Servicing My First Chronograph!

[deloidtoc]

This i a wonderful thread and a great forum. It's such a pleasure to see enthusiastic and positive feedback for this restoration. As a clock guy who has been slowly learning watch restoration in the past 5 years or so, I find that the parent videos and this forum give me a boost.
I'm looking forward to seeing a pic of the watch ticking away!
Dean

[GuiBer]

This i a wonderful thread and a great forum. It's such a pleasure to see enthusiastic and positive feedback for this restoration. As a clock guy who has been slowly learning watch restoration in the past 5 years or so, I find that the parent videos and this forum give me a boost.

I'm looking forward to seeing a pic of the watch ticking away!

Dean

I am just waiting for the arrival of new balance wheel and incabloc to finish the job!

 

I'll report when the Cauny Chronograph will be ticking again.

[GeorgeClarkson]

Do not forget to take pics of the balance reassembly procedure!

[GeorgeClarkson]

Hi GuiBer, how is the Cauny going?

[GuiBer]

Hi GuiBer, how is the Cauny going?

i hope next Monday I can finish it.

The parts (balance wheel and incabloc) have already arrived,

 

Unfortunately I don't have the proper tool to take out the old incabloc from the balance cock and put the new one in place, and so today I had to ask for that task to a professional watchmaker, who accepted the job with some reluctance!! Despite we are not absolute strangers to each other as we both live in the same small town, he didn't show any interest in showing me how the work it's done. He just told me: "come back for the part next Monday!". I think he is "afraid" that I can become a competitor (!!) to him, although I have told him that this is "only" my new hobby!!

[Geo]

That reaction doesn't altogether surprise me GuiBer, most probably wouldn't even touch it.

[GuiBer]

Not yet good news!

 

The watchmaker to whom I asked to change the incabloc (I gave him a new one) in the balance cock didn't do what I asked.

He ( I don't kow why!) just didn´t do it and decided to take the old incabloc out and just put a new spring on it!

 

Futhermore when I tried to open the spring with maximun care, as soon as I barely touched it... it flew away! I am almost sure that it was not properly fitted!

 

I simply decided to forget this watchmaker(?) and perhaps invest in a tool to do myself the work.

What do you advise?

[Geo]

Yours don't need a special tool GuiBer, you should be able to install the spring and the Incabloc using tweezers. I find a jewel "picker upper" is a nice easy way to pick up and position the cap jewels.

Have a read of this thread to see what a "picker upper" looks like. http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/1385-best-way-to-pick-up-jewels/

[GuiBer]

Thanks Geo for the information.

 

I have read the post, but indeed it doesn´t answer my doubts, as my big concern is how do I take out from the balance cock the incablock setting that, I suppose, is "press-fitted", and how do I install the new one in place?

[GeorgeClarkson]

GuiBer, maybe it sounds stupid, but why exactly do you want to remove the whole incabloc structure? Is the jewel cracked?

[GuiBer]

Hi Geo, I want to remove the incabloc because it's impossible to fit a new spring to it without taking it out of the balance cock. And as I have a new one, I think it's much better to fit it than putting back the old one that can even be damaged after the many attempts of putting a new spring into it.

[GuiBer]

Hi George, sorry for confusing your name in my last post!!

[GeorgeClarkson]

No problems :D The only thing is that without seeing it I cannot really asses the damage you are talking about. Is it the only alternative you have? CAn you make pics of the balance cock?

[GuiBer]

Well, some good news! The Cauny chronograph is ticking again (although it needs to be regulated)!

 

When I was inspecting more closely the incabloc after having lost its spring as I told in a previous post, I noticed that the "gap" for inserting the spring was larger than before I left the balance cock in the watchmaker!! 

 

So, I am almost certain that he didn't take out the incabloc, and just "scraped" it so that he could manage to insert a new spring!!

 

And of course, if it's easier to fit a spring in, it's also easier that it flies away when you touch it, and this was in fact what happened when I tried to open it for putting the jewel in place!

 

Now, after some attempts I already manage to put a new spring, the jewel inside and close it, but of course I am not confident that it will not come out any moment with some more rough movement or stroke. So I prefer as soon as I have the proper tool, to change the incabloc for the new one, (what the watchmaker should have done, as I asked him!).

 

Nevertheless it is working, but it needs very much to be regulated, as it is running fast 9 m/day. Of course this is quite normal, as I also changed the hairspring, and it is certainly out of beat. But I think it will have to wait some time, because for that I also have yo invest in a timing machine!

 

Although all the problems and surprises during this my first service to a chronograph, which I overcomed with your help, I am pretty happy, because I could hardly imagine some weeks ago that I could do it!

 

So for the time being here there are two photos of the Cauny waiting for the final touch:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeClarkson]

That is a very nice Cauny Chronograph, if I can tell you my opinion, and the fact that you managed to put it back to work is really a bonus. Is the chronograph function working good, by the way? In the movement picture it looks like the hammers are zeroing the hands, but the coupling clutch wheel is touching also the chronograph runner for the seconds... If I compare it to my Valjoux 7733, they are a bit more far apart when the chronograph is not running...

[GuiBer]

The chronograph is working fine and its buttons are much more smoother to actuate than before. The coupling clutch wheel is very near (but not touching) the chronograph wheel, Comparing the last photo with the one I posted before servicing the watch, you can see that now the clutch wheel is in fact a little bit closer, but I didn´t notice so far any problem with it. The distance between the wheels can be regulated by the cam in the end of the arm that carries the clutch wheel. Do you think it would be better that I give it a little adustment?

 

What really is not so good is that the watch is running very fast (9m/day), but I think the reason is the new balance wheel I installed, not caring for the moment for a correct beating adjustment. I just tried some adjustments on the regulator but in this situation it has almost no influence in the timing. Is this normal? 

 

I intend to come back to the problem when I''ll buy a timing machine ( I hope I can do it not so far from now !).

[Geo]

Do you think it would be better that I give it a little adustment?

The most important thing is to set the depth of engagement correctly. Make sure that there is a little backlash on the gears by ensuring that the gears are not fully in mesh. If you do this, the disengaged clearance will take care of itself.

[GuiBer]

The most important thing is to set the depth of engagement correctly. Make sure that there is a little backlash on the gears by ensuring that the gears are not fully in mesh. If you do this, the disengaged clearance will take care of itself.

Thanks Geo for the information. I tried exactly to do what you say as I have read about it in the Valijoux technical document concerning 7733 movement. 

[GuiBer]

I came back to my Cauny today, although I have not yet a timing machine to help regulating it.

 

Looking with more attention to the new hairspring I had fitted to the balance wheel I noticed that the outer coils were very near each other and that this could be the reason for the wacth running fast (about 1m/hour).

 

I thought the hairspring could be magnetized, so i demagnetized it (several times!).

It keep the same shape so i decided also to clean it as it could be sticky with oil or something. I used lighter fuel as I don't have a more suitable cleaning fluid.

 

After drying it and demagnetizing again, although I didn't notice any change in the clearance of the coils, I put it back on the movement, but the rate of the watch is exactly the same as before!!

 

I also noticed that the outer coil after passing the regulator is too far from and not concentric with the other coils!!

 

Can you please help with some advice about this situation? Thanks!

 

(here are two photos so that you can have a better idea of  the abnormal configuration of the hairspring) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeClarkson]

GuiBer, I checked mine, and altough not as extreme as yours, my hairsring is decentered too, but I have not noticed that great loss in time (I have no timer either...).

 

I am thinking to takle the issue this WE if I find some time, and straighten it a bit with my tweezers

Edited October 1, 2015 by GeorgeClarkson

[clockboy]

The hairspring regulator arm does seem a long way from the end stud arm.  It just might be a mile out of beat.

Without the aid of a timing machine to give a reading this is going to be difficult to analyse. You could visually check the position of the impulse jewel when it is in it's static position. However to check this you will probably have to remove of the train wheels bridges etc. 

[GuiBer]

Good news ! ... and thanks for your help GeorgeClarkson and clockboy!

 

I released the boot on the regulator, positioned again the outer coil on it and "closed" it.

 

I put again the balance wheel on the movement and after several attempts positioning the end stud arm and the regulator (alternately), I finally managed a position with which I got a 2s/hour fast rate!

 

I think I'll leave it by now as it is, and I'll come again to it when I'll have the timing machine!  

 

Here is a photo with the final position I got which is indeed very different from the original one:

 

Edited October 1, 2015 by GuiBer

[Geo]

Good result GuiBer! :)

[clockboy]

A great improvement but 2 sec an hour is still one minute a day. I suggest you wait until you get a timing machine before any further adjustments are made. You will then be able to adjust for Dial Up,Dial Down,Crown Down etc etc.

[GeorgeClarkson]

:woohoo-jumping-smiley-emoticon: