Walter J. Kleinlein

“ There are occasionally instances where a poor motion on one pivot is caused by a slight burr on the opposite pivot. This is usually due to the fact that while the burred pivot is running on its own end stone, there is space enough between the end stone and jewel to give the burr clearance, but when the position of the watch is reversed, the balance end shake allowance causes the burr to rub on the top of jewel hole and prevents perfect freedom of motion when the good pivot is downward. ”

“ It is thought essential, however, to consider some matters in a general way and among these are the subjects of side shakes and end shakes, and the escapement, as far as they pertain to general inspection of the watch without consideration of details that refer to correction of irregularities which are presumed to have been acquired in earlier training.
Thoroughness of mechanical ability always demands a system of inspection and of making corrections and it is quite necessary to follow some method that will reveal any point or points that may not be up to standard. ”

“ The principles covering the adjustment of watches are the same in the repair shop as they are in the factory and they are equally the same in the various lines of high grade watches regardless as to whether they are of American or foreign extraction.
The routine covering the work to be done, however, may vary, depending upon the quantity of watches that are turned out. In the factories where large numbers of watches are adjusted the adjuster is trained in the various branches of watch work and eventually devotes his entire time to adjusting. ”

“ When it becomes longer, wider and thicker in heat, experiments seem to prove that the increased width and thickness are not in proportion to the increased length, for if they were, the spring would actually be stronger; while timing proves that it is weaker because of the loss in time. ”

“ Invariably the arc of motion which is the shortest will gain time compared to the opposite position which has a longer motion. There are, however, some few instances in which there are exceptions to this rule, and knowledge of these exceptions is quite valuable in preventing confusion and doubtfulness in the certainty of making specific alterations. ”

“ Through experiment and improvement in the quality and application of balance materials, such advancement has been made, that this variation has been reduced to seconds and temperature adjusting is now quite universal in the production of medium and high grade watches.
In the large factories, girls and young men of very little previous experience are frequently taught to make the alterations and to do the testing, while men of experience in watchmaking handle only the more intricate cases such as "stoppers" and radical rates that may require investigation of the inner workings of the movement. ”

“ It is no longer necessary for him to know how to make a complete watch and only on occasional instances is it necessary for him to make a part. Genuine material for modern watches is supplied by the manufacturer at less expense than it can be produced by the individual and in this particular branch of the work the repairer's requirements have been very considerably curtailed. ”

“ The method employed in obtaining the high temperature varies in different styles of boxes, while the low temperature is always obtained through the use of ice. When only an occasional test is made, any simple method whereby approximately close results in the two extremes can be obtained, may be used. For instance, the watch may be enclosed in a tin box and placed in sand that is kept at a temperature of 90 or 95 degrees F. A thermometer placed in the sand indicates when the temperature rises too high or falls too low. The ordinary household refrigerator may be used for testing the cold. ”

“ A good motion is to be considered as one of the results to be expected in overhauling and putting a watch in good order and it should not be understood that it is particularly to be associated with adjusting only, nor should any watch be slighted in cleaning and assembling with the idea that adjusting will correct it in a few minutes' time. ”

“ A safe way to judge gearings if in doubt is by the motion and the engaging surfaces of the wheel teeth. If the motion is steady and the teeth are not cut by the pinion leaves they may be considered as satisfactory. If the motion is steady for a time and then suddenly drops off there is generally something wrong in the gearing. The wheel and pinion in error can be determined by noting at what particular intervals the motion decreases. ”

“ Damaged pivots can often be detected by looking through the end stone with a strong glass while the balance is moving. If imperfect they will appear dark or display a slight waver or flash and if they are in good condition they will appear bright and seem to stand still. They can also be examined in the lathe and a good true enclosed balance chuck is of immense value in detecting burrs, chipped edges, rings on the sides, slight bends and poorly shaped ends. The complete balance and spring can be inserted and the pivots can be refinished without disturbing the roller or hairspring. ”

“ As a rule it is best to begin at either end of the watch, and if it is to be taken down the best place [Pg 35] to begin is usually with the balance and examine each part as it is removed until the barrel has been reached. If it is not to be taken down, just as good results will be obtained by beginning the examination at the barrel and finishing with the balance. Sometimes watchmakers of considerable ability will demand as a basic consideration that pivots be fitted with very little side shake and that end shakes also be quite close if close time is to be expected. ”

“ To know and to make use of these principles does not make a "putterer" of the workman, in fact the consequence is just the reverse, because the training acquired tends to eliminate guess work and enables him to determine more readily as to just what the trouble may be, how to correct it, and as to just what degree of perfection is required in a particular instance. ”

“ When the watch is in reasonably satisfactory condition and a three position test proves that the pendant up position has a variation of from ten to twenty seconds either fast or slow compared to the horizontal positions, the regulator pins may be the first point of examination. If there is considerable vibration of the coil between them, and the pendant rate is slow, it will be necessary to close the pins and if the rate is fast and the pins are found to be closed so that there is no vibration of the coil, it will be necessary to spread them slightly. ”

“ Train depthings can often be improved if the workman is equipped with a rounding up machine and knows how to use it. Otherwise the watch can be sent to the factory for correction and the only alternative of the repairer is to cut the spring to the slow point, or counterpoise, with the intention of eliminating expense and getting as good results as can be expected for the financial returns that are to be received. ”

“ The adjustments to isochronism and positions are not permanent to the same extent that the [Pg 33] temperature adjustment is, and they can be damaged or destroyed entirely by the average workman in making ordinary repairs unless he is familiar with the common principles governing their production and maintenance.
Experienced workmen who are familiar with these principles avoid unconsciously doing any damage and make practical repairs in a manner that will maintain or improve the original adjustment and time-keeping qualities of the watch. ”

“ If a watch rates slow in heat compared to cold it is necessary to shift screws in opposite pairs out toward the cut or free end of the rims; because when the metals expand the hairspring becomes weaker and produces a loss in time. During this period the free ends of the balance rims, carrying the transferred weight are forced toward the center and produce a gaining rate which compensates for the loss caused by the weakened spring. ”

“ Nickel steel balances will always be found to have the cuts about one eighth of the circle distant from the arms instead of close to the arms. This is made necessary by the fact that the coefficient of nickel steel is about ten times less than that of ordinary steel, and if the cuts were made close to the arms the brass in expansion would force the free end of the rims to curve inward to such an extent that it would cause an abnormally fast rate in heat. ”

“ It is admittedly poor workmanship to use ill-fitting washers and poor taste to use brass washers on high grade gold screw balances, but the fact should not be overlooked that the manufacturers of many fine watches use washers to a limited extent, even when an abundance of balance screws are available and very fine Swiss models are often supplied with a pair of thin platinum washers which are not easily detected. ”

“ In placing limits of allowance for variation in various grades it is not intended that all watches of a particular grade will have the extreme variation. It is possible that an individual watch in the twenty-five seconds allowance class may have an even better rate than another watch that is in the six seconds class. ”

“ In moving a pair of screws one hole between the first quarter and the center of the rims, a correction of from two to three seconds can be expected and from the center to the cut the difference for one hole is generally four or five seconds, while an alteration between the arm and the first quarter seldom yields any correction. [Pg 21]
The matter of appearance should at all times be respected, for it is just as easy to obtain results in most instances and also have a well-appearing balance. ”

“ In fact, the experienced adjuster can tell almost immediately where to look for trouble by merely observing the position rate as entered on the card.
It should also be clearly understood by the student that when the repairing and cleaning of high grade watches is done by one who understands the details of adjusting, there will be only a very small proportion of the watches requiring position corrections. As a rule among experienced adjusters there will be about seventy per cent of the watches that will have very close rates. ”

“ When a watch is cleaned annually by the same workman it is not necessary that the mainspring be removed and reoiled each time, for a mainspring properly oiled will last for two or three years before requiring cleaning and reoiling. ”

“ Various devices were originated from time to time for the purpose of counteracting the error but they were always too infinitely complicated to be of commercial or scientific value, and none of them were ever adopted as a solution of the problem. ”

“ In the factories where large quantities of a particular model having a standard style balance are handled, tests are usually made to determine as to just what degree of correction will be obtained by shifting various pairs of screws certain distances. This information is then used in making alterations with considerable certainty. The expert temperature adjuster becomes fully informed as to the peculiarities of various models and is capable of getting larger percentages of watches within the limits of allowance, after making alterations, than he could obtain otherwise. ”

“ To understand position adjusting thoroughly is of the greatest advantage in obtaining satisfactory time from any medium or high grade watches even though they are not to be tested in positions because vital points will receive intelligent observation where they would otherwise be overlooked. ”

“ Watches are always expected to be in first-class condition and such features as close fitting pivots or dirty oil will prevent any dependable timing. It is also advisable to time them closely before the test is made, as too great mean time variation may confuse in estimating the error, especially if the time is not taken in each temperature exactly at the end of twenty-four hours. ”