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Favre-leuba pallet fork end stone spring


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Picked up a dirt cheap sea-chief on the local auction site that expectedly turned out fake(ish) with a repainted dial.

 

Movement appeared to the untrained eye decent even though grimy and oxidized, so decided an attempt to service.

 

The pallet fork has end stones with tiny horseshoe shaped springs to hold in place and I obviously managed to break one in two when attempting to re-fit.

 

Havent seen that type before and wonder if anyone can guide in the right direction for spares?

 

And if there’s any best practise out there for mounting these nightmarish things, I’m all ears.

 

The movement is stamped 107 under the balance and there’s a serial no as well. Haven’t been able to id it from that info and grateful for id-assistance. Is it legit or fake all the way?

 

 

 

81b988477308ffadaf2d151e765db398.jpg3955ef80b55911478c392cdecf099a92.jpg

 

 

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Thanks, will check on those.

And then it’s the escapement wheel that has the end stones, not the pallet fork as I mistakenly wrote.

I tried to make a spring from one of the assorted click springs I got from Cousins but that darned thing is really flat and even the thinnest click spring material won’t slip into the grove that holds the spring :-(




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When I oil these type jewels, I will use my smallest screwdriver blade and insert in the gap indicated in the image and would gently rotate the screwdriver clockwise to pry the tab from under the inserting.
Next gently move the spring down and toward the 7 o’clock direction just enough to allow you to use rodico to lift out the cap jewel. Never attempt to remove the spring entirely.
Resecuring the spring is more of the challenge for me. I will move the spring back up to the position and gently try and reverse the process of how it was released as described above.

61728db77bfcf171875783a416c423a1.jpg

Hope this helps.


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That makes sense! I was actually trying something in that direction but it felt as if the force needed would be too much. Wasn’t thinking about rotating a blade, which obviously offers more control.

Decided to believe that the wide part that you pushed out might be the “hinge” that needed to stay in. Wrong decision obviously.

I assembled the movement without the cap jewel and can’t really see that it has too much effect. Dial up/down doesn’t change much and the rate is easily adjusted.

If it proves hard to get the spring, I might just leave as is. It’s not like the value will drop by any significant amount...:-)

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I found this image that shows the intended release process for releasing the retainer clip/spring in order to simply remove the cap jewel for oiling and replacing.  If I find a scrapper watch with this type of spring, I will record a video and post of its installation into the setting.

Screenshot2010-11-23at94506PM.png.9d981109b8f1f6920345e466e60c6f0a.png

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I may have only inserted a new spring in a setting like this 2 or 3 times.
My method would be to use non-magnetic or demagnetized tweezers. Install one leg of the spring under the setting rim. Now place a small bead of rodico in that area to keep the spring from flying away.  If you grasp the middle of the spring with your tweezers in a low profile in horizontal alignment with the movement, you will further maintain control of the spring.  Use another tweezer or instrument to gently nudge the other spring leg in its place.

See the second post in the forum link below.  He seems to describe a similar method for installing the spring if it is out of the setting.  "Hold the middle of the spring and insert one side and with another instrument and your other hand, gently nudge the other leg of the spring under the setting rim lip."

https://www.thewatchsite.com/34-watchmaking-tinkering/145530-how-do-you-replace-diashock-cap-jewel-spring.html

Edited by GeorgeC
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Hi guys,

GeorgeC kindly offered to send me a spring all the way from Kentucky to Sweden!

And the video gives a very good insight in the practises needed, not for just getting the cap jewel in/out but also when, as in my case, the spring has come away alltogether.

Thinking back, I believe a major mistake I made was to try to get the spring in with the cap jewel in place. This requires much more force on the one free leg to get it in as the spring also has to bend to fit the top curve of the jewel.

That’s not saying it’s going to be easy or succesful doing it the ”good” way ... :-)

But I will have to give it a try when the spring arrives!

Thanks for all valuable contribution here. I hope there are others out there that can benefit as well.




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    • 🤔 leaving the EU meant that UK was no longer part of the convention and have already been turned down an independent reapplication. I'm pretty sure courts have to be held in Switzerland in this case. There will be a lot more watches stashed away in draws  tbh, folk wont be able to afford to maintain them. Cheap watches will be bought and top end watches by folk with plenty of cash that can pay for service and repair. The expensive once in a lifetime gifts and everything else inbetween will be at the forgotton when they stop working. I know i was being a numpty, get used to it 😄 Anybody that knows will boycott them, but besides repairers who will know. Nope will never buy one, i made that decision as soon as i learnt about this. 
    • although not in this case.  It was the Lugano Convention and its deficiencies that allowed a Swiss court decision in the first place.  This isnt really a Brexit issue at all.  A decision that affects both the EU and the UK should never have been heard in Switzerland. I bet the authorised service centres in the UK are pretty pleased.  It's a massive shame, though; I believe watch owners should be able to choose to have their watch serviced by whoever they trust.
    • Hi guys I think that old hippy is correct, it opens the gates for china to manufacture aftermarket spare parts. considering that they already do work on behalf of the Swiss I guess this decision gives the a little more legitimacy to tool up and I am sure they will take advantage of the situation either with or without the blessing of the Swiss watch industry  Having read about the protectionist machinations of the Swiss in the history of Europe they were the only ones to get fat at everybody else’s expense. I think the outcome could have been guessed at but ,  fair play to Cousins UK for standing up to them.  Now the question,  will everybody boycott Swiss watches and Swatch, no way they will still fill their coffers.  Me I stick with the Japanese once renowned for cheap shitty watches who came good through industrial effort and don’t for get the Russians that most dismiss as low grade crap. Wouldn’t buy a swatch product ever how about you all.? a
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