Detent Escapement

[Turtle]

Hi folks

I bought a non-working watch and found that it has a detent escapement.  My first.  Is there anything I should know before attempting to service the watch?

Thanks,

J

[JohnR725]

1 hour ago, Turtle said:

I bought a non-working watch and found that it has a detent escapement.  My first.  Is there anything I should know before attempting to service the watch?

Pictures would be nice  we love pictures on this group at least I love pictures I'd like to see Your detent  and the whole watch of course.. Then when you are purchasing the nonrunning watch  did you know it was a detent?

Is it a pivoted detent for spring detent?

Then what is the current condition of this watch?

Unfortunately there are cautions.  One of my friends used to work on chronometers and he would talk about the bad things. I also have a Hamilton chronometer that something bad happened before I got it..  The problem with the D10 escapement is  if the locking jewel  is no longer where it's supposed to be the escape wheel is free to spin.  It can spin really really fast and if anything gets in its way it breaks.  So in the case of my Hamilton the escape wheel teeth are all bent over  the pivots on the escape wheel and the balance are broken  and several jewels are broken..

I think it also want to be careful of setting the watch turning the hands back words. I'm not exactly an expert at this I'm just going by memory there is the possibility when the hands are set back words I think it actually says that on the chronometer  manual for the Hamilton there is a possibility of causing the escapement to unlock and bad things of course happen.

So basically he has had be really careful not to cause the escapement to unlock an inappropriate fashion and have the escape wheel spin and bad things.  Otherwise the really fascinating timepieces when the running

[RichardHarris123]

24 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

Pictures would be nice  we love pictures on this group at least I love pictures I'd like to see Your detent  and the whole watch of course.. Then when you are purchasing the nonrunning watch  did you know it was a detent?

Is it a pivoted detent for spring detent?

Then what is the current condition of this watch?

Unfortunately there are cautions.  One of my friends used to work on chronometers and he would talk about the bad things. I also have a Hamilton chronometer that something bad happened before I got it..  The problem with the D10 escapement is  if the locking jewel  is no longer where it's supposed to be the escape wheel is free to spin.  It can spin really really fast and if anything gets in its way it breaks.  So in the case of my Hamilton the escape wheel teeth are all bent over  the pivots on the escape wheel and the balance are broken  and several jewels are broken..

I think it also want to be careful of setting the watch turning the hands back words. I'm not exactly an expert at this I'm just going by memory there is the possibility when the hands are set back words I think it actually says that on the chronometer  manual for the Hamilton there is a possibility of causing the escapement to unlock and bad things of course happen.

So basically he has had be really careful not to cause the escapement to unlock an inappropriate fashion and have the escape wheel spin and bad things.  Otherwise the really fascinating timepieces when the running

Yes, we definitely need photos. 

[nickelsilver]

Imagining the detent and rest of the escapement is intact, the #1 thing is to let down all the power before removing the balance. If the watch has a fusee it probably has maintaining power so even if the barrel is let down there is still power on the fusee. So if it's not functioning, so you can't let it run down the maintaining power, block the train.

 

If you remove the balance with power on there's a strong chance of the escapement unlocking and running away, usually taking out the locking jewel and ruining the tips of the escape wheel, possibly breaking the detent if a spring detent, and possibly breaking escape pivots.

Edited June 18, 2022 by nickelsilver

[JohnR725]

7 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

he #1 thing is to let down all the power before removing the balance. If the watch has a fusee it probably has maintaining power so even if the barrel is let down there is still power on the fusee.

 

7 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

If you remove the balance with power on there's a strong chance of the escapement unlocking and running away, usually taking out the locking jewel and ruining the tips of the escape wheel, possibly breaking the detent if a spring detent, and possibly breaking escape pivots.

I always wondered if my friend was just being excessively cautious with the detents escapement's. Even though I have a Hamilton chronometer that all of this is happened to it. This is exactly what he was always saying so if we have a confirmation of extreme caution is needed for the escapement. Usually what they do is they block the balance wheel in shipments with something soft like a wedge of paper. Did you don't want the balance wheel spinning around all by itself what is not running or even in storage you want to make sure it's secure so it doesn't unlock. Then you just want to be extremely careful when you take the balance out with your perception that there is no power anywhere.

But it really be helpful to give us pictures before you taken apart and try not to push on the balance wheel at all resisted temptation of having the watch run