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Re: "Most mechanical movements only need to be disassembled and..."
other than the Z80 microprocessor, ...not really. ;)
Feb 26 · 3 weeks ago
My 1890 Elgin watch is still running.
😎 decant [OP] · Feb 29 at 01:19:
Hey istvan, is your Elgin a pocket watch? I always wanted a pocket watch or wrist watch with pocket watch movement. Because larger movements are much easier to work on. I've been looking at the Seagull Ref. 3017H. The movement has a swan neck regulator, so I hope it is at least some what accurate.
Yes, I only collect pocket watches. I have a couple Egins and an American Waltham from the 1880s.
I have a 1920s Peerless watchmakers lathe for machining parts as needed (also use it to machine dops for gemstone cutting), though to be honest the AW was beyond my skill level and I had to have it overhauled by an old watchmaker in Beijing.
Have one watch that was hopeless though. Very sad I couldn’t save it because it had a beautiful gold filled case with birds on it.
😎 decant [OP] · Mar 07 at 01:41:
ah! I try to stick with newish calibers. I imagine really old watches cost an arm and a leg. I like calibers that are simple and robust. The most complicated caliber I own is a SL4510 that I salvaged from a second hand fake Daytona with stucked reset. I've not had the opportunity to play with a real 4130, But the 4510 has rhodium plating and is otherwise well finished. I've been trying to find a good case for it without the Rolex logo and preferably doesn't look like a Daytona, it's been a pain. After that, my next step is to find a real 4130 balance wheel assembly as the old one has a large positional error, but I think this part costs many time what I paid for the watch!
😎 decant [OP] · Mar 07 at 01:55:
The caliber is currently +5spd with a full wind dial up. But at 50% wind, it goes to +35spd! could this be the hair spring or is the mainspring also badly made?
@decant Not really. Most of my 1800s watches only cost $100-$300. I've gotten as inexpensive as $60 if they needed quite some works.
Most mechanical movements only need to be disassembled and cleaned once every 3 to 5 years. Yes you need a few consumables such as o-rings and few micrograms of lubricants of different grades. But a well serviced movement can last few decades. If you pick a mass produced movements, replacement part are relatively easy and cheap to source. The Swiss ETA2824 movement for example has been in production since circa 1974! Can you imagine such a long product life cycle in the world of electronics?...