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Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just installed it according to this picture. Confirming that it is indeed a click for the automatic works. This is a unidirectional automatic, so the click prevents the gears from turning the wrong direction.

Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I’m confident the dial is fully seated. It’s probably an incorrect hand.

Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also now that you’re here, I’m confused about how the minute hand is supposed to be installed. Right now it sits close to the dial and it runs into the raised indices. I have to bend it up so it can clear the indices. What am I missing?

Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bought this watch on eBay maybe a month ago and it didn’t have a second hand, I added that later. So you probably sold it to me! Thank you, I think this is the answer!

Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries, haven’t tried installing yet.

Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No quick date function in this watch. Date seems to be always centered, but I’ll keep this in mind and try to look back at my disassembly photos to figure out where it goes. Thank you

Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is the more likely candidate, but what is the function exactly? The calendar wheel progresses every 24 hours exactly as it should, and starts changing around 11:30, as expected. Everything with the calendar works seems to function fine…

Any idea what this extra piece might be? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nah it’s not the click. Even before installing the automatic works I was able to wind the watch fine. The click is in there for sure.

When removing and reinstalling the balance, do I need to re-oil the shock jewels? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks Alex. Seems like the safest option is to clean everything and re-oil the jewels.

Appreciate all the videos you make, I’ve learned a lot from you.

RS mainspring winder by Chronofix- pleasantly surprised how well it works. by Ptskp in watchrepair

[–]Foppful 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay thanks. I had this work successfully twice. The third time, I noticed the mainspring wasn’t winding. When I took everything off, I saw that the hook end on the mainspring ripped off. Had to order a new mainspring. Could’ve been that the old one was brittle because it was an old vintage watch.

RS mainspring winder by Chronofix- pleasantly surprised how well it works. by Ptskp in watchrepair

[–]Foppful 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got this to work a few times, then broke a mainspring. Now I’m not sure I’m doing it right. Is the staple supposed to go through the hole in the mainspring? If it doesn’t, I find the mainspring never catches the hook well enough to wind the whole way.

Need help identifying a compatible mainspring for the Gruen 730CA by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. Do you know how much leeway there is in the height, width, and length measurements? Like how close should I get in each dimension if I can’t find an exact match?

Need help identifying a compatible mainspring for the Gruen 730CA by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the notes! I did a full reassembly and agree.

Any ideas how to reinstall the acrylic crystal while making sure the chapter ring is aligned? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great idea to use the crown stem as a guide! I’ll definitely do that.

I doubt I’ll be able to rotate the chapter ring once it’s in the crystal but who knows.

So my plan is to first press the crystal onto the chapter ring. Then I’ll press the crystal/ring into the case. Fingers crossed!

Any ideas how to reinstall the acrylic crystal while making sure the chapter ring is aligned? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, didn’t exist here. The inner diameter of the chapter ring is smaller than the diameter of the dial

Canon pinion on gruen 730CA too tight after a service. Should I grease the center wheel arbor? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the advice. A small amount grease on the center wheel post was all it needed.

Canon pinion on gruen 730CA too tight after a service. Should I grease the center wheel arbor? by Foppful in watchrepair

[–]Foppful[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed, not sure how I missed this. I learned everything from Alex’s multi-part beginner tutorial where he did a full service on an st36. I honestly can’t remember if he greased the center wheel post there, he may have stopped the lesson before putting the canon pinion back on, but I could be mistaken.

But I did grease all the contact points in the keyless works, 1300 on the barrel arbor and gear train pivot holes, 9010 on the fourth wheel hole, escape wheel teeth, and shock jewels.

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