Omega 1010, low amplitude

[mikepilk]

I've just finished cleaning an Omega 1010 and I'm only gettting about 230° amplitude. 

This is the second 1010 in my collection, and with the first one, I only got about the same amplitude.

For lubrication I used :

9010 on the balance,escape wheel and fourth wheel,

9415 on the pallet jewels, 

D5 on the rest of the gear train (including the centre second pinion).

The spring looks good. All the jewels and pivots looked OK under a x10 Loupe.

Is anyone familiar with this movement and know what I've done wrong or what I should be looking for ? 

I plan to have a  look at the jewels/pivots under the microscope - should have done it initially !

 

[RyMoeller]

Well the most obvious culprit would would be a played out mainspring, otherwise it sounds like you're looking in the right places.  I'm not sure if you have already but you might want to let it run for a bit- I usually give it twenty-four hours after assembly to let the oil settle/distribute before looking for an accurate reading on amplitude.  Then I'd check the following:

1. Cleaned and properly lubricated jewels & bushings
2. Bent or lopsided pivots
3. Worn bushings, broken or cracked jewel settings
4. End shake on all wheels

With Incabloc protection you'll also want to make sure the top and bottom cap jewels on the balance haven't been swapped- they aren't always the same thickness.

Edited January 17, 2017 by RyMoeller
Spelling

[rodabod]

+1 on giving it time to settle in. I serviced a 552 recently which only achieved 220 degrees amplitude. This rose to 290 degrees a day later. 

[mikepilk]

I did leave it 24hours before checking. 

I'm wondering if I've been a bit too liberal with the oil. 

Can too much oil (it's not sloshing around!) have so much effect?

[jdm]

D5 is kinda thick, not to mention is natural oil with a shorter life, synthetic would be better. I would use 9010 on everything that moves from the mainspring. That made a difference for me. Anyway, even 230' is plenty for the mov.t to run strong and accurate. And you also have to look at the overall pattern.

Edited January 18, 2017 by jdm

[rodabod]

Over-oiling the pallets can reduce amplitude. I presume by spoiling the impulse.

If you have a timegrapher, how was the amplitude in vertical positions such as pendant down and pendant left?

You can live with lower amplitude as long as the escapment is well poised. If it isn't, then you'll get progressively worse positional variation as the watch winds down which could become problematic.

[clockboy]

An amplitude of 230 is really not bad and the watch will run fine. Over-oiling the pallets could be an issue but I would let it run for a week or two to see how the watch performs. 

[RyMoeller]

6 hours ago, mikepilk said:

Can too much oil (it's not sloshing around!) have so much effect?

Yes, a liberal application of oil will have an effect on amplitude.  As @clockboy stated though, in my book 230 would be acceptable- especially if I felt I may have gone a little heavy on the oil.

Edited January 18, 2017 by RyMoeller

[mikepilk]

I can live with the 230 - the watch will only get the occasional outing.

I was more interested as to why.

I've spotted one problem. The auto mechanism isn't jewelled and one of the pivot holes is oval. I can see the pivot waggling round if I manually wind it. 

Are the brass bearings machined in, or pressed in replaceable parts ?

[rogart63]

Bearings on trainwheel bridges are often a culprit for low amp? At least on Seiko. Think the Omega 1010 is about the same construction with the bushing directly in the brass . Check for excessive movement in the barrel?   

Edited January 18, 2017 by rogart63