When Amplitude Attacks: Diagnosing and Dealing with Knocking
Amplitude is the watch adjuster’s friend: we want amplitude of at least 270 degrees in the horizontal positions and 220 in the vertical ones. If we don’t have that, the… Read more »
Monthly Archives: March 2016
Undercutting Balance Screws
We have a few ways to remove weight from balance screws, and one of the best is undercutting, which removes a clean ring of weight from the flat bottom of… Read more »
Dial Up, Dial Down: Cleaning Balance Staff Pivots
When adjusting, the first positions we tackle are the horizontal ones: dial up (DU) and dial down (DD). For many watches, getting DU and DD to agree is most of… Read more »
Adjusting a 1922 Illinois 405 12s Pocket Watch to 6 Positions
Most collectors seem to have a favorite company, and my favorite pocket watches were made by Illinois. For irrational reasons, I like the 12 and 16 size Illinois watches more… Read more »
Adjusting Tools: The Timing Machine
Collectors of vintage watches tend to be fans of the old days and the old ways, but we’ll always take time-saving inventions when we can find them. If you don’t… Read more »
Adjusting a 1941 Hamilton 987A “Bagley” to 6 Positions
I found this little watch—a Hamilton “Bagley”—in a local shop. The shop owner’s big passion is coins, but he’s also a NAWCC member and a pocket watch collector, and some… Read more »
Dynamic Poising, 4: An Extended “How To” Example
After reading the earlier posts in this series, you should understand the basic reasons why watches can have different rates across positions. But like everything else in life, you really… Read more »
Dynamic Poising, 3: Why the 4 Vertical Rates Differ
The second task in dynamic poising is to align the 4 vertical rates. For vintage watches, the vertical rates usually differ by a lot. My trusty 12s Illinois, for example,… Read more »
Tools for Removing Weight
In dynamic poising, we add weight to the balance wheel’s lightest spot or remove weight from the wheel’s heaviest spot. What tools work well for removing weight? The amount of… Read more »
Tools for Adding Weight
To put a balance wheel in poise, we add weight to the lightest spot or remove weight from the heaviest spot. What are good tools for adding weight? Balance Screw… Read more »