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Mangled hairspring on 30T2

OllieOnTheRocks
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One of my fav 30T2 watches has stopped working. I opened up the back to take a look and somehow the hairspring is in very bad shape. It’s all twisted and buckled up.

Is it a case of having to buy a 30T2 movement for parts or do watch makers have these available to replace?

If not does anyone here have one I could purchase to give to my watchmaker?

thank you as always,

Ollie 😀
 
Dan S
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You may be able to find a balance with some persistence. You should post a photo, since we don't know what type of 30T2 you are talking about (SC, PC, Rg, etc.).
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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Just a regular 30T2. Here’s a photo from the advert when I bought it. Hairspring is worse than pictured. I guess because I didn’t notice their was a problem as seller told me it has just been serviced..

Anyway hopefully I’ll be able to source the parts to get it up and running again 😀

2482ED3E-971A-4B3C-A32B-CE6FA12067AC.png
 
Canuck
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You say it has “stopped” working! You opened it to have a peak, and you find the hairspring “mangled!” If it ran, how could the hairspring now be “mangled?” I think you need to have that checked out. Watches with “mangled” hairsprings generally won’t run!
 
Archer
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OllieOnTheRocks OllieOnTheRocks
Just a regular 30T2. Here’s a photo from the advert when I bought it. Hairspring is worse than pictured. I guess because I didn’t notice their was a problem as seller told me it has just been serviced..

Anyway hopefully I’ll be able to source the parts to get it up and running again 😀

2482ED3E-971A-4B3C-A32B-CE6FA12067AC.png

The watch is running in that photo, and you can’t judge the condition of the balance spring when it it running and the spring is expanding and contracting. If you can post a photo of the spring now that the watch has stopped, we might be able to tell you if it’s repairable.
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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Canuck Canuck
You say it has “stopped” working! You opened it to have a peak, and you find the hairspring “mangled!” If it ran, how could the hairspring now be “mangled?” I think you need to have that checked out. Watches with “mangled” hairsprings generally won’t run!
The watch was working, and then one day after winding it did not start. I opened it up and the hairspring was mangled. I don’t understand what you are asking? It has not worked since this instance. It was working when I initially received it although I was always dubious about the claim that it was serviced.
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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Archer Archer
The watch is running in that photo, and you can’t judge the condition of the balance spring when it it running and the spring is expanding and contracting. If you can post a photo of the spring now that the watch has stopped, we might be able to tell you if it’s repairable.
Okay I’ll take a photo for you tomorrow - thank you Archer 😀
 
Canuck
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OllieOnTheRocks OllieOnTheRocks
The watch was working, and then one day after winding it did not start. I opened it up and the hairspring was mangled. I don’t understand what you are asking? It has not worked since this instance. It was working when I initially received it although I was always dubious about the claim that it was serviced.

It doesn’t take a Rhodes scholar to interpret what I said in that post. It ran. It quit. You opened it and the hairspring was “mangled” (your words). What I was saying is, it his highly unlikely, given this exact sequence of events, for the hairspring to be mangled so that it wouldn’t run! Check it out, or don’t check it out. It’s up to you.
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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Canuck Canuck
It doesn’t take a Rhodes scholar to interpret what I said in that post. It ran. It quit. You opened it and the hairspring was “mangled” (your words). What I was saying is, it his highly unlikely, given this exact sequence of events, for the hairspring to be mangled so that it wouldn’t run! Check it out, or don’t check it out. It’s up to you.

My apologies your response wasn’t entirely clear or I was tired whichever I had interpreted it to mean that you believed it was working again. As I’ve said to Archer I will post a photo to help later today. Thank you for your help.

Ollie
 
ChrisN
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OllieOnTheRocks OllieOnTheRocks
One of my fav 30T2 watches has stopped working. I opened up the back to take a look and somehow the hairspring is in very bad shape. It’s all twisted and buckled up.
I suspect one reason that you've been asked for a picture is that it may just be the Breguet design you are seeing. On these, the outer coil kicks up and follows a shape that isn't what you are used to seeing in a flat hairspring. Have a look at the first picture here.
https://www.breguet.com/en/history/inventions/breguet-balance-spring

It's very unlikely that the hairspring has suddenly become twisted and damaged if you didn't touch it and I think that's what @Canuck is getting at. A watchmaker would demagnetize it first and check for oil that may have caused two coils to grab each other. If there is still an issue, we can often take the hairspring off the cock and reshape it. Of course, some are not salvageable but some that look terrible can be resolved.

You buy a complete balance usually (hairspring plus balance plus roller table) as they are matched at the factory. Buying just hairsprings can lead to a lot of work. Of course, be careful if you buy a complete balance as one for an Incabloc shock protection often won't work if you don't have shock protection - far easier to get a watchmaker to look at what you already have.

Good luck, Chris
 
Deafboy
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The 30T2 should look like this. The mangle could in fact be the overcoil.

Edit: Like @ChrisN said. The Breguet overcoil...

post-1-0-97044800-1419082178_thumb.jpg
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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Okay so here it is. It was Twisted somehow Around the balance perhaps it caught one of the holes. I unscrewed it and this is what is left I doubt this can be saved. But I invite your opinions. I will be sending the watch for a service, if you advise that I provide a balance and hairspring within the Package to help speed up its repair I will do. I apologise is this message does not come through correctly I had to dictate it as my phone screen is not working at the moment.
A83634CF-C49C-436C-9688-B2FF5A7537B7.jpeg
 
Canuck
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That kind of damage could NOT have happened with the balance wheel in the watch! Unless someone tampered with it. You will need to replace the balance wheel/hairspring totally. Once the watch is made operational, resolve to no longer monkey around with things about which clearly you know little about.
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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Canuck Canuck
That kind of damage could NOT have happened with the balance wheel in the watch! Unless someone tampered with it. You will need to replace the balance wheel/hairspring totally. Once the watch is made operational, resolve to no longer monkey around with things about which clearly you know little about.
As I said I removed it because it was mangled around the balance wheel. I guess it somehow caught between the two slits in the wheel, I have no idea how this happened but this is all I can say. Nobody else had touched the watch, as nobody else has access to it. I did remove it like I said, just to try and release it from where it had caught, which looked to create a kink in it, but I imagine it was long gone before I had even done this, literally none of the spiral was concentric (if that is the correct term, it was all over the place, with 90 degree kinks and worse). I had hoped that there was a small chance once it was released it would spring back to place as it were. But no, this is the result. I didn't do anything to it apart from remove it from the movement and given the condition I was happy to remove it, as I felt it was far too gone anyway so no harm done. Plus I've learnt how these parts interact with other gears etc in the movement so as far as I am concerned it was a useful exercise.

P.S. I appreciate your insight, but I don't find your unnecessary aggressive tone very helpful. Nor do I see why I should have to explain my actions. I've been diplomatic in my responses to you but I don't see why this couldn't have just been a friendly exchange as it has been with the other members who have commented. My question at the end of the day was not how did this happen, but was based around sourcing a new hairspring. I hope a new hairspring and service will prevent this happening again.

Maskelyne Maskelyne
I do have a spare 😀 which is operative (complete movement)...

Balance.jpg

Thank you, I will PM you 😀
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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When I initially received the watch and wound it, it did not tick. I gave it a gentle shake and it started. As I was told by the seller that it had been serviced I was immediately doubtful by took the benefit of the doubt and presumed it was all okay. I then wore it maybe 3 or 4 times, again each time giving a gentle shake to get it going. This is the only thing I could think that could have caused this to happen. Is this likely? Anyhow I certainly won't be shaking any of these watches again in future if this is indeed the result. Anyway thank you all for your responses, as usual you have all been a great help 😀
iconGlobeBlack.png
 
Archer
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OllieOnTheRocks OllieOnTheRocks
As I said I removed it because it was mangled around the balance wheel. I guess it somehow caught between the two slits in the wheel, I have no idea how this happened but this is all I can say. Nobody else had touched the watch, as nobody else has access to it. I did remove it like I said, just to try and release it from where it had caught, which looked to create a kink in it, but I imagine it was long gone before I had even done this, literally none of the spiral was concentric (if that is the correct term, it was all over the place, with 90 degree kinks and worse).

Well, the initial issue has likely come from some sort of shock. As much as the spring may have looked a mess when you saw it first, it was likely something that could be fixed pretty easily. Often balance springs will look much worse than they actually are to the untrained eye if they are caught on something.

As it stands now, that one is toast. Lesson learned for next time - don't try to remove or fix this yourself.
 
ChrisN
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That's scrap, sadly.

Why don't you get the watch to your watchmaker of choice and see what they recommend. Not everyone will accept parts from their customers but are usually happy to ask for help if they really can't source something. There are all sorts of places to get obsolete parts and we all have contacts that you won't have. Buying secondhand parts can be a problem as they may be worn or incompatible.

Good luck, Chris
 
OllieOnTheRocks
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Archer Archer
Well, the initial issue has likely come from some sort of shock. As much as the spring may have looked a mess when you saw it first, it was likely something that could be fixed pretty easily. Often balance springs will look much worse than they actually are to the untrained eye if they are caught on something.

As it stands now, that one is toast. Lesson learned for next time - don't try to remove or fix this yourself.
ChrisN ChrisN
That's scrap, sadly.

Why don't you get the watch to your watchmaker of choice and see what they recommend. Not everyone will accept parts from their customers but are usually happy to ask for help if they really can't source something. There are all sorts of places to get obsolete parts and we all have contacts that you won't have. Buying secondhand parts can be a problem as they may be worn or incompatible.

Good luck, Chris
Thank you both 😀
 
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