Waltham pocket watch parts reference?

[OUBob]

Hello, 

 

Noob here, looking forward to getting into some dirty work. I have a Waltham model 1891, grade 60 0s movement I am in need of some parts for. I'm pretty sure buying an entire movement is the cheap/easy button, as I need hands, balance staff and an escape wheel. That kind of defeats the purpose of saving this one from the scrap heap though. I know hand and balance staff sizes can be generic, is there a reference to put in dimensions (particularly for the balance staff)? Any chance someone would have a parts list? Cas-ker, Ofrei etc. have not been definitive on IDing a part# or measurements.

Thanks,

Bob

[watchweasol]

Hi  Have a look at daveswatchparts.com   elgin / waltham expert. and parts supplier.

[Nibbler]

I like this site as well. This is the regulator page:

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/guide/company/waltham/regulators

 

[JohnR725]

1 hour ago, OUBob said:

Waltham model 1891, grade 60 0s movement

If you're going to work on American pocket watches you're going to need to make a library. All of the American watch companies or at least the big ones had parts catalogs. If you look on eBay people be selling DVDs of PDFs of the various Logs as they don't always show up in the wild for you to download. But sometimes you're lucky and find something to download

Then the problem with being slow to a response somebody  beat me to listing the link below if you had your serial number you can look up your watch and often times they have parts lists. If you explore the website they have parts catalogs but not a nice PDF form to download but at least you can look at it.

2 hours ago, OUBob said:

I know hand and balance staff sizes can be generic,

Then what exactly do you mean by generic? Especially related to the balance staff there usually really specific I didn't know we could do generic?

Then the parts catalogs if you know where to look sometimes you can download them like the second link. If you scroll down the page you can download as a PDF. You look at the movement identification guide in the beginning will tell you the page numbers of your parts and then the fun begins because this is a Waltham? While you have a specific exact model number and Waltham had variations lots of variations.

One of the problems for people working on American pocket watches versus the more modern watches are variations.  If you look at American pocket watches they have serial numbers that's because it were made in batches. All the parts associated with one serial number were Together sort of. Usually all the bridge components can't be swapped and the balance wheel usually is a serial number. Then express if the watches made over time there will be variations as I pointed out. This means while you have a very specific watch when you look at the parts book things start the it interesting?

Tell you identified your watch to go to the right pages in the  catalog found on the second link which I assume you downloaded and put it into your library. I snipped out an image for you look you only have two balance wheels. One watch two balance wheels I wonder which one you have?

Oh then there's the other problem balance staffs typically will have the same part number but can have variations. Very important to always measure the old staff then the new staff and make sure they're identical.So two separate balance wheels of course they each have their own balance staff and the good news is it appears to be that the only variations you have for the staff for the pivots size. Versus some of the other watch companies are watches where you could have other variations and no all have the same number.

Oh and the parts Log look at all those nice parts it's a shame you won't build by most of them. Like for instance the escape wheel that you need I assume in real life you just need a pivot? If you look in the parts catalog they once had the pinion you could just replace the entire pinion and keep your escape wheel.

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/

https://archive.org/details/catalogueofwalth00walt

[OUBob]

Whoa, that's a heavy duty reply, awesome! I guess I used "generic" wrong, I meant balance wheels may cross models or could be identified by dimensions. 

Thank you, this effort is much appreciated!

[OUBob]

John, I have no idea how you provided exactly the information I needed based on that mess of a post I made, but you added obscure details I only could have learned the hard way. As gratitude, let's hope I can post successful results.

[JohnR725]

Usually on pocket watch it's better if I get a serial number. But you gave me the model number. Reason I can do what I do is my day job is pocket watches. Also I'm the person at work who finds the parts so it's kind of my specialty to find things.