Accutron repair and restoration.

ACCUTRON CENTRAL
Accutron 214 Repair & Restoration
THE SITE FOR FIRST EDITION ACCUTRON ENTHUSIASTS
THE WORLDS FIRST ELECTRONIC TIMEPIECE
Accutron Repair & Restoration
The 214 first appeared in stores on October 25, 1960

No tick, no tock:
There's no mistaking a 214 with any other watch ever made. The 214 is the first of its kind. It's the only caliber that sets by lifting a spring loaded "C" shaped lever on the back of the case, and it's also the only Accutron that has a battery hatch on the back cover that unscrews to access the battery compartment. Put a 214 to your ear, and you will hear the distinctive hum of an electronically driven tuning fork. The conversion from vibratory to rotary motion is so smooth that the second hand appears to move continuously.

The Paradigm shift:
Prior to 1960, no wrist or pocket watch, regardless of price, had ever achieved the standard accuracy of an Accutron. Three centuries before Accutron, the "balance wheel" and "escapement" method of timekeeping was invented, and it remained the basic technology of mechanical movements until November 24, 1960. On that momentous day, an inherently accurate timepiece with only 12 moving parts went on the market and made the use of escapements and balance wheels obsolete. It's not an over-statement to say that Accutron Changed Everything.

To add perspective to the achievement, it's useful to consider a modern paradigm shift. The analogy that springs to mind is the introduction of hybrid vehicles into a market powered by internal combustion engines.

Accutron Repair & Restoration:
Tuning fork driven Accutrons evolved into quartz crystal watches by the 70's but the old hummers are so robust that when given reasonable care they run as well today as they did when new. Compared to the dollars per year cost of modern chronometers, repairing a 214 is positively cheap, and they usually require nothing more than cleaning every five or so years.

It must be noted that repairing an Accutron 214 requires specific knowledge, and certain unique skills which have been largely forgotten over the years, One wrong move can destroy delicate parts like the "index wheel", or the "coil" which otherwise might have lasted for another 40 years. Bulova no longer repairs tuning fork watches, and if you ask them why, they will inform you that they have no repair parts. All parts obtained today are either new-old-stock from estate sales, or salvaged from working tuning fork movements. Given the current situation, losing critical parts due to a botched repair job is not an option. For that reason alone, many watch repairers will not, and probably should not work on a "hummer".

Fortunately for Accutron 214 owners, there are still a number of us old timers around who have been helping to keep 214's "alive". To illustrate the point, read this 2002 New York Times article entitled "For Collectors, a Race for a Space-Age Heirloom" http://www.accutron214.com/Newspaper/Default.htm

Accutron tuning fork watches from 1960 through 1977 may very well be the only mass market electronic devices of their era which are still in every day use. In this modern age of throw away technology, the life span of most consumer electronic devices is measured in months, a relative few may be considered state-of-the-art for a few years, but here we are, a half century after the introduction of the 214, and yet, day after day the electronic miracle on my wrist keeps on humming it's 360 cycle/sec tune without losing a beat. Truly amazing!

Ps:
For those of you who have contacted me in the past about restoring an Accutron 214 that you have inherited from a loved one, or who hope to pass one on to a son or daughter, I hope that these paragraphs have shed some light on at least some of the reasons why many in our generation treasured them and why we kept them in drawers long after Bulova stopped repairing them.

Very truly yours,
Martin Marcus

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Martin Marcus
5 Laurel Court
Marblehead, MA 01945 (781) 639-0442

e-mail: martin@accutron214.com

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Please be advised that I almost never get up from my microscope to answer the phone which seems to ring constantly, even on weekends. I do however, reply to my e-mail every evening, so that's the best way to contact me. Simply click on the link above.

For those of you who hate to type, feel free to call and leave a message on my answering machine, but don't forget to leave your e-mail address. Please spell out the address slowly, enunciate clearly, and indicate whether there are any special characters such as dashes, underscores, or capital letters.

I always try to reply to e-mail on the day in which it was received, so if you don't hear from me within one business day, it's probably because I didn't get your correct e-mail and my message was returned as undeliverable.

I regret that I simply don't have the time to return either phone calls, or e-mails from people who are just looking for information, or advise. There are just too many of you, and my first priority is to keep from falling behind on my repairs.

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