New Arrival, Job Number 250075

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New Arrival, Job Number 250052

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New Arrival, Job Number 230138

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New Arrival, Job Number 230085

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Job Number 220002, Continued

This 16 size, grade 374, Father Time movement came in reported to have a non-functioning up/down indicator. On taking it apart I found the entire up/down mechanism inexplicably missing. I have never seen these parts for sale.

Miraculously, a source turned up with a cache of NOS parts for this complication. They weren't cheap, but they're here and it looks like it will all work.

The parts will work, but there is one problem. The stack of gears that transfers motion from below the mainspring to the dial side is too tall. The barrel bridge does not sit all the way down in place. The part that solely (as far as I can tell) dictates that height is the pinion 'G'. All the other parts have a fixed size and the arbor of the assembly just floats at the lower end so it doesn't care.

On close examination, I noticed that part G is really rough on one end in particular. On the other end it flatter, but does have a barely notable lip on the hole. These ends should be polished smooth.

I think this part is unfinished and it is by design that this piece should be reduced for the particular movement during final assembly at the factory since each movement could be just a bit different and this assembly needs to fit to a higher tolerance than other parts under that bridge. 

Here is the slight gap, visible at the left end of the upper plate as it sits on the up/down assembly. It seems like the pinion needs to be shorter by that amount.

I need to study the whole thing more and think about it before doing anything though.

Meanwhile, here's more parts from this movement that are getting hard to locate. The mainspring for Elgin's motor barrel hooks at the edge of the spring end. This the only time they used ends like this, on 16 and 18 size motor barrels. These springs are still around, but have become more expensive.

That hook attaches to a machined-in raised portion at the end of the slot at the outside edge of the barrel.These barrels are really, really hard to find if that hook area breaks or wears. It looks like a tab cut as part of the slot that could be duplicated, but it is isn't. It is manufactured into the floor or the barrel. I have not been able to succeed at repairing one of these in a way that would last.

When I first started watchmaking around 2000, I had 3 or 4 of these barrels. They all have been used in repairs. I did not at the time realize how scarce they would become.

By the way, most of my project get a single blog post. Some, like this, will have more than one. To look for project posts, use the search box with the job number. See all the posts for this project here. 

The album for this project is here:
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Job Number 220002, Grade 374, Missing Some Parts?

This 16 size, grade 374, Father Time movement came in reported to have a non-functioning up/down indicator. When I removed the barrel bridge it was immediately obvious why. In this first image, the cut-out to one side of the barrel should hold a complicated little stack of gears that transfers motion from the barrel edge down to a thin, flat gear under the barrel. The gears are completely missing.

The thin flat gear is also not present. 

This post about a similar Veritas movement shows some of the missing parts.

It's odd that the entire works of this complication would be missing. The hour wheel-like indicator gear, the wheel that drives it, and original hand itself are present on the dial side. The movement is otherwise in good condition, although showing some wear.

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New Arrival, Job Numbers 220002

The Up/Down indicator on this one is not working, even though it winds and runs OK. Should be interesting... 

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New Arrival, Job Numbers 210076

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New Arrival, Job Number 200054

Job Number 170043

Here is the dial side of an Elgin grade 266, 18 size, 17 jewels, made about 1897.

This a blob of brass solder (?) on the underside of the arm that switches winding/setting when the lever is pulled out. I'm not sure what that's all about. I guess it would hold the minute wheel down, but what's it fixing?

Creative repairs...

The underside of the mainspring barrel has a Geneva stop. As is so often the case, it it missing the cam. This is so common on Elgins that I think either they left the factory that way, or watchmakers frequently removed and discarded them for some reason. The part missing does not impact the watch functionally at all.

See more examples of Elgin's Father Time movements here.

See the entire album for this project here. And more horological contents here.

Job Number 170042

 Here's some details of this watch's lever-setting mechanism, under the dial

This is a grade 367, 18 size, 21 jewels, made about 1911.  

A motor barrel of course... More about that here.

Both the upper and lower cap jewels on the balance staff are diamonds. This is the lower one, under the dial.

See more examples of Elgin's Father Time movements here.

More horological contents here.

Job Number 170041

Here is a grade 252, 18 size, 21 jewels, made about 1901. 

Assembling one of these is not for the faint of heart. The pivots of the pallet and escape are very fine, all with cape jewels. Sleight pressure will snap them. Everything have to be lined up for the upper plate to go one.

After putting the upper plate in place, I noticed that one of the pallet stone was loose! Well, apart it come again to fix that. The stone are held with melted shellac, heated over an alchol flame with this warmer.

This plate screw has an unfinished head. It gets covered up by the balance cock when the movement is fully assembled.

Here is the fancier plate screw, polished and chamfered.

The pivots on the replacement staff are just a little too large. I took them down a little to get the balance wheel to move completely free.

The old broken staff is removed using the lathe to cut away the hub, opposite the riveted side. Normally, this is cut away to almost nothing, then popped off with he staking set, leaving the old staff and a tiny washer that is all that's left of the hub. With a real sharp graver though, on larger watches like this, I sometimes free the balance completely with the lathe. It takes just the right touch to do this without scraping the balance arms, but it can be done.

I went to put the balance on and saw that one of the regulator pins is missing! More to do...

The roller table is then reseated. This one is missing the roller jewel. I'll replace that next.

This is the tool used to hold a balance assembly, hairspring removed, and heat the roller table, melting shellac, to hold a roller jewel.

I got lucky this time and got the new roller jewel positioned just right on the first try. I usually have to reheat the shellac and straighten the jewel a couple of times.

See the complete album for this project here.

See more examples of Elgin Father Time watches here.

Find more horological content here.

Here is a pretty clear image of the ruby-red roller jewel (also called an impulse jewel or pin) on the roller table, on the completed balance assembly.

Job Number 170040

This one is another to feature Elgin's motor barrel. More examples here.

The watch is a grade 367, made about 1911.

This is a Father Time model, a name Elgin reserved for it's most high-end products.

See the whole album for this project here.
Find more horological content here.

It's hard to see, but the upper balance cap jewel is a diamond chip. There's no functional reason for this, it's just a nice touch.

Again it's hard to photograph, but there appears to be a watchmaker's mark left near the main wheel. Odd location choice...