Flea bites on a Rolex

[CKelly]

Don't really have a question about this however I found this a bit odd on a Rolex and thought I would share. I have seen these marks under the balance cock on old pocket watches but a Rolex 1520? I was asked to service this watch and it was looking pretty good until I found this damage. Anyway just look how the plate has been dug up under where the balance cock sits. I know why people used to do things like this to old pocket watches but come on this didn't have to happen. I now have watch back together and running but thought some of you might get a charge out of this.

Charles 

  

[frenchie]

can you explain why it is done please ? I googled "flea watch movement" but only flea related links...

[anilv]

Hi Frenchie ,

What Ckelly is referring to are the marks on the mainplate (around 8 o'clock in the second picture) made by a previous watchmaker.

Sometimes a replacement staff can be a bit off in terms of lenght, more commonly, a staff that 'almost fits' is used and modified to fit. A quick fix to solve endshake issues is to dig up the main plate to raise some material. Depending on where the raised metal is, you can either raise or lower the pivot point on the balance cock.

Ckelly is right to be upset by this carnage as this type of shoddy work should not be done to a rolex. If the replacement staff was not meant for a 1520 then the balance wheel, roller table all could have been damaged.

Some rolex movements have adjustable 'pins' that the balance bridge sits on to ensure that endshake can be optimised.

 

Anil

[oldhippy]

anilv is correct on this, briefly it's done by what I can only describe as bodgers who know very little to take up or add end shake depends where the scoring has been made.

[HorologicalHobby]

Normally if you cannot get a balance to fit, either because an exact fitting balance is not available, or some other valid reason, there are ways to adjust the endshake that is less bodge like. The best way, but also the most difficult, and permanent, is to round/flatten the pivots to make the balance staff shorter; obviously this only increases endshake. You can also use a thin metal shim, often of thin brass, on the front or back of the balance cock, to decrease or increase the endshake respectively.

What you see here is a bodge job, I've seen it done with 2 small tacks raised by a sharp graver, that is still a bodge, but is hardly noticeable.

[RyMoeller]

Gee, and I've been fashioning spudgers from nylon just to keep from marking up the plate when removing the balance cock; it never occurred to me someone would actually do that on purpose.  I understand the rational but for the watchmaker it must feel a bit like selling your soul to the devil.  Sad it had to happen to a Rolex too- the movement is beautiful.

[jdm]

Maybe soul to devil but it made the difference between the watch running and fixed for a reasonable cost, and both repairman and customer left dry and disappointed. I do not see anything wrong with that, it's not even visible, 

[Geo]

10 hours ago, jdm said:

I do not see anything wrong with that, it's not even visible, 

I'm stuck for words!

[CKelly]

Hi,

  I see Frenchie questioned my term of flea bites. Good thing I didn't use the other term used of chigger bites. By the way a chigger is a small insect that likes to burrow under your skin and itches like crazy. I'm from the southern US and we can speak a slowly and colorfully at times.

     I was initially asked to check the watch out and repair a badly worn band. When I put the watch on my timegraph it was reading all over the place. Beat error kept changing. I contacted the owner and told him that watch needed servicing badly and he said to fix it and that it had been set up by someone so he could wear it on his right arm. Now I have sent him pictures of what I found just so he will be aware. Yes watch ran but I have to be concerned with my reputation. This is the second Rolex I have repaired for this family. What if several years from now someone else worked on the watch and shows the owner the damage saying, "look at what the last guy who worked on this watch did"? The owner of this watch has a great attachment to it and wears it a lot, the spring bars are so worn that the tube is worn so badly you can see the internal springs, the piece that attached to the clasp is so badly worn that it won't stay closed. His father gave it to him when he graduated high school. Yes when we close the back on a watch the customer may never know what kind of job we did but I think we owe it to him or her to do the best job possible and to take in consideration that the watch may need to be repaired again later. What if years from now he needs a new balance staff but the proper one doesn't fit because of the damaged mainplate? That's just my two cents for what it's worth. 

Charles K 

[CKelly]

Hi,

  By the way I mentioned how worn some parts on this watch are and thought some of you might like to see what the spring bars on a well loved and worn Rolex that hasn't been serviced in a while look like.