Watch Service Part III

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Absolute beginner's guide to a movement service. Part 3. The rebuildSeptember 27 2009 at 4:40 AMNo score for this post

John Merton (Login jvmerton)Approved Users

Sorry for the delay folks, I have been struck down with swine flu and am still recovering. This is a really long post, sorry about that too.

The pictures used here will be of a 6105 as the ones I took of my 6309 were pretty ordinary. The movements are similar, with the big difference of course being that the 6105 has no day mechanism. But you should get the general idea. I intend to update this with a more "blow by blow" seriesusing a 6309, but for the time being, this is all I have.

OK, you should now have the movement in bits, all cleaned, your photos of the disassembly and the service manual open on your PC, and a clean workarea in front of you. The service manual will show you where you have to apply oil as the build progresses. A real watchmaker will use several d ifferent

oils for different parts of the watch, but for our first builds, buy some general purpose oil. Your parts supplier will give you some direction here. I haveused Moebius 9010 so far, and i t is obviously working, but it's probably like putting engine oil in your gearbox or vice versa. Not guarranteed foranother 30 years anyway. You only need a tiny droplet of oil, barely visible even through a loupe. I use the head of a needle in the absence of a real

oiler. Dip the needle in your oil, and wipe of any excess. The eye of the needle will hold a little oil, and you can dab it on from this. If you apply toomuch, mop up the excess with a small piece of paper towel.

Reassemble the watch in the order documented in the service manual. You will start with the keyless works, and all the day/date setting parts. Firstthough, install the stem and the clutch wheel. Hold the clutch wheel in position with tweezers, with the pointy end facing inwards, then insert the stemall the way in.

This picture shows the completed clutch wheel/setting lever system. You start by installing the clutch lever, and set it so that it lies in the grove in theclutch wheel. Install the setting lever, then the setting lever spring, and loosely install the setting lever spring screw. Make sure the end of the springengages the post on the setting lever as shown in the picture. Once this is all in place, tighten the screws, then test it by pulling the crown out to thefirst and second positions and back again. This will give you an idea of how the whole thing works. You can see that the clutch wheel moves in as you

pull the crown out.

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This picture shows the nearly complete top side of the movement. It will look different to your 6309: there is no hour wheel bridge, and the date

movement parts are plastic. But you should get the general idea. Be careful of the date jumper when installing. Hold it in place with a toothpick, andcarefully click the spring end into the movement. Note the installation of the Intermediate date wheel, the pinion side faces down so that it mesheswith the gear on the date setting wheel. Note at this point - the hour wheel carries the hour hand, and the cannon pinion carries the minute hand. The

cannon pinion fits over the shaft of the centre wheel, so it must turn when the centre wheel turns, but it must also slide on the shaft when you adjustthe time. This is why I have suggested that you don't remove these parts when starting out. If the cannon pinion is too loose, the minute hand will flopabout. If too tight, you will have trouble setting the time, and risk damaging other parts. If either of these parts need replacement, they are generallysold together as a pair. The second hand is carried by the long shaft of the fourth wheel which we'll get to later.





Holding plate now installed. OK, now you can see what the date jumper does. It causes the date wheel to snap to just the right position. You know that

problem when the date is not correctly centred in the date window? It could be caused by a worn date jumper, or the jumper has slipped out of contactwith the date wheel. Ditto with the day wheel on your 6309. You can see a hole in the tip of the jumper. You can insert a needle into this hole to retractthe jumper to set it correctly against the teeth of the date wheel. The day jumper on a 6309 does not have this, and is a bit trickier to set correctly.Use patience and you'll get it in. Important when replacing that C clip that retains the day wheel - make sure that the chamfer faces down so that youcan get something under it when you need to remove it again. At this point test all of the setting mechanisms by pulling the crown out to the firstposition, and make sure you can set the day/date correctly. Then pull it out to the second position, and observe the cannon pinion turning, and the

day/date changing as you pass midnight. Rotate the crown anti-clockwise to advance the time of course. It can take a few goes to get it all right.

Once complete, remove the movement from the holder and install it the other way up.





Movement showing the centre wheel.





Now we're getting to the fun part. I have skipped a few steps here, but I'm sure you will catch up. Things to note: you have to ensure that all thesewheels are correctly located in their lower jewels. The Third wheel should be pretty much flat against the centre wheel bridge, and the fourth wheel flat

on top of the third wheel. That's not how they'll end up, but for now that's where they should be. Also observe the hacking system. The end of thelever sits in the groove in the clutch wheel, so as the crown is pulled out to the second position, the lever moves to the left (in this picture) and actuallycontacts the balance wheel, stopping the movement. You can see that to install a hacking mechanism in a 6309 all you need is the centre wheel bridge

and the lever itself.

Here we can also see the complete power train. The barrel contains the main spring which drives the whole movement. The barrel drives the centrewheel, which drives the third wheel, which drives the fourth wheel, which drives the escape wheel.





Install the train wheel bridge. This is about the hardest part of the procedure for the beginner, in my opinion. You have to get the three wheels (3rd,4th and escape wheels) located in their jewels in the bridge. In a 6309 you need to install the click first, so if you are doing one of these, bend the clickback and lock it behind the edge of the main plate just next to the barrel, so that it is out of the way of the bridge. Now carefully position the bridge,aligning the screw holes correctly. Install all three screws, and give them one full turn so that they hold the plate in the correct position, but so thatthere is absolutely no pressure on any of the wheels yet. Now pick up the entire movement in the holder in your left hand, and look in under the bridge

at the three wheels. Apply gentle downwards pressure to the top of the bridge with one of the fingers of your left hand. Now get a needle and startingwith the third wheel (ie the one furthest away from you), gently move the wheel until it appears perfectly square to the main plate, back and forth inthe two dimensions, until you will hear/feel it go "click" into its jewel. When this is done, move on to the escape wheel, then the fourth wheel. Keep the

pressure on the top of the plate, so when all three wheels are in their jewels you can grab your screwdriver and loosely tighten the screws. This literallytook me three weeks to do on my first go! I can now do it in about 15 seconds. This can be easy, but I bet the first time you try it will take a while, andinvolve much bad language. Right, once the screws are loosely tightened, see whether you can see the three stems in the three jewels on top of thebridge. You just want to confirm that they are in before tightening the screws completely. If you are sure, tighten the screws firmly. Observe where thebridge meets the main plate, i t should fit perfectly. If not, one of the wheels is not in place and you've probably destroyed one of them! If all is wellthough, slowly rotate the barrel clockwise with a screwdriver, and you should see the three wheels spinning. This tells you all is well.





This is almost my favourite part. Install the ratchet wheel and the click. Note that the 6309 click is not secured by a screw like the 6105. Now you canwind the mainspring (clockwise) with a screwdriver using the ratchet wheel screw. Just give it one or two turns.





The movement will spin freely, assuming you have done everything right so far. This looks brilliant.





Now the next hard bit. Install the pallet fork into its lower jewel. There is no easy way to do this. Put the pallet cock in position, and loosely install thescrews. Again, no pressure on the pallet! You just want the screws to hold the pallet cock in the right position. Now move the pallet back and forth untilthe cock drops into position and the pallet is correctly located in its jewel. It should of course be contacting the teeth of the escape wheel. If you think

you have it in, apply gentle pressure downwards on the cock, and see if you can nudge the fork back and forth with no up and down motion. Once youare sure it's in correctly, tighten the screws.





Now for the next really hard bit. Install the balance wheel complete with balance cock. This should be sitting upside down in the parts box, with thewheel sitting in its jewel. This will ensure that the wheel is in the correct position relative to the balance cock (assuming the hairspring is not bent).Take it out and place it in the palm of your hand. Then grip it in your tweezers holding the wheel against the cock so that it does not move, and withthe tweezers in the position you will use to insert it in the movement. Have a think about this before you start. Invert it, then install - under the fourth

wheel, align the cock with its pins and screw ho le, in approximately the right position. Install the screw and once again only give it about half a turn, just so the threads are engaged and the cock is held in the right position. Now gently pursuade the wheel into its jewels, with a little pressure on thebalance cock until it sits correctly in place. Hold the balance cock and carefully swing the wheel back and forth a few times - not far, just a quarter of a

turn at most - and make sure it picks up the pallet fork. If all is in properly, the wheel will swing freely and the pallet fork will move in time with thewheel. If not, take it out and start again. This just comes with practice. Once this is working correctly, fasten the screw. Now the really fun part!

Wind the main spring again with a screwdriver in the ratchet wheel screw. Give it a good wind, at least half a dozen turns. If the movement does not

start immediately, gently tap the balance wheel to get it going. Then shout "It lives!" as the movement starts to work. At this stage any kind of rejoicing, including dancing, punching the air and saying "Allright!" etc is acceptable. You've done well and you should be proud! If the movement will

not run, well you've either done something wrong or you have a broken part. Have a drink before considering your next move. However, if all the testsdone along the way have succeeded, the movement should be running. Now just sit back and watch it run for at least 10 minutes.

We're not done yet though, we need to put the winding mechanism back on. As you know, this comprises the winding bridge, the transfer wheel, andthe "magic fingers".

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Install the parts, and loosely install the screws. With tweezers, open the magic fingers through the holes in the winding bridge, and ensure that they

have engaged the teeth of the transfer wheel, not trapped underneath or on top of it. Move the ratchet wheel slightly to make sure that the transeferwheel has correctly engaged it, then tighten the screws. Check that the bridge is fitted snugly to the main assembly - if it is not, then repeat theprevious step. Once complete, wind the ratchet wheel again and ensure the transfer wheel turns with it. Finally, install the rotor. Wind the rotor in both

directions and ensure the transfer wheel turns and winds the barrel. I tend to do this later as the movement is easier to handle without the rotorinstalled. While you're here, move the adjustment lever to the middle of the range to set a starting point for final regulating.

Now remove the movement from the holder, and replace the dial holding ring, then install the dial, locating the dial feet in the two retaining screws.Tighten the screws and mount the movement back in the holder, dial side up. Pull the crown out to the second position, and advance the movementuntil the date just starts to change. Turn it back a little bit. Now you can set the hands to midnight and the date/day will change correctly. Install thehour hand, pressing it down firmly but not too firmly. Check that it is exactly parallel to the dial. Repeat with the remaining hands. You can set thesecond hand anywhere of course. Make sure they are all parallel and can rotate without touching each other. This is not always as easy as it sounds.When done, remove the movement from the holder. Remove the stem, being careful not to damage the hands. There is a little tab on the dial at 2:00

that engages a cutout in the chapter ring, make sure that this is in the correct position. Balance the movement on the tips of three fingers, then get

the case, align the stem tube correctly, and lower the case on to the movement. Once in, make sure the chapter ring is aligned, if not you can move itfrom inside the case. Once everthing is straight, replace the stem and screw it in. This will hold the movement snugly. Replace the movement holding

ring and its spring, pop the case back on and you're done. Easy! You did remember to oil everything, right?

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Responses

Great work John! Thanks.......... - Tom on Sep 27, 2009, 5:01 AM

Thanks - Barry on Sep 27, 2009, 5:21 AM

Thanks Barry - John Merton on Sep 28, 2009, 12:37 AM

Superb! - MrSeikoChrono on Sep 27, 2009, 9:55 AM

I agree - John Merton on Sep 28, 2009, 12:41 AM

Thanks John, I've got plenty of fodder to practice on - Lee on Sep 27, 2009, 10:13 AM

Many thanks for this and the two prior articles. A great job. nt - John W on Sep 27, 2009, 12:16 PM

Fantastic job, thanks... - Alex on Sep 27, 2009, 3:43 PM





Thanks to you all... - John Merton on Sep 28, 2009, 12:39 AM

Great post, John, fantastic. Have the three parts saved in PDF.Thanks a lot!!! - Devilinside on Sep 28, 2009, 8:47 AM

Great post!!! Is it possible to get the PDF from you? /nt - Willy Hage on Sep 29, 2009, 12:41 PM


Watch Service Part III

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