Any vintage pocket watch repairers (1 Viewer)

[funflair]

As per title I am interested in rebuilding a vintage pocket watch that has come down Jens family line, it is a Fusee chain drive from around 1875, well actually it's a pile of bit on our dining table at the moment.

I have a couple of questions if there is anybody in the know.

 

[Just smiffy]

I admire you for giving it a go, good light and a good magnifying glass even if you do have perfect eyesight….

Oh, and do it in an uncluttered space because bet your bottom dollar that one piece will ping off somewhere never to be seen again ..

 

[Ivory55]

What about mr fagin and mr dodger don’t they know a bit about pocket watches. Haha

 

[olley]

Funny you should post this as I have just had a quote for my father's old silver fusee pocket watch, £2500 that's with a damaged dial and missing hands.
It's actual value is probably only a few hundred pounds or less so not worth doing.
W.E. Clark & Son Ltd.
224 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2AF - 01323 406394

His other bigger one is in for service with another company in Birmingham who couldn't do fusee watches, the service is £350 which is about it's value.

 

[funflair]

I admire you for giving it a go, good light and a good magnifying glass even if you do have perfect eyesight….

Oh, and do it in an uncluttered space because bet your bottom dollar that one piece will ping off somewhere never to be seen again ..

Sounds like the voice of experience, I bought 4 broken movements off ebay for £13.80 to practice on one of them is basically working and one has been sacrificed for the family piece.

I only work in daylight and wear 2 pairs of glasses as it seems to work for Steve on the repair shop

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[Two on Tour]

I take it you realise that you have bits for two different watches.

 

[funflair]

Funny you should post this as I have just had a quote for my father's old silver fusee pocket watch, £2500 that's with a damaged dial and missing hands.
It's actual value is probably only a few hundred pounds or less so not worth doing.
W.E. Clark & Son Ltd.
224 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2AF - 01323 406394

His other bigger one is in for service with another company in Birmingham who couldn't do fusee watches, the service is £350 which is about it's value.

We were told this one was worth £150 ish and could be a couple of hundred to service/fix and then it might be worth £200 working so not really a viable repair but it would be nice to see it going just to say I can/did.

This one had a broken fusee chain but I got one out of one of the "donar movements" the other issue seems to be that it has had a new mainspring but it a bit bigger than it should be and the cover doesn't click back on the drum, my worry is that if I put it back together and wind it it might snap the chain again if it is too strong, OK I could just half wind it to try.

 

[funflair]

I take it you realise that you have bits for two different watches.

Yes thanks I have robbed a couple of bits from the top box for the lower one which is the one I want to get going.

 

[funflair]

For anybody remotely interested in engineering this is worth a read,

Technical: The Fusee and Chain

The Watch Magazine takes a look at how the fusee and chain works

www.watchfinder.co.uk

The photograph makes it all look quite easy but in reality the pieces are quite small,

The dressmaking pin gives you an idea of scale.

 

[Stag man]

I think the watch was of good quality, looking at the etching on the balance wheel housing, it’s also a jewelled movement, another sign of quality, but the lever for Fast/Slow adjustment is missing
From the photograph the hair spring looks either broken or adrift from its mounting, but might just be a case of refitting it.
The fusee was an ingenious device, but a menace to wind up especially when the main spring is in place.
I have only worked on clock mechanisms so good luck with something as intricate as a watch.

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[LesW]

Here you go.. https://www.ricochet.co.uk/casting/the-repair-shop_1071.aspx

 

[funflair]

I think the watch was of good quality, looking at the etching on the balance wheel housing, it’s also a jewelled movement, another sign of quality, but the lever for Fast/Slow adjustment is missing
From the photograph the hair spring looks either broken or adrift from its mounting, but might just be a case of refitting it.
The fusee was an ingenious device, but a menace to wind up especially when the main spring is in place.
I have only worked on clock mechanisms so good luck with something as intricate as a watch.

That is actually the balance from one of the batch for £13.80 and yes the lever is missing but worse than that the chain has snapped and the pin in the fusee cone that anchors the chain is missing as it has pulled out of the brass so that is a non starter for my skills.

This is the ones I am trying to get going,

Again the balance is jewelled but that's it, I am reluctant to take the balance wheel out as the hair spring is rather fine and I am afraid I may not be able to get it back in as its end is fixed to the top plate with a tiny taper pin, the bit next to the red pin head is the spring for the ratchet on the fusee cone but I robbed it out of one of the other movements and then found it was too long and was too long and touching at the wrong side of the pivot on the ratchet so I had to anneal it and then file it down a bit and rebend it before hardening again.

 

[funflair]

Here you go.. https://www.ricochet.co.uk/casting/the-repair-shop_1071.aspx

Thanks that would be the easy way to do it I would really like to do it myself though.

 

[funflair]

Well do you remember the box of bit? it works Tick Tock Tick Tock



Hope this works

EDIT does the video play?

 

[jollyrodger]

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[jollyrodger]

 

[jollyrodger]

If at first you don't succeed















.
. Get a bigger hammer

 

[funflair]

Yes I watched a couple of those videos before getting stuck in, if nothing else it worth knowing how to unload the mainspring although in fairness this one had unloaded itself when the chain snapped