Is the hairspring correct for this pocket watch?

[toddho]

New member here.  I have watched all of Marks videos.  That gave me the confidence I needed to crack open my first watch.  Waltham SN: 14917225.  Is this the correct hair spring for this watch?  What makes me question it is that the regulation pins are no where near the terminal curve (even if the terminal curve part of the spring was not distorted).  I don't want to put time into straightening the spring if it is the wrong spring.  I hope that I gave enough information...

Thanks

Todd

[Marc]

The location of the regulator pins suggests that you should have a Breguet style overcoil hair spring, in which the terminal curve is bent up and over the main spiral, heading back inwards towards the regulator (bad description but Google Breguet overcoil and you will see what I mean). The terminal curve therefore sits above the main spiral, and significantly inboard of the outermost coil. If your H/S is flat then it is probably not the correct one.

That being said a side on shot of the balance and H/S would help to clarify things.

 

[toddho]

Ha, yes.  I thought that the H/S terminal end was malformed when it crossed over the other coils.  Unfortunately I had already started to "straighten" it before I asked.  With your answer however I was able to reform is back (mostly) and now it's ticking!  Thank you!  A lot more work to do but I'll take the tick....

Thanks again Marc!

Todd

[JohnR725]

One thing really important when you're new to watch repair is not to jump to conclusions unless you really grasp what you're doing.

Then there is a website out there if you have a serial number from American pocket watch and know who made the watch you can go there and find something like this

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/waltham/14917225

Then you get a description including they hairspring is a Breguet. Very carefully formed at the factory to an a very exacting shaap which is most definitely not flat.

As some images showing over coil type hairspring. The blue one is from a Waltham and you could see how nicely the curve is formed. The really shiny one it's hard to get a picture because the spring is to shiny and is picking up reflections of the balance wheel giving the spring a weird look is a Hamilton 992B. You could see where basically if you tried the flap the hairspring it be a waste of time because the stud would line up where it's supposed to be. Hairspring would never reach the regulator pins. This is where the picture you had it would've been better to have a picture from the other side except we already knew what it was. Most later American pocket watches will use a spring of this type the early ones typically are flat at those are really early.

 

 

[KarlvonKoln]

Working on pocket watch movements is a good way to start, but I would add that if you can come upon some non-running movements to practice on, you will feel less stress since making a mistake will matter less and you will be able to focus better on learning.  And you may even learn why they stopped running! But also, it never hurts to learn all you can about each watch movement ahead of time.
But I read that you got the watch ticking again, so that is a marvelous first step.  Little else with us compares to the feeling of seeing the balance of an old watch start moving again.  Once you have the balance oscillating in all positions, it tends to get easier from there.  Usually. And now you have seen your first Breguet overcoil too.  If you keep working on antiques you will see more, and you'll learn why Breguet made that.  Clever man, that Breguet.  I think you will enjoy this line of work.