looking for a 350/351 pallet fork

I have one from a 340 that should be compatible? BUT shipping from the US is probably going to make it comparably expensive to those on ebay :/.

I actually have almost an entire spare 340 movement (actually not QUITE a 340, just before they started calling the 2810 RA PC a 340, but bad main plate, so I picked up a partial 343 to replace it), and am just picking the nicest of each movement. I probably need a little bit to figure out which I'm going to use/which is still usable, but can send whatever you'd like.

Shipping cost is perhaps going to be killer, but I'm not really looking to get anything beyond a beer or two out of the parts for myself. But again, I want to make sure I can get my 343 wrapped up first.

These parts are not hard to find. I just grabbed a new 350.1410 driving wheel this morning on a make best offer, as the evapOrust will turn the one I have black.

As noted in the other thread I have bits and pieces for 7 or 8 of these. Including several pallets, some with missing pivots. Pivots are an orderable part like staffs. Curiously pallet bridges do seem to be in short supply. Ironically I have 3 342.1410 driving wheels which are too short for the 354.

Most of the stuff I have is 34x bridges, missing the lower rotor jewel.

One has to be patient and wait for what turns up. Which I think is much of the fun. Fourth wheels probably get snapped of quite a bit (not as much an issue on a 34x.)

@ErichKeane If you want another 3xx 1000 main plate I'd be happy to send one to you. The costs of finding wheel trains and escapements mean these will probably just sit around in the box. There is also the challenge of locating a case and dial for the movement.

It is also too bad there is not a cheap (bulk) extract from archives. Would be interesting to know what caliber these 8 serial numbers came from.

I appreciate the offer! I actually picked up a 343 with some missing parts that I have on order, I'm pretty sure I'm almost complete besides the case 'pin' which I'm going to see if I can steal from the afformentioned 340.

Basically: the 340 hour wheel and canon pinion rusted together, and someone tried to force the crown. The result was stripping the minute wheel and tearing the pivot off the plate. I considered replacing it in some way, but didn't have a great way to do so, so I picked up the 343 missing only a couple of pieces. So I'm close 😀 I think I only had to order the hour wheel and canon pinion separately, there are plenty of parts on ebay for these movements for some reason.

Alright, as an update: I screwed up my attempt at the buffer movement[0], managed to lose pieces from right off my bench[1], then realize that it wasn't going to work anyway as the automatic bridges aren't compatible between the 340 and 343[2]. I nearly pitched it all in the garbage before remember this thread...

[0] : I had it running at 250 degree amplitude, and basically 10 s/d rate, but 9.9ms + beat error. I did a fresh wash then worked on the beat error. I got it to 0.9s beat error after doing the 'look down the posts' trick. I got it together and told myself "you can do a little better...". I did 2 more adjustments (the kind where you have to move the collet), just to find out I messed up the hairspring. Its toast, and my attempts to fix it made everything worse. I then tried my backup hairspring from the other one (the balance staff itself is crusty). It had some gunk on it, so I carefully tried to clean it by dipping in onedip (which I almost never use), and somehow messed up THAT hairspring. Attempts were equally as futile.

[1]: I then decided to just put both movements together without hairsprings to see how it would go, and somehow managed to lose one of the setting lever springs, and have no idea where. THEN, one of the automatic-bridge screws went into space, very first in a while. I suspect I was working too frustrated. This is in addition to a mainspring balance arbor I lost earlier, and a couple of parts that were broken.

[2]: The top plate I have for the 340 auto works and the bottom plate of the 343 auto works have alignment pins going in the opposite direction. So all of this was a failed experiment in the end.





ALL THIS TO SAY: I'm done with this project, and am going to give away the stuff in the below pictures to the first person who will cover shipping (actually, Sheepdoll 1st dibs, since he offered to help ME out, but if he doesn't, OP can have 2nd dibs). I make no guarantees, and in fact, the hands are going to go into the black dial-storage case, instead of the membrain case, since I cant fit it.

I'm not going to spend extra effort beyond a sheet of bubble wrap and some tape on it. However, as it sits now:

1- I have 1 put together with a complete motion works that 'worked' other than the hairspring, which is now toast. Yes, that includes a pallet and bridge.

2- I have the OTHER put together with a complete motion works other than barrel arbor (which is why it is separate), and of course, the hairspring.

3- Dial side: 1 of them is complete other than the hour wheel. The other has nothing dial-side other than the stuff that goes under the setting lever spring/plate. No hour wheel, no minute wheel, no canon pinion. it ALSO has a broken minute wheel pivot on the plate.

4- Case/dial/hands to a 2635-1. No idea if it is a repainted dial, but I thought it was good enough to work on.

5- TWO rotors, but not enough parts to put together a whole automatic works I don't think. Not taking more pictures.

6- I actually bought dial screws, so there are 5 of them in that little packet.


Anyway, the above two have until I go out to lunch tomorrow to take their dibs, else it'll be the 1st person to say 'i'll take it' in my inbox promising shipping costs from US 😀

Look like an offer I can not refuse. Send me a DM.

Sorry on your frustration. I sprung a yoke out and it went into the bi-location field. Like the stuff in Poltergeist. I can always use another hairspring challenge.

The parts arrived quickly this afternoon. Seems we are both on the same coast. @ErichKeane asked that I make a donation to the forums to cover the cost of the shipping. I just made a 20 dollar donation to the forums. It was quite easy to do.

Here is a photograph of the parts along with the 354 plates I already had which fit the 2635 case. I now have two 2635 case backs (but only one midcase.) The dial shown is actually one of my ole dials. (The new dial is actually siting under the Geiger counter.)



My research shows 2635 used a 351/354 movement which is sweep seconds. So this will be a sympathetic restoration. It is always nice when a complete set of parts can come together.

My plan once I have the watch working will be to make the same offer of the parts I do not use to others who may be able to use them.