1942 Gotham watch, how to remove the stem help

[DanB]

Hello all,

This was my father's Gotham watch that my mother gave to him in 1942. It's an automatic, and although he stopped wearing it in the early 60's (he passed in 2000), it still runs with decent amplitude. I'd like to disassemble, clean, lube, and adjust it, but I don't know how to remove the stem to get at the movement. In the "Gotham 3" photo you can see the movement coming slightly out of the case, but I have not figured out how to release the stem to remove the movement completely.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Dan

 

[saswatch88]

I dont know much about this specific watch but it looks like it uses the typical split stem. You will need a pair of wire cutter pliers to be able to slip in there and apply pressure to separate the male end from the female end. Be careful not to pry you may cause damage to the case/movement, looking at this watch you will have to go about it from outside the case tube near the crown.

You can look up tutorials on the web on how to do this, there are many out there.

Edited January 27, 2020 by saswatch88

[DanB]

Thanks so much! I took a look at some of those videos and I'll give that technique a try. Prior to your advice, I did try pulling the crown out with a bit more force than usual but was concerned about causing damage so I held back. 

DanB

[saswatch88]

2 hours ago, DanB said:

Thanks so much! I took a look at some of those videos and I'll give that technique a try. Prior to your advice, I did try pulling the crown out with a bit more force than usual but was concerned about causing damage so I held back. 

DanB

yea sometimes it takes what i call "scary Force" to get them separated. you wont damage as long as you dont pry. Just pull.

[DanB]

Hi Saswatch88

Pulling it with some extra effort worked. I hadn't heard of a split stem, but I am very new at this. After all that, and after taking some baby steps on disassembly of the self-wind mechanism (not like an ETA 2824, that's for sure) I decided I'm not quite ready to take this apart. I'll wait until I've got more experience, but may try to find someone who I'm confident can do the clean/lube/adjust the right way. Too much sentimental value to take the risk of messing it up myself. 

Thanks again for the help. 

 

[saswatch88]

4 hours ago, DanB said:

Hi Saswatch88

Pulling it with some extra effort worked. I hadn't heard of a split stem, but I am very new at this. After all that, and after taking some baby steps on disassembly of the self-wind mechanism (not like an ETA 2824, that's for sure) I decided I'm not quite ready to take this apart. I'll wait until I've got more experience, but may try to find someone who I'm confident can do the clean/lube/adjust the right way. Too much sentimental value to take the risk of messing it up myself. 

Thanks again for the help. 

 

No problem. I suggest getting some cheap movements on eBay and practice. Start with pocketwatch movements then move on to something a little more advanced. You can find lots of Russian Vostok movements cheap. They have a shock system on the balance and would be comparable on skill level with the type of movement in your watch.