Watch Service: Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph. Cal ETA 7750.

Steve sent me his Tag Heuer for service as it was losing time and had a low power reserve – the watch is 12 years old and he said he’s worn it pretty much continually that whole time. Its well overdue a service and he’s also opted for the case brighten option to improve its looks.

The original Heuer Carreras were designed to be simple, uncluttered and highly legible, this newer incarnation stays true to that history and fits the bill perfectly.

First things first, I remove the movement from the case and prepare the hands for removal. Ive already removed the centre seconds hand below, great care has to be taken in the removal of this hand, its fitted very tightly to its post to prevent slipping when the chronograph is reset, making removal harder than that of a normal seconds hand.

Dial removed revealing the date works underneath.

Dial side disassembled, only the keyless works remains.

I switch over and begin to strip down the top side, Ive already removed some of the automatic components in the below picture.

I continue on, slowly working my way through the movement. I carefully check each part as its removed for any signs of damage or wear that could affect the running of the watch.

Just the 3/4 plate to remove, then I’m down to the gear train.

Below you can see the gear train, the barrel is towards the bottom of the movement (the large silver thing!), this houses the mainspring that powers the watch. The power from the mainspring is then transferred through the train wheels until it reaches the escapement, where the release of power is controlled so that the watch keeps time.

Just the keyless works left to remove now.

Movement completely dismantled and ready for a cycle through the watch cleaning machine.

Once the watch has been thoroughly cleaned, I can being reassembling and oiling.

I methodically work my way through the movement, oiling the components as I go.

Just the rotor left to be fitted on this side.

I finish assembling the dial side.

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Then once the dial and hands are fitted, I refit the movement into the case.

As usual the watch is then checked for water resistance before moving onto testing and finally being returned to its owner.

Steve also chose to have the case refinished, he went for the case brighten, which is designed to remove shallower scratches, leaving the deeper dents. For the majority of watches, this improves the look of it dramatically whilst only removing small amounts of metal. It really can make a massive difference!

Thanks for reading,

The Watch Professional