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WatchSmith.US watchmaking adventures
- Thread starter WatchSmith.US
- Start date
Great Job Sam
A very dirty Datejust in for service. After pegging out the jewels and giving the parts a good washing and new mainspring, it runs like new.
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Repairing a broken crown - The end piece was removed from the stem and inserted into the crown, followed by the sleeve that goes between the end piece and the crown's stem tube. Using a conical stake and a piece of brass shimstock for protection, the stake was tapped until the edge of the stem's tube crimped tightly around the inner sleeve.
Replacing the crown is always a good idea in such a situation, but I didn't have one the correct size and thought I'd give the repair a try to see how it worked, and it appears to be tight and secure.
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Holding a caseback for engraving - It must be held secure without damaging delicate threads. I machined a piece of aluminum tubing to fit the threads snugly, then split it on the bandsaw. When clamping in a vise the tubing compresses around the threads to hold tightly. Since aluminum is soft the threads won't be damaged.
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Clone seconds hands often come apart during removal. The pipe (tube that goes over the pinion) detaches and must be reattached, assuming you haven't lost it!
Quite often just pressing back with tweezers will snap it back onto to the hand. For some extra holding power I use pointed stake which spreads the end like a rivet and locks it tightly.
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Machining a custom die for pressing out ceramic bezel inserts - Not all inserts are glued in. Some are friction fit and risky to remove and install. I machined a die (modded a Bergeon die actually) to match the slope of the bezel ring so the insert can be pressed out as evenly and safely as possible.
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Cyclops alignment tool inspired by my friend @Oascom . With it I can align the cyclops without having to have the movement and dial installed in the watch. The custom thumbscrew made from an old crown and stem screws onto the crown tube and the point locks into the alignment hole in the aluminum tool. Simply rotate the crystal until the cyclops aligns with the scribed lines and it's centered.
The bad news is I would need to make one of these for a variety of different cases, and they are time consuming to build.
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Overhauling a OP - Several gen parts added to this one including a beautiful gen blue hairspring.
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Genuine 116710 w/first service in 14 years - Despite the dried oil the movement ran exceptionally well, which is a testament to Rolex's durability. They just work. The escape wheel had wear and was replaced along with a new mainspring. It's running like new again and should be good for another 5-7 years. 14 years is too long between services!
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VSF 114060 full service and gen parts upgrade including balance and bridge, pallet fork and escape wheel, mainspring and barrel, and auto wind system.
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CF GMT upgraded with gen bezel assembly, crystal, crown & tube, dial & hands, datewheel, and full movement service.
The square tool is a custom tool I made for extracting rep tubes with stripped out splines.
Thanks for looking!
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Looks incredible, Sam. Really looking forward to seeing it on my wrist!
GMTs it's possible to install without removing the insert but i personally like to remote it so i can get a perfect alignment, but it's not necessary
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I installed the bezel assembly without removing the insert.