Watham 6/0 vs. 6/0-D

[LittleWatchShop]

Anybody know the difference in these?  I have a 6/0-D (military watch) that needs a new balance staff.  I see some 6/0 staffs on Ebay (#26106) but not sure if it is what I need.  No help on Ranfft site.

Edited March 11, 2021 by LittleWatchShop
corrected 3/0 to 6/0 in body

[watchweasol]

Hi Try daveswatchparts.com ,, explain the predicament in an email he is a very helpful guy on Elgin / Waltham. Even  better he is in the USA.        cheers   

[JohnR725]

Usually for American pocket watches I looked up the serial number of pocket watch database. Then I get a model number so I can look up the parts for that model number if you're lucky on the pocket watch database site that list the parts saving you having to look in your books.

Then several problems with just having a staff number. Typically with American pocket watches in most cases you also have to have a pivots size as you can have one staff number for several pivots. Or there's an Elgin that you can have a whole bunch of variations for one staff number beyond the pivots size for the same number.

So once you get a staff number then I look on my staff listing which I've snipped out the section for you. You'll actually see the number that you have listed but?

The other thing that's viable to do is to measure the staff that's currently in the watch. To verify that it's measurements agree with whatever you think you're going to purchase. Then before putting in the newly purchased staff you do have to verify that it's measurements agree with whatever you think the measurements are. Otherwise unpleasant surprises will happen later on and their lot easier to fix when the staff is not in the balance.

If you look the list I have below you'll notice that there is a reference to a G.I. watch and the staff number is slightly different and some of the dimensions are slightly different. This is why you need to measure what you have to see how it compares to listing and pick one based on that and hope we'll be right.

[LittleWatchShop]

Here is the watch in question

[LittleWatchShop]

2 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

Usually for American pocket watches I looked up the serial number of pocket watch database. Then I get a model number so I can look up the parts for that model number if you're lucky on the pocket watch database site that list the parts saving you having to look in your books.

Then several problems with just having a staff number. Typically with American pocket watches in most cases you also have to have a pivots size as you can have one staff number for several pivots. Or there's an Elgin that you can have a whole bunch of variations for one staff number beyond the pivots size for the same number.

So once you get a staff number then I look on my staff listing which I've snipped out the section for you. You'll actually see the number that you have listed but?

The other thing that's viable to do is to measure the staff that's currently in the watch. To verify that it's measurements agree with whatever you think you're going to purchase. Then before putting in the newly purchased staff you do have to verify that it's measurements agree with whatever you think the measurements are. Otherwise unpleasant surprises will happen later on and their lot easier to fix when the staff is not in the balance.

If you look the list I have below you'll notice that there is a reference to a G.I. watch and the staff number is slightly different and some of the dimensions are slightly different. This is why you need to measure what you have to see how it compares to listing and pick one based on that and hope we'll be right.

This is useful.  It comports with what I see in the CE Marshall catalog pretty much.  The only unknown is the pivot size.  I will measure it.  I dont understand why the two different pivot sizes have the same part number.

 

[LittleWatchShop]

I measured the remaining good pivot: 0.085

[JohnR725]

2 hours ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I dont understand why the two different pivot sizes have the same part number.

American pocket watch balance staffs defied logic. For instance my favorite staff at least for a lecture purposes is 857. I'm attaching the section of the book on that. So we have four different physically sized staffs and then you have the pivots size difference. Which gives us 14 staffs for the same part number. Then if you have an Elgin parts catalog and you are order a dozen of them back when you could if you didn't specify the pivots size they would send you a variety of sizes. But for these variations you would build a specify something beyond just the part number like to be old-style new style or there is some letters that get tossed in.

Then I had another listing of military staffs and it looks like list I have above has both of them.