CONDITION & WINDING ISSUE~EXPERIENCED OPINONS NEEDED

[jordachex]

So here you see an 1890 ELGIN GOLD PLATED FULL HUNTING POCKET WATCH Grade: 82 G.M. Wheeler. Problably gold plated (as there is no K mark). Needs a bevel and crystal. Some wear to the base metal on the crown. Otherwise decent condition. BUT trouble is, you wind it,,,give the hair wheel a little push with your finger, and it runs fine for about 5 hours...then stops, and the wind and jump start cycle needs to be repeated. I am thinking that the main spring can't be broken...may possibly be weak...but start with cleaning and oiling? Or worse...a worn main spring that would need to be replaced? Your oppinions please? And in terms of cleaning and oiling...does the movement have to be taken apart? And what type of oil? I would like to fix this watch if it's worth it...as in this present condition...it's problably only worth about $75.00.

[Marc]

I would suggest that the starting point for this should be a full movement service. The trouble is that the symptoms you describe can result from anything that can sap energy from the system from bent pivots to cracked jewels to dried or gummy oil to dust in the movement, and yes a tired main spring, or indeed all of the above.

A full movement service requires that the movement is fully stripped down, cleaned, inspected and any damaged or excessively worn parts repaired or replaced, and then reassembled with fresh lubrication and adjustment along the way. There is very rarely any short cut or quick fix.

I'm guessing from your post that this is not something that you have a lot of experience with; my apologies if my assumption is incorrect, no offence intended. It could well cost more than your estimate of the watch value to have someone else do the work for you but if you are looking to learn how to do the work yourself then you have come to the right place. You are still going to need to spend a bit of money though as you will need (at the very least) appropriate screw drivers, tweezers, movement holder, cleaning materials,oil, and magnification, and I'm sure that others will add to the list. If this is the only watch that you're likely to work on then it may be better to have the work done for you, however if you're interested in pursuing the hobby then the cost of tools can be quite reasonable.

I would strongly recommend though that you start with a couple of cheaper, lower grade movements to get the hang of handling the very small parts and to gain an understanding of how things work and how to tackle the servicing as it will make working on this watch much more enjoyable and much more likely to be successful.

[jordachex]

Yes thank you Marc for excellent advice. Now I have to research a little bit on tools and materials starting with the basics. And basically..I'm about here: