A basic question on running a movement outside the case

[toddho]

After digging into my FIRST pocket watch (Waltham ~1900), an only getting it to run for a minute or so, troubleshooting it for several days, I finally realized that the clutch was being pressed down into the hand setting position all the time.  Thus preventing the watch from running for very long.

When placed the movement into the case the clutch is pushed into the winding position and the watch ran for a day! I hope it put it back together correctly

 

So my question is:  How do you run the movement OUTSIDE the case?  Is there a tool or something that will hold the clutch into the winding position?

 

Thanks

toddho

[JohnR725]

1 hour ago, toddho said:

So my question is:  How do you run the movement OUTSIDE the case?  Is there a tool or something that will hold the clutch into the winding position?

Always important to have a picture because they're literally hundreds of thousands of movements out there and without a picture we don't know which one you have. Even Waltham made a lot of watches so I can't really assume which one you have without a picture.

The easiest way when working on the watch is not the put the cannon pinion on and the watch will run just fine out of the case.

Then is a lot of variables here in some cases you would have to put the watch back in the case. There is there is a variety of mechanisms to put the watch in too winding mode out of the case. Hamilton for instance sometimes had a blue colored screw that just needed be rotated a little bit. Most of the other watch companies had a  lever to pull out somewhere near where the stem goes in. When the watch was disassembled you should and noticed a part that seem to have had no function. Typically the part is pressed into the main plate and stays there until needed where it's just pulled out a little bit. Occasionally like I've seen with Illinois it will fall out. So you have to remember to put it back in.

for instance depending upon which Waltham you have you should have something like the picture below. You can see the part labeled D just has to pulled out a little bit. Then the watch will be in winding mode out of the case it will run just fine.

 

[toddho]

Ya pIctures would have helped.  I’ll remember that.  
Still you nailed it.  The drawing was spot on.  I remember thinking…Now what does this little thing do?  Now I know.  
By the way,  where did you find that drawing?  I have more reading to do.
Thanks!

[JohnR725]

8 hours ago, toddho said:

By the way,  where did you find that drawing?  I have more reading to do.

It was something that Waltham published And somewhere in the universe it was scan to PDF just don't quite remember where it came from?

492865559_WalthamInformation.pdf

[toddho]

Excellent!  Thank you!

 

toddho

[ifibrin]

Things get even trickier when you want to observe the behaviour of a watch movement with dial and hands on the timegrapher! You can’t place the dial facing down since the hands will contact the jaws and seat of the timegrapher mic, and dial up you have to worry if the jaws will come into contact with the balance!