Jump to content

Very Large Pocket Watch

clockboy
 Share

Recommended Posts

clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

Posted
Posted (edited)

I  was asked to look at this very large pocket watch because although serviced a few years ago had stopped running. It was immediately apparent to me why it was not running. Apart from the glass falling out when I opened the front of the case the hour hand was so badly bent it had hooked itself around the subsidiary seconds hand. 

Once unhooked the watch ran but now the hour hand was free wheeling. On closer inspection the hour hand was really badly bent, pitted and the part that attaches it to the cannon pinion (which was also usual as it has a horse shoe shape) had been bent too wide.  Both hands were also had a fair amount of rust. 

I straightened and re-shaped as best as possible and polished them with diamantine powder. Then I had to re-blue the hands. To get a nice even blue I found really difficult because I could not remove all of the pitting & could not get the hands perfectly straight. Also being aware if I broke anything it would be very difficult to find replacement parts so I did the best job possible. I found the best results was by putting the hands in a tray of sand and heating over the gas stove and once blued dropping them into some machine oil. Not a perfect even finish but still I think a fair result. 
The reason the hands were so badly damaged is because the customer was opening the front of the watch and moving the hands with his finger. I have explained to the guy that this is a pin set watch & the pin in the top of the watch should be depressed to adjust.
 
I have done a lot of research but with no ID  marks I could not find the identity of this watch or in fact any pocket watch that was 25 ligne. Perhaps Willfly might have an idea. The customer said it was his grandfathers who worked on the railway so it might be a railway watch. I have attached a few pics (sorry about the quality) for your inspection.
 
 
First Attempted at straightening & polishing
post-234-0-54631500-1422814363_thumb.jpg
 
 
First attempt at Blueing
post-234-0-98717800-1422814453_thumb.jpg
 
 
post-234-0-76961500-1422814533_thumb.jpg
 
 
 
 
 
 Job Done (I think still on test)
post-234-0-62832600-1422814592_thumb.jpg
 
 
 

post-234-0-59835700-1422814575_thumb.jpg

Edited by clockboy
  • Like 2
clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Thanks Geo, I don,t think it is either here is another pic of the movement. It is not only large but very heavy possibly the case is silver or silver plate

 

post-234-0-71631900-1422815457_thumb.jpg

Edited by clockboy
Marc Distinguished Member

Marc

Posted
Posted

Brilliant end result. Looks like a great job on the bluing which is not easy to get right, and the bigger the hands, the harder it is to get even.

WillFly Distinguished Member

WillFly

Posted
Posted

Nice job - not a railway watch - more correctly, not a railroad grade watch, which required:

  • 17 jewels at least
  • lever setting
  • adjusted for 5 or 6 positions
  • adjusted for isochronism
  • double roller balance
  • size 16s or 18s

Still a nice watch!

clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I just did not find out. Some suggested a jumbo Ingresol but I don,t think that is correct. However I returned to the customer this week he,s very happy so job done.

Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

Hi Paul, I would say it is definitely a Goliath if it is measuring 68mm. That is exactly the same size as my own one.

Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

That's interesting to know Clockboy. My movement is a three quarter plate, and is different from the one you were working on. I thought Goliath was a generic term used for watches that size. Thanks for posting. :)

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • watchweasol
      Hello from the Netherlands

      By watchweasol · Posted

      Hello and welcome to the fo4um. Enjoy
    • clockboy
      Hello from the Netherlands

      By clockboy · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, enjoy.
    • JohnR725
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By JohnR725 · Posted

      You're asking a pretty broad question and you didn't specify the machine but yes it's simple especially if you have the right machine. The question has problems but I'll take it as it is. Is it really that simple yes especially if you have the right machine. So in the video below he's making a screw and yes it really is that simple but pay attention to the machine it is not simple at all probably wasn't cheap but it is small it will probably fit in your garage. Unfortunately wouldn't fit in my garage as it's far too cluttered up with things. In the video he talks about making a screw and pay attention to the machine. The machine has lots and lots and lots of cutters and lots of things to do lots of machining all-in-one machine conceivably one step after another all programmable. If you look at his channel lots of CNC's stuff and there are several other videos related to this machine. He goes to the factory where they talk about it and show all the other machines they make in Switzerland.  I did look up the specifications the machine I don't recall the price it's not going to cut wheels I think it has a maximum diameter around 11 mm basically it's really good for making small diameter watch parts. Then in one of the other videos he goes to a factory that used to make parts with waterpowered machinery been in business for 100 years and everything they now make is made with CNC machines including this one. What was interesting with the factory photo was that when they make some parts they can put them on a optical comparator comparator compares with whatever the reference is and the machine can be programmed to adjust its cutting to make sure everything is actually being made to specifications. Oh and then somewhere in all of this there was at least one picture of a balance staff can't have a CNC Swiss machine without making balance staffs.   It would be really nice if we had pictures of the machine. Then yes if you look at the page for wheel cutting you can enter parameters and it will generate a G code but he left out things? Notice he has a picture of a complete wheel but the G code isn't making a complete wheel it's only cutting the gear teeth I don't see whereas the program for crossing out the spokes? Typically when you see people cutting gears once the teeth are cut most the time the spokes are cut by hand. Occasionally someone will mill them out but typically not with the program which seems strange if you have CNC capability for instance one of my friends fill it used to design assembly line equipment or things to make things. So his hobby was to continue to make tools to make things like clocks. Very interesting and clever clocks but his true fund was making the machines to make the clocks. Then machine is not controlled by G code like we would typically find today as the stepping motor controller he has was made a long time ago and the individual controllers used a textbased program. So the company had a editor you could write a program to cause each the stepping motors to do something. So basically once you figure out how to cut a gear he would just change the parameters for different size gears so here's an example of a gear as you can see we have the teeth and the spokes. Then we have a picture the machine which sucks because it would've been so much nicer if I could've taken a picture when it was cutting a gears so we can see things better. Then yes there is a worm gear stepping motor indexing this is a mini lathe and the indexing is at the end of the lathe head hiding. The basic operation of this machine would be brass sheet not cut to a specific diameter size not even round mounted on the machine. Then it turns and a milling cutter will cut the diameter. Then the gear would be cut with a gear cutter. The same mill cutter for the diameter although conceivably change the size I don't know but basically the same milling for cutting the outer diameter would be used to cut the spokes. I really can't remember how he did the center hole but whatever it was was very precise.          
    • JerseyMo
      Does a lighter fluid trick actually work on vintage mechanical Timex watches?

      By JerseyMo · Posted

      Yeah I know the site and the creator of it.  the two video clips are good examples of the quicker method and a full tear down.  the quick method will work in many cases. But not always and not for all the different movements.  I strongly suggest to not bend the four tabs as was done in the first clip.  Instead there are three tabs that insert into the top plate, Much saver way as to not break a tab.
    • JseTay
      Lathe motor advice

      By JseTay · Posted

      I found a motor that is 3/4 hp and another that is 1.2hp. They come with speed controller. So I don’t think I would need a wiring diagram. But I sure appreciate you offering your help! Do you think 1.2 hp would be too much for a watchmaker’s lathe?
×
×
  • Create New...