WATCHES Zodiac Professional 200 Meters (Ref. 206.19.34) – The Silver Dot Diver
Look between four and five o'clock on this black dial and you will find a small silver dot. It is easy to miss, but it tells you which family of 1990s…
WATCHES 
CAMERA Maintenance Leica Elmar 5cm f/3.5 Disassembly – Cleaning the Second Glass Element
The Leica Elmar 5cm f/3.5 is a small standard lens for Leica screw-mount (L39) cameras. This one is engraved “Leitz Elmar f=5cm 1:3,5”, with “Feet” and…
WATCHES Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 1000m (Ref. 506.54.43) – The “Buzz Saw” Diver
A black dial with big orange-framed markers, a thick toothed bezel and a caseback engraved “1000 meters”: this Super Sea Wolf is a serious tool watch that…
CAMERA Maintenance Olympus H.Zuiko Auto-S 42mm f/1.2 Disassembly – Repairing Balsam Separation
The Olympus H.Zuiko Auto-S 42mm f/1.2 is the fast standard lens made for the Olympus Pen F series of half-frame SLR cameras. This one came to me with heavy…
CAMERA Maintenance CONTAX Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 Disassembly – Repairing Balsam Separation
The CONTAX Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 is the standard fast lens for the Contax/Yashica (C/Y) mount. This one is marked “Lens made in Japan” on the…
CAMERA Maintenance Leica Summitar 5cm f/2 Disassembly – Cleaning the Front Group
The Leica Summitar 5cm f/2 is a standard lens for Leica screw-mount (L39) cameras, engraved “Ernst Leitz Wetzlar” on the front. I worked on this one in…
CAMERA Maintenance Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 Disassembly – Trying to Repaint the Edges of the Front Elements
The Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 is a fast, wide-angle prime for Nikon F-mount cameras. I serviced this one in September 2024. This post walks through the…
WATCHES Zodiac Sea Wolf Professional 200m (Ref. 513.55.47) – A Compact White-Dial Diver
A bright white dial, a toothed steel bezel and a case just over 34 mm wide: this Sea Wolf is a small, easy diver that looks just as right at a seaside café…
CAMERA Maintenance CONTAX Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* 300mm f/4 (MMG) Disassembly – Cleaning Fungus from the Middle Group
This CONTAX Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* 300mm f/4 is a long telephoto lens for the C/Y mount. It weighs about 1.3 kg and takes 82 mm filters. I serviced it in…
CAMERA Maintenance CONTAX Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.7 (MMJ) Disassembly – Re-cementing a Doublet with Balsam Separation
This CONTAX Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.7 is the later MMJ version for the C/Y mount. It came to me with balsam separation, and I repaired it in July…