Leaderboard

I've received a 2824-2 watch with the complain that it stops. Just looking at it in jeweler's shop I noticed: date misaligned date changes at the wrong time caseback opening scratches doesn't hack weight hardly turns Then while disassembly one casing screw missing both dial feet snapped flush and consequent double side tape lots of oil in the oddest places, like under barrel bridge missing stop lever barrel bridge screws lose, likely that's why the ratchet wheel left marks on it and it would not auto wind. driver scratches on the barrel One could think that was the result of an improvised repairer or owner. Not so, as it happens it was given to this small town shop which proudly has a sign outside: "master watchmaker". After a long time and much money the desperate owner wanted to try someone else to repair it. I hope to be able to.

Welcome Jess and Dad. Don't be too nervous. The only bad question, is one that is never asked.

The microscope is monocular and has a reticle with cross hairs and concentric circles. Objectives can be switched from 10x, 20x, 30x, 50x, and 100x. I use the 50x pretty much exclusively. It has an x/y table with very good micrometer heads on it, ball bearing slides. Easy to get down into the microns. It was a few hundred bucks, lucky find, but they are out there. Lots of different companies made them, Nikon (pretty sure), Mitutoyo, several I forget in the U.S., then the Swiss had Isoma, SIP, Hauser and others. It's super duper handy, I check my pallet stones on it before and after moving them, I find it faster easier and more precise than the escapement meters Bergeon sells. For projectors, there are lots of small ones. Similar bunch of makers to above, in the pics are a little benchtop Hauser and a floor standing SIP. I use the SIP, the Hauser is just so pretty I keep it around for its looks. Projector gets used primarily for checking gearing profiles and choosing/making cutters, but it's also useful for getting forms and dimensions from existing parts.

Which model is it? When was it last serviced? Accutrons are backwards of mechanical watches, in that you have the power source turning the escape wheel, which then powers the train up through the hands. In a mechanical watch there is an increase in speed and a reduction of torque from each gearing to the next, so there is almost no power on the escape wheel. In an Accutron the tiny power and movement of each vibration of the tuning fork is increased by 7 or 8 fold at each gear set, so that at the hour and minute hands there is tremendous power. The instantaneous date system on a 218 model will shake your wrist! And it would stop or hinder a regular mechanical watch. The upside is a well adjusted Accutron is very reliable and runs for years and years, the downside is that they will run long after the lubrication had dried and grind the pivots to dust. I suspect the friction between the driving wheel and canon pinion has become weak, and the canon pinion and hour wheel are sticky, so the watch runs but doesn't move the hands. As the seconds pinion is before this intersection it continues to move, and the hand setting works since that is another gearing that drives the canon pinion directly. As it does run, it should just need a service. But the longer it runs in this state the more potential damage that can be done.

About an hour and a half, but I have some helpful stuff like a toolmaker's microscope to get the position of the steady pins, screw, and point where it should sit between two teeth, a CAD program I can import an image of an original jumper, trace, and then scale a traced drawing to size, and a little CNC machine that cuts out the part. The spring section still starts at around 0.15mm and gets thinned by hand to about 0.04 or 0.05, that's where the fun is.

The simplest repair can often make us feel like heroes! Hopefully this encourages you to continue this journey.

It's funny because a CNC is fairly simple in this day and age, but... complicated too, when you're seeking microns. My machine is shop built. The mechanical components are swiss, high precision stuff, the X and Y axis have high precision antibacklash screws, the Z slightly less but still high, spindle is a Gepy for 8mm collets, that spindle registers 0 runout with an Interapid 0.002mm test indicator. This is all stuff obtained second hand. The machine uses servos (no question better than steppers) with a control built by a guy in Hungary. The control software is Mach3. I've made a number of complete prototype watches with it, the precision is amazing. But the software, running on Windows, bugs sometimes. It's an open machine so no oil flood (reduced cutter life). No tool changer, so you have to babysit. It's in essence a "hobby" machine, but where it counts it's a serious machine. The cut time for that jumper was about 10 minutes for 2x pieces. I know the hole locations are correct. The jumper point is correct within 0.005mm and I used a dull end mill. The measuring, drawing, and handwork later (harden, temper, bevel, grsin, polish the functional bit, thin the spring) was much more work. Just making the steady pins is a task (short, polished ends). If I had done the dimensioned sketch, laid out the holes and point with calipers, it would have been an hour more. So the machine made me 100 bucks on this job (and a 0/6 sawblade or two). Maybe another half hour because the point position was perfect mostly because the hammer wasn't mic-macked and I zeroed it and found the "null" position of the minute counter wheel and it was good. When I say "a hundred bucks more" I mean in saved time. This is a 6-10k watch, great client, I charged 150 for the jumper. Honestly, would have done it on the house for this great watch, probably why I'm still not rolling in it! The "saved time" was probably wasted fluffing up my collar because it worked out so well!

We are well and truly down the rabbit hole lol but I have done my good deed for today. I couldn't find a winding stem he needed online but managed to make a match to one of the hundreds he had in a pot and voila the movement is working. Feel all pleased with myself and I didn't really do much!!

Hi and welcone to the forum both to you and your Dad. you have enterd the rabbit hole of horology.

Greetings to All Members: Just found your website today & decided to join. From what I saw on your home page looks like you carry a broad range of topics. I have been collecting watches about 2 years. Always on the lookout for mainly wrist watches, both mechanical & electronic.......and occasionally quartz. Have no real specific brand other than mostly American Names from the 20's through 1960's. I also have several mantle clocks & several pocket watches. Just always on the lookout for any interesting examples of particular eras. I have limited skills & "eye sight" outside of working on case, dial , hands & crystal polishing/replacement. Currently am working on a Timex Dynabeat(ElectroMechanical).....I hope your site has some people that work on these Timex Dynabeat Watches....purchased on EBay.....looks good after clean & polish but not running. Battery leaked some but not too bad......just want to remove works from case to clean leaked corrosion. But on this watch I am at a lose as to how to remove the stem from watch works.......any information or vidios on this would be appreciated. Thank you. Dan ..any information or videos would be appreciated

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum.

Hi Jess, welcome to the forum.

Welcome here to you and your dad, if he'll want to poke his head here

This is the image in question I believe. If you are having trouble inserting images, you will get better results using the Insert other Media link in the bottom right of the editor window, then choose Insert image from URL.

Didn't see the pic, page wont open. More important is to blow all paint pieces out of the movement and if movement is still in the case, you best not wear the watch.

Looks like you switched from 3 jaw to 4 jaw chuck? I never knew quite how useful the 4 jaw can be until I got one. Very versatile. Also if I remember correctly brass doesn't like any positive rake to the tool- makes it dig in and grab. Good luck on your project. Sent from my RCT6K03W13 using Tapatalk

Just got this Sprite the other day had to service movement and give it a new crystal came out pretty good. Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Wow, beautiful work! How long did it take you to make that?

Welcome to the forum Sven.

very cool dial, I don't know why Timex did not sell these in the US.:(

look at westclox automatics..seiko guts.

It seems I've hit a rich vein of vintage USSR strangeness....

Today I'm wearing my Seiko 5 Automatic field watch. I absolutely love it. Yes, it's got a Malaysian 7S26 movement and it cost me way less than $100 half a dozen years ago. But I love this thing. It runs amazingly accurately (after I regulated it very slightly) and after I have adorned it with a domed sapphire crystal it got a whole new look and feel. The band is getting real old and I will be making a new one for it reusing the nice SS hardware from the old band. This watch has not been babied and the original mineral glass crystal was very scratched up and cast very hard shadows on the dial. Now it's clean and clear and so far not a single scratch in almost 6 months of non-babying wear.

A 1974 Timex no less. I have a little blue dial petite from 1974 April 6 1974 Swedish pop group ABBA's song Waterloo wins the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, England, UK. August 8 1974 - U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation on August 8, effective at noon on August 9.