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TBII/Auto GB Accuracy & Longevity Discussions & Tips

htrap2294

Clap Guru
Premium Member
12,139
8,123
San Diego, CA
After owning a TBII for a few days now, a few things came to my mind, but first and foremost PSA: Do NOT handwind an ETA 2824-2. It is a weak point in the movement and WILL destroy it over time. Also, never change the date between 8PM-2AM as it is very bad for the movement.


Questions:
1. Do any of you ever service your TBII? It has now reached the 10 year mark and around the time when people should. Even though this is an ETA 2824-2 movement, keep in mind that the date wheel is red/black AKA not standard so replacement will be difficult/expensive. So, if the movement breaks because most people follow the "wear it till it breaks" rule...the TBII movement replacement will change the look of your watch.

2. Out of curiosity, how accurate do your watches run?
Mine runs at +10 seconds per day, which is within manufacturer specifications.

3. Any way to apply UV protection to the Sapphire Crystal to preserve Automatic coloring to remain red?

4. How to tell what grade of ETA 2824-2 the TBII uses?
Answered, see post #3.

Tips:
  • If your TimeBomb II or Auto Gearbox is running extremely fast per day (13+ seconds per day) it has been magnetized. Download Lepsi on the App Store or Android Play Store to check. Also, purchase a Degausser on Amazon and place the watch on it to correct this problem.
  • Do NOT handwind an ETA 2824-2. Although the movement has the function, it is considered to be a weak part of the movement.
  • Do NOT change date between 8PM-2AM as the movement has already entered date change stages. Changing at that interval risks you seriously damaging/permanently destroying the movement.
 
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For reference, sapphire crystal allows about 80% between 300-400nm, it seems. It even allows some transmission in the 200 nm range which mineral crystal blocks entirely.

The AR coating on the underside of the crystal, which improves legibility, also allows more light to enter the watch and damage the dial (which is one reason why Rolex does NOT do AR coatings on their crystals).

Good news in, Carbon Fiber is inherently UV resistant so the dial itself may never fade but the color will.
 
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Okay, I did some research. Oakley's manual is misleading:
upload_2018-8-5_18-1-36.png


It specifies the regulator (meaning movement) as ETACHRON 2824-2, making you THINK it's the ETA 2824-2 with the COSC certification. However, it is not.

The reason being it is unfinished - I have a Hamilton with a standard movement and it looks the exact same - no extra finishing or serial number (as all ETA 2824-2 grade Chronometers have). Furthermore, if we delve deeper into the specifications we see that the accuracy is +12/-12 seconds per day (average).

As per Wikipedia: "the Standard grade is adjusted in two positions with an average rate of +/-12 seconds/day, with a maximum daily variation of +/-30 seconds/day;"

This would make the TBII a standard grade ETA 2824-2 ($110 on eBay). The standard grade ETA 2824-2 is fine, but not in a $2750 watch as some of the movement components are plastic (& designed to fail...thus replacing entire movement).
 
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Lol that’s right. Plus my Apple Watch tells me when @htrap2294 makes another post about his new TBII on the forum.

LOL, you got me there - but in my defense I did some searches and noticed none of this stuff was mentioned. In fact, there's very little information on it to begin with so I had to start somewhere.

Personally, the notifications drove me nuts...especially when I wasn't single.
 

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