Jump to content

Can you help please?


UKJohn

Recommended Posts

Hi all, 

I’ve just joined the forum, my name is John and I’m from the UK but I reside in Dubai. 

I can see from the forums, everyone seems very helpful, so I’m hoping someone can assist me with a new project I have. 

I’ve spent many years repairing and servicing my own collection of watches (pocket & wrist) These are mainly Swiss or UK in original origin, however, a friend of mine recently asked me to look at a watch that belongs to his family and see if I can help him to get it working. It’s an Elgin, it’s a beautiful pocket watch but I don’t have much experience of them. It’s a calibre 451 in a gold case dating back to 1921. At first inspection, it looks like it needs a clean and someone has previously removed the balance bridge and not reinstalled it properly (impulse jewel isn’t aligned I think) but before I can fully ascertain what’s wrong, I need to remove the mechanism. This is where my problems begin. It’s a hinged back lid. I’ve inspected it under a microscope and I can’t see any marks to the case showing how the front should be removed. I’m not sure if it’s a screw fit or friction fit and I don’t want to assume anything as it belongs to a good friend. 

Can anyone help please. I’ve attached a couple of pictures for reference. 

 

20E71855-FF7F-466F-959E-0860A4FE8348.jpeg

2F0D9B16-2436-4483-A570-8A66A7EE870F.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello and welcome to the forum,  The likelyhood of it being screwed from that era is questionable but not impossible. can you post some pictures of the side view of the watch for reference, also if you can open the back there should be a number, if so have a look on the pocketwatchdatabase. you may gather a bit more information.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could you please post a picture of the inside of the back cover; I would like to know if it is a case made by Crescent.  I have encountered a couple 1920-era cases that were hinge-back & screw-bezel, and I believe they were made by Crescent.

Addendum: if you have not found a lip or a depression by the bexel to indicate that it would snap on or off, then I would first try to unscrew it by hand.  That is the safest thing to try.

Edited by KarlvonKoln
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for the responses. What mad me question if it was a screw fit was the absence of almost any case markings from previous attempts to open it. 

I’ve attached a couple more pictures for the case, just in case this helps a little. 

9778708B-3F66-4E16-8803-8AAE2CC43326.jpeg

368CF02D-F9DD-414E-931C-44E595B3994F.jpeg

1B25AF21-6F10-46A2-82A7-4E3BF15AB6EC.jpeg

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

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.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Success, and failure. Balance is back together. I need to adjust the position though as the roller jewel is way of. More than that though, rookie mistake. I set the hair spring between the pins, forgetting that to rotating pin is oval. So when I close it up the hair spring is in contact with the outer regulator pin. I assume that's bad. At rest, without the outer pin rotated closed, it sits like this (edit, hadn't realised that photo didn't come out. The spring isnt touching either pin in this photo, but the outer pin wasnt rotated. The gap between the spring and the inner pin is about the width of the hair spring. Just to be clear  width, not thickness) Oh, and the pivots look like this. It's not a banana, it's just because of multiple lenses and trying to get a high mag photo Slightly wonky jewel   But, the free oscillation test, 180 degrees, USSR makes that 53 seconds    
    • Welcome the the forum. Are you talking about the part of the stem that fits to the crown? Photos would help.    
    • Thank you for the warm welcome. Cleaning stakes is probably 80% of what I do daily 😳. I had issues with severe flash rust with other things and I haven’t tried my ultrasonic cleaner with stakes yet. I probably will now just to see how it works out. I probably have 3-4 thousand stakes at the moment and was looking for a way to clean/polish large amounts at one time. I started out using Evap O Rust soaks, which worked but still required hand polishing and severe flash rust usually happened fast.    I found a website that polishes jewelry in a vibratory type polisher so I picked up a large one to try out. (Eventually got a smaller one also).  I started out with a ceramic type media, It did a great job, but I still had to hand polish each and every one and it left them like a muddy mess and clogged the ends easily.    I then found out the big companies that specialize in polishing small pieces used a stainless steel media to clean and polish at the same time. Evidently using this method somehow burnished the stakes and prevented them from rusting easily. To get an even nicer finish they used a wet polish method and that has been the key to getting my best finish with large amounts of stakes. It just basically removes any rust and corrosion and leaves a very nice finish. I can’t measure any loss of material with a micrometer or a digital dial caliper. Some of these stakes are from the early 1900’s and are not as durable as the newer stakes, so it varies some. I have piles of damaged stakes that won’t make the cut but I’m saving in case I ever get a lathe 😂.     I did notice that sometimes the holes were clogged up and still needed to clean them manually. I wonder if the Ultrasonic process would fix that ?    Before I ship a set I still manually go through each and every stake but sometimes I slip up and miss one or two. My processes are getting better and I’m getting more organized as I go. Thanks for sharing your process. I have some Boley stuff also that I am hoping to finish up one day. Thank you very much for the welcome and I hope to visit your country one day ! As a side note, we have 2 of your countrymen that have been living with us the last couple of years off an on while they study and play football at the local university , they are teammates of our sons “Soccer” team and we have really enjoyed hosting them and learning about 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. Every time they go home for a visit they bring us lots of sweets, chocolates and gifts from their parents when they return . They are exceptional young men and great ambassadors.   
    • In the process of laser engraving the plate, it is crucial to set the correct engraving depth. If the depth is too deep, it may result in a murky pad printing effect, while if it is too shallow, the lines may become disconnected, leading to broken lines. On flat dials without texture, using a harder silicone pad for pad printing will yield better results. The hardness of the silicone pad directly affects the thickness of the lines, and adjusting the hardness appropriately is key to achieving precise printing. Additionally, the ink ratio is another critical factor in successful pad printing. Adding too much thinner will cause the lines to become unclear, while too little thinner may cause the ink to cure too quickly, resulting in broken lines during printing. In summary, laser engraving, silicone pad hardness, and ink ratio are all interrelated, and each step can affect the final result. These steps require extensive practice and experimentation to find the most suitable formula. I hope these insights can provide some useful reference and help!
    • Welcome to the forum, Rick! Cool story! Always appreciate if people take a little more time to introduce themselves. Coincidentally, I spent a few hours this weeks cleaning out the insides of all my staking set punches (a German Boley set) and cleaning everything in the ultrasonic. Not really a restoration, but loved the feeling of seeing the set in full shine again and knowing that I can use it without worrying about clogged punches. There's often threads where members look for buying advice for their first staking sets. Your inputs will certainly be appreciated.  
×
×
  • Create New...