The first task in watch adjusting to positions is aligning the two horizontal rates: dial up and dial down. In our “Dial Up, Dial Down” series, we’ve explored some of… Read more »
In the days before smooth balance wheels, the mass of the balance wheel was controlled using screws around the rim of the balance wheel. This approach enables relatively fine control… Read more »
When checking a watch on a timing machine, we want to see stable rates: a set of parallel lines, not wavy curves. A watch might be too slow or too… Read more »
In Part 1, we repaired and serviced an Illinois 12s “Santa Fe Special.” This nice little pocket watch had fallen on hard times, with cracked jewels, a mangled hairspring, and… Read more »
I rarely buy working watches—repairing and adjusting them is the fun part—but sometimes they are broken in quirky and comical ways. When you bottom-feed on eBay, you never know what… Read more »
When this watch was made, thin was in. Pocket watches were toward the end of a long swing in consumers’ size preferences. In the beginning there were huge 18-size full-plate… Read more »
When adjusting to 5 or 6 positions, the first step—adjusting the dial up (DU) and dial down (DD) positions—is usually the hardest. Kleinlein’s approach to adjusting emphasizes that these two… Read more »
When adjusting to 3 or more positions, our first goal is to get the dial up (DU) and dial down (DD) positions to agree. How close is “close enough” depends… Read more »
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 »
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 »