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I think most of us use a 0.5 barlow lens, giving a magnification of 3.5 - 22.5 X. The 0.5 barlow lens halves the magnification but doubles the working distance. When I want higher magnification, I use a 20X eyepiece. This gives a magnification of 14 - 90 X, but at a more useful working distance. The only time I wished I had higher magnification is when working on Accutron watches. The teeth on an Accutron index wheel are so small, that even at 90X magnification, they are still hardly visible. But higher magnifications with optical microscopes become impractical because of the shorter working distance and shallow depth of field. I'm still trying to convince myself to get an industrial digital microscope with a magnification of 200X.

Hi I have a Bulova accutron with swiss eta 252.262 movement. The watch is having an issue with the date change function, when I rotate the crown for date change it instead moves the hour hand and not the date wheel. I can continue moving the hour hand twice around and date does changes . The date is changing every 24 hrs . Any advise how to fix this issue ?

Looking through my Dad's tools, I have multiple Accutron back wrenches. I also found three index wheels. Cannot tell which model they are for, however. I put an accutron on my Vibrograf B200A and I get squirrelly results. Frankly, I never understood how the vibrograf was supposed to be able to read an accutron--knowing the principle of the vibrograf operation. I never gave it much thought until today. But, the accutron is keeping good time...maybe 3-4 seconds a day. --------------------------*** AHAAA!! Push two buttons...the Accutron button plus one other. And just like that, my Vibrograf is useful again!!

From a recent junk watch lot from eBay, I found a ladies Accutron watch. I was expecting a ETA quartz movement inside but to my surprise and delight, it's an actual tuning fork watch. But my delight quick turned to disappointment when I discovered that someone jammed in a wrong size battery in. The battery is so huge that it has deformed the forks to the maximum limit. I tried prying it out but it's really stuck fast. Does anyone have the service manual for a ladies Bulova 2210 movement? I have to figure out a way to get the battery out without causing further damage. Thanks in advance.

Yes they figured out things easier with time for instance the ESA 9162 Phasing is interesting. They give you a little test plug you put it in and you just the fingers to be in the proper place for the plug you remove the plug you put the watch together and if you're lucky it might just run otherwise you barely tweak the phasing screw. Plus the electronic part is separate from mechanical part Oh thinking about phasing I've attached a couple of things. The article on basically where the factory way back when was servicing the watch to run at a much higher voltage so silver cells for the most part shouldn't be a problem. Even the specifications sheet shows that the high-voltage phasing voltages much higher than it says in the service manual itself. 1996-08-web horological times Accutron silver cells phasing.pdf Accutron_Specifications.pdf

Always best to do a search in the computer before looking for something physical to scan. Then I see the number two at the very end of your number which technically the manual does not have? Accutron 224 ServiceManual.pdf

For unknown reasons the 219 service manual is incredibly hard to find. But I was sure that I had a PDF in the computer doing a search revealed A two-part PDF and the quality sucked. So I was thinking what would be the chance that I could figure out where my physical copy is and find it without searching the entire section. Fortunately I guessed correctly. That's now been scanned and attached as a PDF and much more readable condition than the previous thing I downloaded. I think it will answer the questions you have testing the various components etc. Accutron 219 ServiceManual.PDF

I've been working on a couple of Accutron watches all this week. Both of them are non-runners from a watch lot I bought last year. Both of them qualify for the 404 club. The first is a 218. The caseback wS missing and a whole lot of stuff got in. The coils tested ok but I suspect the transistor is the culprit. I am planning on replacing it with a 2N2222, SOT23 transistor. The second one is an Accuquartz 224. There is a hum when I tested it but the hands won't move. I've cleaned up both movements but I just figure out how to get the capped jewels out. They look like novodiac type jewels but are so tight that the ring doesn't turn. I need the help of you Accutron experts out there. Is there a special tool needed for these?

Looks like it's to adjust if you have drift in the seconds hand. From the Accutron 242 service manual found over at Watchguy:

I just acquired this tester and want to use it as a general tool working on quartz watches. 1) Does anyone have the schematic of the tester because I may want to mod it? 2) Can anyone tell me what is in that accessory puck that I am pointing to? @JohnR725must surely have the answer to both of these questions!!

The index wheels all seem to have a strangely large amount of runout. As long as the teeth are intact they just seem to work though. When phasing, I do as in the quote above, but I don't want to see any hesitation- smooth running only. That's a shame they skip the actual phasing part in the vid! Henry was actually a guest instructor when I was in school to teach us Accutron work- interesting guy and he really did know his stuff. You could check with AWCI, the American Watchmakers and Clockmakers Institute, who made the video; if you are a member you can check out books and videos from their library.

Hello everyone, I hope this finds you all well! So a friend of mine picked up a non running Accutron 214 and asked me to have a look at it for him. I’ve worked on a few in the past but this one is giving me some trouble. The watch hums nicely but when I look at the indexing mechanisms something seems a little off. I’ve been going through Henry Frystak’s tutorials about indexing and also have compared it to some of my personal Accutrons and something doesn’t look right. The jewels are extremely close to each other compared to watches I have and videos I’ve watched. Also, the springs, if possible seem long? In Frystak’s videos he mentions that both springs should have a slight bend in them when not in contact with the index wheel, but be flat when in contact with it. If these springs would be flat they would be really high on the wheel. From what you see in the picture, is this something that can still be adjusted or is something else going on here? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

So first of all: yes, I'm a dummy. Yes, I learned my lesson. While cleaning my Accutron I pegged out the jewel holes as usual, but realized too late there were burnished-in cap jewels on the other side and managed to get bits of pegwood trapped between the hole and cap jewels. I was able to clean one out through the hole jewel with a sharpened oiler, but the other is not budging. I've been soaking the bridge over night in hexane, but it's no better this morning. I'm worried about chipping the edges of the jewel hole if I keep it up. Any other suggestions on what might soften/dissolve pegwood?

Accutron train bridges are very easy to assemble because the jewel holes have something like a funnel to guide the pivots in. Just put the the bottom pivots into the bottom holes, gently drop the top plate on and tap the holder. The plate will just drop in. It's really satisfying. I suspect it's because your bottom holes have pegwood in them that you can't get the plate on.

There used to be somebody out there that didn't do this but I think he got overloaded and work and doesn't do it anymore. Then when you're making a machine for winding coils about a machine to make index wheel's. Then I figured out where I put the information on phasing for silver cells. I'm attaching a PDF on that. 1996-08-web horological times Accutron silver cells phasing.pdf

Is that a 218 movement? 218s are a good starting point to learn Accutron repair. They are infinitely simpler than 214s. The uA are an indication of the amount of current drawn. It should be within the current range for the movement. An abnormally high current could indicate a faulty circuit, a dirty gear train or a high amount of pressure of the pawl/index fingers on the index wheel. A high current draw will result in short battery life. The adjustments to the index finger that we are talking about here are incredibly small. My 218 just died on me after two years. I found that it's due to an open cell coil. Looks like it's time to build a jig to do coil rewinding as working coils are getting really hard to find.

Thought I'd share a picture or two, since I was cleaning up today in preparation for finally getting to work on all these Accutron 218 movements I have waiting for love. Hence the power supply over there.

@JohnR725Forget I ever mentioned anything about age. Is there really such a thing today as "Synta Visco Lube"? I was wondering what the Moebius equivalent would be for the two oils (OK, one grease, one oil) that the manual suggests. I have Moebius 9000 for quartz watches. Would that be a good substitute? I've been using 9010. BTW, have you seen the Horotec oiler I mentioned? I don't recall having seen them sold until very recently. It's possible that they've been around for years but I just missed them. The wire that they use is very thin indeed. Maybe even .06mm, if that's possible? I received the Accutron index/pawl post tool yesterday and I'll see how that works for getting the pawl finger sitting better. Maybe I'll get lucky and I didn't de-mag the fork by pulling it from the US while it was running. I hope I wouldn't have to be lottery-winning lucky for it to be possible. Cheers. @JohnR725Oh, and BTW, since you attended Accutron class, and are obviously quite knowledgeable about them, I'm wondering if you know an Accutron expert named "Samantha"? She used to post Accutron related posts on the NAWCC board but I haven't seen her for a couple of years now. She seemed to really know her way around them. I'm just curious to what happened to her? Cheers.

Hello everyone! So I've picked up a Accutron 214 non runner and decided to have a go at servicing it to see if I can bring it back to life. I own a few accutrons but have never gone this far into one before. So after cleaning and inspection I have found the 4th wheel has some damage. Doing a little research, it looks as though the 214 and 218 4th wheels have the same part number. Before ordering one for a 218, I was just wondering if anyone can confirm that they are the same?

Hello, I am working on an Accutron Astronaut and after putting it back together, (cased up) I notice it hums, (doesn’t hack) and the minute and hour hands don’t move... everything was looking good during the overhaul. Paul and index line up how they should, the tuning fork vibrates the coils are good. Can anyone with more experience on these help me out? Please and thanks.

Good afternoon everyone. I have a great project, however my skills and knowledge on the subject are limited. Let's say that I inherited from a relative of mine, my father's brother, a watchmaker, this beautiful machine from about 1974. Although it is very well cared for, it does not work. I have inspected and I think the problem is with a zener diode (BZY92C10). Or a pair of transistors that activate the solenoid that hits the cylinder with the helical track that prints the succession of points. PCB1. The side tracks is rotate to match PCB 2 Is rotate o mirror to match The motor turns and the paper strip advances. But the characteristic sound of the impression tapping is not heard. In fact I was able with the help of a tip to check current of 12-24 volts, I could see that at the output to the printer / solenoid, a pulse corresponding to the beat of the clock is generated. But it seems that the current is not enough to drive the solenoid coil. The solenoid coil works if I activate it with a 9 volt battery. In other words, you can hear the “click”. If any of you wish to join me in this project, I would greatly appreciate his help. Thanks

Ok. Working on a 214 tuning fork astronaut! I am getting dizzy trying to fix this one. I lack the experience on tuning fork watches. So my big question is what is affecting the gears from rotating on the dial side. After I install hands? The cannon piñion rotates well on its own, the minute wheel will rotate if added, then after I put the minute bridge on it will stop, but this isn’t happening with a different bridge(without hack) a lot shorter bridge just covers minute and setting wheels. So that’s how I have it on now, saw rotation of gears, got excited so I dialed up and installed hands, watch buzzes the second hands spins, but the hour and minute hands don’t move... so my quiestions are as follows. specific to astronaut model only 1. Does it matter if I use regular 214 minute bridge? 2. What causes the rotation of dial side to seize, when the stem hasn’t even been installed? If the hack is missing ( watch can’t be hacked) correct? if stem is out of the casing, it can’t be the stem! Right? I am sure I am overthinking. Your help is appreciated. TIA Ps. I did replace the centre second pinion jewel with new shatton.

Can anyone clarify if this is a genuine or conversion? I'm thinking of buying it..... serial number 1-714271 M9 I have no reason to doubt the seller, it all seems legit but someone might say otherwise! Lee

It's not that difficult. But you'll need a microscope, Accutron test meter, ultrasonic cleaner and Accutron adjustment tools. Since your father was repairing Accutrons, he would probably have had all the tools. The most difficult part in repairing any tuning fork is getting replacement coils and index wheels. IMO most non-working Accutrons would need replacing a coil or index wheel or both. The design of tuning fork watches is such that if the index wheel stops moving and the fork continues to hum, the pawl/index jewels would probaly damage the index wheel. I have tried to repair some by increasing the tension on the pawl/index fingers to compensate for tooth wear of the index wheel, but that results in higher current consumption and shorter battery life. So until someone finds a way to manufacture new index wheels or finds a stash of NOS index wheels, I'll probably turn down Accutron repair jobs. But just for the experience, I would encourage you to try it yourself. It's like trying durian for the first time. That's what we say in South East Asia.

If it hasn't run "in years" there's a good chance it just needs an overhaul, no parts. My mom got an accutron (for my birth), 1973, changed batteries every 12-18 months, then I serviced it in 1998, 25 years later (I was in watchmaking school). It was impeccable, sorry to say, but I've also serviced Rolexes for friends where I'm assured it hasn't seen a bench in decades. Yes, if lube goes wrong after 5 years you can get wear. But 10 years, good watch, epilame your stuff, yeah . Accutron, you can go double service interval easy and then, it grinds itself to death. If you google "accutron service" you'll get the like 1 or 2 last dudes who do this as a passion. If they even manage to get a tiny bit of oil where needed your watch will outlive you!