I may have someone I can try. It's worth a try if he can't find the parts for you. I have some chrono parts left, but don't remember Gallet(that small) mostly pocket size.. I have some stuff that I saved for Valjoux but don't know what else is left.

added... Some info..You may not care about this stuff...But I love that movement and wanted to know more. I started searching the net since my books are packed away....Here's what I thought was a cool article on Gallet. I'm into the complicated stuff...It's hard to even to begin to remember a fraction of that world.

https://www.fratellowatches.com/tbt-gallet-multichron-decimal-chronograph/

 

[trdking]

I love Gallet Chonos and Have a very rare Solid gold one with the Valjoux movement. Check out Gallets website. You can send yours in for complete factory restoration and it is not really outrageously priced. Will change out all parts to factory. One of very few watch co that do this. and reasonable

 

[Drmad7]

Changing out original parts for new parts is NOT what vintage watch collectors want you to do. It kills the originality of the watch. If you do let them change out the parts, make sure they send you the original parts. A future buyer might want those parts.

 

[JimDon]

I'm horrible at remembering things and what interchanges.....All my books, I either gave away or packed up. Is the maker of the movement Gallet? Or are they just the watch makers name? The ground balance cock makes me curious if they used another makers movement. If that sentence made any sense at all."Debranded" for Gallet, type of thing.

If you do run into a parts issue? PM me, I may have someone I can try. It's worth a try if he can't find the parts for you. I have some chrono parts left, but don't remember Gallet(that small) mostly pocket size.. I have some stuff that I saved for Valjoux but don't know what else is left.

added... Some info..You may not care about this stuff...But I love that movement and wanted to know more. I started searching the net since my books are packed away....Here's what I thought was a cool article on Gallet. I'm into the complicated stuff...It's hard to even to begin to remember a fraction of that world.

https://www.fratellowatches.com/tbt-gallet-multichron-decimal-chronograph/

Thanks for the info. I already sent it to my regular watch guy. He is much cheaper than Gallet at $850. Excelsior Park was Gallet’s in house movement.

 

[Nitric]

Changing out original parts for new parts is NOT what vintage watch collectors want you to do. It kills the originality of the watch. If you do let them change out the parts, make sure they send you the original parts. A future buyer might want those parts.

This really depends...If it's done right no one will ever know. And if they use factory parts? No, difference. I understand if your meaning after market dials, hands,or changing numbered plates without properly repairing them, stuff like that, but on the internals, if it's done correctly, repaired properly, no one would know. At least that's the goal of the guys that strive to be one of the best.

I've heard the "horror" stories of guys sending their watches and they come back , ....And the watch maker stole the jewels. Because they think "jewels" are like diamonds. Not knowing that it's a bearing basically and the watch wouldn't work with out them.

On the flip side I've seen some hacked up crap. Where they couldn't find the right parts, couldn't make parts, and just made a mess out of the movements. Those guys usually don't get a good reputation, and most learn of them real fast. A lot of the real old stuff? parts have to be made. There is no way around it. Then you want a guy that makes the part the same way, and duplicates an exact replacement part.

 

[trdking]

We call the guys that leave evidence of their work on the movement Screw Jockeys I have seen many a movement with hacked up screws. A tell tale sign of an amateur

 

[Nitric]

We call the guys that leave evidence of their work on the movement Screw Jockeys I have seen many a movement with hacked up screws. A tell tale sign of an amateur

I also like the term "over wound" that it seems like a quarter of the ebay auctions say. Just another way of saying...Not working! Or "side winders" (pocket watches)fancy way of saying, "wrong case, the original was scraped and the movement was stuck in this case!" etc....

 

[JimDon]

We call the guys that leave evidence of their work on the movement Screw Jockeys I have seen many a movement with hacked up screws. A tell tale sign of an amateur

Trust me from someone who’s worked on quite a few watches I know what you mean I’ve screwed up quite a few of them. It is surprisingly difficult when you’re working with screws that small not to slip and scratch the movement

 

[JimDon]

Trust me from someone who’s worked on quite a few watches I know what you mean I’ve screwed up quite a few of them. It is surprisingly difficult when you’re working with screws that small not to slip and scratch the movement

$15 flea find not running. Successfully serviced this one last night. I guess there is hope for me. Not a quick set date and I’m too lazy.

 

[JimDon]

$15 flea find not running. Successfully serviced this one last night. I guess there is hope for me. Not a quick set date and I’m too lazy. View attachment 1640182View attachment 1640183

Actually found out it is a quickset date. It is the kind you push in the crown to advance the date.

 

[jfreakofkorn]

nice looking piece