Absolute Beginner's Guide to a Movement Service

8/2/2019 Absolute Beginner's Guide to a Movement Service

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Absolute Beginner's Guide to a Movement Service

Hi all

The following are a series of articles I've written in which I hope to introduce those

interested in our hobby to basic watch making. I hope that this will give you guys a

good introduction and the confidence you'll need to further explore this wonderful

hobby of ours. Enjoy.

John.

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Absolute Beginner's Guide to a Movement Service, Part 1:

Tools and Materials.

In reply to Ken who asked, here is the procedure I use to rebuild amovement. The movement will be a 6105 as my earlier photos of a6309 are pretty ordinary.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a watchmaker! I am a hobbyist! Do not trythis on an expensive watch or on your friend's watches! This tutorialis designed for those who just want to rebuild their own movementsfor fun and practice. Leave the real watch repairs to theprofessionals. Having said that, I have several watches which I haverebuilt myself which are running strongly and accurately, and Iencourage everyone to give this a go. If you have the right tools,good eyes, a steady hand and a methodical approach, you canrebuild your own movements, and I must say it is an extremelysatisfying experience to see the movement spring into life. If any realwatchmakers are reading this, please chime in at any point to correctwhat I am doing. Be gentle though.

Now that that's out of the way, the first thing you need is a workarea where you won't be disturbed, and good lighting. Bear in mind

that you ARE going to drop parts on the floor, so thick carpets arenot recommended. You also need a PC and a digital camera. Buy aparts box; I get mine from Spotlight in Australia, they sellArt/Craft/Homemaker kind of stuff, and have these great boxes forputting your crafty things in which cost about $5. You will see it inuse in Part 2. An ultrasonic cleaner is a bonus; you can buy smallones at a reasonable price.

Tools

As with everything, you usually get what you pay for, so buy the bestyou can afford, particularly screwdrivers and tweezers.


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Here's my basic set:

At the top, the caseback opener. I like these as they are light and

easy to use, but care must be taken not to let the tool slip anddamage your case back.

From L to R, 1.0mm and 1.2mm screwdrivers, tweezers, case knife(for removing bezels), stiff brush to clean the case before you openit, springbar remover, a needle, hand setting tool, and a hand madestem release pusher. I know people who fashion hand setters out ofvarious bits of plastic tube, but the real tool makes a particularlytricky job a little easier. At the top; a piece of x-ray film and handremover tool, the film is to protect the dial when you're using the

hand remover. The needle pushed into the cork is my oiler. Crude,and not particularly effective, but it does work. I need to buy a real


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one. Small bowl for cleaning parts, a clean cloth, all sitting on apaper towel.

You will also want:

A tub of grease for the stem tube, and a greaser. This is great; it istwo pieces of sponge impregnated with grease. You drop your gasketin, screw the lid back and forth a couple of times, and your gaskethas an even coating of grease. You also need a case holder, somewatch oil, a movement holder, cotton buds, and a blower.

Cleaning fluid, a watchmaker recommended this product to me.


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It seems to do the job and evaporates cleanly. The WD-40 is forreleasing stuck click balls. Never use this to lubricate any part of awatch.

Next, the crystal press. If you are serious, buy one of these, but isnot essential:


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And lastly, magnification.


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I can't use a loupe, I use the headset. It stays in place, and you getbinocular vision of what you're doing. I use the loupe only for thereally tiny stuff. This one came with a steel band to hold it in placeagainst your eye (and it works if you wear glasses as well, as I do),

which I have duct-taped to the loupe as it kept coming off.

Part 2: Disassembly and cleaning

Before we dive straight into the movement, we should considerscrewdriver and tweezers technique. You should always operate yourscrewdriver like this:


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You must develop a sense of touch when replacing screws, as toomuch pressure before you get that first thread in will send your screwflying. It is worth practicing removing and replacing screws beforeyou get too far into the movement. When handling screws in your

tweezers, I recommend holding them by the thread just under thehead of the screw. This way you can hold them firmly, and as thescrew will be close to 90 degrees to the tweezers, you can easily dropthem in their holes. Practice picking them up and putting them down.Always work over a piece or two of paper towel, and keep the partslow. This will reduce bounce when you drop a part and hopefully theywon't roll too far. Keep your keyboard covered as this is a favouriteplace for parts to hide.

First you will remove the bracelet/strap using the springbar tool. This

can be really easy or quite tricky depending on the springbars andthe bracelet/strap you have. Rubber straps can be really difficult


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particularly if they are new and stiff, but you have to just try to pushthem back far enough to be able to get to the spring bar. Compressthe spring bar and remove the bracelet/strap.

Next, remove the case back. Be careful not to let your caseback tool

slip and scratch the caseback. Covering the caseback with tape willhelp here.

With the caseback removed, release the stem. This procedure variesbetween movements, but we are talking about 6105/6309 modelshere, so the release button is easy to find. It is different on7002/7S26 which uses a small lever, only visible when the crown ispulled out (to the first position I think?). Here's where it is on6105/6309s.

You can see the button just to the left of the tip of the tool. Depress


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this gently and remove the stem.

Now turn the watch face up on your palm. A gentle tap on the caseshould have the movement out. You'll find the movement holder ringwith its spring as well, so put these into the parts box.

Replace the stem carefully, giving it a gentle wiggle back and forth sothat it correctly engages the clutch wheel and goes in all the way.Don't use any force. Mount the movement in the movement holderface up.

Remove the hands. This can be done by gently lifting the hands oneat a time with tweezers, but you do risk bending them. It is better touse a hand removal tool. If you do, get a piece of x-ray film orsimilar, cut in roughly the shape and size of the dial, and cut a long V

shape into it so that the point of the V is in the middle of the piece offilm (see picture in Part 1). Slip the film under all three hands, andthen remove the hands.

Next, remove the movement from the movement holder, and locatethe two small screws on the edge of the movement which secure thedial. Loosen them by about 3/4 of one full turn and carefully removethe dial and its holding ring. Replace the movement in the holder dialside up.

Now for the movement itself.

OK, to start off you will need the service manual for your movement.These are readily available in PDF format, but drop me a line if youneed one. Have this open on your PC. Have your parts box open nextto your work area. The service manual will show you the correctsequence of disassembly and reassembly. You start with the top ofthe watch (i.e., the dial side), and the crown/stem must be installed.

There's nothing too complicated about the disassembly. Just take

care and do one component at a time in the order documented in theservice manual. One of the tricky bits on any movement with a daywheel is to remove the C clip that secures the day wheel. You can tryto gently prise this up with a needle to get it started, then slip asmall screwdriver under it to remove it completely.

What I did when starting out was to remove the screws and thecomponent they were securing, and keeping these separate in acompartment in the order you removed them. This way you willalways keep the correct screws with the right component. Each timeyou remove a component, take a photo. You will end up with 15 - 20photos which you can use in the reassembly. Here's a photo of the


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parts box I talked about in Part 1, you can see that it is possible toput an entire project into one box:

To start with, do not attempt to dismantle the balance wheel/cock at

all, just keep it in one part. Don't dismantle the Diashock or removethe cannon pinion. Try these when you have more experience as theycan really ruin your day if they go wrong. Unfortunately however, ifyou are working on a movement with water damage, the cannonpinion/centre wheel/hour wheel are often rusted together and willneed replacement anyway.

When removing the balance wheel, pick it up together with thebalance cock by holding them together with your tweezers.


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Invert it onto your bench, and then locate the wheel back into itsjewel with careful nudges of your tweezers. You can then handle it bythe cock (no giggling please) without damaging the hairspring.


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Once fully disassembled, all the parts need to be cleaned. Get a smallshallow dish and add some Shellite (or whatever). Put the parts fromone compartment at a time into the dish and let them soak, give

them a wriggle every now and then to remove the grime and old oil.When you get sick of this, remove the parts and place on your papertowel to dry. While they are drying, add the next compartment ofparts to the Shellite. When dry (give them at least five minutes), putthem back in the parts box in the same compartment they came outof. The main plate will need more drying time to get all the Shelliteout of all the nooks and crannies. Brush out all the jewels with atoothbrush moistened with Shellite. If any stains remain, give them agentle scrub with a cotton bud dipped in Shellite. Make sure to givethem a good rinse in the Shellite bowl after this, and make sure nostrands of cotton have been left on the part.


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Don't clean the day or date wheels though; I'm sure Shellite willdissolve the paint. Don't immerse the barrel either as we're not goingto open it up. Just clean any marks on the outside with a cotton buddipped in Shellite.

To dry the balance, hang it on a needle stuck into a piece of Rodico.Make sure the wheel is hanging vertically so that the spring is notdistorted.

This has to be completely dry or the coils will stick together.

As you are cleaning the parts, examine them for any obvious signs ofdamage. As we are not watchmakers we can't know all the problemsigns, but look for broken and missing teeth on each wheel andpinion, missing axles, that sort of thing.


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Here's a bunch of parts drying on a paper towel.

I hope this all makes sense! That's all for Part 2. We'll finish it off inPart 3.

Part 3: The Rebuild

The pictures used here will be of a 6105 as the ones I took of my6309 were pretty ordinary. The movements are similar, with the bigdifference of course being that the 6105 has no day mechanism. Butyou should get the general idea. I intend to update this with a more"blow by blow" series using a 6309, but for the time being, this is allI have.

OK, you should now have the movement in bits, all cleaned, your


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photos of the disassembly and the service manual open on your PC,and a clean work area in front of you. The service manual will showyou where you have to apply oil as the build progresses. A realwatchmaker will use several different oils for different parts of thewatch, but for our first builds, buy some general purpose oil. Your

parts supplier will give you some direction here. I have usedMoebius 9010 so far, and it is obviously working, but it's probablylike putting engine oil in your gearbox or vice versa. Not guaranteedfor another 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 theabsence of a real oiler. Dip the needle in your oil, and wipe of anyexcess. The eye of the needle will hold a little oil, and you can dab iton from this. If you apply too much, mop up the excess with a smallpiece of paper towel.

Reassemble the watch in the order documented in the servicemanual. You will start with the keyless works, and all the day/datesetting parts. First though, install the stem and the clutch wheel.Hold the clutch wheel in position with tweezers, with the pointy endfacing inwards, then insert the stem all the way in.


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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 thegrove in the clutch wheel. Install the setting lever, then the settinglever spring, and loosely install the setting lever spring screw. Makesure the end of the spring engages the post on the setting lever asshown in the picture. Once this is all in place, tighten the screws, andthen test it by pulling the crown out to the first and second positionsand back again. This will give you an idea of how the whole thingworks. You can see that the clutch wheel moves in as you pull thecrown out.


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This picture shows the nearly complete top side of the movement. Itwill look different to your 6309: there is no hour wheel bridge, andthe date movement parts are plastic. But you should get the generalidea. Be careful of the date jumper when installing. Hold it in placewith a toothpick, and carefully click the spring end into themovement. Note the installation of the Intermediate date wheel, thepinion side faces down so that it meshes with the gear on the datesetting wheel. Note at this point - the hour wheel carries the hourhand, and the cannon pinion carries the minute hand. The cannonpinion fits over the shaft of the centre wheel, so it must turn whenthe centre wheel turns, but it must also slide on the shaft when youadjust the time. This is why I have suggested that you don't removethese parts when starting out. If the cannon pinion is too loose, the

minute hand will flop about. If too tight, you will have trouble settingthe time, and risk damaging other parts. If either of these parts


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needs replacement, they are generally sold together as a pair. Thesecond hand is carried by the long shaft of the fourth wheel whichwe'll get to later.

Holding plate now installed. OK, now you can see what the datejumper does. It causes the date wheel to snap to just the rightposition. You know that problem when the date is not correctlycentered in the date window? It could be caused by a worn date

jumper, or the jumper has slipped out of contact with the date wheel.Ditto, with the day wheel on your 6309. You can see a hole in the tipof the jumper. You can insert a needle into this hole to retract the

jumper to set it correctly against the teeth of the date wheel. Theday 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 replacingthat C clip that retains the day wheel - make sure that the chamfer


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faces down so that you can get something under it when you need toremove it again. At this point test all of the setting mechanisms bypulling the crown out to the first position, and make sure you can setthe day/date correctly. Then pull it out to the second position, andobserve the cannon pinion turning, and the day/date changing as you

pass midnight. Rotate the crown anti-clockwise to advance the timeof course. It can take a few goes to get it all right.

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

Movement showing the centre wheel


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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 ensurethat all these wheels are correctly located in their lower jewels. TheThird wheel should be pretty much flat against the centre wheelbridge, and the fourth wheel flat on top of the third wheel. That's nothow they'll end up, but for now that's where they should be. Alsoobserve the hacking system. The end of the lever sits in the groovein the clutch wheel, so as the crown is pulled out to the secondposition, the lever moves to the left (in this picture) and actuallycontacts the balance wheel, stopping the movement. You can seethat to install a hacking mechanism in a 6309 all you need is thecentre wheel bridge and the lever itself.

Here we can also see the complete power train. The barrel containsthe main spring which drives the whole movement. The barrel drives


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the centre wheel, which drives the third wheel, which drives thefourth wheel, which drives the escape wheel.

Install the train wheel bridge. This is about the hardest part of theprocedure for the beginner, in my opinion. You have to get the threewheels (3rd, 4th and escape wheels) located in their jewels in thebridge. In a 6309, you need to install the click first, so if you aredoing one of these, bend the click back and lock it behind the edge ofthe main plate just next to the barrel, so that it is out of the way ofthe bridge. Now carefully position the bridge, aligning the screw holescorrectly. Install all three screws, and give them one full turn so thatthey hold the plate in the correct position, but so that there isabsolutely no pressure on any of the wheels yet.


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Now pick up the entire movement in the holder in your left hand, andlook in under the bridge at the three wheels. Apply gentle downwardspressure to the top of the bridge with one of the fingers of your lefthand. Now get a needle and starting with the third wheel (i.e. theone furthest away from you), gently move the wheel until it appears

perfectly square to the main plate, back and forth in the twodimensions, until you will hear/feel it go "click" into its jewel. Whenthis 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 wheelsare in their jewels you can grab your screwdriver and loosely tightenthe screws. This literally took me three weeks to do on my first go! Ican now do it in about 15 seconds. This can be easy, but I bet thefirst time you try it will take a while, and involve 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 the bridge. You justwant to confirm that they are in before tightening the screwscompletely. If you are sure, tighten the screws firmly. Observe wherethe bridge meets the main plate, it should fit perfectly. If not, one ofthe wheels is not in place and you've probably destroyed one ofthem! If all is well though, slowly rotate the barrel clockwise with ascrewdriver, and you should see the three wheels spinning. This tellsyou all is well.


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This is almost my favourite part. Install the ratchet wheel and theclick. Note that the 6309 click is not secured by a screw like the6105. Now you can wind the mainspring (clockwise) with ascrewdriver using the ratchet wheel screw. Just give it one or twoturns.


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


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Now, for 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, andloosely install the screws.

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 until the cock drops into positionand the pallet is correctly located in its jewel. It should of course becontacting the teeth of the escape wheel. If you think you have it in,apply gentle pressure downwards on the cock, and see if you cannudge the fork back and forth with no up and down motion. Once youare sure it's in correctly, tighten the screws.


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Now for the next really hard bit; install the balance wheel completewith balance cock. This should be sitting upside down in the partsbox, with the wheel sitting in its jewel. This will ensure that the wheelis in the correct position relative to the balance cock (assuming thehairspring is not bent). Take it out and place it in the palm of yourhand. Then grip it in your tweezers holding the wheel against thecock so that it does not move, and with the tweezers in the positionyou will use to insert it in the movement. Have a think about thisbefore you start. Invert it, then install - under the fourth wheel, alignthe cock with its pins and screw hole, in approximately the rightposition.

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 persuade the wheel into its jewels, with a little pressure


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on the balance cock until it sits correctly in place. Hold the balancecock and carefully swing the wheel back and forth a few times - notfar, just a quarter of a turn at most - and make sure it picks up thepallet fork. If all is in properly, the wheel will swing freely and thepallet fork will move in time with the wheel. If not, take it out and

start again. This just comes with practice. Once this is workingcorrectly, fasten the screw. Now the really fun part!

Wind the main spring again with a screwdriver in the ratchet wheelscrew; Give it a good wind, at least half a dozen turns. If themovement does not start immediately, gently tap the balance wheelto get it going. Then shout "It lives!" as the movement starts towork. At this stage any kind of rejoicing, including dancing, punchingthe air and saying "Alright!" etc is acceptable. You've done well andyou should be proud! If the movement will not run, well you've either

done something wrong or you have a broken part. Have a drinkbefore considering your next move. However, if all the tests donealong 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 mechanismback on. As you know, this comprises the winding bridge, thetransfer wheel, and the "magic fingers".


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Install the parts, and loosely install the screws. With tweezers, openthe magic fingers through the holes in the winding bridge, andensure that they have engaged the teeth of the transfer wheel, nottrapped underneath or on top of it. Move the ratchet wheel slightly tomake sure that the transfer wheel has correctly engaged it, and thentighten the screws. Check that the bridge is fitted snugly to the mainassembly - if it is not, and then repeat the previous step. Oncecomplete, wind the ratchet wheel again and ensure the transferwheel turns with it. Finally, install the rotor. Wind the rotor in bothdirections and ensure the transfer wheel turns and winds the barrel. Itend to do this later as the movement is easier to handle without therotor installed. While you're here, move the adjustment lever to themiddle of the range to set a starting point for final regulating.

Now remove the movement from the holder, and replace the dial


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holding ring, then install the dial, locating the dial feet in the tworetaining screws. Tighten the screws and mount the movement backin the holder, dial side up. Pull the crown out to the second position,and advance the movement until the date just starts to change. Turnit back a little bit. Now you can set the hands to midnight and the

date/day will change correctly. Install the hour hand, pressing itdown firmly but not too firmly. Check that it is exactly parallel to thedial. Repeat with the remaining hands. You can set the second handanywhere of course. Make sure they are all parallel and can rotatewithout touching each other. This is not always as easy as it sounds.When done, remove the movement from the holder. Remove thestem, being careful not to damage the hands. There is a little tab onthe dial at 2:00 that engages a cut-out in the chapter ring, makesure 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 themovement. Once in, make sure the chapter ring is aligned, if not youcan move it from inside the case. Once everything is straight, replacethe stem and screw it in. This will hold the movement snugly.Replace the movement holding ring and its spring, pop the case backon and you're done. Easy! You did remember to oil everything, right?

Documents

Absolute Beginner's Guide to a Movement Service