Job Number 170074

This one was a smooth, routine service, with nothing much special going.

The watch is a grade 314, 12 size, 15 jewels, made about 1923. 

See the entire album for this project here.

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Job Number 170072

The replacement balance staff I had for this project had pivots that were way too big, both ends, and had to be cut down quite a bit.

As parts disappear, I get asked every couple of days now if I can provide someone with a part. One reason I do not do this is that replacement parts, even if they are labeled correctly, and even if the documentation about what the watch needs is correct, won't work "as-is" about half the time. Everything has to be tested, fit, altered and re-tested.

I don't know how many times I've replaced a balance staff in someones' watch. Many hundreds... A thousand maybe. There are harder tasks, but this common repair is one I never look forward to. It's a multi-step procedure with a dozen easy ways to ruin a part at every turn. This one went really, really well! Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of it.

This is a grade 314, 12 size, 15 jewels, made about 1917.

See the whole album for this project here.

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Job Number 170070

This one was completely straight forward.

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This watch is a is a grade 387, 16 size, 17 jewels, made about 1921. 

Job Number 170068

The lever-setting mechanism on this Hampden was a pain to assemble. All the gears, a spring for the lever, and even the minute wheel have to be in place all at once.

The minute hand has been damaged at the boss with a punch. I'm guess this was an attempt to tighten the hand (that's not the way to do it). Also, there was just a tiny bit of glue on the hand and the top of the cannon pinion. The glue comes right off, not so much the marks on the hand.

I usually assemble the whole train, and then add the pallet. But on this watch, as I went to do that, I found that the center wheel blocks one of the screws on the pallet bridge. Weird...

See the whole album for this project here.

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The watch is a Hampden 16 size, 21 jewel, Wm. McKinley, made about 1912.

Job Number 170067

A common problem with many vintage Elgin watches is that wear on the moving parts of the keyless works can cause the case stem not to press into the movement far enough to securely engage winding mode. A fix I see all the time is to use a punch to extend one side of the setting cam so that it effectively turns further when the stem is snapped in. This watch has a couple dimples there where this has been done.

Elgin actually made versions of the cam, as a replacement part, with a slightly more extended ear on one side, to fix this issue.

These photos show the movement outside the case, in setting mode, the default if you will.

Most vintage Elgins used a very similar design for these parts, right across watch sizes and grades.

This movement was made about 1908. It's a grade 313.

See the complete album for this project here.


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Job Number 170165

This is an Illinois Watch Co 18 size, 15 jewel, lever-set, pocketwatch made about 1881. It's also a private label, markd "E L Thurber, Warrensburg, MO" on the dial.

This watch needed a balance staff and sometimes I have to dig deep into various old part assortments for what I need, especially for something that isn't Elgin.

In this instance I found a vial of about a dozen in this parts case, once owned by some long ago watchmaker. Now since I know for sure what they are, I'll inventory them elsewhere in my more organized parts.

New Arrivals

Here are two real nice ladies Walthams in for service...