How To Repair Vintage Watches

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Until recently, watches have been entirely mechanical where each bike, gear, and mechanism representing a milestone in our agreement of precision manufacturing and timekeeping.

One of the very first watches, created by a locksmith.

Today information technology is nearly impossible to discover watchmakers to service or repair vintage mechanical pocket and wristwatches, and then we take to do it ourselves. Learn to repair vintage mechanical watches. You tin do this and we'll show you how.

They tick, mechanical watches have a pulse. First created in the 16th century past locksmiths, these early watches could just resolve fourth dimension down to the hour and for this reason displayed fourth dimension with just one hour paw.

By the 18th century fusee technology enabled watches to attain accuracies to within seconds.

Fusee_With_Cord — Fusee wheel and chain, which is in effect a continuously variable manual to provide constant torque as jump butt unwinds.

The Waltham Lookout Co. was the kickoff to democratize portable time keeping by developing a process to mass produce high quality watches that were extremely authentic. Prices were equivalent to a MacBook or an iPad in today'south money. The American sentry manufacture led the way in developing a world-class production that with a little maintenance, could terminal forever.

American Waltham Watch Factory

Example of a Waltham Pocket Watch

But ladies' watches were pushing the bounds of what was possible, at the cutting border of pocket-sized. Ladies' watches led to the evolution of the (smaller than a pocket watch) wrist watches.

ladies watch to wrist watch — Evolution of the ladies pocket watch to wrist spotter. Manufacturing techniques were pushed to their limits in making small watches.

Widespread adaptation of wrist watches occurred in the 1930'due south. Although less accurate than pocket watches, wrist watches were significantly more convenient. The swiss lead the style in post-war wrist watch engineering.

A hobby where you must exercise it yourself

You lot must be able to clean and repair your ain watch if y'all want to go vintage. Watchmakers are a dying brood, if you can discover one look to pay $200-$400 to get your lookout repaired. Besides, most of the fun is existence able to habiliment something y'all repaired yourself. Pop your watch open up at parties and explain how it works to your friends.

There is no such thing as 'over wound,' what actually happens is dirt and grime builds up on the bearings and then that wheels (gears actually, the gears are referred to as wheels) can not turn equally freely, preventing the movement from running. The movement is geared up significantly from the winding spring (spring barrel) where one turn of the spring barrel causes hundreds of turns of the second mitt. Unfortunately with such gearing there is very little torque at the 2nd hand. For this reason the slightest bit of dirt and grime in the bearings throughout the gear railroad train causes a movement to finish running. Most of the time when you buy a broken mechanical watch all it needs is to be cleaned and oiled. But this is not as easy as it seems, y'all must completely tear down your spotter motility, make clean each lilliputian office, reassemble and oil it.

Where to learn

This video will bear witness yous how a modern picket works starting with the spring barrel down to the balance bike:

To larn watch repair read the transmission, US Army TM9-1575 (PDF). In World War II numerous manuals like this were written to railroad train whatsoever 18-twelvemonth-old to acquire advanced skills in a short menstruum of time.

Cleaning and oiling

To make it run once again you will accept to completely have information technology apart, clean its mechanical parts and plates in an ultrasonic cleaner, and oil every bit you lot put it dorsum together post-obit the process in TM9-1575.

Taking apart a Waltham Riverside Pocket Watch

Parts set out to dry after cleaning

Waltham Riverside pocket watch after cleaning and oiling.

Waltham Riverside pocket lookout later on cleaning and oiling.

Elgin Mens wristwatch drying after cleaning, all parts shown disassembled.

Elgin men's wrist watch during disassembly.

More disassembly.

Step by step how-to videos

For videos of lookout repairs and cleanings of all types of pocket and wrist watches, check out this YouTube channel on watch repair.

How to take apart (be prepared for a very interesting commentary):

Re-associates is fourth dimension-consuming and this is often where things break. In this video, [bunnspecial] completes re-assembly in 33 min, which is very quick. Here'southward how to reassemble after cleaning (again, another colorful commentary):

Tools you will need

Become a set of jeweler'south screwdrivers; good ones from the Us, Swiss, or French made, not Chinese made ones. Screws in vintage watches are tougher than the screw driver tips, inexpensive screwdrivers will disintegrate quickly.

Movement holder
Oilers
Toothpicks.
Watch oil
Ultrasonic cleaner
Cleaning solution and rinse
Jeweler's tweezers, non magnetic
Demagnetizer
Other small-scale tools y'all probably already have.

Showtime your collection

You can purchase vintage watches at antiquarian shops or on ebay, they are not too expensive. Expect to pay $50-100 for a serviceable American men's pocket watch (Waltham, Elgin) and slightly more for a high stop American pocket watch (Hamilton, Hampton, Illinois). $10-100 for a vintage wrist watch, depending on mode and condition. Primal upshot you must expect for is a skilful balance staff. One way to test for this is to have a toothpick and touch the balance wheel and observe if it moves freely, if then then you should be able to service the watch. Likewise, if the watch runs somewhat and stops it likely has a expert balance staff.

Join the customs

Need help or desire to acquire more, take classes, and goto come across-ups? Join the NAWCC and seek answers to your questions on their forums.

Grandpa's heirloom scout

Exercise non restore a spotter that has a great bargain of meaning to yous. Expect to impairment or permanently break your first one or two pocket watches and near half of your first wristwatches. Even as you get better at this I would not recommend cleaning a high-terminate Chrono. If you can't live with yourself if you intermission or harm it then don't restore it yourself, have a pro do it. Unfortunately watch repair shops are few and far between these days and nigh can not handle the complication of a vintage mechanical movement. The best one I've worked with is just north of Detroit, J&Westward Watch and Clock Repair. These guys are so quondam schoolhouse they exercise not even take a website, so yous'll have to telephone call them upward and mail it in.

You tin do this

Picket repair is a fascinating hobby, ane of the few that is actually worth doing yourself. There is nothing more satisfying than taking apart a dead movement, making repairs and cleaning, so seeing information technology run again. Express yourself, clothing vintage, make a connection with history and e'er have a story at the next social gathering explaining how these little machines work.

Gregory 50. Charvat, Ph.D is author of Small and Short-Range Radar Systems, visiting research scientist at Camera Civilisation Group Massachusetts Institute of Applied science Media Lab, co-founder of Hyperfine Research Inc. and Butterfly Network Inc., editor of the Gregory L. Charvat Series on Practical Approaches to Electric Applied science, and guest commentator on CNN, CBS, Sky News, and others. He was a technical staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory from September 2007 to Nov 2011, where his piece of work on through-wall radar won best paper at the 2010 MSS Tri-Services Radar Symposium and is an MIT Office of the Provost 2011 research highlight. He has taught brusk radar courses at MIT, where his Build a Small Radar course was the summit-ranked MIT professional person education course in 2011 and has get widely adopted past other universities, laboratories, and private organizations. Starting at an Early Age, Greg developed numerous radar systems,rail SAR imaging sensors, phased array radar systems; holds several patents; and has developed many other sensors and radio and audio equipment. He has authored numerous publications and received a great deal of press for his work. Greg earned a Ph.D in electrical engineering in 2007, MSEE in 2003, and BSEE in 2002 from Michigan State University, and is a senior fellow member of the IEEE, where he served on the steering committee for the 2010, 2013, and 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Phased Array Systems and Engineering science and chaired the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Boston Affiliate from 2010-2011.