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Hand pulling / re-setting.

vext01

By vext01
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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vext01 Member

vext01

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi everyone,

This evening I put a new movement into a vostok watch. I also bought new hands, as the lume was crumbing on  the minute hand.

I thought it'd be a simple job (compared to a full movement service), but it turned out to be much more effort than expected. Why? The hands. I had a really hard time getting them on and aligned. I tried so many times that I "wore out" the new hour hand -- it eventually failed to grip the pinion. (I ended up using the old hour hand and new minute and second hands. It's no big deal as the watch is pretty beat up anyway. I wanted to keep it though because it has "character"). I also sadly scratched the dial a little, although you can't really tell. I guess it's all a part of the learning experience.

I have some questions for next time:

  • Do you folks sharpen your hand pullers? The ones I have seem too large to get properly under the hands. I wonder if I am supposed to sharpen them. (they are cheap anchor branded ones).
  • Are there any tricks for getting the hands on so the date flips at exactly midnight? I just spun the hands until the date clicked over, then locked the crown in before putting the hands on. Even then I had to try many times, as I was often off by a few minutes.
  • I've just noticed that I have not put the second hand on right :huh: If I rotate the watch around it freely spins. Doh. I'll have to research what I did wrong there.
  • Any other tips for a beginner?

Thanks!

 

EDIT:

About the second hand. In this video the chap explains that there is a spring that needs to be supported while pushing the second hand on:

 

Sadly he doesn't show this procedure.

Edited by vext01
about the second hand.
saswatch88 WRT Addict

saswatch88

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, vext01 said:

Hi everyone,

This evening I put a new movement into a vostok watch. I also bought new hands, as the lume was crumbing on  the minute hand.

I thought it'd be a simple job (compared to a full movement service), but it turned out to be much more effort than expected. Why? The hands. I had a really hard time getting them on and aligned. I tried so many times that I "wore out" the new hour hand -- it eventually failed to grip the pinion. (I ended up using the old hour hand and new minute and second hands. It's no big deal as the watch is pretty beat up anyway. I wanted to keep it though because it has "character"). I also sadly scratched the dial a little, although you can't really tell. I guess it's all a part of the learning experience.

I have some questions for next time:

  • Do you folks sharpen your hand pullers? The ones I have seem too large to get properly under the hands. I wonder if I am supposed to sharpen them. (they are cheap anchor branded ones).
  • Are there any tricks for getting the hands on so the date flips at exactly midnight? I just spun the hands until the date clicked over, then locked the crown in before putting the hands on. Even then I had to try many times, as I was often off by a few minutes.
  • I've just noticed that I have not put the second hand on right :huh: If I rotate the watch around it freely spins. Doh. I'll have to research what I did wrong there.
  • Any other tips for a beginner?

Thanks!

 

EDIT:

About the second hand. In this video the chap explains that there is a spring that needs to be supported while pushing the second hand on:

1. You can sharpen the pullers from the inside not the outside. Getting quality pullers like Bergeron presto makes a big difference, there are sets for each use. No 1 is best for generic work then there is No 6 which is best for thinner hands and sweep seconds because of flat thinner blades. Its best to have both.

2. Sets hands at exactly 12 o’clock before removal, and reset the hands at 12 o’clock

3. You have to support the bottom of the sweep second pinion while pressing on the second hand, if there is a spring holding it in you need to move it out of the way before supporting it. If there is a jeweled bridge for the sweep pinion you need to support the jewel, find a movement holder with adjustable pinion support that fits the size of your movement. Might be tricky with Russian movements since i had similar issues for vintage American movements. Most are made for Swiss so you can figure out the ligne size of the movement by measuring in mm and converting to ligne. Which calculators can be found all over the net. There are ways to cheat here if you dont wanna go this far but they are not recommended. When in a pinch i will rest the movement upside down on a staking block with hole just big enough for the jewel/pivot. If you dont have a block a hard but semi soft surface will work, like a bench Mat or cutting mat.

Tips: buy a hand setting press for $15 on eBay. They nylon tips aren’t the best when they wear out you can buy more, this device makes it easier to put the heads on steady and straight esp if you are new and not use to doing it by hand. I use Bergeron hand setters but when i started this device was a godsend.

Edited by saswatch88
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