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The ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Found

by J.Edwards

Comments (7)
June 1, 2010 – 9:44 am

Even the best watchmakers spend time on their hands and knees looking for that elusive lost part. Its inevitable. The average mechanical watch contains 100+ parts and we deal with dozens of them a week. Over the course of a year, we handle hundreds of thousands of parts that are often fractions of a millimetre thin. Any watchmaker who has spent any appreciable amount of time at the bench can sympathize with what it’s like to have a spring ricochet out of its intended destination or to have a small part unintentionally fly from between the tips of your tweezers. If you’re lucky, and if you’ve taken the initiative to keep your bench clean and free of clutter, the part can sometimes be relocated in a matter of seconds. If you’re not so lucky, that part may find its way onto the floor and a little bit of sweeping or several minutes of crawling around on your hands and knees may be in order before it’s retrieved. On that very rare occasion, however, no matter how hard or how long you search for it, a part seems to vanish into thin air.

I have posted before about accidentally rolling over a part with my chair but, up until just recently, I have never taken the initiative to check the wheels of my chair to find that freckle sized screw or other small part that mysteriously vanishes. A short while back I made the transition from working in a factory service center to joining forces with another watchmaker working on the frontlines at a well respected jewellery store. chairwheels As part of the move, we expanded the watch service area and installed new flooring. Before moving our task chairs back into the new space, we took a few moments to thoroughly clean the wheels of the chairs to keep the dust at bay and to preserve the fresh sheen of our new floor. Little did we expect to find so many once-vanished watch parts! The wheels were littered with screws, oscillating mass axles, and other small parts. We had unwittingly stumbled upon the elusive ‘Bermuda triangle’ of watch parts.

So, the next time you lose a part and just can’t seem to find it, take a moment to turn your chair over and give the wheels a once-over. You never know what you may find.

By J.Edwards | Posted in watchmaking | Comments (7)

Omega Co-axial Training

by J.Peter

Comments (10)
May 3, 2010 – 9:10 pm

The long awaited details from my Co-Axial training at Omega, USA.

co-axial5First things first, if you haven’t taken the time to look at a Omega’s (Geo. Daniel’s) Co-axial escapement you are in for a treat. The principles of servicing the swiss lever escapement do not apply to the co-axial escapement, don’t try and apply them.

To understand the co-axial escapement we should check out a model: For the best watch related animated models on the internet always check out clockwatch.de. For this model we want a model of the George Daniels’ Extra Flat Co-Axial Escapement. The description of the escapement on the linked page is also very good. You might also check out the description at Alliance Horlogere or this one at Omega.

First, some theory. Then, the practical stuff.

If you take a look at the co-axial escapement you’ll notice its very different. First, it has 3 jewels on the pallet fork and one on the balance wheel. In the swiss lever escapement each of the jewels on the pallet fork serve two roles. First, they receive the impulse from the escape wheel, second they lock the gear train until the balance returns to unlock it so it can receive the next impulse. — In the co-axial escapement these roles are separated. There are two jewels whose only function is to receive impulses and two jewels just to perform the locking action. This isn’t the big deal though! This seems to be a side effect of achieving what George Daniels set out to do.

In the Swiss Lever Escapement the impulse is delivered to the balance via the pallet fork by way of a sliding action where the escape wheel slides across the impulse face of the jewel. The escape wheel tooth moves the direction of its force being applied tangential to it’s circumference, but the pallet fork moves away almost at a right angle to this force, making it about the least efficient transmission of force possible.

In the coaxial escapement the impulse is delivered from the coaxial wheel to the pallet fork in a radial fashion. As the impulse is delivered to the impulse jewel, it moves in the same direction, receiving almost all of the energy and with very little sliding action. In the opposite direction the impulse is received directly by the impulse jewel attached to the balance.

Because there is no sliding action in the coaxial escapement there is no need for lubrication. Because there is no lubrication to break down the timekeeping will be more consistent over the service interval - which Omega claims is longer due to the use of synthetic oils, and their absence in the escapement.

Now, the practical information: Please take note, what I am about to tell you is not sufficient information to get you started servicing coaxial movements. This information is intended to help you see that there are in fact some real reasons why hands-on training would be a wise investment before tackling these watches.

First, The “oil-free” coaxial escapement has a little oil on it. Yes, I know, what about what I said above. The impulse jewels are left dry, there is no need for the oil there. The locking jewels have a very, very, very small amount of oil on them to help cushion the locking action. (To gauge the proper quantity of oil, it is applied under 50 power magnification.) This oil acts, not as a lubricant, but as a cushion to absorb part of the shock from the locking action. Leaving this oil off does not affect the timekeeping of the watch, but it will likely result in damage to the upper coaxial wheel teeth over time. . . . But Geo. Daniels didn’t put any oil on his movements? The coaxial wheels in his watches are made from a Gold alloy which is softer (and springier?) than the steel used by Omega. This material choice serves to absorb the extra shock without the need of a “hydraulic cushion.”

Second, didn’t Omega have issues with the first coaxial movements? Yes, they did. The 2500A had some critical problems, which have been resolved. The tolerances are so tight on these watches that the slightest shift in the escapement will result in the watch coming to a stop. The 2500A allowed the pallet fork to shift slightly when it received a shock. Because of this many of the 2500A movements were replaced with “B” movements making the “A” series all that more collectible. The “B” movement has a sturdier pallet bridge (among other changes). In their most recent caliber Omega has implemented a new shock system which limits side to side movement of the balance wheel when it receives shocks. Because one of the impulse jewels is on the balance a shift at the wrong moment will allow the coaxial wheel to pass by the impulse jewel without delivering the impulse and causing the watch to stop. My opinion is that Omega has finally figured out how to make reliable coaxial movements, but they will continue to make improvements for many years to come.

Third, you may be able to time your coaxial watch on a conventional timing machine but the amplitude readings will probably be wrong. Modern timing machines from Witschi have special programs for coaxial escapements. Calibers which operate at 28,800 bph will correctly display their timing, even on an old Vibrograph B200, but amplitude numbers will be incorrect, even if you set the appropriate lift angle (30 or 38 degrees depending on the caliber.) Newer, 25,200 bph calibers are more difficult to time because older timing machines do not have a setting for this frequency. My Witschi Professional will allow me to adjust the rate to any frequency, but it takes about 15 minutes to cycle up to 25,200 from 19,800 or down from 28,800 (the nearest frequencies.) My New Tech Handy II (Quartz Tester) automatically recognizes the frequency, but it doesn’t have an adjustable microphone so it is difficult to check different positions.

Fourth, Drop and Lock may be way different on the entry stone, than they are on the exit stone. This is fine. Drop may be very shallow, this is fine. The tolerances are so tight that rather than adjust stones that don’t lock correctly, or which have been knocked loose, you should replace the fork.

Fifth, IMPORTANT! do not reverse the travel of the balance wheel until all the actions of the escapement have taken place. Unlike with the swiss lever escapement if you reverse the direction of travel of the balance in the middle of the escapement action you WILL DAMAGE the pallet stones.

Sixth, if you have a modern timing machine which accommodates the coaxial escapement the amplitude can be very low on newer 25,200 bph models. Check the Omega technical information for acceptable ranges.

De Ville Hour VisionSo, where do I find the coaxial escapement? Omega is putting it in a lot of watches these days. The have developed their calibers 2500A, B, and C -all based on the ETA 2892. It is in caliber 2627 and 2628 and their chronograph caliber 3313. They have installed in a Valjoux 7750 in an Olympic edition model introduced at Beijing (Omega caliber 3888). It is in the new double barrel calibers 8500 for men’s 8520 for ladies and 8601 with annual calendar. I believe it was also placed in a tourbillon (but I might be wrong about this one).

My overall impressions. They’ve finally figured out how to mass-produce the coaxial escapement and it offers some minor improvements over the swiss lever escapement, but nothing drastic. As a watchmaker, it is very interesting to work on, and it boggles my mind how somebody could develop this from an idea in their head. Don’t be looking for a J.Peter escapement any time soon.

By J.Peter | Posted in Omega, watches, watchmaking | Comments (10)

Return from Swatch

by J.Peter

Comments (0)
April 16, 2010 – 2:59 pm

Well those of you who follow me on facebook know that I spent this past week at Swatch Group USA. It was 4 fabulous days acquiring new knowledge. I’ll share all that in more depth as I recover from my cross country voyage and time in the Big Apple. Here is just a quick overview tapped out from my iPod Touch. I tackled the Omega 2500 in it’s three iterations, my first introduction to the co-axial escapement. I took a trip through the 3313, automatic chronographs with co-axial escapement. I also learned the proper handling of Tissot T-Touch movements and cases.

In addition I got to look at, but not disassemble Omega’s caliber 8500 which is a beautiful movement and I got to paw

By J.Peter | Posted in watchmaking | Comments (0)

Duality

by J.Edwards

Comments (3)
March 28, 2010 – 9:47 pm

I had the good pleasure of dining with a fellow watchmaker tonight and, as one might expect, much of our conversation over the evening centered around watches. Those we admired. Those we had fixed. Difficult clients we have had. Our dream watch. That sort of thing. Later on into the evening, while flipping through Guido Mocafico’s Movement, my friend’s face lit up when we happened upon an image of F.P. Journe’s ‘Chronometre A Resonance’ - a watch movement with two balance wheels. At first, I thought that he was intrigued by the purpose of the mechanism and its immaculate execution, but that wasn’t it. I could tell he was digging for something, at the back of his mind. A name. He had worked on a piece like this before, but it wasn’t Journe’s. He was thinking of something even more immaculate. “Dufour,” he said, “Philippe Dufour! That was it.”

I almost fell off my chair.

He had serviced Philippe Dufour’s ‘Duality’ several years ago for a very selective client. I don’t ever expect to have the pleasure of servicing a Dufour timepiece in my lifetime, but if the day ever comes, I will greet it with open arms. Dufour is one of the most respected and revered independent watchmakers alive today. I know from pictures that the level of fit and finish of his watches is unparalleled. My friend assured me, it’s true. “They’re perfect,” he told me, “They look like they’re made by a machine, but you know that no machine could ever have made them so perfectly.” Working on the Duality was ethereal.

I can only imagine.

If you have never heard of Philippe Dufour before, I encourage you to get acquainted. Timepiece, a short film by UK-based Animal Monday, is well worth watching and Elizabeth Doerr’s recently published book, Twelve Faces of Time, both offer a unique and intimate look into his life and work. Another excellent book that offers some more insight into Dufour’s work is Michael Clerizo’s Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking, which we have profiled previously here on the blog.

By J.Edwards | Posted in watchmaking | Comments (3)

Careful of that winding stem

by J.Peter

Comments (1)
March 9, 2010 – 8:44 pm

I was servicing a vintage Rolex this week when the most peculiar thing happened. I had cleaned and oiled everything and I was making adjustments to the timing. One minute it had a healthy amplitude around 270 degrees but was gaining about 15 seconds a day. I took it off the timing machine adjusted the timing screws and when I put it back on the timing machine it had an amplitude of about 230 degrees.

First, I looked for some lint on the balance or hairspring, or anything else I may have contaminated it with, but nothing. I removed the balance to examine the pivots: good. What could it be? I actually set it aside and went to lunch. When I came back the problem became apparent. I had pulled out the stem, out of habit (because with hacking movements it will stop the balance, which is useful for adjusting the timing nuts/screws, but I didn’t push it back in. This can be a problem because now, the mainspring is turning all the gears in the going train and the motion works, the escapement and the balance, but also the setting wheel, the sliding pinion and the stem & crown. As it turns out these parts don’t turn very efficiently in most watches and this will cause a great drag on the movement.

Moral of the story: if you notice a large drop in amplitude, you just might make sure the setting train isn’t engaged before worrying about any damage you may have caused or problem you may have overlooked. This is a very common problem when working on vintage pocket watches, by the way, not so much with modern wristwatches, because most of them have hack levers.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

By J.Peter | Posted in watchmaking | Comments (1)

Illustrated Professional Dictionary of Horology

by J.Peter

Comments (1)
March 2, 2010 – 10:34 am

As I was going through my RSS reader yesterday evening I noticed a post by the FHS announcing the online publishing of the Illustrated Professional Dictionary of Horology. Those of you who frequent the blog’s web page will see it has been added to the links column on the right side of the page. There are lots of great links there and I encourage you to check them out. On the other hand, if you never visit the web page, like me, here is the link to the dictionary. If you are looking for a nice well illustrated entry you might just check out “escapement.” The dictionary is also useful for translating horological terms as it is available in 4 languages with links on the right hand side between them.

Illustrated Professional Dictionary of Horology

By J.Peter | Posted in watchmaking | Comments (1)

Stephen Forsey on Tourbillons

by J.Edwards

Comments (6)
February 28, 2010 – 8:04 pm

Greubel-Forsey Quadruple TourbillonThose of our readers who are well versed in the technical extremes of watchmaking, have likely already noticed that the new masthead we added to the blog a few months ago shows off the tourbillon assembly of a pocket watch (and I bet that those of you who are really astute can even tell me what brand of watch it’s from based on the style of balance wheel).

One of the world’s foremost authorities on tourbillons, the venerable watchmaker, Stephen Forsey, was interviewed this past week, on the subject of tourbillons, on Swiss radio station, WRS. Stephen Forsey is the forbearer of the Forsey in Greubel-Forsey, a firm that has made a name for itself in the small but highly competitive world of precision tourbillons. In a day and age when any brand with access to a CNC machine thinks they can play “me-too” and pump out a tourbillon for its glitz and glam, it is refreshing to hear someone who has worked with this complication with its primary purpose in mind and refined it to the nth degree.

You can check out the full radio interview here.

For more information, and beautiful imagery, of Stephen Forsey and Robert Greubel’s work, I highly recommend Michael Clerizo’s Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking and Guido Mocafico’s Movement, which we have written about previously here on the blog.

By J.Edwards | Posted in watchmaking | Comments (6)

The Olympic Timekeeper

by J.Peter

Comments (10)
February 15, 2010 – 9:28 pm

Normally, I’m a Rolex guy. My schooling was paid for by Rolex, I service them day in and day out, and as of this Christmas I wear one on my wrist. My personal opinion is that they are among the most robust and well-built watch among all the high-end mechanical timepieces on the market.

During the Olympics, however its hard not to be an Omega fan. First, I cheer for the United States, Second I cheer for fine watches (Omega). For the 24th time, Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games.

My first exposure to mechanical timepieces was an old stopwatch that my father stored in his office desk. As a young child, I would pick it up, wind it, and time all kinds of stuff. I didn’t have any idea that mechanical timepieces would be my future, but I clearly was drawn to this machine which was powered by my own energy which I could store in a spring. — Later on, one of my first watches was an Omega pocketwatch which I acquired in Peru. It bears these lovely images of all the medals Omega had earned over the years.

At the Olympics, Omega’s timing capabilities are unparalleled. They are the only firm in the world capable of providing the equipment to time all the olympic events, keep track of scores, and communicate them to the public and the media. The only time in my life where I can think that the timing results were questioned was Michael Phelps in the pool two years ago in Beijing, and even that wasn’t serious. Their systems are amazing and accurate.

This spring I will be heading to Omega’s training facility for their Co-Axial Escapement course and you bet I’ll let you know all about it.

By J.Peter | Posted in watches | Comments (10)

Watch Service

by J.Peter

Comments (3)
February 11, 2010 – 8:53 pm

I read a fantastic post on watchprosite about watch servicing, oil degradation, and damage caused to parts in watches. It is two years old, but I was fascinated and you all may want to check it out.

By J.Peter | Posted in watches, watchmaking | Comments (3)

Keep that Watch Clean

by J.Peter

Comments (6)
February 9, 2010 – 8:24 pm

I keep coming back to this topic, because it is one that I see nearly every day. You should really keep your watches clean. Besides, the fact that a watch full of body cheese is disgusting, it also causes your watch bracelet to wear out prematurely (I touched on this in A clean watch lasts forever and Tribology). A well made watch bracelet should provide you with many, many years of use. A Rolex bracelet, for example, should really provide you with 30 years of use if you keep it clean and wear it tight to the wrist.

We tend to rate watch bracelets by how much life is still in them. A new bracelet is 100%, a bracelet ready to fall apart and break is 0-10%. A ten year old bracelet should be at about 70% or so under normal use. A co-worker of mine showed me her Rolex yesterday, it is 7 years old and I would rate it at 85%. She takes good care of her watch.

Lets look at a brand new bracelet:100BracleetThis watch, however, which I looked at yesterday is only 10 years old and the bracelet is more like 30-40%:40Bracelet
I’ll spare you the pictures of the body cheese that was packed inside the bracelet, but pretty much their was no open spaces at all. All that dirt and grime is just wearing away the steel and causing this bracelet to wear out prematurely. Keep your watches clean!

By J.Peter | Posted in Rolex, watches, watchmaking | Comments (6)