Regulating A Watch

[matabog]

Hello all!

When regulating and adjusting a watch we have to close the regulating pins as much as possible around the hairspring, leaving a minimal space between them and it when the balance is in the neutral position (neutral position being achieved only by taking out the anker/pallets).

 

My question:

After making all the settings on the regulator (for timing) and the end-stud (for beat error) why couldn't we close the regulating pins all the way around the hairspring? Why do we have to leave a small space on the left and right of the hairspring (if we add up these two spaces we have to get no more then the hairspring thickness or less then that).

 

 

Could anyone provide more details on the phenomenon behind this thing? Maybe even a mathematical/physical explanation?

 

 

Thank you!

Bogdan

[matabog]

Seriously? Nobody? No ideas?

[matabog]

Oh, come on! There has to be a mathematical model of the physical phenomenon! 

 

Even a scan will do, or the book title :)

 

 

Thank you!

Bogdan

[emso]

Ideally the space between the hairspring and the regulating pins should be as much as another hairspring thicknes.

Less than that or more than that will lead to difference between horizontal and vertical positions rates which is bad as it leads to less accurate watch

br

emso

p.s: sent from my s****y phone so sorry for typing mistakes :-)

[Geo]

Excellent info esmo, that's something else for me to file away.

[emso]

Also i forgot to mention that the distance between the regulating pins should be the same at the whole length of the pins.

If not you wont have stable rate when the watch changes positions

br

emso

p.s: sent from my s****y phone so sorry for typing mistakes :-)

[Geo]

Thanks again esmo!

[emso]

And one of the best tutorial i have found on the matter(sorry if i broke the rules by posting link from another forum)

http://www.timekeeperforum.com/forum/threads/adjustment-and-regulation.21105/

And a good read is also archers blog:

http://archerwatches.wordpress.com/page/2/

br

emso

p.s: sent from my s****y phone so sorry for typing mistakes :-)

[bobm12]

That's good stuff emso, thank you for the explanation.

[matabog]

:) Thank you for the explanation and the links. I had already read the first one.

I'm still curious about the physical explanation. Rolex doesn't have a regulator, they regulate the watch by modifying the inertia of the balance by modifying the screws on it. So why can't we close the regulator pins all the way? (after we set the correct position)

... And I think the answer is that there is no practical way of doing that because the hairspring will still slip through the pins...or, i don't know, gluing the hairspring to the regulator - this of course would mean not to move the regulator pins again...

I would like to post a link in which the phenomenon is explained a little, but I would like more then that :)

http://raulhorology.com/2012/12/the-mark-of-a-true-watchmaker-forming-hairsprings-part-4-pinning-to-the-stud-final-adjustments/

 

if the link doesn't work try searching on that site for "pinning to the stud & final adjustments"

Edited August 1, 2014 by matabog

[Mark]

I would recommend "practical watch adjusting" by de'carle and also "watches adjustment and repair" by Camm (quite rare but an excellent resource)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bobm12]

Thank you for the suggestion Mark, I'm always looking for good books and although I have the first one, I didn't know about the second one. I was able to locate it here.