Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

noelekal · Oct 6, 2024

Well...yeah, there is that too.

Son and I went skeet shooting for two weeks in a row a few weeks ago and I didn't even think of slinging the 946 out of the high house on Station 8. As rusty as I proved to be it'd been in little danger.

Alpha · Oct 7, 2024

Smiths Empire on duty today,

Canuck · Oct 9, 2024

I posted pictures of this private label Waltham 1883 model a few days ago. I was wearing it at the time, and it ran okay, but I knew I could improve its performance. So today was the day. I stripped it, conditioned it, made a few adjustments to it, and I added a NOS glass watch crystal. The original was okay, but I had a replacement, and fitted it. G W Beall was a retail jeweller and railway watch inspector in Lindsay, Ontario. The movement is engraved Canadian Railway Time Service. It has gold jewel settings, patent regulator, single roller, stem set, patent regulator. The pocketwatchdatabase listing:

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/waltham/9536515

The third picture shows the tracing on my Vibrograph B200 timing machine. The tracing indicates the watch performing to about one second per day variation on a static test. The watch is about 125 years old. I’m very pleased with it.

DaveK · Oct 10, 2024

From the Fenlon Falls Gazette, 1880

Canuck · Oct 10, 2024

Thanks to @DaveK ‘s contribution to my G W Beall Waltham pocket watch.

Of interest mostly to Canadian collectors who follow the Pocket Watch thread, there is a story behind this G W Beall watch.

-Thomas Beall emigrated from Cornwall, England circa 1850. He opened a jewellery business in Whitby, Ontario. He operated his business there for 7 years, then moved to Oakwood, Ontario.

-The family (including infant George Washington Beall) traveled to Oakwood in the dead of winter, in an open box sleigh! Thomas founded a jewellery store in Oakwood.

-Thomas Beall operated the business in Oakwood for four years, after which he moved to Lindsay, opening his business in 1863.

-Thomas Beall’s son George Washington took over the business in 1877. He is the G W Beall whose name is on the dial of my Waltham!

-George Washington Beall’s son George Godfrey Beall (born in Lindsay in 1882), enrolled in the Canadian Horological Institute in Toronto circa 1900, graduating in 1902, after having made his own pocket watch (location of it not known). He worked in the jewellery store as a watchmaker after graduating from CHI.

-In 1912, George Godfrey Beall succeeded his father, taking over the business in 1912.

This information is from Gary Fox’s excellent book on the Canadian Horological Institute founded by Henry R Playtner. After closing the CHI circa 1915, Playtner went on to found the Elgin Watchmaker’s College in Elgin, Ill.

As with some of the watches in our individual collections, the ones we own that come to us with a story, are often the ones that are extra special.

Edited to add:

The distance from Fenelon Falls Ontario to Lindsay Ontario is 26 kilometers.

This is a picture of the Beall Bilding in Lindsay which housed the Beall jewellery store.

BAJJ · Oct 11, 2024

So, I have decided to try watch making as a hobby, I’m retired and of a certain age so why not. I’ve bought myself a bunch of tools and to kick me off I bought an old pocket watch in and estate sale. The watch arrived today and I thought it would be something simple and although I think it is, it looks fabulous, is running and I’m wondering do I really want to mess about with it. The movement is beautiful, case also, it’s running ok, question is is it something of value that I need to consider before I start practicing on? The glass was loose when I got it and I removed the hands before opening the screw down case back to expose the lovely movement. Cheers, BAJJ

HamDoctor · Oct 11, 2024

BAJJ
So, I have decided to try watch making as a hobby, I’m retired and of a certain age so why not. I’ve bought myself a bunch of tools and to kick me off I bought an old pocket watch in and estate sale. The watch arrived today and I thought it would be something simple and although I think it is, it looks fabulous, is running and I’m wondering do I really want to mess about with it. The movement is beautiful, case also, it’s running ok, question is is it something of value that I need to consider before I start practicing on? The glass was loose when I got it and I removed the hands before opening the screw down case back to expose the lovely movement. Cheers, BAJJ

I'd try and practice on some loose movements first, before I start the work on a watch that is functioning (and good-looking, too). I remember reading that you will mess up the first one that you start on ... which seems likely. It's not that I did get far on my watchmaking "excursion" - eyesight being a problem - but this is one thing I remember. You have time, so start out slow ;-)

There's a lot of movements on eBay that came from scrapped cases, some of which may even work, some of which are in lots. Get yourself some big pocket watch movements, 16- or 18-size, things will get tiny soon enough.

Wish you good success! I wussed out, but with time, patience, perseverance and a well-ordered, well-lighted workplace you'll get there. May all your parts remain on your workbench, and never join the "parts graveyard that is the floor".

BAJJ · Oct 11, 2024

HamDoctor
I'd try and practice on some loose movements first, before I start the work on a watch that is functioning (and good-looking, too). I remember reading that you will mess up the first one that you start on ... which seems likely. It's not that I did get far on my watchmaking "excursion" - eyesight being a problem - but this is one thing I remember. You have time, so start out slow ;-)

There's a lot of movements on eBay that came from scrapped cases, some of which may even work, some of which are in lots. Get yourself some big pocket watch movements, 16- or 18-size, things will get tiny soon enough.

Wish you good success! I wussed out, but with time, patience, perseverance and a well-ordered, well-lighted workplace you'll get there. May all your parts remain on your workbench, and never join the "parts graveyard that is the floor".

Thank you, I have worked on one cheap Chinese movement without any major dramas, a couple of flying screws but managed to find them again on the bench, luckily nothing on the floor, I bought two horotech tweezers as I believe these are key to preventing projectiles. I've been watching all manner of YouTube tutorials for at least a year now, so fully aware of the pitfalls, I enjoy it so far, fascinated by these little machines. I’m a bit OCD, so I’m told (I think I just like organisation😁) so i do keep a tidy bench, many years at sea have led me to believe in the adage, a place for everything and everything in its place.
This watch cost €50 in an estate sale, my intent was that it was just to practice on but it is in such lovely condition I think I’ll leave it as is and get something else.

Canuck · Oct 11, 2024

The Elgin is an 18-size, full plate model. I don’t recommend you start out with an 18-size full plate movement as your first victim! There are many more pitfalls with one of these, compared to a bridge model. Maybe start out with a 16-size Chinese made clone of an ETA 6498. They’re available cheap, and if you do it right, it will run when you’re done. If it doesn’t run, do it again. If you don’t succeed, no great loss. Much easier to work on than a full plate model.

BAJJ · Oct 11, 2024

Canuck
The Elgin is an 18-size, full plate model. I don’t recommend you start out with an 18-size full plate movement as your first victim! There are many more pitfalls with one of these, compared to a bridge model. Maybe start out with a 16-size Chinese made clone of an ETA 6498. They’re available cheap, and if you do it right, it will run when you’re done. If it doesn’t run, do it again. If you don’t succeed, no great loss. Much easier to work on than a full plate model.

Thanks, to be honest, I saw this on an estate sale website that I frequent, at a very low price. Thinking it would be a cheap, large, simple bridge movement to practice on I bought it and was surprised at what I found when it arrived. Not a bad problem though is it, it’s a lovely thing, I have closed it up for now and will look for something else to butcher.

TexOmega · Oct 11, 2024

BAJJ
So, I have decided to try watch making as a hobby, I’m retired and of a certain age so why not. I’ve bought myself a bunch of tools and to kick me off I bought an old pocket watch in and estate sale. The watch arrived today and I thought it would be something simple and although I think it is, it looks fabulous, is running and I’m wondering do I really want to mess about with it. The movement is beautiful, case also, it’s running ok, question is is it something of value that I need to consider before I start practicing on? The glass was loose when I got it and I removed the hands before opening the screw down case back to expose the lovely movement. Cheers, BAJJ

This example is a step up in quality from a dollar watch, but nothing of intrinsic value to a collector. A good, solid watch at the time.

I can only add, start with something that works in your hand prior to disassembly.......if it don't run afterwards, there is only one variable at fault.🙃🙃

Good luck and keep us updated.

Waltesefalcon · Oct 11, 2024

I'll second @Canuck 's suggestion. A full plate watch is much more difficult to reassemble than a bridge plate watch.

BAJJ · Oct 12, 2024

So I’ve put everything back together for now and have started practicing on an old lanco 1337 manual wind movement. Still working😁, thanks for all the advice.

DaveK · Oct 14, 2024

Does anyone here want this? With this representing my entire stash of PW parts, I will never put in the work to get it up and running. For someone with more skills or less sense, it’s yours for the cost of shipping from Vancouver, Canada. That’d be about $20 CAD within Canada, and a bit less shipped to the US.

ghce · Oct 15, 2024

Just bought tonight.
Excellent working order and the 2nd one of this movement I now own though the first one was in gun metal this one is in very good order Sterling Silver.

DaveK · Oct 15, 2024

ghce
Just bought tonight.
Excellent working order and the 2nd one of this movement I now own though the first one was in gun metal this one is in very good order Sterling Silver.

I’ve always wanted a silver cased PW, and that’s a really nice one. What brand is it?

Waltesefalcon · Oct 15, 2024

I've been wearing my 950B for the past few days.

TexOmega · Oct 15, 2024

ghce
Just bought tonight.
Excellent working order and the 2nd one of this movement I now own though the first one was in gun metal this one is in very good order Sterling Silver.

Love these vintage chronograph/timers

This one times two “events”

And needs a service.

ghce · Oct 15, 2024

DaveK
I’ve always wanted a silver cased PW, and that’s a really nice one. What brand is it?

Not sure but Swiss by the case markings.
Can't remember who the movement maker is, as I said this is my second one with this movement but I don't know if I have yet determined who made it.

Canuck · Oct 18, 2024

Still wearing my 18-size, private label, 1883 model Waltham. Over time, the past couple weeks, I have discovered a problem that I was unaware that it had. After de-magnetizing, polishing balance staff pivots, re-cleaning, and otherwise struggling to find why it was periodically running erratically, I thought I had discovered the problem. The rim of the balance wheel was running about .02 of a millimetre from the top plate. I raised the rim of the wheel, and re-trued the balance. Still no joy. Ran fine face down, but in the pendant positions or face up, not running properly. I finally twigged to the problem!

The watch is close to 125 years old, and it could well have proven less than reliable over all its years. The collet on the hairspring was put on upside down! Either that, or if the hairspring had the collet installed on it when it went to the tech who formed the hairspring over-coil, he had the hairspring oriented with the top side of the collet DOWN rather than up.

Hairsprings are installed high on the collet so there is clearance between the hairspring coils on the balance arms, to give clearance between the coils and balance arms! These collets have a TOP side that that has the edge of the hole in the collet rounded. The bottom side of the collet is FLAT! With the hairspring installed on the balance wheel (collet upside down), there were some positions when the coils of the hairspring were too low, and contacting the balance arms! Two ways to solve this problem. Remove the collet from the hairspring, flip it over, and re-install it. Not a job for the faint of heart. The other solution is to raise the collet enough to give clearance between the coils of the hairspring and balance arms! That’s the option I chose. Runs fine now. Worn on my @Duracuir1 leather lanyard.