🌟GENIUS or CRAZY? Vintage 1970s Digital Watch with a Surprise!

This 'Marcel' branded vintage digital watch is powered by the same time module as the highly-collectible Longines Gemini. In this video we'll look into its 😲 SURPRISING feature that was marketed as a ‘revolutionary technology advancement’ in the mid-1970s.

Some watch repair tools that I used in this video:

00:00 First surprise!
00:32 Introduction - What is it?
01:01 Removing the proprietary bracelet
03:25 Second BIG surprise!
04:31 Uncasing the watch
07:18 What is it? part 2
07:37 The history of the movement
09:29 Case & face restoration
11:36 Servicing the digital module
12:41 Ultrasonic case cleaning
14:14 First test - will it power up?
15:29 Case polish with Simichrome
16:50 Faceplate restoration, not...
18:38 Watch reassembly
20:10 Final testing & conclusion

#watchrepair #digitalwatchrepair #watchwithmike

[angelramos-]

This is a good one, Mike.Enjoy while it last.Thank you.

[incyphe]

what a wonderful repair journey. Thanks for the ride :)

[johanvandersandt]

Now that is something extraordinary! Look at the amount of articulation on that 50 year old bracelet! The batteries seems clean too! The plot thickens... Longines history too! I think that it came out looking decent! Classic retro digital stunner! Hope you are doing well Mike!

[marcelotroncoso]

Very entertaining, and good work. thank you!!

[markwade]

Excellent video Mike, thanks for making it. Your channel reminds me of My Retro Watches here in the UK hosted by another Mike. Please keep the videos coming.

[markalbert]

Very interesting video, the watch turned out to look like it was manufactured with that finish look,

[ElderPinto]

i have a friend named marcel he is a genius and crazy!!! nice one mike very cool! you always suprise me!! thanks!

[FMFGUF]

Nice work, aside from accidentally removing the logo - oops! I'm currently restoring a vintage Texet LED touch pad watch, which still displays time, date and seconds but the touch pads seem to have lost a lot of sensitivity, so I'll try some of your cleaning tips...

[michaelbell]

Excellent job and an interesting watch. In the late 70s, early 80s, I had a watch by a company called Beltime that used a module by the Hughes Aircraft Corporation and which had a chronograph. That was a really nice watch, and I wish I still had it. The follies of youth... I keep looking on eBay for one, but they're quite expensive now.

[samnova]

Good job Mike, very interesting watch.

[williamfavata]

Nice job. Looks sweet! Never knew that watch existed. Lcd led. Thanks for sharing

[Antiqueexcavator]

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve trusted a screw up into a something that works and learned a lesson at the same time! In this case I like it better without the red!

[ygrbooks]

Thank you for sharing this most entertaining video on YouTube: 👌👍👏! I would not have thought that the history of a digital watch could be so fascinating. It also shows that marketing departments were already going really bananas when describing "their" products back in the old days. While I like the outcome of your work, I would, if I were you, buy a spray can of translucent red (if you have air-brush, so much the better) and return the dial to its original color. You would have to tape the chrome window, though. Also, once painted, you could put on a cool decal where the original "Marcel" used to be ...

[NaNByZero]

Yes, the seventies were a very interesting time regarding watches. The quartz crisis was a battery crisis for me. Some watches gave up after two weeks. Does it make me a pusher? 🙃🕐⚙️🍸

[owenlaprath]

1) CONGRATS to the find!
2) If you want to paint that face plate, try Vallejo Model Paint! NO spray gun needed, it lays down smooth with a brush, and shrink-stretches the surface when drying, so you see no brush-strokes! It is really made to do just that! Personally, I think that thin red paint layer was doomed no matter what, because old plastic layers simply get brittle with age, and light is guaranteed to damage them over time. Add a clear coat, done!
3) Have you tried electronic switch cleaner, like CRC Switch cleaner? It works well on model trains! Being into vintage stereos (after over 30 years, not sinking money into that pit anymore!), DIY electronics, model trains (NO more vintage toys after many years either), photography, and once again watches (I keep cycling between them all) I have found that switch cleaner has surprising applications, and it cleans a lot of things very gently, but effectively!

[Hecthr]

My coolest 70s digital watch is a timex marlin analog and digital so it does about the same thing in a different way

[override]

aah the logo is gone but we all have that sometimes good job and a very nice watch

[philtowle]

Nice job, I have just bought a bionic led watch to hopefully repair. Can't find any info on it, but will be nice if works.

[NaNByZero]

Hey Mike, do you use water based cleaning fluids for your ultrasonic cleaner? I had a very nasty rust gaining experience with that two weeks ago and I am still at removing all the unnecessary rust from each and every part. That is an old EB 8800 Swiss movement. Yeah. Starting issues for beginners. Hehe 🕐⚙️🍸

[Rob-egqc]

I'm no watch collector, but I have a 1975 silver metal Trafalgar led watch, I don't think it's worth much, it doesn't work, but I do like the look of it.