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End shake I find difficult to access through lack of experience. However for me when the watch on a timing machine shows a burst of snow when turning the watch from say dial up to dial down then end shake is the likely cause. Adjusting to eliminate is another issue. I believe it is achieved but altering the depth of the jewel or jewels providing they are not damaged & the pivots are in good condition. On high end watches such as the Rolex the adjustment for the balance end shake is catered for via tiny screws that allow adjustment to the height. Adjustment on the lower grade watches is a challenge by the fact the top cap jewels can not be moved but the lower one can with the aid of a jeweling tool. Ps This my take on it anyway. Guys with more experience may well chip in on this one with their solutions.

I just dont have the money to spend on a watch.on the other hand i dont want to just leave it sitting there in a drawer forever.i have been doing alot if research and i pick up on stuff like this pretty fast.I watched a bunch of youtube vids today and figured out how to get the crown and. Stem out.found the 2screws and little brackets holding the movement in.i manages to get the second hand back on .got it back together and it is working.for now.i know u r right about servicing.maybe someday.thanks

Nice! Have you worked on these then? I'm wearing my alarm too. Its a ronda movement . Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk

These videos are important to look at before you start polishing. Morten

I think the screw only holds the stud in place. BE adjustment may need to be done rotating the HS on the balance staff. But i wouldn't go crazy about that, rather I'd start looking for a suitable case. It will need a well domed crystal for sure. Let us know how you go.

NP. Very good work and pictures!

To straighten hands use soft objects, e.g. the stick from a q-tip on the mat. The minor irregularities tell you that you have to service the movement, put it back together, regulate and check it before even thinking about that.

good show

Today is Accurist day. A rather nice number, picked up for around a Tenner. Just polished the crystal and it looks great. Just a couple of cracks in the glass, but I'm OK with that.

Measure it with the other timegrapher as well or try adjusting amplification and gain! Maybe low S/N for that tick. The lower line error showing some regularity. Maybe one escape wheel teeth is not like the others. Check also the lever pallets.

Yes, but there is no standard, so at most you can work out the dates but not even always, as the number would be workbook entries. I suspect that in the past, when the world was smaller and people moved less, watchmakers knew which other had worked on a watch. Apparently, this information is now lost, although you can try researching on some specialized forum. Yes, the hobby is addictive, welcome to it. Sorry if I was dubious before, but you have no idea of the extent of irreparable damage some people does to watches just because they think they know better. I did ithat also but it was on plastic Swatches. Put aside $300 for an humble but effective decent toolset including timegrapher, demagnetizer and glass/case press.

The thing is, with custom builds I do, I am finding I am needing these more and more, and as such my stock is low, and need to replenish it, but without paying a premium.

You're pretty much spot on with the experience and judgement thing. End shake on the balance staff should be "perceptible but not measurable", so you should be able to tell that it is there but if you can measure it then it's too much. The same is about right for the pallet arbor. The train wheels can have a bit more, with the escape wheel maybe somewhere between the train wheels and the balance staff. That at least is the theory, in practice it really does just come down to your judgement. De Carle (the first and probably most important book I read on watchmaking) put it in terms of layers of tissue. 3 layers or 0.03mm on the train wheels, 2 layers or 0.02mm on the escape wheel, and 1 thickness or 0.01mm for the balance and pallet. I always assumed that hand rolling cigarette papers were a more consistent substitute for tissue, but I have often found that you can't apply any hard and fast rules, and some watches run better more, and some with less. The only thing that is certain is that you need "some".

My old Sekonda alarm today .Bit rough and ready but I like it

Sorry Micky, I would have though those were not much needed since they usually come with the movement...but then I haven't worked on those for a while. I'll keep an eye out for them and if I find anything I'll let you know...ofrei for instance if they have it may not be a good option since their international shipping would be quite expensive...but it is always worth looking I guess. Cheers, Bob

Heatmolded some dvd-cover pieces which are 1mm thick polystyrene. One of four seems acceptable. At this stage I turned my attention to glass since railroad watches were usually equipped with glass crystal. Heatglued a piece of 2mm glass on my special "lathe". The circe was cut with a tungsten carbide bit and the edge shaped with diamond powdered dremel disk and co**BLEEP** honing stone. After fine shaping with 2000 grit sandpaper the glass was fitted on a special crystal fitting tool (heating the bezel over a candle and copper plate). Perfect And suddenly .... I couldt close the lid 2mm glass is to thick.