Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

I recently purchased a 21 Jewel Slim 12S Elgin Pocket Watch. Got it for 35 bucks US from Israel (eBay) . Thought it was a great deal until I received it and noticed the balance was really loose. The top balance jewel was completely gone and it's cap jewel was also gone. It looked like they had been shattered. So I started the process of replacing both these jewels within their existing settings. This would require my to have to open up the casing where the jewel sits to prepare it to receive the new jewel.

Below is a picture of the movement.

29e68c1d370c759150ff1d9b067641e9.jpg

First I widened the jewel setting with my vintage anti-burnishing tool.5e4dcbfeab3812f7526a91eb9c047a5f.jpg87df95bd9e854a32fceba204e65fb20e.jpg

Next, I place the setting in with a bunch of jewels to get a size fit.25b98f5c4ef173c516aa50951f410f5f.jpgdc297c8afecf8b15ebffd286c87a3e19.jpgThen I did a fit test on the pivot to make sure it fit and the shake was oka0e936c2842abdbec842bd934c6af4e0.jpgOnce I got the fit right, I burnished the jewel into the settingeaf1482e34d4beb03a02ecdf412e3a78.jpgi found that the sticky side of duct tape was good for keeping the jewel steady as I burnished it back into the setting.9ea00c1ff42abe025f0f10ca5339dd8b.jpgI then repeated the process with the cap jewel. Once I found the right size, I burnished in the cap jewel and then put a small drop of oil on the upper jewel hole and place the cap jewel in its setting on top of the balance jewel and screwed it back in place.b63a46859a0a549e4a1e037d2ce2346c.jpg

I then reassembled the balance and tried to get GT watch running. No luck. Took out the balance and removed the lower balance jewel and its cap, both in their settings. I noticed that the jewel was cracked in there places61f13eaa58fe2c186b437095a8b41ebb.jpgUsing my Seitz Jeweling set, I punched the jewel out of the setting, cleaned up the setting and then opened up the setting to receive a new jewel.6f83e9dadd542895a5764dcefe6db579.jpgTook a while but I found a good fit with a good size hole and burnished it into the setting. Following that, I reassembled the jewel with setting into the lower plate and replace the cap and screws. cf0a05fd1210025ffe435ab770d9f2a6.jpgI then assembled the balance cock with balance and IT Worked. The balance started to rotate and the watch was again alive.

So the job was not easy but I was able to replace both upper and lower jewels and reuse the old settings. Hard work but worth the effort.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  • Like 1
Posted

The huge advantage of reusing the settings is avoiding the cost of a new setting with jewel. I have done this a number of times and am getting better. Make sure you see Mark's video on replacing rubbed in jewels, as these balance jewels are rubbed into the settings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • it would be nice to have the exact model of the watch the or a picture so we can see exactly what you're talking about. this is because the definition of Swiss watch could be a variety of things and it be helpful if we could see exactly the watch your dealing with then in professional watch repair at least some professionals they do pre-cleaned watches. In other words the hands and dial come off and the entire movement assembled goes through a cleaning machine sometimes I think a shorter bath perhaps so everything is nice and clean for disassembly makes it easier to look for problems. Then other professionals don't like pre-cleaning because it basically obliterates the scene of the crime. Especially when dealing with vintage watches where you're looking for metal filings and problems that may visually go away with cleaning. Then usually super sticky lubrication isn't really a problem for disassembly and typically shouldn't be a problem on a pallet fork bridge because there shouldn't be any lubrication on the bridge at all as you typically do not oil the pallet fork pivots.  
    • A few things you should find out before you can mske a decision of what to do. As Richard said, what is the crown and all of the crown components made of . Then also the stem .  The crown looks to have a steel washer that retains a gasket. So be careful with what chemicals you use to dissolve any stem adhesives or the use of heat. You might swell or melt the gasket unless you are prepared to change that also . The steel washer maybe reactive to alum. Something I've just used to dissolve a broken screw from a plate. First drilled out the centre of the screw with a 0.5mm carbide . Dipped only the section that held the broken screw in Rustins rust remover. This is 40 % phosphoric acid. 3 days and the screw remains were completely dissolved, no trace of steel in the brass threads. A black puddle left in the solution.
    • I suppose this will add to the confusion I have a roller jewel assortment. It lists out American pocket watches for Elgin 18 size and even 16 size it's a 50. But not all the various companies used 50-50 does seem to be common one company had a 51 and the smallest is 43. American parts are always interesting? Francis Elgin for mainsprings will tell you the thickness of the spring other companies will not even though the spring for the same number could come in a variety of thicknesses. But if we actually had the model number of your watch we would find it probably makes a reference that the roller jewel came in different dimensions. So overlook the parts book we find that? So it appears to be 18 and 16 size would be the same sort of the arson different catalog numbers and as I said we don't have your Mongol know which Log number were supposed to be using. Variety of materials garnered her sapphire single or double but zero mention about diameters. Then in a section of rollers in this case rollers with jewels we do get this down in the notes section Roller specifications but of course zero reference to the jewel size. I was really hoping the roller jewel assortment would give us sizes it doesn't really. But it does show a picture of how one particular roller jewel gauge is used  
    • Seems to still do it through my mobile data, I use an android phone almost exclusively, but I'll double check it. Thanks mark Strange, I'll try my laptop that utilities edge. I've been on site half hour since I got home, it hasn't done it yet. Thanks John
    • At work, I'm on MS Edge, not through chose, on my phone, chrome, no issues with either. 
×
×
  • Create New...