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Loose Incabloc Springs?

spectre6000
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spectre6000 Distinguished Member

spectre6000

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I was practicing on an ultra-cheap Chinese watch. The sort where they don't even oil it. As I was manipulating the balance and end stones, the Incabloc-style spring just fell out of the setting. It actually happened on both settings. I lost one to the floor gods, and the other eventually broke after trying for hours in vain to get it reinstalled. 

I googled around, and the gist I get is that they're really not supposed to come out without some sort of damage or doing some other major operation, and getting them back in requires the setting to be out of the plate. Before I write off that error as a byproduct of fiddling with a low quality movement, I want to make sure I'm learning the correct lesson.

Did I screw up badly and need to adjust my approach, or did the manufacturer screw up badly and that's just one more detail of poor craftsmanship? Or maybe both?

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JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

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the Chinese are very interesting when they clone things? Sometimes they can get it really good and other times they might skip a step or modify a step.  so on the standard Swiss made Incabloc it's designed to hinge back and not come out. Occasionally on some watches it might come out but that's not very often.. But the Chinese made a tiny little correction to the manufacturing and there's nothing to hold the Incabloc spring in. so when you left it up it will fallout. On the other hand if you're really careful and put in at a angle you can put it in gently twisted bring it down and put it back in place.

oh then when you're looking for the gold spring just remember it's only gold colored it's a spring and it likes magnets.

if you're curious about the problem we've discussed it before you can find pictures at the link below.

https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/7631-re-seating-an-incabloc-spring/

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spectre6000 Distinguished Member

spectre6000

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I think the spring in mine was brass. I didn't test it with a magnet, but will to make sure. Thanks for the information. Looks like I should be more careful, but also not sweat it too much. 

That link describes the situation to a T. Next time...

Edited by spectre6000
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HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

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It has happened to me a couple of times. I've become very paranoid when opening an Incabloc. I would always use a pegwood to prevent the spring from jumping out of the slot.

When trying to put it back, rodico and fine tweezers just doesn't work for me. The grip of a fine tweezer is not strong enough to persuade the spring to get back into the slot.

What worked for me was an eyebrow tweezer. The tips are wide enough to grip both arms of the Incabloc spring to give enough rotational force to get one end into the hole of the slot first, slide it all the way towards that hole then rotate the other end of the spring into the other hole. The reason why the spring comes out of the slot is because there is too much freeplay ( like endshake ), if the spring moves all the way to one side, the other end comes out of the hole and just falls out.

But it's a bad day when an Incabloc spring falls out. It's not easy getting it back in.

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