Jump to content

Hello from GA (USA)

firelight

By firelight
in Introduce Yourself Here

 Share

Recommended Posts

firelight New Member

firelight

Posted
Posted

I have dabbled with mechanical watches for years, but have finally decided to try and progress a little further along. I would like to service my late grandfather's pocketwatch (he was  a railroad worker). It has been sitting in a display case for the past 50 years...

I look forward to learning a lot of stuff (I've already started).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
grsnovi Distinguished Member

grsnovi

Posted
Posted

Welcome to the forum!

They say a pocket watch is where to start because they're bigger however the trend in wrist watches has been getting bigger often using a movement designed for a pocket watch.

If your grandfather's watch was running when it was put in the display case you'll likely have an easier time than if there was a problem that needs diagnosis. In any case, the folks here are ready to help.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
firelight New Member

firelight

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 hours ago, grsnovi said:

Welcome to the forum!

They say a pocket watch is where to start because they're bigger however the trend in wrist watches has been getting bigger often using a movement designed for a pocket watch.

If your grandfather's watch was running when it was put in the display case you'll likely have an easier time than if there was a problem that needs diagnosis. In any case, the folks here are ready to help.

 

His watch was running when put into the display. I am imagining that it will only need a good cleaning and then reapplying oil (a service). Having said that, I've already purchased a nonworking pocket watch to practice on. It actually needs a lot, so I should hopefully learn a good bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
grsnovi Distinguished Member

grsnovi

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, firelight said:

I've already purchased a nonworking pocket watch

That's how I started. One thing I did learn is that while Elgin made tons of pocket watches over the years, just because they have the same grade identification, doesn't mean that you can interchange parts. That got me in trouble.

What make watch did your grandfather have? What make watch have you purchased?

You'll want to be careful with how you ultimately end up cleaning your grandfather's watch. Watching the many YT videos gives you the impression that everyone on the planet has a fancy watch cleaning machine and uses the brand's suggested cleaning and rinse solutions. There a lot of discussion in various threads about cleaning.

Anyway, hopefully you'll have an enjoyable journey!

- Gary

Link to comment
Share on other sites
firelight New Member

firelight

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 minutes ago, grsnovi said:

That's how I started. One thing I did learn is that while Elgin made tons of pocket watches over the years, just because they have the same grade identification, doesn't mean that you can interchange parts. That got me in trouble.

What make watch did your grandfather have? What make watch have you purchased?

You'll want to be careful with how you ultimately end up cleaning your grandfather's watch. Watching the many YT videos gives you the impression that everyone on the planet has a fancy watch cleaning machine and uses the brand's suggested cleaning and rinse solutions. There a lot of discussion in various threads about cleaning.

Anyway, hopefully you'll have an enjoyable journey!

- Gary

Thanks for the info on the Elgin parts not necessarily being interchangeable. I bought this particular watch to practice on because it was the only one I could source locally (that didn't already run, so cheaper). 

My grandfather's watch is an Illinois Bunn Special that was made in 1926. I will definitely start looking into the various cleaning methods available to me (I don't have a machine at this point). I will practice on the one I purchased, and ultimately purchase an Illinois pocket watch that I can practice on as well. I plan on doing multiple watches before trying to tackle my grandfather's.

I'm looking forward to the journey!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
grsnovi Distinguished Member

grsnovi

Posted
Posted

Have you visited:

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/

I know Elgin, Waltham and Illinois made a lot of watches back in the day. Once you determine the exact movement you might be able to find the same movement on eBay that isn't running for a good price ($20 or $30 bucks if not in the fancy gold case that often made these special).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • thor447
      Case needed a lapping machine....So I improvised - Results are amateur but promising

      By thor447 · Posted

      Since I couldn't slow the machine down enough for my liking, I started off slowly with a higher grit.  I began (very lightly) with 1000 grit paper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DTJBND1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Finished with 3000 grit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DTFSMT1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Afterwards I went on to polish with traditional methods using felt & cotton wheels, with different grades of Dialux. Hope this helps.
    • Neverenoughwatches
      Without Our Forum

      By Neverenoughwatches · Posted

      Ok so there is barely any response happening . After this last attempt i think I'm just going to give up on it because very few seem genuinely interested or even bothered or worried what may happen in the future. ( if someone can set me straight I'd love to hear it ) I would think anyone into watches has heard of Roland Ranfft, how they grew to love and depend upon his site for detailed information. And not just that, he also had a view about Ebay and everyone that visited Roland's site knew exactly what he thought about Ebay, Roland's site also had a secondhand watch sale side to it.  If anyone here could have done anything to preserve his site and keep it exactly the way it was.........Would you have done something to make that happen ?  Its been pointed out to me but not in so many words  that I'm probably coming across as an insensitive p.rick, truly I'm sorry about that, i say it as it is but no malice is intended and yes clearly I'm putting my forum membership on the line here. I'll happily shut up about it now, I've done all i can.
    • grenert
      A see-through vintage Swatch! Service walkthrough of a ETA 2842 with Video

      By grenert · Posted

      Thank you so much for posting this!  Although this movement is serviceable, there are no service notes that I've been able to find.  This is a great alternative!
    • rjenkinsgb
      Learning Watch repair maintenance

      By rjenkinsgb · Posted

      Greetings from another electronics designer & programmer!   I suggest you get a batch of similar scrap movements from ebay - I found batches of Seikos very cheaply, I got seven of one type for £11 (or 11 Euros possibly?). Those were ladies, 4206B I believe. There are also mens movements at a slightly higher price; eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134723051997 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235565276549 They are cheap enough so it does not matter what gets messed up or lost & you can probably still get one or two working movements from a batch, even if some part are damaged when you get them. (I've had quite a bit from the guy in Holland, he usually has a good range of movements).  
    • Neverenoughwatches
      Favourite timepiece.

      By Neverenoughwatches · Posted

      Please OH, we should all be proud of our collections what ever they are. If we can't show them off here then we can't show them anywhere. Our favourite gives us a story to tell of why we love it, that story also tells others something about ourselves. These are some of the things that make our forum and our community so amazing .
×
×
  • Create New...