Wiles - Maintaining and repairing mechanical watches: a practical guide

MAINTAINING AND REPAIRING

Mechanical Watches

A Practical Guide

Mark W. Wiles

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2016 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2016

Mark W. Wiles 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 156 7

Disclaimer

The author and the publisher do not accept any responsibility in any manner whatsoever for any error or omission, or any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome, or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this book, or reliance upon it. If in doubt about any aspect of railway modelling, including electrics and electronics, readers are advised to seek professional advice.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks must go to the following people, without whom this book would never have been written: Barry Scott, for help with editing; George Gunthorpe (MBHI) for photos and thanks for being a great mentor and friend; and Peter Curry for the technical drawings.Also to Vanessa Bennett, Francis Brodie, Holly Redfox, Mike Heavey, Jeremy Barley, Steven Domb, and The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers for my apprenticeship.

Thanks must also go to Richard Body, who took me as a shy twelve-year-old under his wing, and taught me all I needed to know about clocks and watches.This book is in memory of his wife Margret Body, who was like a second mother to me, keeping me well fed during the time I spent at their home tinkering with clocks.

This book has been written with the complete novice in mind, and will guide the reader step by step through each page, learning about the theory behind how a watch works as it is taken to pieces. You will learn how to take each watch apart and, possibly more importantly, how to put it back together again without damaging it. You should think of this as a hands-on voyage of discovery. As your skill and confidence grow, the tasks that you will undertake will also increase in technical ability, thus improving your finger dexterity and skill.

There are many old wives tales as to why not to undertake watch repairing; some are given below, with reasons as to why they are unfounded.

You need sharp eyesight: Watchmakers use an eyeglass at all times, and you soon become comfortable with wearing one for long hours, working in a small world no bigger than a beer mat. Its no different to wearing glasses and if you wear glasses its still not a problem.

You need steady hands: Steady hands are not a necessity either, because if your bench and chair are at the right height your hands are rested and supported on the bench, which will stop them from shaking.

You need patience: When I started I had no patience at all, and rushed everything. However, as with most things, age (and making many mistakes) increases your patience. I find I have patience in abundance now, as I am sure you will too.

Fat fingers: Fat fingers are certainly not a problem, as watch components should never be touched with the fingers. In this world your fingers will be a pair of tweezers.

You need to be young: I know people in their seventies and older who repair and even make watches.

I certainly believe that it is possible for anyone to take a watch to bits, clean it, and put it back together and have it working to some degree with a small amount of help. The real test of skill and ability comes with the problem-solving skills of diagnosing faults, which requires a mechanically minded person. This in itself is very hard to pick up and learn, generally coming naturally to some people, who will have a distinct advantage in this process.

If you are not this type of person, then you may have to work twice as hard, and you will be even more frustrated when things dont work as they should. I would recommend trying to find a tame watchmaker to help you out on the occasional day you get really stuck. But a word of warning: such watchmakers dont grow on trees, and if you find one, only use them in absolute desperation, because they are a busy lot and will soon tire of someone bringing nothing but problems! Usually watchmakers are keen to help, and can be chatty, but remember that their job is demanding, so dont keep them away from their bench for too long.

At the time this book is being written the watch trade is in somewhat of a renaissance, with the luxury watch brands on a drive to make more mechanical watches now than they were in the sixties, but unfortunately there is a real shortage of watch repairers in the industry. So if you are looking for a new and rewarding career you are certainly on the right path by reading this book. Alternatively, if you are looking for a hobby in repairing or collecting watches and restoring them yourself, the rewards can be just as great. It is most certainly up to you how far you take it.

Its just a small matter of time.

The items described in this section make up the most basic tool kit that you will need just to take a watch to pieces and put it back together again. I will focus on cleaning watches once we have covered the basics. The main reason for doing this is to make sure you feel comfortable working with watches before you rush out and buy a complete workshop. As we work through the book I will introduce you to more tools and the processes involved in using them.

BUYING YOUR TOOLS

My dear dad, as a self-employed mechanic, would always procure the cheapest tools that he could at markets and boot sales in order to try and save a penny. This was also the way I approached my hobby as a twelve-year-old, and I would always first seek out a cheaper alternative but I soon found out, as did my dad on a number of occasions, that sometimes it is better to spend that little extra and buy the best you can afford from a reputable dealer when you start out.

This might seem obvious, but I have seen many a student like myself fall into the same trap. We all think we know better and buy the cheaper one, only to find that it doesnt last, or fails to do the job as satisfactorily as we would like. Cheaper tools are no substitute for ones of quality. But if you are not sure if watch repairing is for you, and are just intrigued at this point, then maybe it would be better to take the cheaper route at this point.

Bench Mat

You can use a craft cutting mat, found in hobby shops 12 x 8in (30 x 20cm) in size or the traditional watchmakers green plastic or rubber mat, normally made by Bergeon or the cheaper A & F (Albert Froidevaux & Fils).This will provide a hard-wearing, easy-to-clean work surface. They are normally a pale green but also come in black and grey. The colour is important: you need one that is calming and easy on the eyes, as you will be spending long periods looking at it. I personally prefer the anti-static watchmakers mat for its price, and I like the softer feel of the mat for those long nights at the bench. I also find with the harder mats that the corners tend to roll up because the glue dries out quite quickly, and the more you restick them the uglier they look and the more they tend to roll up in other places. Craft mats are much better and cheaper as part of a hobby. If money isnt a problem, then opt for the soft anti-static bench mats.