Jump to content

Manual Winder Spring Issue

crezo

By crezo
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

crezo Member

crezo

Posted
Posted

Hi all, new to the forum and watch repair and wanted to ask a bit of advice.

I bought a vintage manual wind Aetos watch for my father in law a whole back. It's been running perfectly up until a month ago when it stopped running.

After taking it apart to have a look, I noticed the hairspring had come out of position. I've moved it back into place and am currently keeping an eye on how it runs (so far so good).

Ive attached a picture of it showing the spring out of place.

Does anyone have any idea how this coukd have happened? I'm thinking it was probably just a hard knock, but wondering if there may be something loose I should check incase it comes loose again?

Thanks for your time all.

post-1725-14541851475598.jpg

bobm12 Distinguished Member

bobm12

Posted
Posted

Welcome to the forum crezo, I can't tell very well from your picture but I believe that hairspring is messed up. Now, I don't know how it could have happened but I'm sure there are a number of reasons for that to happen, including a hard enough impact...but then, I would say the pivots could bend, break or something...or something else would give. I've heard of some movements -- Seiko movements mostly -- in which it doesn't take much to cause the same problem or a similar one. I suppose someone more knowledgeable will jump in with a solution to this problem. In the meantime, enjoy the forum!

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

crezo Member

crezo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks bob. I've repositioned it and been wearing it most of the day yesterday, been left face up on a desk last night and still running fine at the moment.

Hopefully that's all it was as the spring itself looks fine, as do its fittings and adjusters , but then I'm new to this so could well be something I've missed.

oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

Posted
Posted

It looks to me like the hairspring his caught on the stud in which case a hard knock would do the damage. Also no shock proof, so you were lucky because the balance staff might have broken. No prevention for this just be careful not to do it again. 

crezo Member

crezo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

It seems to be OK so far, but it's only been a day. I'll see how it gets on this week and if it needs regulating, and let him know to be careful with it.

Thanks for the advice, it did definately look it was caught on something but popped back into place pretty easily. Something to bear in mind with vintage watches then that I'd never really thought of!

 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • VWatchie
      What's your thoughts on this Rolex Sea-Dweller, ref. 16600, calibre 3135 project?

      By VWatchie · Posted

      Well, my fundamental stance is that I want to go in and out without leaving any trace other than a shining, perfectly running movement. So, no scratchings on the inside of the case back lid, no marred screws, no debris, no fingerprints, and so on. That is, my goal is to make it impossible for the FBI to track me down. As a professional, I suppose you might want to keep track of returning watches, but as @JohnR725 mentioned, we can keep detailed computer records without marking the watch at all. That may not be true for every watch, but luxury and COSC-certified movements do have unique numbers. John also says it’s best to leave no sign you were ever there, and I couldn't agree more. Now, suppose the Sea-Dweller I'm working on is one day scrapped, and you want to sell the case-back separately (perhaps the case was destroyed in a plane crash). Then the scribbles on the inside no longer reflect the current movement inside the case. Also, the engraving will likely halve the market value of the case back. It had been "sleeping" for about a week and a half. Yes, the "debris/old lubricant" theory is my hypothesis as well! It will be interesting to see what I find once I have time to start disassembling the movement.
    • MikeEll
      Help with repairing a quartz clock

      By MikeEll · Posted

      I've repaired a few of these, having some success with stripping and cleaning the mechanism.  They are so cheap though, its hardly worth the effort in many cases.
    • watchweasol
      Oldhippy

      By watchweasol · Posted

      Get well soon Old Hippy, torn muscles.,  not good
    • SwissSeiko
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By SwissSeiko · Posted

      Id love to see how he has the output shaft mounted to this setup, as I have the same rotary stage and stepper in my build.
    • Poljot
      Broken watch stem in watch crown

      By Poljot · Posted

      If you see at least one thread protruding, or even a half, then you may have a chance using this "tool", but don't squeeze hard. Lot's of patience, and if you notice any signs of loctite or other adhesives, then apply several drops of acetone on top of broken stem. Use heat (hair dryer) also. You should be able gradually turn it counterclockwise, just like i did on this broken Timex stem, which was glued with something like nail hardener. Then you can use an extender to save your broken stem. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513DVvkfW5L.__AC_SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg   You can also try cutting a small grove / slot on top of the broken stem to use 0.7mm flat screwdriver.   Depending on the Crown material and Stem material, you can try dissolving the stem. 
×
×
  • Create New...