How To Service A Pocket Watch

Mechanical watches come jump-loaded with history, so it is no surprise that many connoisseurs gravitate towards the precise engineering which keeps mechanical watches popular today.

For the specialist or antiquarian, pocket watches in item hold a unique appeal. Later studying and collecting enough watches, one might begin to wonder: What if I began to know my watch within and out?

In the post-obit guide, Jack Mason volition explain to the inquisitive horologist how to disassemble your own pocket sentry so that it may undergo repair.

Tools You Need Before You Begin

Below is an exhaustive list of tools needed earlier undergoing any at-dwelling house picket repair. In addition to these, a flat, clean surface on which to practice your work is also needed, to proceed the watch components both clean and protected during what is a very frail procedure.

Essential Tools

Watchmakers screwdriver set : If nothing else, buy a watchmakers screwdriver ready, and exist sure to buy one specifically fabricated for watches, every bit opposed to an eyeglass repair kit.Without a set of screwdrivers precision-made for lookout repair, one risks scratching or damaging the screws or other internal mechanisms, which in plow affects the value, appearance, and in extreme cases, functionality of the piece.

Parts tray : Specialized parts trays for sentry components be, though in a pinch, an inexpensive tackle box or segmented, solid pencil case may work every bit well.The of import thing is to not place the parts directly on the table you lot are working on, as this puts the parts at take chances of loss if they accidentally get knocked over or ringlet away.

Tweezers : A uncomplicated set up of tweezers are used to remove parts and so fix them in place again. Whatsoever pair will do in a compression, though watchmaking tweezers do exist.
Hands Puller/Pusher : These tools exist to remove the hands of a watch without damaging the punch and and then place the hands back on when maintenance has been completed.
Loupe : This eyepiece is a small magnifying drinking glass used by jewelers and watchmakers to examine small things, such every bit the machinery in watches.

Optional Tools

Oil and oiler : To continue the lookout man and parts lubricated, special oil is needed. The oiler is a sparse slice of wire either dipped in the oil, which is and then applied to the parts, or else designed to administer a single drop of oil whenever contact is made with a role.
Cleaning Supplies : For those truly serious most entering the world of pocket watch repair, investing in a parts cleaner and fluid is essential. It should exist noted that the cleaning supplies run more than expensive than the other parts on this list and can exist dangerous if improperly used.The solvents in question were not designed for casual in-dwelling house use. As such, if you lot elect to use them, you must be sure to protect yourself from breathing in fumes, work in a well-ventilated space, and avoid whatever directly contact with the materials.

Blower : The blower is a tool that pushes air onto sentinel parts, helping them to dry out more readily. The blower does not push spit, which may be contained in small parts when you physically accident on parts.
Watch paper : This last tool is the easiest to create an at-home replacement for. Lookout man paper is used to place drying parts, though whatsoever lint-less, absorptive newspaper would make a good substitute.

A Alert

Watches are delicate machinery. In the next section, we will be explaining both common scout problems, as well as how to repair them. Nosotros do not advise you lot to endeavor repairing an antiquarian pocket sentry if this is your first try at repair. We as well enquire you to consider the level of risk you are accepting when y'all attempt to repair whatsoever watch without the direct aid of a professional watchmaker.

You will most likely cause a modest amount of impairment to the first pocket watch yous repair. This is role of the learning process. We also repeat that if you want to use cleaning fluids, you must show the utmost caution and not betrayal yourself, children, or pets to the fumes accidentally.

Also: It will exist helpful to consult motion diagrams during the procedure, to take photos of your own piece, as well equally to make a note, when making in-depth repairs, of the order in which components are removed. Also, annotation that many pocket watches vary slightly in construction. The U.S. military released specific watch repair manuals for timepieces used during the time period.

Initial Visual Inspection

The first footstep in watch repair is to do a visual inspection of your watch components . The goal is to gather every bit much information as you tin can before y'all begin the disassembly procedure.

Get-go, examine what y'all tin without removing the caseback. Does the instance or crystal appear dented or damaged? Are the hinges in working order? Is the dial legible, and are the hands parallel with the punch and moving smoothly?

Finally, when you wind the lookout, is there eventually a bit of resistance as the picket winds up? There are numerous guides that exist for watch diagnostics , though we will exist focusing on the disassembly process.

Removing the Caseback

In order to examine the interior mechanism of a scout, you lot will need to open the caseback. There are multiple means pocket watch example backs are designed to be removed.

Most accept either a lip or swivel which you tin open with either your fingernail or a instance knife. In one case the caseback is open, you are ready to examine the motility of the watch.

Unwinding the Scout

Be wary of laying the watch flat on its back at the point, equally doing and then may damage the hands or dial. The next step in repair is unwinding the watch. Attempting to perform repairs on a wound watch can damage the machinery, and send the tiny pieces of machinery flying upon removal.

If y'all have done the previous footstep, you should now be staring at the movement of your scout. You should eventually notice a tiny metal stopper near a gear which clicks every fourth dimension a tooth passes over it.

One time you have found this piece, firmly agree the crown, and slowly wind the watch until the stopper pushes out. At this betoken, employ a screwdriver to fully remove the stopper from the rest of the gears.

Gently brainstorm to release the crown, and it should move in the reverse management you wound it in.

Slowly allow it unwind.

Removing the Hands and Dial

In club to remove the easily of the watch, use your hands puller. The hands puller goes against the hand posts, removing them in a cork-like mode. The feet of the hands puller will gently touch the punch, but they are designed to not impairment it.

One time the easily accept been removed, the punch tin be taken off. The punch is attached by small screws on the side of the movement. Remove those, and you can remove the dial. Information technology should come up off without force, every bit forcefully removing the dial tin can hands damage information technology.

Under the Punch

In the center of the punch, you lot should come across a small gear, which may have a tiny ring on top of information technology. This is the "hour wheel" and can be removed with simple tweezers. The eye post can too exist removed, by gently sliding it out with a set of tweezers, though you lot may desire to leave it in place.

At this point, turn the watch over to work on the movement side, though be careful if the centre post has been left intact.

Removing the Bridges

Your adjacent step is going to be to remove the butt bridge and train span. The barrel span may accept small wheels on top of it: If and then, remove them.

Either fashion, remove the screws holding the bridges in place, making note of the length of the screws and which hole they came from. It is important if the screws differ in length that they become in the hole they were removed from.

Nether the barrel span, you will observe two small gears. These wind the watch and volition fall out if the center post referred to before is removed. Because they are hard to put dorsum, we recommend not removing them unless needed.

Balance Wheel

At the centre of your watch is the residual bicycle, held in place past the balance erect. Loosen any screws belongings these in, and then remove the whole segment, keeping them together with tweezers.

Palette Fork and Span

The last part to remove resides under the balance wheel and resembles a "T." It is under an additional bridge. Remove any screws holding the bridge downwards, then remove both bridge and fork, keeping rail of how both were oriented.

Things To Picket Out For

At this point, you have disassembled your first pocket sentinel. You may now make clean and oil parts as needed or mend or supplant visibly damaged parts. To reassemble, identify the parts in the watch movement in the changed guild that you removed them, taking care to supplant them exactly as y'all placed them.

A secret: At present that you've prepared for one watch, y'all can move on to working on any mechanical or automatic sentry yous experience comfy with. You've successfully troubleshot one watch.

On to the next one!

Sources:

How to Make clean and Oil a Sentinel: A Beginner'due south Guide I The Watch Guy

Pocket Spotter Repair: How To Fix a Cleaved Watch I Pocket Watch Database

Wrist watches, pocket watches... I War Department