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Help - Mortima/cattin66 Shock Spring

JimInOz

By JimInOz
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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JimInOz WRT Addict

JimInOz

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I'm servicing a little Mortima diver driven by a Cattin C66. Not a Patek, but a nice little beater with a "Kalashnikov" movement.

 

Everything was going fine, it had been stripped, cleaned and ready to re-assemble.

 

I'd just oiled the plate balance jewel and replaced the cap and went to pick up the shock spring.

 

My brass tweezers were just a stretch too far to reach from where I was using my microscope, so like an idiot, I picked up the nearest set of tweezers (SS ones!).

 

I looked down and picked up the tiny cap spring, and just as I was about to move it to the movement I felt that sensation we all dread.  :startle:

 

The "snick" feeling as the tweezer tips pinged the spring into the ether.

 

I was like a rabbit in the headlights, not daring to move and straining my hearing for the sound of a landing (a futile effort with my "ex-military" hearing).

 

I searched high and low from a frozen position, scanning the bench but nothing there. I gently started looking at my lap, shirt front, even got a mirror and checked my face/eyebrows/hair.

 

Nothing.

 

A magnet sweep of the whole area turned up two forgotten screws, but no spring.

 

So, the point of this post. I need a new shock spring or a donor movement and I'm hoping somebody may have one in their parts box.

 

This is the movement as shown on Roland Ranfft's encyclopedic site

 

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&166&2uswk&Cattin_C66

 

I've included a pic below of the balance jewel spring from the other side, shown next to a Seiko spring for size comparison. As you can see it's a tiny little bugger and not your usual item that could be replaced by a common BestFit spare.

 

If anyone can help, please reply or PM me with price and availability.

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

post-1141-0-41100600-1438060877_thumb.pn

 

 

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Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

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Posted

I wish I could help you Jim, but this is one I have never seen never mind come across. You do get ten out of ten for the best description of losing a part yet, it describes my reaction when this happens perfectly!

Just as an aside, I haven't lost a jewel cap or retaining spring since I started using a jewel "Picker Upper".

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JimInOz WRT Addict

JimInOz

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Don't think so mate, it looks like a different spring, or maybe a Heath Robinson fix?

 

I wish I could help you Jim, but this is one I have never seen never mind come across. You do get ten out of ten for the best description of losing a part yet, it describes my reaction when this happens perfectly!

Just as an aside, I haven't lost a jewel cap or retaining spring since I started using a jewel "Picker Upper".

 

Thanks Geo. My tool kit now has a new addition  :)

 

post-1141-0-15926700-1438071386_thumb.jp

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Lawson Super WRT Addict

Lawson

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My brass tweezers were just a stretch too far to reach from where I was using my microscope, so like an idiot, I picked up the nearest set of tweezers (SS ones!).

 

Oh Jim!  I have been there and done that mate ... this is why I only use brass tweezers.

Only thing I use SS ones for are hairsprings ... and even that's on a pretty rare occasion.

 

I see you have the gold plated Dumont #4's ... best tweezers on the market PEROID :)

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JimInOz WRT Addict

JimInOz

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Woo Hoo! psy.gif

Look what I found (no, not the original, but just as good).

After looking through my junkyard I came across a Cattin C66 in an old thing I got in a box buy.

I know it's only an old pin lever but just getting it working again gives me a sense of job satisfaction.

 

I'll certainly be using my jewel picker upper with this one!

 

Thanks for all the tips and good luck thoughts folks.

 

post-1141-0-04016200-1438325099_thumb.jp

 

It sure pays to keep all of those old clunkers and basket cases biggrin.png

 

post-1141-0-41043800-1438325221_thumb.jp

 

 

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Gary Super WRT Addict

Gary

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Posted

I have learned to use the Vacuum cleaner (bagless one) and then empty the contents into a bag. The toss the magnet around in the debris. Been working for all my lost parts! LOL

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  • 6 years later...
SAK335 Member

SAK335

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So I found myself in the same situation with the same movement (albeit the 1 jewel version.)  I was excited to find this thread in order to figure out what kind of shock protection spring this was in order to find a replacement for the one that jumped off my two sets of tweezers and landed far, far away.

Unfortunately I didn't have a parts movement, and couldn't find a 1 jewel version anywhere and I'd like to keep the signed bridge that I have that matches the watch.  While the watch that I'm working on isn't terribly valuable, it's too nice to turn into a parts movement.  So dejected, but determined, I stared at the guitar cases next to my desk, which serves as my watch workbench.  What the hell.  So I cut off the end of a 1st E string and went to work.  An E string is 0.010 inches or 0.25mm in diameter.  Far too wide for this application.  so after several failed attempts at shaping the new spring, I finally got one that was the reasonable shape.  I then used a combination of a file and a sharpening stone to file it down.  Finally I clipped it to the correct length.

It isn't pretty but appears functional.  I'm still waiting on another part so I won't know it works for a few more days.  Thanks for the suggestions and ideas.

Jewel_Spring_1.JPG

Jewel_Spring_2.JPG

Jewel_Spring_3.JPG

Jewel_Spring_4.JPG

Jewel_Spring_5.JPG

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