Adjusting Vintage Watches

  • What is Watch Adjusting?
  • Dynamic Poising “How To” Series
  • Example Watches
  • About This Blog
Adjusting Vintage Watches
Skip to content
  • What is Watch Adjusting?
  • Dynamic Poising “How To” Series
  • Example Watches
  • About This Blog

Repairing a Chinese Seagull Automatic “Stuhrling Original” Watch: Buyer Beware

Just as doctors always get asked to check out your hideous rash, watchmakers always get asked to check out your broken watch. That’s why this blog is deviating from its… Read more »

Example Watches    Chinese watches, quality control, Seagull, wristwatch

Why Adjust a Watch’s Timing at “Full Wind”?

In watchmaking, as in life, sometimes words don’t mean what they mean. Books on watch adjusting and the posts about our example watches talk about measuring the watch’s rates at… Read more »

Ideas & Advice    amplitude, isochronism, mainsprings, Thisell

Adjusting an Illinois “Santa Fe Special” 12s Pocket Watch, Part 2: Positional Adjustments

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 »

Example Watches, Positional Timing    hairsprings, Illinois, knocking, pocket watch, Santa Fe Special, timing screws

Before Adjusting: Demagnetize

Magnetism is a plague. Much like syphilis, it will slowly drive a watch adjuster to a wretched state of madness if not diagnosed and treated in time. The symptoms of… Read more »

Ideas & Advice    magnetism, Timegrapher

Adjusting a 1937 Hamilton 980 “Clark” Wristwatch to Six Positions

Watch collectors aren’t as obsessive as home chefs or Paleo dieters when it comes to blogging, but we’re close. Of the many watch blogs, one of my favorites is Dan’s… Read more »

Example Watches    case polishing, Hamilton, Hamilton 980, positional timing, wristwatch

Improving Poise With Timing Screws

For the most part, accuracy in different positions is a matter of poise—the even distribution of weight around the balance wheel. We thus look for ways to add weight to… Read more »

Books & Tools, Ideas & Advice    poise, timing screws, timing washers, tools

Adjusting an Illinois “Santa Fe Special” 12s Pocket Watch, Part 1: Repairs & Service

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 »

Example Watches, Positional Timing    balance staff, case polishing, hairsprings, Illinois, jewels, Santa Fe Special

Adjusting a 1925 Hamilton 912 12s Pocket Watch to 6 Positions: On Patience and Perfection

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 »

Example Watches, Positional Timing    Hamilton, Hamilton 912, pivots, pocket watch, Timegrapher

Dial Up, Dial Down: Fixing Bent Balance Staff Pivots

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 »

"Dial Up, Dial Down" Series, Ideas & Advice, Positional Timing    Hamilton, Hamilton 912, pivots, positional timing, Timegrapher, tools

Adjusting a 1918 Burlington (Illinois 108) 16s Pocket Watch to 6 Positions, Step by Step

The Burlington Watch Company is an interesting figure in the commercial history of watches. In those days, watch companies sold movements, dials, and hands to middlemen, who sold them to… Read more »

Example Watches    Burlington, Illinois, Illinois 108, pocket watch

Posts pagination

« Previous 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next »

From the Masters


Loading Quotes...

Categories

  • "Dial Up, Dial Down" Series (5)
  • Books & Tools (9)
  • Case Work (8)
  • Dynamic Poising "How To" Series (7)
  • Example Watches (46)
  • Ideas & Advice (29)
  • Positional Timing (16)

Recent Posts

  • Dial Up, Dial Down: Miscellaneous Vexing, Subtle, and Unusual Causes of DU/DD Differences
  • Removing and Inserting Armored, Tension Ring Watch Crystals
  • Repairing a Hamilton 747 “Clinton” Wristwatch, Part 2: Refinishing the Stainless Steel Case
  • Repairing a Hamilton 747 “Clinton” Wristwatch, Part 1: Adjusting the Super Fast 8/0 Movement
  • Attempting to Adjust an Illinois 16s “Bunn Special” with Stuck, Seized Balance Screws

The Archive

  • December 2021 (1)
  • September 2021 (1)
  • August 2021 (1)
  • July 2021 (1)
  • June 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (1)
  • April 2021 (1)
  • March 2021 (2)
  • February 2021 (5)
  • January 2021 (3)
  • December 2020 (3)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (2)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (5)
  • May 2017 (4)
  • April 2017 (3)
  • March 2017 (5)
  • February 2017 (3)
  • January 2017 (5)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • July 2016 (3)
  • June 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (7)
  • April 2016 (4)
  • March 2016 (11)
  • February 2016 (8)

Tags

abrasives amplitude balance staff brushed finishes Bunn Special case polishing cleaning crystal press de Carle dynamic poising Elgin Elgin 315 friction jeweling Fried Fulton Gruen hairsprings Hamilton Hamilton 747 Illinois isochronism Jendritzki jewels Kleinlein mainsprings pivots pocket watch poise polishing positional timing quartz Rolex Russian watches Seiko stainless steel staking set Timegrapher timing screws timing washers tools Waltham waltham 1883 wavy traces Wostok wristwatch
All text and original images (c) 2016-present. All rights reserved.
Ribosome by GalussoThemes.com
Powered by WordPress