Technical specifications

Caliber
Enicar AR 1147, automatic
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, day and date
Jewels
24
Frequency
18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Movement size
11.75 ligne, 6.0 mm high
Case
34.5 mm diameter, 39 mm lug to lug, 12.5 mm thick
Case material
Stainless steel
Crystal
Replacement, 31.8 mm, secured with Seiko S-314 UV adhesive
Bracelet
Snake skin patterned, five-link
Year
Early 1970s (approximate)
Serial number
Worn away, none legible
Condition on arrival
Non-running, no crystal, no seconds hand
Serviced
5 November 2026
Non-original parts
Crystal and seconds hand replaced; day disc re-attached with adhesive
Price paid
20 dollars

How it arrived

Today on the bench is an Enicar Ocean Pearl, approximately from the early 70s. I acquired the watch from a junk watch seller I have personally known for a while, for a whopping 20 dollars. No crystal, no seconds hand, and ultimately in non-running condition.

I inspected the watch briefly before acquiring it. The rotor was spinning, which is a good sign! However, there seemed to be no movement at all. Maybe a broken pivot? Maybe it just needs a service. I decided to take the gamble.

Design and build

The size. The watch measures 34.5 mm in diameter and 39 mm lug to lug. Including the replacement crystal, the thickness is 12.5 mm.

The indexes and logo. The applied indexes, with their recessed texture, are a prime example of an early 70s watch! The lume itself is still there, only the luminescence is gone, and it has developed a great-looking patina ( the T either side of "Swiss Made" at six marks it as tritium, which stops glowing a long time before it stops looking good ). The dial also features Enicar's iconic Saturn logo.

The watch held in the hand, showing the applied faceted indexes, the Saturn logo above the Enicar signature, the day and date windows at three o'clock, and the five-link bracelet.

The bracelet. One of the main points of this watch is the bracelet. It's a snake skin patterned, 5-link bracelet, and it's well executed. It matches the rugged and elegant vibe of the watch.

The dial. The silver sunburst dial glows beautifully in the sunlight as well!

The movement

As I was unfamiliar with this movement, I did some research online. Here is what I found.

The AR 1147 belongs to Enicar's 114x family, a series of hand-winding and automatic movements produced in the mid-1960s. The whole family measures 11.75 ligne (about 26.4 mm) and beats at 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz) [2]. It was fully jeweled and featured Incabloc shock protection, which was modern for its time [1].

The AR 1147 is the automatic day-date version, with 24 jewels and a height of 6.0 mm [1]. The automatic versions reach that jewel count through extra jewels on the minute wheel and the automatic transmission wheel [1]. That explains the ruby studs I noticed during disassembly, and other collectors have noted the same detail [3].

The day-date mechanism uses a separate pawl for each function. The date engages at 20:00 and the day engages at 21:00, and both finish switching at midnight [1].

I believe this movement showcases what Enicar was capable of during its heyday!

Sources (collector wikis and forums, not Enicar documents):

  1. AR 1140, Grail Watch Wiki
  2. Enicar Cal. 114x, Grail Watch Reference
  3. Enicar AR caliber data, relojes-especiales.com forum

Servicing log

This is the watch once the case was open and the dial and hands were off. Everything below happened over one afternoon.

The watch stripped on the bench: the case band with no crystal, the case back, the dial and hands lying in a clear parts box, and the movement upright in a holder.

1. Rotor side, as opened

Surprisingly, the movement is in decent condition, without much rust nor oil stains. You can see the automatic module and the rotor.

The movement in a holder with the gold oscillating weight in place over the automatic works. The plates are clean, with no rust and no heavy oil staining.

The rotor flipped to the other side. You can see the dormant balance wheel, not budging at all.

The same side with the oscillating weight swung round, exposing the automatic bridge and, at the left, the balance under its cock.

I removed the rotor for further disassembly. You can see the automatic module.

The oscillating weight removed, leaving the automatic module, the balance cock with its regulator index, the train bridge and the ratchet wheel exposed.

Removing some screws...

2. Automatic works and balance

Without the automatic module, the full balance, gear train and winding mechanism are present.

The automatic module lifted away. The balance sits at the left under its regulator, with the going train bridge and the large steel ratchet wheel alongside.
The spoked balance wheel and its hairspring at the left, the ratchet and crown wheels to the right, and three jewels showing through the train bridge.

Balance off. You can see the engraving of this rather slept on movement, Enicar's AR 1147.

The balance removed. The caliber engraving, AR 1147, is visible on the main plate at the lower left.

The winding mechanism gears are present.

Three small steel wheels of the winding train at the upper right, above the large ratchet wheel.

Always be careful with springs... they tend to fly out!

A long thin steel spring lying across the plate, the kind that launches itself across the room if you let it.
The ratchet wheel removed, the barrel now visible beneath its bridge.

3. Barrel and going train

Pallet fork removed, carefully, so as not to damage the pivot and jewel.

The bridge work coming away, with the barrel and a steel cover plate exposed on the main plate.

Gear train seems to be intact, no missing tooth.

Two brass train wheels meshing in the open, their teeth complete.

Moving further...

The barrel out of the movement, sitting as a plain steel disc in the middle of the plate.

The center wheel and escape wheel are present. Almost done with this side!

The center wheel and the finely toothed escape wheel, the last parts of the going train still in place.

4. Dial side: date ring and keyless works

The movement turned over to the dial side, the black date ring with white numerals still in place around the edge.
The dial side with the date ring in place and part of the date work removed.
The dial side further stripped, the date ring still around the outside.

The minute wheel stud seems to be made of ruby. Normally it's steel on watches...

The date work almost clear, with the small wheels of the motion work at the center.

Date wheel removed.

The date ring removed, leaving the bare dial side with the keyless work and setting lever.

Now to the keyless work and cannon pinion.

The keyless work and cannon pinion area of the dial side.

Finally, the keyless work, the yoke, and some final disassembly.

The dial side almost completely bare, with only the yoke and a few remaining parts on the plate.

And that is the entire watch, in two trays.

Two blue parts trays holding every component of the watch, with the bare main plate still in its holder below.

A surprising detail

One thing that surprised me while disassembling this movement: the minute wheel and the automatic transmission wheel both run on ruby studs. On most watches I'd expect steel in those places. As it turns out, these are the extra jewels that bring the AR 1147 up to 24, as described in The movement above.

Reassembly and conclusion

After fully disassembling the watch, I was able to diagnose why it wasn't running. Simply old oil! What great luck! The missing crystal, the missing seconds hand and the loose day disc were separate problems, which I cover below. After cleaning all the components, I was able to assemble it again, and it's running well.

Repairs and parts

The crystal. The first thing I noticed was the missing crystal. I picked up a 31.8 mm replacement, and it wasn't a perfect fit. A 32 mm crystal was too large, so I had to secure the 31.8 mm one with some Seiko S-314 UV adhesive.

The seconds hand. The seconds hand was missing as well. I was able to source a 0.21 mm hand that fits, although it's a little short. For now it does the job, and I plan to replace it later once I have more parts available.

The day disc. This one explains why the day-date function seemed broken at first: the day disc had simply fallen off. Luckily, it was an easy fix. After some fiddling and adhesive, it now works without any flaw.

Assessment

This watch seems to show a prime example of Enicar and its engineering capabilities! It has a very homey feeling to it.

At first glance it might seem a little bland, or even a bit boring. However, I think its cushion case, together with the center line carrying the logo, day and date, makes this watch a great everyday wearer with great legibility.

PhotographBack together, wound, and running.