Hello there - congratulations for such a rare find! Also I feel very happy for the watch for having been found by a watch enthusiast and not just some random dude looking for "a cheap old Casio"... I received my first WW-34 in a random digital watch lot some years ago - the sad looking watch sat in the box for some time after I realized how rare it actually is. What even delighted me more was when I found out that the seller in Spain was still able to deliver NOS-crystals for this rare model - you dont find similar spare parts for W-31 / W-34 etc usually, rendering them in my eyes as stationary collector's pieces too fine and fragile to be worn. Having some spare parts inventory makes it a whole different case. Some comments / questions: 1.40: ouch, the pin tool scrapes the lug. Luckily its not NOS watch case (and I think WW-34 shares the case with W-31 or W-34, I could be mistaken too). Placing the tool more carefully and without hurry would have saved the lug from this unnecessary touch. Also @ 18.00 there could be a piece of PVC tape or similar placed between the lug surface and the pin, now the pin pushed against the lug and also there is a risk of the tool "fork" scraping additional marks. Another trick is that you could push the pin in first and then move the bracelet in position. But I am very relieved to see that you pop the case back open nicely @3.59, without committing the usual error of pushing the back of opener knife against the fine edge of the lug thus leaving a noticeable dent. I also tend to use many sheets of PVC tape here if I really really need to make use of the lug edge in order to pry something open. At 4.36 you first peel off the Casio "sticker" on the module - why? Personally I have never removed them, but I am sure they do exist for a reason - now, 40 years later they still stick millions of them on their 593 etc modules so they must serve a purpose :) And about the original, rare 494 module - did you ever even try it with a fresh battery? To my eyes I dont see the difference in its "scrachiness" over any other 80s (more or less working) 415 etc modules I have seen... I suggest you just try it again some day? And I would also highly recommed you to save the original module for restoration / historical value purposes, as said, 494 is a rare find. I got two separate 494 to work just with cleaning the PCB contacts with rubbing alcohol, then new battery and AC reset. Having said all this it was just a couple of days ago when I swapped the 494 for a modern 593, not because of total lack of function, but because the LCD had a curious effect of varying levels of contrast - could be something related to the original "wide temperature" feature of the display. As pointed out by your video, a modern 593 is a 100% fit, even the original spacer ring goes in perfectly. Now I (greatly) enjoy my crisp contrast WW-34. About measuring the battery - I usually only check the voltage, for 3V lithium disposable cell anything nearing the nominal voltage (3.0 something) = depleted cell while the fresh ones are always around 3.30V. The lithium cells have a rather stable V-curve. Great job with you rare find! And a tip: if I were you, I would immediately buy myself at least one of those super rare NOS original crystals while they still exist(!) Then I would save the original crystal carefully as well - these are already rare but as long as they are in one piece they can restored by glass polishing methods. The ebay seller is a reputable one, having bought many sets of rare Casio parts form them.
Thank you for all the notes. I will keep them in mind for my next Casio project. I did see the crystals from Spain. I will order one for sure. I will also get back to the old module and see if I can make it work. I'll keep you posted. Thank you for your support.
HEY, HOW YOU WEAR IT , I'VE SEEN THE VIDEO OF THE RESTORATION YOU DID TO THIS OLD CASIO , I LIKED IT A LOT. AS A COLLECTOR OF WATCHES THAT RIDER FROM SEVERAL YEARS AGO APPEARED A LOT OF YOUR JOB . THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE . WELL DONE . GREETINGS AND TAKE CARE ! . 😎👍🖐️😉
Nice cleaning but my main concern is about module. WIDE TEMP-LC have very special LCD display. The module is very very special. For me, the restoration is not good since your watch is now not WIDE TEMP-LC (done for extreme conditions). And LDC light is not good too (bulb light for 494 module). Got two WW634 and know how difficult is to have working 494 LCD and module. Is the watch sailed with orginal module added to the watch with 593 module?
I had a Casio calculator watch in the 80’s, I took it apart just to see what it was like on the inside and couldn’t figure out how to get it back together properly.😢 ( I was 12 😂 ) I wish we had RU-vid back then.
That's awesome. I also did a lot of similar things when I was a kid. I always had extra screws when I was done with any device I took apart and put it back together.
Hi Nikola, honestly I just wasn't comfortable polishing the case and I did order a new crystal, but it arrived late. Maybe I'll make another video where I replace the crystal and polish the case. Thank you for watching :-)
Great video. I truly enjoy picking up Casios at yard sales and fixing them up. I’m curious what the foam spray you are using in the video? Thanks for a awesome video!
Thank you for your kind words. The spray is just a normal multipurpose foam cleaner. They have it all over Amazon and in local stores as well. I think any multipurpose foam cleaner will do as long as it is not abrasive.
Pause the video at 3:17 and you'll see that it is actually WW-34. The W-34 does not have the "Wide Temp - LC" written on the dial and it looks a little different. Thanks!
I understand. The reason for that is this watch is very rare. You can find one current listing on eBay for a crystal and another sold listing for the watch on the website watchcharts. W-34 looks completely different.
I was thinking (as I have come across with this myself before) perhaps the person who you got it from changed the battery themselves and found it not responding as most people don't know about AC and thought it was dead. Did you check the unit yourself ?
The case was not too bad and I wanted to leave it the same way I found it, but I did change the crystal later on. Updated pictures of the watch are on my website. It looks very good with the new crystal. Thanks for watching!
Excelente trabajo de Restauración , tengo el movimiento ó modulo No. 81 de mi Casio de 1980(comprado el 13 de enero de 1981 en Panamá) y su respectivo manual de instrucciones, pero la pila o bateria de litio BR-2320 ES DIFÍCIL DE CONSEGUIR Y MUY COSTOSA , saludos desde Popayán Colombia, JULIAN ANDRES.
Hi Julian, br-2320 está disponible en los Estados Unidos por $ 3 en Amazon. No estoy seguro si hacen envíos a colombia a través. Suerte con tu proyecto y gracias por tu comentario. Traducido con google.
