Seconds hand erratic.

[Davey57]

So, I got my seconds hand looking a bit more how I wanted it to look. But when I put it on and wound the watch it is very erratic and not moving smoothly. I’ve since stripped it down again and checked the teeth on the pinion and the wheel that drives it, I thought there might have been some debris lodged. I did wonder whether the pipe on the hand might have been binding inside the cannon pinion but it doesn’t seem like it. It doesn’t seem to affect the running of the watch either it doesn’t stop or falter. Any suggestions?

[CaptCalvin]

Is proper tension applied to the seconds pinion? Did you oil it?

[noirrac1j]

I watched the video and is there a spring providing tension to the seconds pinion? If so, check that it is tight enough to provide pressure. 

J

[Davey57]

There is no tensioner spring and I did try some lube. The only thing that I can see is where the pinion sits on the bridge as it passes through the cannon pinion. The face is a bit worn and uneven. I tried a tiny amount of oil there, it seems no better than when dry.  I wonder if this is why there was no seconds hand fitted to it, maybe it’s something that bugged the previous owner of goodness knows how many years ago, so they had it taken off?

[noirrac1j]

9 hours ago, Davey57 said:

The only thing that I can see is where the pinion sits on the bridge as it passes through the cannon pinion. The face is a bit worn and uneven. 

You'll have to disassemble and troubleshoot to get to the root of the cause. Can you take a picture of the area you've mentioned?

J

[noirrac1j]

To get to the root of the cause, you may have to disassemble . But before you do that, I gather this is a replacement sweep hand? What is the movement  make and caliber and are you sure this is the correct size sweep hand for the movement. If the watch is running steadily while the sweep hand stutters and there is no tension spring, then the seep second pipe  is either the wrong size, or it was squeezed onto the pivot....can you provide more info?

[Davey57]

It was the wrong pipe size for the pivot. I gave it a gentle squeeze until it gripped just enough to hold the hand in place. I can also take some pictures and try to show the wear I mentioned. 

[noirrac1j]

7 hours ago, Davey57 said:

It was the wrong pipe size for the pivot. I gave it a gentle squeeze until it gripped just enough to hold the hand in place. I can also take some pictures and try to show the wear I mentioned. 

OK, so the issue is the pipe on the hand. I've had this happen before, and I suggest you get the correct size hand to avoid problems later. Even if you get the hand to stay on and tick correctly, it will eventually fall off--usually while you're wearing the watch.

J

Edited May 20, 2019 by noirrac1j

[Davey57]

What makes the hand behave so erratically?  Is it just that occasionally the pivot is spinning a tiny amount until it finds a grip on the tube?  Finding the correct sized hand seems to a bit of a hit and miss affair so far. I measured the pivot to be .21, I found a second hand from a Seiko that is quoted as having that size. It was far too small so I ordered a .23 and a .25. The .23 I received was still way too small and the .25 simply dropped onto the pipe.  Many thanks for your help by the way.

[noirrac1j]

5 minutes ago, Davey57 said:

What makes the hand behave so erratically?  Is it just that occasionally the pivot is spinning a tiny amount until it finds a grip on the tube?  Finding the correct sized hand seems to a bit of a hit and miss affair so far. I measured the pivot to be .21, I found a second hand from a Seiko that is quoted as having that size. It was far too small so I ordered a .23 and a .25. The .23 I received was still way too small and the .25 simply dropped onto the pipe.  Many thanks for your help by the way.

Yes, you've got it right, The pipe wobbles a bit on the pivot until there's friction at which point it grabs and ticks, and when it reaches a loose spot it stops, etc. etc. Aftermarket hands are usually tight, but what is the make and caliber?

J

[Davey57]

It’s an old Pallas. It has a Culmina movement but I’m unsure which calibre.