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Let the balance wheel come to rest, the impulse pin/jewel is in beat, if a slight turn (in clock/anticlock direction ) of the balance wheel , lets the escape wheel/teeth to the verge of drop or lock. At TDC ( top dead center) of balance wheel, ( balance pivot & impulse pin & escape arbor fall on a streight line). So mark the balance wheel ( at rest) and main plate so the two marks are in front of each other, turn balance wheel to the point you see the pin( pallet) about to drop or lock. The arch you have turned the balance wheel, is how much the roller or hairspring is to be adjusted. Regards joe

My trusted Rolex 15037 watch with a 3035 movement.

Years ago I would disassemble Timex watches with a hammer because there **BLEEP** rubbish.

In my Christmas stocking this year was yet another book to add to my library. Having skimmed through this book it seems great for those wishing to take up clock repair as a hobby. It covers all of the basics from bushing to cleaning and assembly. However it also covers cuckoo clocks, their repair including repairing the bellows which is new for me. Another interesting section me is lubrication because the author recommends “Mobile 1 Synthetic 0W-40” (Viscosity 215)for the pivots and “Mobile 1 Synthetic 10W-60” (Viscosity 325)for the mainsprings. If this really works then it is certainly going to save me money so I am tempted to give it a try.

Hi Gary As you appreciate most movements have logos and calbre numbers but those that dont usually have the same characteristics of the numbered variatey The most common movement ported onto other manufacturers cases is as you say the ETA family eubauches. the older unmarked movements were identified by the flume or setting lever spring . The Bestfit books are good for this or there are specific books on flume identification, They are quite expensive. The Bestfit Books I and II were put on the site by OLD HIPPY some time ago and are mine of information, probably the watch makers Bible. There is no substitute for experience.

I recomend a silver smith to restore a silver watch case. i have heard some can replace hinges and add silver to a hunting case latch. i have 2 that need an overhaul. vin

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Hi T de Carles book chapter 6 there are several pages explaining the pin pallet operation and adjustment. Mine is the second edition and quite old. But as Joe explains its just a job of observing the lockings and making any adjustment as required. In beat is when the arm of the fork is centered between the index/banking pins at rest no powerand the pallet pins are just about to release and lock to achieve this its the same as theJewel lever done by adjusting the balance spring on the staff to achieve the center.

No book, no school, that is a simple common sense approach to all mech timings, be it timing valves in automobile engines, escapement or else. You would keep an eye on escape wheel,( for instance )observe when its about to do a drop you mark the angular position balance wheel is at, at that instance, that is when the fork is about to receive energy from the drop and deliver it ( the energy in the form of impulse) to the impulse pin/jewel, you want the delivery to happen at the instance the guard pin is in roller hollow. Think about the workings of escape mech, the whole picture will come to you, you will master the approach, in couple of tries. Best wishes.

I agree.

That's what I am going to do clean the movement

I only ever wore thick gloves when working with large powerful clock mainsprings. Never used any thing for watch work.

Happy new year.

Hi Happy new year to you johnnie and to all who participate on the site, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Same to you [emoji106] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Another bargain basement low cost filthy animal waiting for me on my return from holiday. A Grovana 23 Jewel with very mild green dial pox. Grovana seem to be still around, and their current products remind me a little of some of the Fortis watches, both in terms of quality and style. Click the link to see what I mean -> https://www.grovana.ch/Herren-Shop.htm <- Other than the crystal and the filth, and assuming the balance is in good order, I suspect there is little wrong with it. Interestingly it claims to be "Tropicalised", so it should be well suited to any future trips to this part of the world. I think I'll probably ditch the date cyclops when I swap the crystal, as it seems a little unnecessary and clucky, and spoils the look in my opinion.

The click spring is under the ratchet wheel. Clockwise rotation of the crown results in CCW rotation of the crown wheel relative to the screw, so a LH thread ensures that the torque tends to tighten the screw. CCW rotation of the crown wheel causes CW rotation of the ratchet wheel. However the ratchet wheel is attached to the arbor which has an opposing (CCW) torque from the main spring. The LH thread on the arbor ensures that the CCW torque on the arbor tends to tighten the arbor screw.

Well used benrus with a q watch ,signed seiko 6619..runs nicely for a watch that's about 50 years old.

Spending time looking for misplaced parts is part of watch repairing.

Here are two new links. I bought both so they are mine. https://www.mediafire.com/file/mz809lm3bms8zk3/bestfit_part1.pdf/file https://www.mediafire.com/file/eqbhdor949r0ilp/bestfit_part2.pdf/file You will need this pasword to open each volume. tickandtock Sorry I didn't know zippy was now full of crap. If you have adblocker you might need to disable it for mediafire. These are safe I have tested them.

I just thought I'd share this as it may be useful for another learner. By far the most difficult thing I've come across starting out in watch repair has been correcting bends in hairsprings. I've got the right tools, the right light, a powerful eye glass and a pile of scrap watches I've been practicing on. But I found time after time I was just making the hairsprings worse. I think part of my problem is that I'm slightly dyslexic and I find looking at the spiral really confusing sometimes. But I had a bit of break through last weekend which has dramatically improved my technique. Quite simply, I hold my eye glass up to my iPhone lens and take a close up picture of the hair spring. I then make a cup of tea and sit and look at the photo, zoom right the way in and really think about what I'm going to do. This is so much more effective than hunching over the hairspring and straining my eyes for long periods and losing patience. Once I've really thought about what I'm going to do, I go back to the hairspring with a clear strategy, ie, slight bend in, fourth from the centre at 3 o'clock. I apply the bend, take another picture and repeat. I know it sounds simple, but it's been a huge help to me and I'm finally having success

Vpn too is a moke here. I am rather experience with hairspring manipulation, to think how less painstaking it would be using USB microscopes is discusting. Your method is smart, making use of what is at most every body's disposal. Regards joe.

Sadly Bob on this one the camera was not on the bench. To be fair though the process is so simple that there isn't really anything to see. That being said, the next Timex I do I will present for your delectation.

Having only yesterday serviced a 1975 Cal.32 Timex auto in accordance with Timex's published procedures, including adjusting the rotor bearings by tightening the rivet on my staking set, I can happily report an increase in amplitude of about 100 degrees to just under 200 degrees (it was desperately in need of a clean), and a rate of +/-20sec per day. Not the performance I would expect to see from a fully jewelled Swiss watch, but not too bad at all for a 40 year old pin pallet, 0 jewel budget watch that is still on its original main spring. Not only were Timex pin pallet movements most definitely meant to be serviced, but the process is both quick and easy, and the results worth while.

I have found a topic here showing the stripped down movement But lacking in the disassembly of the watch. Meanwhile the guy could adjust the balance with that screw and now it keeps moving but with terrible low amplitude.

I have yet to find a timex watch you can actually service all those riveted plates make it impossible.