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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/07/19 in all areas

  1. Actually as the power reserve gets low the principal impact on the balance is on amplitude which drops considerably. Counterintuitively this can actually result in an increase in rate and the watch can speed up as the power reserve gets very low, although I've never quite worked out the mechanism behind this effect, but I have observed it. I suspect that it is due to the relationship between momentum, static friction, and dynamic friction breaking down at very low amplitudes and energy levels and the impact that this has on the oscillating system. The degree to which this effect can be observed will also vary from watch to watch depending on how much clearance there is between the curb pin and the boot on the regulator. In an ideal world the gap between the two will be exactly equal to the thickness of the hair spring resulting in the H/S being always in contact with one or the other and the effective H/S length remaining constant throughout each balance oscillation. In reality the clearance is usually slightly greater than the thickness of the H/S which means that for a fraction of the balance rotation the H/S is not in contact with either boot or curb pin and the effective length of the H/S increases to its full length. With good amplitude the impact that this has on timing is insignificant but as the amplitude decreases with reduced power from the M/S the proportion of the balance swing that is on the full H/S length rather than the regulated H/S length increases and the effect that this has on slowing the rate increases. Also the greater the gap between the curb pin and the boot the greater this effect will be. This will obviously counter any increase in the rate that may result from the very low amplitude resulting from low M/S power. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the exact impact on rate as M/S power reduces is almost impossible to predict as there are at least two mechanisms in play which counter each other to variable degres. A rotor can in theory keep the main spring fully wound all the time if it is continually moving at an appropriate rate and in the right direction (remember not all auto winding systems are bi-directional), and the autowinding system is in an appropriate state of repair. As @AdamC says though it is highly dependent on the level of activity of the wearer. For a real life example though I have a Vostock Amphibia with a 2416b auto-wind movement. This has a quick set date that requires cycling back and through the midnight point to correct the date if required, and becaouse of the wobbly crown characteristic of the Amphibia this is a PITA so I keep it on a winder when not wearing it. The winder rotates for 1 hour in every 4 at about 9rpm. Left on this winder for over two weeks at a time this watch has never stopped so I would suggest that the input from the winder is pretty close to the output of the watch running.
    4 points
  2. Hello guys. This is my last project – Seiko 6139-6010 aka Bruce Lee. Watch is from ‘69and it is based on the 6139A movement. Nice shot for the 50th Seiko anniversary of first automatic chronograph development. So please see the pictures below from all restoration proces. It took me 3-4 evenings. The watch came to me as non runner. Crystal was scratchy with many chips. Dial was dirty and dusty with signs of water damages. Hands lost their lume. Day calendar was loosen and didn’t work properly. Movement was complete but very dirty and dry – there weren’t any residues of old oil in the jewels. Somewhere were signs of water flood. I dissasembled movement and I gave it a bath in ultrasonic cleaner then i’ve assembled and oiled movement. Star disk od date wheel was repaird with small amouth of resin glue. Movement had tend to stop sometimes. Inspection showed that the tiny chip on the bottom pivot of the escape wheel. It was hard to see it. After replacment movement ran as a champ. I polished the hands cause there was rust and gave them new lume. Dial was cleaned. I didn’t touch the lume on the hours indexes. I was affraid to screw up it. I think now it is quite good despite the fact that the lume does not glow. Orginal crystal was polished but I decide that in the future I will replace it. Case and caseback got some polish works only with polishing paste, not too much cause I didn’t want to loose the sharpnes of orginal edges – as usual I did it. Bracelet was matted with abrasive wool. Everything was mix up and combined and there is the result. After measurments on timegrapher and adjustment it is a nice timekeeper. An amplitude satisfy me as well. Now I am enjoy to wear it. Please let me know what do you think of this restoration project and about my works on it. I appreciate your comment and your spend time. Cheers folks VID_20191016_170551.mp4 VID_20191017_195141.mp4
    1 point
  3. I apologize, but an error has slipped into the assembly sequence of pictures. For detailed info please see the following post: https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/12634-eta-calibre-2472-service-walkthrough/?tab=comments#comment-115897 When I first started out trying to service and repair watches I took a picture of every step, and I really needed those pictures as I didn’t have the knowledge to deduct where the parts should go, how they worked, and how they interacted. Now that I’ve gained some experience, I no longer need all those pictures, but I still need some pictures. For example, it’s very convenient to have pictures of the train of wheels or certain parts of a date complication, and so on. Anyway, I really enjoy taking these pictures as I go and I organize them and keep them on my OneDrive for future use. For this project, servicing my brother’s Atira Plana housing an ETA 2472, I felt it would be fun, interesting and perhaps even useful not only to take the pictures but to edit the pictures adding visual and textual instructions. These pictures are made for my personal use and are not intended as a tutorial or to tell other people how to service an ETA 2472. The pictures simply document how I went about it. Nevertheless, I guess others may find my work useful so I’m happy to share it. There are many ways to service a watch and I’m still learning. That said, I do follow the practices taught on watchrepairlessons.com and they work very well for me! Here are links to my other service walkthroughs here on WRT: Unitas Calibre 6325 Service Walkthrough ETA cal. 2824-2 (17 jewels) disassembly/assembly Vostok 2409 Service Walkthrough ETA Calibre 2472 Disassembly (132 pictures) ETA Calibre 2472 Assembly (131 pictures)
    1 point
  4. Hi Yankeedog Short answer no, maybe a bigger torch . Tokei I think produce or produced quartz clock movements, I have one or two of their movements in carriage clocks.
    1 point
  5. Hi welcome the the forum happy days
    1 point
  6. 1 point
  7. Another fellow Ozark American? Greetings and good luck with your studies. It's a great way to drain off excess cash! I took Mark's course and highly recommend it. Welcome to this great group!
    1 point
  8. Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum.
    1 point
  9. That tale sounds strikingly familiar ... I suspect most of us have done all of those things and many more. This is all part of the learning process. If you need a second hand for that thing, you are welcome to come and crawl around the carpet next to my work area, there are at least two of them in there somewhere. I'm sure the carpet sucks them off the bench when I am not looking and eats them. It also owes me at least one incablock spring, and the lower jewel from a Sekonda (and whatever else it ate while I wasn't looking). You should be able to source a second hand online, look on Ranfft or in the service manual for the size. Cousins et al. have them. As to the fingerprints, you can probably make those disappear with a cotton bud and some isopropanol or lighter fluid, just don't introduce any cotton fibers in to the works.
    1 point
  10. The following sequence of pictures shows how to disassemble the date mechanism of ETA calibre 2472 and ETA calibre 2474. Previously I posted a sequence of pictures showing how to disassemble the automatic device of ETA calibres 2472 and 2474 as well as ETA calibres 2450 to 2454. You’ll find the post here.
    1 point
  11. Depends how active the wearer is. I would have thought someone regularly on the move would keep it +/- 90% powered. The converse is true. At 25% reserve it may still keep good time but if anything would surely slow down if anything as the power ebbs away. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    1 point
  12. Beautiful to look at and elegant on the wrist, works of art.
    1 point
  13. A few more done and ready for a new wrist. A Elgin Rose Gold Driver, and Elgin Pomeroy, and an Elgin Edgewater. RMD
    1 point
  14. Hi Jez welcome to the forum you may well be needed on here with members restoration projects.
    1 point
  15. 1 point
  16. I've watched several new watch and clock service and repair businesses open up over the last 3 years in a commercial premises and they are all doing well, plus a number of others working from home just doing the odd job after their 'day job' finishes, to another that works from home, does not have a shop front and specializes in only servicing and restoring high end value watches and he has more work than he can deal with coming in from all over the world. So you can definitely still make a living doing it, it is amazing how many people I still meet on the street that tell me they have their parents or grandparents watch or clock that is very special to them that they would love to get fixed but they don't know where they can take it. When I tell them where to take the watch or clock to get it repaired they get very excited. I think the biggest issue is there is a general perception from the public that good watch or clock repairers don't exist any more, atleast where I live. I'm the secretary of my local watch and clock association and this is something we are actively trying to fix, as despite are school having produced a number of graduates over the last few years any of those that want to are finding work in the industry are managing to find enough work. This Saturday I will be assisting staffing my associations stand at the biggest antique market where I live that happens every 3 months to promote our association and our members and our watch and clock school. We have been doing this long enough now that we actually have people bringing their watches and clocks to the market now for us to service, not to mention the odd few that get bought at the market and then left with us to service. The industry will never go back to the size it was in the 1950s, but I'm pretty confident it will continue for some time yet.
    1 point
  17. In my experience, clock restoration takes a lot of time, and from what I can tell, people don't seem to keen on spending a lot on them. Perhaps it's a reflection of the current value of clocks. I tend to do it as a personal hobby. Watch restoration is also time consuming, but there is potential to be quite fast through experience. What I disagree with is people who describe work as "servicing" when in fact all they do is dip it in lighter fuel, clean the bridges/cocks, and swap the crystal.
    1 point
  18. That's a pretty broad question! Without writing a book, pretty much if you are a professional you have the training and experience to do work in a timely manner, charge a fair price for both you and your client, and have a good life. Every situation is different, there are killer pros who work from home almost entirely by post, others with storefronts who also buy and sell, some like me who do a mix of repair as well as prototyping work for industry (that aspect would probably be limited to folks here in Switzerland). The investment in equipment can add up quickly, though not everyone needs a 15k buck Greiner cleaning machine, nor does everyone need jig boring and CNC equipment. If you're doing lots of watches the Greiner will pay for itself pretty quickly. If you do lots of clocks a Rollimat pivot polisher pays for itself in a month or two (and makes life sooooo nice). There are sort of limits to what one can charge, you can't expect people to send you a 7750 based watch for a general service if you charge 1500 bucks, there are too many good options. But if you can make a staff and vibrate a new overcoil hairspring for a rare vintage piece you are in special territory. Prices go up- but often not actual profit... this is a realm where often the few who do it do it because they love it.
    1 point
  19. .... and patience beats cursing, which only works on chevrolets
    1 point
  20. So, I finally finished my picture service walkthrough for this ETA calibre 2472. Here it is!
    1 point
  21. I've now completed disassembling my ETA calibre 2472 and made a similar picture guide for how to disassemble the date mechanism; ETA 2472 - Disassembling the date mechanism
    1 point
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