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A tiny little pendant watch:


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Well, I finished the Jacques pocket watch, and my old friend is happy.  And a female friend has been waiting patiently with her pendant watch. (Ever since I gave a thought to moonlighting at this, I have had a fairly steady stream of clients - weird.) BUT FIRST! - A big THANK YOU to you wonderful chaps here on the forum!  You taught me the trick of using the degausse setting on an old CRT monitor, until I get a regular demagnetizer.  Thanks for that.  I found I needed that with this watch.

This poor little thing barely survived a car wreck that had followed her house fire.  It's one of the few nice things she treasures that she didn't lose in the back-to-back tragedies. So yeah, I don't think I'll be charging that much for the services this time.  Its front cover got bent open so far that it won't close.  I'll need to reform/reshape it without cracking it.  I will probably need to heat it, but if the hinges are soldered on this will be all kinds of fun.  And she will *need* a cleaning, oil & grease, and demagnetizing, then regulating.

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20200801_183748.jpg

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Also: I know almost nothing about this little store-branded watch, so anyone who can correct my data or add to it - feel free.  I would like to know more.  I put it in about early- to mid-'70s.  It bears the maker's name of Emile Jobin (who may or may not be affiliated with Paul Jobin and B. Jobin) and I learned that he not only put together movements for Higbees, as with this watch, but also for Lazarus, and I think O'Neill's was the other one.  Mall store watches.  It has 17 jewels and shock protection.  It's not too bad for what it is.  And it's a pretty little thing; I could see why my friend is loathe to part with it or mothball it.  So here I go rescuing another treasure.  Wish me luck guys.

Edited by KarlvonKoln
Edited for clarity
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1) - got the case straightened.  That was some slow and gentle work.  It was bent wide open to about 160 degrees, so I had to reform the whole hinge area to reduce that flex by (jeez) 70 degrees!  Many gentle taps with a soft-faced mallet over a small scrap of oak I shaped into a "buck" of sorts.  Couple days I spent on this, off and on.  It paid off.

2) The cleaning and fresh grease & oil worked wonders.  The she ran crazy fast, until I demagnetized her.  She runs so very silent that the mic I used for my timegrapher app can't hear her.  *I* cant hear her.  You can see her running and not hear a thing.  So I've been regulating the old-school way - over time.  Got her down to only half an hour fast per 24 hours.  I think there could still be residual magnetism on the hairspring.  May try zapping her again.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Last bit on this subject: while the degausse setting on an old CRT monitor may work sometimes to demagnetize, or may work on mild cases, I have learned that the best option is to have a proper demagnetizer.  Having discovered residual magnetism in this watch, I used my demagnetizer to remove it.
The owner had to wait to pick it up when she was next in town. She did not want it mailed since she was traveling until then.  That, and this watch having survived a house fire and a car wreck, she didn't want to chance anything else happening to it in the mail.  So as of yesterday it is safely back in her hands, and with all issues resolved.  Now I need to contact my next client about her grandmother's pendant watch and see if it has already been sent.  

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