That is one of the seven complicated functions of the clock, double tracking timing

[fc-1984-chn 0]

When you start the time button, then the two timing second hands, just like the two sprinters hearing the starting gun, begin to move synchronously and clockwise. When you press the catch pin button of the 11 o'clock position, the tracking needle (arrow-shaped time-seconds) pauses, the circle-shaped timing second hand continues to run. When you press the catch pin button again, in a short time, the suspended catch pin will catch up with the needle walking in front, and then they will begin to move synchronously.

That is one of the seven complicated functions of the clock, double tracking timing! Here is the double-tracking Chronograph after my repair.

One day, a friend from Qingdao sent a damaged "stopwatch" and asked my help to repair it. When I received the watch, I found it is not a simple stopwatch. Although it shows no plant or license, it is a double-tracking Chronograph! This immediately sparked my impulsion to repair it!

Because the friend didn’t know much about it, he simply told me that it lost a gear; except two gauge needles, other gauge needles all had lost; if you put on the chain, you could hear a strange voice of the gears spinning inside. I made an inspection as soon as I got it and found that the situation was even worse than I thought!

The movement of the stopwatch I got (Figure 4)

 

Check Sheet

"Six Problem"

After careful examination, It can be determined that there were six problems with the stopwatch, and each problem was very difficult to handle.

1: Two gauge needles had lost. (Figure 3)

2: Most of the parts were with rust, and a drive wheel of the lead-time part was "missing." (Figure 5)

3: The one minute position spring of the time accumulation was broken. (Figure 6)

4: The clock fork lost a gem, and the shaft was also broken. (Figure 7)

5: Timing second shaft was broken. (Figure 8 below)

6: The upper axis of the escape wheel was broken. (Figure 9 below)

Not the "original" drive wheel, it could not play timing function at all.

 

Repair Sheet

Step 1: Completely disassembly. (Figure 10)

Step 2: Derusting, sanding, and polishing. (Figure 11, 12)

For historical reasons, the spring deck of timing part and the screws of the movement were covered with rust, making the parts not arctic, and those rust like sponges, would absorb the water molecules in the air. So the place with rust usually would be more serious or even worse, rust to be broken. To let it not go to rust any more- sanding and polishing are very important! Restore it to its original metallic luster, not only for the beauty, but also to protect the parts of the surface from continuous rusty. This is the most basic step for the repair of antique watch.

Effects before and after (Figure 12)

Step 3: Fixing the axis.

When the basic steps were finished, it’s time to begin to fix its features. Start with the repair of the escape wheel. The upper axis of the escape wheel was broken, but there are many ways to repair it. For convenience, I used the Chinese traditional way - "fixing axis."Just as its name implies, drill a hole on the broken escape wheel, and fix up a good axis. Of course, the key is whether fixed concentrically or not. Escape wheel is different from the other wheels, the slightly decentraction of the upper and lower axis would have a direct impact on the impulse face and locking face of the clock folk’s gem, and then affect the timing, or even shut down directly. Therefore, the repair process to be coherent, without even a slightest deviation. I used a drill whose diameter is 0.2MM drilled a deep hole of 0.3MM in the upper axis of the escape wheel. Then insert a good axis into the hole, to ensure absolute concentricity, and then soldered them well. Install it separately into the movement and use the wind ball to blow it, turn it up, to determine its concentric, and the repair of the escape wheel was completed.

The small hole drilled on the escape wheel (Figure 13)

The completed axis (Figure 14)

Step 4: Repair the escapement fork:

If the balance of the clocks is the heart, the escapement fork can be considered as the main artery of the heart. It supplies constant available power to the balance wheel, to make it rotate back and forth, and to ensure the accurate time.

The roller of the escapement folk broken and it’s simpler to fix it up than repairing the escape wheel. I used punch to take out the broken roller, measured it, and fixed the lathed axis directly, then fitted on the cross-watt gem and the repair was completed. As for the cross-watt gem, I only could remove one from another watch- because I cannot process in the current conditions.

Repaired escapement (Figure 15,16)

Step 5; repair timing second wheel:

timing second wheel and axle are the one of the components most demanding surface finish. Whenever start timing function, it will offset part of the power output from the clockwork spring, so the surface finish can directly impact the movement of the watch when timing. And it has the "responsibility" to lead the timing second. And each time zero, the spring lever will knock the heart-shaped cams on the time-second wheel, to make it return zero. The watch's time axis had been broken into three pieces, and I could only make a new one for its high strength requirement.

The timing second wheel were broken into three pieces .(Figure 17).

Lathe after measuring. I chose bar material with 1MM diameter, 53 hardness degree. (Figure 18)

(Figure 18)

Half-finished (as shown in Figure 19) completed - the restored second time wheel (as shown in Figure 20)

Step 6: making positioning spring of the cumulative minutes timing system:

When every minute passed, the cumulative minute hand jumps forward. This action of "jump" all depends on the cumulative minutes timing spring. It makes a slow move into a "jump" action. But regrettably, the cumulative minutes timing spring of this watch had also been broken, and there is no way to fix it only in accordance with the Swiss methods. That is, carving the spring shape on large block hard steel. And then make it to be formed.sanded,and polished.

I used common hacksaw piece as repair materials (as shown in Figure 21), completely by hands(Figure 22), so it is very particular about the annealing and quenching, over quenching will be easy to break, without enough flexibility; less quenching will make it lacks flexibility, as soft as wire. Especially springs required such high position flexibility, not every repairer of watch is able to master quenching.

Effect after finished (Figure 24)

Step 7: make the timing driving wheel:

To the watch, its most important missing part is the timing driving wheel. The lead of the second hand part time all relied on it, without its power transmission, timing parts all became part of the decoration parts.

Find the original of the time to install the drive wheels is certainly the best. But for an antique watch experienced half a century’s changes, the watch’s factory was unable to find. Obviously, looking for original timing driving gear is undoubtedly needle in a haystack.

The hardest and most critical part of repairing the watch was about the timing drive wheel. I could only to make one by myself since no match wheel could be found.

I worked out the module of the wheel in accordance with transmission ratio, and of made a wheel cutter with steel in accordance with the modulus. Everything is ready to start up.

I used brass as the material, first I made it to shape of the wheel I need (Figure 25), Then I installed on my homemade cutter to cut it(Figure 26).

Wheel’s radius: 3.7MM, number of teeth: 100, tooth height: 0.15MM (as if there was only 0.01MM deviations, the entire piece should be scrapped)

The effects after wheel installed. Although not so beautiful as original shape, function is the same (Figure 30)

Step 8: three steps to make blue steel needle:

 

Originally, the double-tracking Chronograph has four needles, (a second hand, 1 timing cumulative minute needle, a timing second hand and a timing match needle) but at that time there were only two blue-steel needle. I couldn’t find the watch's original gauge needles, and the only one way to repair it is making a set of handmade gauge needles system. I have many years of production experience in antique table blue needle; in accordance with the style of the two needles I can completely visualize it! I did a lot of effort to make this pair of blue steel needles. My idea is to design two timing second hand, one is positive and another is negative. There would be an arrow inside a circle when they become coincident (as shown in Figure 35) This is to make people distinguish the timing second hand and the match needle very easy, you can have different feelings when the two needles separate or coincide. It can increase the fun of playing.

 

Step One:

 

Selected bar steel, cut it to a strip(as shown in Figure 31)) Step Two: made the crude steel needle by hand(Figure 32), the finished crude steel needle by hand

 

(Figure 31) (Figure 32)

 

Step three:

 

Temperature can change the color Steel needle, and made it show "perfect" blue. The blue can be displayed in the light from a certain angle.

 

"perfect" blue (as shown in Figure 34)

 

(Figure 34)

 

The stopwatch with the blue steel needle (Figure 36)

(Figure 35) (Figure 36)

Thus, one pair of tracking Chronograph rose again! In fact, in many cases, watches are not to used to broken, are “repaired” to broken by some people who do not understand how to repair watches. Whenever I see those scarred watches "repaired" by someone else in the market, I feel so sad! Many of those watches are older than our parents or even our grandparents! Each watch has a life! Every tick of them seems to tell us their glorious days

 

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Admin edit: Link removed. Not working.

 

Is this watch some pictures of repair

 

 

Edited July 3, 2010 by fc-1984-chn

[greg_r 83]

Moved to a more appropriate subforum. Non working link removed

[Member X 91]

That's a lot to read

[scope 3]

[greg_r 83]

 

I concur

[dingle 57]

 

I concur

 

+1

[tdubt 0]

i feel like i missed the first page of posts that made this one make sense...like i joined in teh middle of a conversation about some type of chronograph.

[Baldrick 1]

That's a lot to read

 

S'why I employ the services of a watchsmith, it means I don't havta wade thru' this discombobulated verbiage

[greg_r 83]

i feel like i missed the first page of posts that made this one make sense...like i joined in teh middle of a conversation about some type of chronograph.

 

I keep worrying that if I read this often enough it will start to make sense - and that way lies madness

[Fiddo 0]

i feel like i missed the first page of posts that made this one make sense...like i joined in teh middle of a conversation about some type of chronograph.

 

I keep worrying that if I read this often enough it will start to make sense - and that way lies madness

Also, looks like one of the posts that would require thinking to read it......I try to avoid those types of posts.

[fakemaster 0]

What a mess. But at least it's not the same color as the page.

[greg_r 83]

What a mess. But at least it's not the same color as the page.

 

 

Yeah, I saw that.

 

Maybe it SHOULD be the same colour as the page. Wouldn't make it any harder to read

[GC 4,534]

What a mess. But at least it's not the same color as the page.

 

Fakey...I luv your new found optimism!!! BRAVO!!!

[trailboss99 997]

I can make it the colour as the page if you'd prefer.

Just sayin'

 

 

 

Col.

[Wiz 0]

It could actually be an interesting post if the author would add the pics.

[greg_r 83]

 

By the way, fc - your pic is still not visible.