Just throwing this one out there to see if there is any general agreement.
What do you find is the most problematic Bulova movement?
I'll start off by saying I always have trouble with 8ac/8ae movements, always have balance problems and hair spring problems. I have 3 here that all have the same problem and they always seem to be a pain in the rear!
For the ladies movement it has the be the 5AD, again always when there is a problem it is balance related, was there some kind of design flaw in these models? is it the positioning of the balance? Thoughts?
Hey Gary,
There was a time when I would have agreed with you on that but after 8 years of doing repairs I've found that they can all be just as painful. I have several 8AE/AC , 7AK/AP, 10 series, and Auto's. Believe me,
any watch that is not running when you buy it can turn into serious aggrevation when you go to repair.
The problems may not even be related to the balance or hairspring, could be any one of the gears, a mainspring that dosen't release, a bad or misaligned pivot jewel, a fiber you just can't see or bad parts replaced by someone who's tried before you.
It's just a crap shoot now days and let's hope we all use genuine Bulova parts in our repairs.
Best for 2011, Shawn
Shawn brings up some good points. One of my least favorites on the basis of parts availabiliy alone is the 8AL/AZ. Not used in a lot of models(Rite Angle), not interchangable with other 8 series and I've never seen a replacement part in any of the Bulova parts kits that Iv'e seen.