Job Number 180105

This movement is a Bulova 10BC. Nice watch!

It has a fake separate bridge over the train like a lot of pocketwatches. It's actually a pretty cool detail.

There's not much to this watch that is wristwatch specific. It does not have a sweep seconds hand, nor shock resistant jeweling. But everything fits together extremely smoothly. It's a very well made example.

See the entire album for this project here.

Job Number 180087

I am struggling with an issue with this watch.

First, the watch is a railroad grade movement, which means it is of course open face (stem at 12:00, 180 degrees from the seconds dial), and it is lever setting.

This first image shows the lever pulled out for setting mode. Note the clutch is push in toward the center of the movement so it is not touching the beveled pinion. Turning the stem turns the minute wheel in this mode, setting the time.

Here the lever is slipped in. The clutch, slides down, now engages the beveled pinion instead, winding the watch.

The lever of this watch when I started was observed to be hard to pull out, or broken off or something. This is not an uncommon problem. The tip gets broken or just worn and you can't get a finger nail in there to pull it out.

I happen to have another one (just one, they're are rare) of these lever pieces that is pretty much new. I put that on this watch. But there was then a new problem.

The tip of the new part stuck up too much and was blocked by the bezel of the case from going inward all the way. The watch would not go into winding mode.

It was then that I examined the original lever more closely.

As you can see from the photo, it is not worn or broken off. In fact it has been at some point deliberately filed down no doubt in order to fit under the bezel!

Here is the hunter case, snap-on bezel, showing the notch that has been cut out for the lever.

It's worth noting at this point, as I often do, that most American watch companies did not make watch cases. People purchased cases separately at retail. Watchmakers and jewelers fit the cases and movements. They made notches like this in the right place so the movement would work.

Here is the movement in the case (no dial) with the bezel on. If you look closely you can see how far in under the bezel, into the notch, the lever goes in setting mode. It is almost unreachable.

I'm still trying the come up with a solution to this... It's also worth mention that this open-face railroad grade watch is unusual in a hunter case. But there is no reason to think it has not been in this case for a very long time, likely even it's whole life given what the owner knows about it.

See the entire album for this project here.

Oris 292EW

 Well this one sure was a pain. I didn't realize what I was getting into.

This Swiss made Oris movement has a pin escapement, no pallet stones - weird.

The 3rd wheel oddly has two pinions. The lower one is not used. It engages nothing.

The parts are all quite crudely made too. The plates appear to be alluminum.

Solid balance wheel, no timing screws.

There are a couple of divots made to true it at the factory.

This was a pain. The lever has it's own bridge. That's fine except that the train bridge, the part that says "Oris" in this image, extends under that lever bridge so that the screw hold both. The train bridge is warped. It doesn't sit flat without being secured. So I had to install the pallet and its bridge while holding the train bridge and keeping the train pivots in place.

Here is the extra exposed wheel and the shaft that carries the sweep seconds hand. This design is typical. The shaft passes through the center wheel shaft which is a hollow tube. The extra wheel goes on the 4th wheel, where the second hand would be on an watch without a sweep second hand.

The shaft inserts from the back and is held in by a flimsy piece of bent brass. The top of the 4th wheel pivot is sticking up. The extra wheel goes there.

The setting mechanism was pretty difficult to assemble. The setting spring, at the left in the image, is actually on the other side of the plate, between two riveted pieces.

This part is pictured upside down. It goes on the movement flipped over so the round parts hold the gears. The task was to somehow move the spring up to it will press on the pin on the left of this part, line up all the gears on this part, and get the screw in. Oh, and this part also holds the minute wheel, not shown, so that's floating around while assembly is attempted as well.

The stem barely works, nice dial and hands though.
See the entire album for this project here.

Job Number 180034

This watch came back to me running badly and with a screw loose inside, which turned out to be a case screw. There was nothing damaged by the screw so I thought this would be a quick turn-around after the screw was put back.

It wasn't so. While testing the watch again, it kept inexplicably stopping while running pendent up. Now, this is an Elgin Veritas model, in very good condition, with an excellent amplitude and extremely low beat error. These are among the best railroad watches ever made. In addition, it's been worked on a few times in the past, clearly, but as far as how it runs it's as close to "like new" as you will ever find. I could not find a thing wrong, for several days. Nothing I tried to tweak cured the stopping. Hands? FIne. Hour wheel lifting, nope. Banking too tight? no. Balance flat? Check. etc...

Finally, I realized that the roller jewel is loose. Before anyone thinks that I should have checked that both originally, and later, I did. Oddly, the jewel is so snug that it seems fine. It will just move only by the slightest about - and I mean you can barely feel it every so slightly responding to a little pressure for the tweezers. It's mostly up and down, so I think it was sliding down enough to interfere with the guard pin, in one orientation.

Quick fix, testing again now...

See the entire album for this project here.

Job Number 180095

This is a Hamilton pocketwatch, 16 size, 21 jewels, 992B, made about 1969. These are perhaps the last of the great American railroad watches.

This one needs a balance staff. It has a two-part double roller to be removed using this accessory for the staking set.

Friction fit parts on these watches are very precisely made. The fit is not super tight. They call for a light touch.

Here is the disassembled balance assembly. Note the blued steel hub in the center of the balance wheel. This blueing is the reminder that the staff is friction fit. The blue hub is part of the wheel, not the staff. It is not to be cut away in the lathe!

Here is the pushed out broken staff, and its replacement.

With these Hamiltons, the correct size and type of stake is critical for assembly.

More Hamilton here...

See the entire album for this project here.

Job Number 180093

Here's another example of non-reversible alterations made to a movement in place of correcting an actual problem. There have been divots raised under the balance cock, using a sharp tool. These have also been filed away, and then more added, and then filed away yet again.

"Creative repairs"...

The lower 4th wheel jewel was really loose. This is the old tool set I use for this type of jewel setting.

Much better...

As though the damage previously done to the plate under the balance cock weren't enough, there's more. Both the top and the bottom of the pallet bridge have been filed thin at the jewel end. I can't image why someone would do this...

There's more. The underside of the balance cock has had the nickel finish completely files away.

Watches like this have  long history.

See the entire album for this post, here.

This Elgin is a grade 315, 12 size, 15 jewels, made about 1912. 

Job Number 180083

Two days of trying to test this watch, two hand collisions. It's not like I don't check for clearance when putting the hands on...  But it often feels futile to do so.

Job Number 180099

This next Elgin is a grade 368, 18 size, 17 jewels, made about 1909. 

This is a high-end model, and although this example has quite a bit of wear and tear, it's running quite well.

I am often asked about the numbers and codes found scratched, usually, in case backs. These are watchmakers' marks, made by people that serviced the watch in the past. They have no standardized meanings.