Crown Is Unwinding The Watch

[newguy]

Hi all,

 

I bought a cheap watch for practice (so I dont really care what happens to it). It is (im guessing) some very cheap asian movement. I am having an issue with it and I dont know why. 

 

When I turn the crown, the movement starts running without any problems. Once I let off and let it run, the crown slowly starts to turn back and eventually the movement stops.

 

I have attached a picture so you can see the gears. Number 1 is where the stem meets the movement, and the force goes to 1-2-3-4. number 5 is turning when I hold the crown, but once it lets out, it stops running. Any ideas?

[mwilkes]

Sounds like not enough power being delivered through the train to the balance wheel (5). Could just be dirty, or the mainspring could be broken, or a whole host of other problems! Turning the crown just means you're giving it the torque it needs, i.e. forcing it :-)

Have fun!

[newguy]

A question about the mainspring barrel, are the fairly universal? If I don't know what type of movement it is, I can't purchase a replacement that is a direct fit. If I bought one for a 6497 or 2824, would it work? Or should I just buy the mainspring itself and just keep the same barrel?

[Geo]

If the crown is unwinding i.e. reversing when you release it, it sounds like it could be a problem with the click. A functioning click should prevent the stem and crown from being driven backwards.

[newguy]

I have pulled off the click mechanism and the spring is broken. I have a spare 6497 here, but the click is larger on that. Are there different sizes for the click spring? Should I just pull that until the new one arrives (when I order it)?

[Geo]

That's good that you've found the problem.

There are are many different shapes and styles of clicks. If you have a one that is near enough and are able to reshape it to allow reliable function then do it. Failing that if you know the make and calibre, you should be able to buy one from:-

https://www.cousinsuk.com/

[WillFly]

That's a classic click failure symptom - an unravelling mainspring! I've had two watches over the years with that problem. One was completely blown, the other was partially failing, so it was a wind or two - and then you had to catch the winder before it unravelled. In both cases, I sold the watches (they were very old) rather than hunt around for a click spring. But if your movement's reasonably modern, then - as Geo says - Cousins should be the answer.

[Jbeck]

When you find or sort out the click spring issue you may want to do a full service. If the Crown/ stem releases slowly without the click spring it indicates being dirty and gummy. Normally the stem would zip down very quickly when spring pressure is being released.

[newguy]

I was told that it was serviced in the past 12 months. I dont have all the tools and oils to do a full service, and the watch isnt worth me doing it anyways. It was a cheap watch that I just like enough to fix, but now to do a full service on. If it were a better movement, I would do it.

[Mark]

I was told that it was serviced in the past 12 months. I dont have all the tools and oils to do a full service, and the watch isnt worth me doing it anyways. It was a cheap watch that I just like enough to fix, but now to do a full service on. If it were a better movement, I would do it.

Some silicon grease on the crown 'o' ring is needed i would wager

And as mentioned, if you have a bunch of assorted click springs then you will surely find one to be modified to fit. They are quite pliable.

Or use click spring wire. Do they still sell click spring wire?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[newguy]

Thank you for all your help (everyone). I have found another spare watch in my pile that had the same movement and luckily the click spring was intact on that one. Once I replaced the click spring (and cleaned off the stem), the watch now works again. I dont think that the watch is really worth servicing, but when I get to the UK, I will buy some oils from cousins and then I will start to work on them when I get back home.

[Geo]

It's very satisfying when you get to the bottom of a problem and come up with a solution. Well Done!