Tags: Don Pettit, horology, ISS, omega, speedmaster, watches, watchmaking, X-33
Comments (0)I have to get me one of those gravity free benches. Do you think I could get some trade accounts if I set up shop on the International Space Station? It would appear to result in less Floorology.
Tags: truing calipers, Tuesday Tools, watches, watchmaking
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Truing calipers are used to help make a wheel turn true. Occasionally you find a bent wheel in a watch. The truing caliper will help you see how far out of true it is, locate the low (or high) spot and make the correction to get it turning true again.
There are two main types of calipers. The set at the top are “lyre” style calipers and the two on the bottom are “figure 8″ calipers. The lyre calipers are specifically designed for balance wheels. The guage which comes out from the center can be used to see the wobble in the wheel and also to make the correction. Generally the other calipers are used for wheels with larger pivots. Some of them are jeweled and others are simply bushed. The nice thing about the lyre calipers is that it is easy to make and fit different tips for them. I made a set of tips with a large conical cup on the tip for center wheels because the center wheel pivot is usually larger than any of these calipers.
The Rolex calipers in the middle are held closed with hand tension and there is a set screw to set the maximum closed dimension so that the wheel has just enough endshake to spin freely without moving up and down. The bottom calipers are set with the thumb screw in the middle to a specific size and no tension needs to be applied with the hand. This would be useful if you needed both hands to perform an operation on the wheel. I can’t think why you would need to have both hands free.
To see the lyre calipers in action you can visit my post entitled How does this happen? Truing calipers are one of those tools (like poising tools) that you can pick up inexpensively on eBay or at a used tool shop. There seem to be plenty of them and they usually seem to be in good condition.
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Tags: watchmaking
Comments (1)Some days I love being a watchmaker and other days I don’t. Sometimes everything goes just right and I have a fun watch in front of me and I’m just delighted. Today wasn’t one of those days. Mondays are always kind of slow because I have to process the work taken in over the weekend. This usually means I start off my morning replacing watch batteries, performing water tests, and estimating repairs. Usually by the afternoon I can settle down and work on a repair. Today was especially slow because things just didn’t go my way. I had a couple of watches come back and I had to look over them to determine the reason. It’s a great learning opportunity but it is also somewhat stressful. It’s so hard to be perfect and that is what this profession demands.
Tags: watchmaking
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How long does it take your watchmaker to fix your watch? I recently had a surge in work and my turn around time shot up to 8 weeks. For me this was unacceptable. The ideal turn around time is about 3 weeks for a full service but 4 weeks is more realistic. In order to catch up and get customers their work back sooner I have been sending Rolexes out to Rolex’s Dallas Service Center (with customer permission, of course) for the last two months. I’m now back at a manageable work load and will start serviceing Rolexes in house again.
So, why is three weeks ideal. Well, two would be better, but it is unrealistic. First of all, after I do watch batteries, water tests, bracelet sizings, order parts, and fix the computers here at work I am able to get about one full servcie done per day. Upon completing the work I have a 4 day quality control and timing check. That adds up to 1 full week. Should I need to adjust the timing during the timing check I need to start over adding 2 to 3 days to the total amount of time. Sometimes, I have to order a part and wait for it, this will add at least 2 days to the repair. On top of all of this I need a buffer of work so I don’t sit around doing nothing and some wiggle room in case something goes wrong. So you can see why I need 3 weeks minimum. If I was doing only Rolexes and I had a steady flow of work I could rely on I could easily have a two week turn around time.
So, the quesiton remains, how long does your watchmaker take? I have known watchmakers who had backlogs of 8 months or more on vintage pieces. At some point you have to make a judgement call to keep your turn around time acceptable. If you haven’t found the part in 8 months you need to find the time to make it (if that’s what you do) or return the watch. If the watch is simply sitting there waiting to be worked on then you need to limit the number of jubs you do, either by outsourcing, raising prices, turning away work, or something more creative.
There you have it, my professional goal is currently at 3 week turn around times.
Tags: Tuesday Tools, watches, watchmaking
Comments (0)For some reason the poising tool is one of those watchmaker tools that you can find anywhere. There always seems to be one at every flea market, in every used tool store, and of course in every watchmaker’s shop. In fact, there are two in my shop. One is my personal poising tool, the other belongs to the store. A quick search one eBay yields 8 poising tools in good condition with bids starting as low as $6.99. Why can’t I find an escapement meter or heater at that price?
A well poised balance wheel is an essential element for a watch to tell accurate time. A poised balance wheel is one whose center of gravity exists at the center of the balance staff. If the center of gravity is not in the center of the balance wheel, gravity will affect the balance wheel differently when the watch is in different positions resulting in a larger variance of rates between the different positions. (See timing variations.)
There are two ways to “poise” a balance wheel. One is to remove the hairspring and statically poise the balance wheel. The second is to dynamically poise the balance wheel while it is installed in the watch based on timing results. When dynamically poising it is important to be sure that there are no other problems with the watch or you may end up with a balance wheel like the one I wrote about on Friday. There is a good article about this in the latest issue of the Watch & Jewelry Review.
The poising tool is used for static poising. First the poising tool has to be perfectly level and the ruby jaws need to be clean and static free. The balance with hairspring removed is placed on the jaws (like in the picture). The wheel is lightly rotated. If it turns freely and comes to a rest it has a heavy spot. If it can be stopped at any position around it’s circumference then it is properly poised. If it has a heavy spot a small amount of metal is removed from the underside of the rim of the balance wheel (or from the shoulder of the screws if it is screwed). The process is repeated until the balance is poised. If you remove too much material than you end up making more holes in the balance wheel and eventually you end up with swiss cheese so it is best to go slow.
Tags: balance wheel, poising, watches, watchmaking
Comments (2)
I guess this is related because a) it has to do with time and b) I experience it as a watchmaker. Customers are always coming in and they always seem to know exactly when they had their watch serviced last, or when we put the last battery in their watch. Thing is their perception of time is always off.
They say something like, “You just installed a battery in this watch about 6 months ago.” And then when I open the watch and remove the power cell I see that we installed it 3 years prior. They may also say it’s only been two years since my watch was serviced and now it has stopped. A quick review in the computer shows that it has been 7 or 8 years since we performed the service.
I like to believe people are honest and truly believe it has only been a short while since we last worked on their watches so I just assume they have no perception of the passage of time whatsoever. I’m a fine one to talk because I have a very poor memory, but I think I can usually tell if something was two years ago or 5 years ago.
I guess this is why we have watches and calendars. One shouldn’t rely on their memory - unless you are my grandpa, he has a tremendous memory!
Tags: quartz, retro-fit, watchmaking
Comments (1)To watchmakers and watch lovers the quartz retro-fit is an abomination. It is the act of removing a mechanical movement from a watch case and replacing it with a quartz movement. It can be sad to see it happen but here are some reasons why people want to do it:
I’ll make a case against retro-fitting watches. I haven’t had to do it in my professional career but I have had to replace/repair the quartz movement in many watches that had been previously retrofit.
The biggest problem with retro-fitting quartz watches is that the elements that damaged the mechanical movement will do even more damage to a quartz watch. Quartz watches rely on very small driving forces and the smallest fleck of dust will bring it to a grinding halt. Quartz watches are almost always put in water resistant cases because you need to keep out the dust. So called “dustproof” watch cases don’t actually keep out dust very well and when you put a quartz watch in the case it will need to be serviced (or replaced) very often (every 1 to 2 years.) Another problem is trying to find a quartz movement which has the same size hands as did the mechanical movement and whose stem position is the same. Often the case needs to be modified to allow the stem to be closer to the dial because the quartz movement is much thinner. The quartz movement is usually held in place by a plastic movement ring or by a two part epoxy rubber which fills the extra space in the case. The dial feet often don’t align so they need to be moved (or more often they are filed off and an adhesive is used to affix the dial.)
When a damaged mechanical movement is the reason a retro-fit is being considered I like to try and find another movement of the same caliber which is in better condition.
A quartz retrofit could be done in such a way as to avoid some of the problems. Here are the best steps when a retro-fit is unavoidable.
I have never followed all these steps but after much thought I think this is the best route for a durable quartz retro-fit. If you have any additional thoughts or ideas, feel free to comment.
Tags: balance wheel, poising, watches, watchmaking
Comments (8)I was going to write about Quartz Retrofits but than I came across this. The evil retrofit can wait for tomorrow. I knew this watch would be trouble when I saw the underside of the balance wheel.
I call this Swiss Cheese. The indentations at 2 o’clock are normal. Nearly every other hole has been enlarged to remove weight. I suspect that somebody replaced the balance staff at some point and didn’t have a clue what they were doing when it came time to poise the balance wheel.
Poising the balance wheel: The weight of the balance wheel needs to be evenly distributed so that the center of gravity exists along the axis of the balance staff. Imperfections in manufacturing, the shape of the rivet holding the staff, and the roller are all reasons why it may not be perfect. Upon changing the staff (and moving the roller and reforming the rivet) it is necessary to poise the balance wheel. Corrections are made by removing a small amount of material until the center of gravity is in the center. (More on this when I write about my poising tools). The key word here is a little. One little hole on the underside of the balance wheel will usually do it.
In this case I don’t know what happened. My guess: the balance wheel was not properly riveted and so the wheel was constantly shifting and the individual working on the watch kept drilling holes to try and compensate. Exhibit 1:
The balance wheel is wobbling so bad it is disgusting. I removed the wheel and put it in my truing calipers to fix the problem:
You can see how much difference there is between the gap on the left and the one on the right after rotating the wheel 180 degrees. Turns out the wheel wasn’t bent it is just really loose on the staff and tilted. I guess I’ll have to re-staff it and try poising it. Wish me luck it’s already pretty nasty.
Tags: 1601, 1602, Cellini, Prince, Rolex, watches, watchmaking
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Whenever someone begins to get interested in Cellini watches they seem to want to know what is inside of one. “Is it the same movement as a Submariner or a Datejust?” “Is it technically advanced?” etc. Sorry, but no it is not. Cellinis have their own movments totally different from Rolexes. For one they are manually wound watches, not automatics. Second they are dress watches so they have different standards. These movements are much thinner than their Rolex counterparts but they are still well made quality movements.
Some Cellinis have quartz movements. Rolex uses their own in house Quartz movement. It’s not the Oysterquartz, it is a more traditional quartz model, but very nicely finished and a reliable timekeeper. Other models like the Prince has a unique in house manual wind caliber made exclusively for that model. Many have the reliable Rolex Caliber 1602 inside. The 1602 is a very traditional manual wind movement reserved exclusively for Cellini models. It measures 20.8 mm in diameter and 2.55 millimeters thick. It operates at 21,600 bph, has 20 jewels, and a 46 hour power reserve. The balance is freesprung with a flat hairspring. The movement is a derivative of the 1600 caliber which Rolex designed in 1964. The 1600 was a 19,800 bph version with 19 jewels and a flat hairspring with regulator. The 1602 modifications took place in 1993. It is hard to compare the 1602 to the 3135 but it is a sturdy well built movement which has been proven through 44 years of use.
When I have searched for pictures of this caliber on line I have had very poor luck (although I found one tonight) so I am posting some pictures here of a Rolex 1601 in my grandfather in law’s Cellini. I am not an accomplished photographer, nor do I have great equipment so you will have to excuse the picture quality. You may notice the 1601 has a regulator but the newer 1602 is freesprung.
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Tags: Arbor Holder, Bergeon, Pin Vise, Slick, watchmaking
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One of the things about watches is they are tiny. When you need to hold a component firmly (more firmly than you can with tweezers) you often use a pin vise. The most common thing I use pin vises for is to hold a stem when I remove or install a crown, or for shortening the stem to the proper length. When holding a stem it is important to choose the right pin vise. Some people clamp on the square portion of the stem. This can be risky because it exposes a weak spot at the slot on the stem. I clamp on the hub with a round pin vise - if you use a square vise this will damage the hub leaving raised up pieces of metal called burrs which will act as a saw and destroy the mainplate.
I have several different sets of pin vises. The top set shown are Bergeon pin vises. The collets have a round internal shape and a round external shape. I really like the way they feel in the hand so they are my first choice for many jobs. Each vise has two sizes of collets - giving a wider range of sizes than my other sets. The set on the right has both round collets and sharp collets. The sharp collet gives better gripping power but can easily damage the work piece. The outside of the head is also square so this pin vise can be clamped in a regular vise or in a screw head polisher. This is great for cutting a slot in a screw of for filing flat the top of some round stock.
The vises at the left are Slick arbor holders. They have a round shape and are specifically designed for gripping barrel arbors. The important thing with the slicks is to use an arbor holder that is the right size, a holder too small will allow the corners to dig into the arbor and leave marks.
On the right are Rolex arbor holders. They have a square opening which matches exactly with the square portion of the barrel arbors. They also can be useful for gripping stems on the square (if you like to do that sort of thing.)
The picture above shows the different shapes of the pin vises. From left to right they are Bergeon Sharp, Bergeon Round, Bergeon Round, Rolex Arbor Holder, Slick Arbor Holder
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