Testing Barrels Before Inserting Mainsprings
Amplitude is the name of the watch-adjusting game. We need that balance wheel to swing if we hope to adjust the watch to keep good time in several positions. As… Read more »
Tag: amplitude
Pallet Jewel Lubrication and Amplitude
Amplitude is the big thing in watch adjusting. If the balance wheel doesn’t swing at least 270 degrees dial up and down and at least 220 degrees in the vertical… Read more »
Before Adjusting: Let the Watch Run
Good things come to those who wait, which probably explains why procrastination feels so good. Fortunately, waiting around is an important step in watch adjusting. When a watch is freshly… Read more »
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 »
Dial Up, Dial Down: Rounding Balance Staff Pivots
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 »
Dynamic Poising, 5: Finding the Balance Wheel’s Heavy Spot
We need to find the balance wheel’s heavy spot to put it in poise. So far, we’ve discussed some of the principles involved in doing this and worked through some… Read more »
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 »
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 »