Watches

&
PASSIONS

WATCHMAKING COURSE

Edited by: Renato Z

[Link]

BasiefondamentidiOrology
Index

CHAPTER 1 - EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS FOR COLLECTORS AND AMATEURS 3

CHAPTER 2 – HOW A CLOCK WORKS 9

CHAPTER 3 – TIME MANAGEMENT FOR BEGINNERS 15

CHAPTER 4 – FROM THE SPRING TO THE BARBELL 18

CHAPTER 5 - THE AUTOMATIC 25

CHAPTER 6 - THE SCREW CROWN 38

CHAPTER 7 - LUBRICATION 43

CHAPTER 8 – THE DUBOIS DEPRAZ CHRONOGRAPH MODULE – DISASSEMBLY 55

Pagination by xXAlessandroXx

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 WATCHMAKING COURSE

CHAPTER 1 – Equipment and tools for collectors and enthusiasts

Let's start our "course" by addressing the first problem that arises in front of us.
to those who want to understand more about their objects of worship.
Before delving into explanations about the operation, about disassembly and
reassembly, adjustments and so on, I considered it appropriate to start with
to describe, in broad terms, what a passionate person should equip themselves with in order to
cultivate his passion, what tools and utensils he needs, depending on
wherever he/she wants to take his/her hobby.
As with every activity, both recreational and professional, for the collector as well.
For watches, some tools and equipment are necessary to make them better.
appreciate its creatures.
Collectors, and generally enthusiasts, of watches, can be divided into
three main categories, and for each of them we will see what the tools are
useful.
First of all, returning to a discussion already made, let's see how it is appropriate
to preserve one's watches.
The first precaution to take is to carefully check the place where they are coming from.
stored: usually kept at home in small safety boxes to
wall: check that no moisture forms inside them, or worse
condensation: the problem is more common than one might think, especially if the
cassettes are bricked up in cellars, basements or underground. As a precaution,
wrap the watches, or the accompanying boxes, in cloths, then insert the
everything in plastic bags.
Inside the boxes, place the special sachets to absorb moisture.
The same applies to bank safety deposit boxes.
Let's see what these types of enthusiasts are.

Contemplative.
The contemplative enthusiast limits himself to using or preserving his watches and
simply by observing them externally, without intervening in any way on
of them, not even to replace a strap.
For these, the 'tools of the trade' are simply:
a pair of cotton gloves (more commonly known as liners), to handle his
"Pargoli" without leaving footprints or traces of sweat.
-cloths for cleaning the watches themselves, sold in supply warehouses for
watches and goldsmiths, slightly impregnated with polishing products,
one or two monoculars, one with 3-4 magnifications and one double with 12 magnifications,
(see photo below) that allow them to see the dials in detail,
movements, where the back is visible, and any small scratches on the case,
bracelet or glass.
It is advisable to make some holes on the sides of the monocles to avoid
the fogging of them during use.

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Minimum risk.
This type of watch enthusiast interacts in a slightly more direct way.
with the watch, without delving into the heart of the object: the movement.
He restricts himself to operating like the contemplative, and furthermore he provides for himself the
small maintenance operations such as replacing the strap or the
washing of the bracelet.
It is useful to draw attention to how it is advisable to wash a bracelet.
If the watch is worn frequently and "heavily," it accumulates
discrete amounts of impurities: therefore, it is necessary to disassemble the bracelet, which can then
can be comfortably washed with soap and water and a toothbrush. If the deposits are
difficult to remove, you can also try immersing the bracelet in a
small pot with water and regular detergent, bring the water to a boil for
a few minutes, so as to soften the deposits, and, after having cooled
a bit of everything, proceed with an old toothbrush, to remove the
impurities remaining between the meshes.
As for the box, you can use a little water, soap, and a toothbrush.
ONLY if the watch is equipped with a screw-down crown and ensuring that it is well
closed. Obviously, it is highly discouraged to boil the entire watch. (Not
laugh, there are those who have done it!!
Gli strumenti necessari per queste persone, oltre a quelli del “Contemplativo”,
I am
A tool for removing straps or bracelets (see photo below) whose use is
intuitive: the two ends have, on one side, a pin that serves to make it come out
the small year from its seat, when there are through holes in the watch case,
dall’altra invece c’è una punta a coda di rondine che serve per estrarre l’ansetta
acting from the inside of the watch's loop.
A set of spare parts. (The parts have the bad habit, during the
stages of disassembly and reassembly, of jumping from all parts and of inserting into
most unreachable places, besides the prerogative, when they fall, of not making themselves
to find, if not when they are no longer needed).
A pair of tweezers for handling the ansets.
A set of screwdrivers for disassembling straps or bracelets on watches with
screw-down crowns, of the type Panerai, Cartier, etc..

3) What's inside.

They have the same prerogatives as the two previous types, but they have in
more the curiosity to see in detail the heart of their watches, or similar watches,
and to understand how they work.
Questi arrivano ad aprire i fondelli dei loro orologi per contemplarne il
mechanism, and the most enterprising manage to disassemble the movements from the cases,
and the movements themselves, but only on watches of little value, replicas, fakes or
mechanics without value, fully aware of the risks they would face

4
meeting, in working on their precious assets.
For these people, it is very important, in addition to the equipment, to also operate in
a suitable place: ideally, it would be a table or a bench that allows for
to work without having to bend down to see the watch in detail.
It is necessary to have an upright position, therefore, when sitting, the work surface should
to arrive approximately at shoulder height.
It is important to have a good light source as well, which can be positioned
close enough to the point where one works. The best lamps are those for
neon, which are also positioned very close to the work point, and
consequently to the head, they do not heat, unlike normal lamps
in incandescent. It is preferable to use lamps with two neon lights, which cancel out
the stroboscopic effect, very bothersome to the eyes, that occurs when the tube at
neon is one only, amplified by the fact that you work near the light source and
often with a magnifying glass.
On the work plan, limited to the actual work area, it is advisable
spread a piece of plastic measuring 30x20 cm, in light color, pale green for
example.

The tools are those of the two previous categories, namely: monocles, tweezers,
screwdrivers, a tool for removing rivets, to which however it will need to be added a
good number of tools for various operations.

A tool for pressing cases. Usually a double-bladed knife with

which to open the lids by leveraging those small notches found on the edge
of the preparations, (see photo below).
A questo va abbinato un panno di tessuto abbastanza spesso, col quale avvolgere
the watch during the operation, which will prevent, in case it slips, from
to inflict cuts on oneself and to lose some portions of a phalanx.

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A key to open screw caps. The most practical ones are those with three prongs, with
interchangeable pieces, for the various types of backings. (Remember we are always talking about
of operations to be carried out on 'experimental' clocks for which there are no
large coverage in case of accidents: for valuable or particular watches there is
special keys, which are used by professionals, and which do not currently fall within
in our specifications).

A hand clamp to hold the watches steady during the opening phase.
screws with nuts.

A hand puller, a tool used to remove the hands without causing damage to the
the same or to the quadrant.

To protect the dial, it is also a good idea to use small plastic discs.
appropriately cut, like the one in the photo, to be inserted between the dial and the spheres.

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Similar ones can be found, already ready for use in the supply sales warehouses.
for watches, but they can easily be self-built.
-Rodico. A type of dough, with a consistency between eraser and modeling clay, that
used to eliminate any fingerprints left on the movement, during the
manipulation, or to remove small impurities from the movement itself.

A blower. To be used to remove various lint from glass or from movement.

during the reassembly phases.

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Movements portal. There are the classic round ones, where the movement is
simply placed, or the more complete, adaptable ones, where the movement
is set, allowing for different handling of it.

Boxes with multiple compartments, where to place the various parts of the watch, if needed.
interrupt the operation.

For completeness, in case of lubricating the watch, the following are also needed:

Portfolio with multiple compartments.

Oilers of various sizes.

Elderberry pith discs, for piercing and cleaning the oilers and tips of the
tweezers.

-Wooden sticks of various diameters, to sharpen, to remove any

traces of dirt, for example in the stones where oil settles, or between the teeth
of the wheels, or between the gears, or wherever it may be.

Now virtually with this equipment we will be able to disassemble and

reassemble a watch, and even proceed with its lubrication.
Later we will see how to use these tools best and understand their
their use.

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CHAPTER 2 – How a clock works
To better appreciate our timepieces, we try to understand at least in broad terms.
In general, how do they work.
The need to have a clock, or something vaguely similar, arose at the
Our ancestors, more or less when they realized that observing the alternation of day
And of the night, it was no longer enough to count and keep track of the passage of time.
From the very beginning, the most important problem was to find something that could succeed in
further divide the passing of day and night, but above all that
could manage to divide this time span evenly and consistently.
Leaving aside sundials, hourglasses, candles, and other primitive methods, the first true
devices that managed to divide time equally and that above all
they gave the opportunity to show the passage of it were the group
balance-spiral and the pendulum.
Both are proponents of a periodic phenomenon that maintains a good
constancy of one's period.
However, since we are not in a vacuum, but in the presence of a gravitational force,
resistances and various frictions, this periodic motion is destined to exhaust itself, therefore
to maintain this motion, these devices must be equipped with a force
motor, the classic weight for the pendulum and the spring, a strip of metal wrapped
on itself and placed in a small cylinder called a barrel, for the group
barbell-spiral.
In the end, a watch is all here: a device that moves rhythmically and
another that provides energy to maintain this motion.
Between the driving force and the dividing device, we find a whole series of
wheels and redirects that allow for further division and make it usable and
visible, through a dial and hands, the passage of time.
The pendulum obviously leverages its characteristics only within a
device not
portable, therefore the time could only be read by going to the room where
the clock was placed, or in the squares, to read the time on the bells' clocks.
The other system was to wait for the ringing of the bells that marked the
spend hours.
But when, for various reasons, one could not or did not want to move for
knowing what time it was, that small device would enter the field that managed to
to divide time equally and that it should not, unlike the pendulum,
to remain still somewhere, but it could be taken anywhere: the group
balance-spiral.
Let's now try to analyze a watch movement, a simple winding.
manual, to see what path the energy released by the spring takes to
to reach the barbell.

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We can see the development on two movements, an Eta (Peseux) 7001 and a
Unitas. We will immediately note that, despite the different arrangement of the gears, the
the route is always the same.

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Through the charging crown (1) we are going to act on the intermediate wheel of
Load (2) and through the barrel spool (3) we load the spring.
Once the spring is loaded, the journey begins that will lead to making it work.
balance so that it can provide a uniform and constant motion.
The barrel engages with the center wheel (4) which in turn gears with the first.
wheel (5), Next we find the seconds wheel, (6) which on the side of
the quadrant has the pivot that allows for the fitting of the small seconds hand.
After the second wheel, we find the escapement wheel (7) which through
the anchor (8) will give the impulse to the lever (9) which will thus be able to perform its motion
oscillatory.

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We can see everything better in this diagram, which shows only the wheels without
the relative bridges and plates.

The entire charging group is better highlighted in the following diagram:

the charging tree (a) through the charging pair (sliding pinion (p) and wheel
corner (r.a.) acts on the intermediate charging wheel (r) which in turn,
inserting into the spool of the barrel (r c) loads the spring that is located inside
of the barrel (b).

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However, all this would be useless if we couldn't make it readable.
Now let's flip the movement and see what's under the dial.
The transmission of motion and the consequent movement of the hands occur through
half of the fitting reel (or chaussée) (p.c.) that is forcibly inserted on the pin
of the center wheel.
The fitting pinion moves the minute wheel (m.m.) which in turn drives
the wheel hour (r.o.)
With an appropriate ratio in the number of teeth of these three wheels, it is possible to make...
so that for each complete turn of the fitting spool, to which it is fixed the
minute hand, the hour wheel and consequently the fixed hour hand,
complete 1/12 of a turn.
We thus have the reading of the hours and minutes on the dial of our watch.
The last thing we need to do is to set the clock hands to the right position.
position, when we are about to make it work or to eliminate advances or
delays.
To do this we use the charging tree: when it is pulled and moved from the
its normal position for charging the spring, by means of the pull (t.) and of a
lever called bascula (b). engages the sliding pinion p.s. on the small wheel of
resend r.r. (or intermediate time-setting wheel)
The back wheel engages with the minute wheel and makes it turn.
fitting spool, which as we said, is fixed by friction on the wheel axle
center.
We have thus the movement of the hands.

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At this point, many will have wondered what and who all this is for.
descriptions.
They are useful for those who want to understand how a watch works, going beyond
the aesthetic aspect, the shape and the dimensions of the case, dial and hands, but the
I want to do it in general terms, without having to go into too much explanation.
techniques and detailed approaches that most of the time manage to dissuade many from
trying to interpret that tangle of wheels and screws that they sometimes see through
the back of one's watch.
They are also for those who want to try to take apart some of these.
watches (as always starting with disposable watches without regrets, first
rules of the sensible enthusiast), because I believe it is pointless to show the
dismantling and reassembly operations will take place, which among other things already
accessible from many parts of the web,
[Link]
[Link]
without making it clear what they are for, how they work, what their tasks are, and in
How the components of a clock's movement interact with each other.
The simple disassembly and reassembly of a watch, for those who are equipped with a good
manual skills, a bit of intuition and an excellent memory, is not in itself a thing
very difficult, but I find that doing it without understanding what one is doing is a
simple manual exercise, which can be done with a clock, but at the same time
it can be done with a camera, or rather with a video recorder
with a blender or a laptop.
Once the general principles are understood, it will instead be much simpler, and much more
It is rewarding to follow the instructions to proceed with the operation of
"dismemberment" of our guinea pig.

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CHAPTER 3 – Time regulation for beginners
Many have asked how to proceed to carry out an adjustment of
empirical time on one's own 'exercise' watches.
Given that without a time comparator the enterprise is not immediate.
however, it must be said that this practice was common when these tools
They did not exist. It will be like going back to operate like the watchmakers of past centuries.
To change the clock's gear, you intervene on the racket of
regulation, by lengthening or shortening the useful length of the spring.
Let's use a photo seen in previous topics for the description of the bridge of
balance beam and the adjustment racket.
The adjustment racket has two small pins (6) through which passes the
spiral (9): these spines determine the usable length;
it is as if the spiral starts not from the point (8), from where it actually
it starts, departing from point (6).
To make the clock run faster or slower, it is enough to act on the tail of the
adjustment racket (1). If, as in the case of the photo, there is the device at
"swan neck", to act on the racket, it will be necessary to screw or unscrew the screw (4)
to vary the length of the spiral.
In case there is no 'swan neck', action will be taken directly on the racket.
(1).
We always remember that to speed up the clock's march you need to
reduce the useful length of the spiral, and obviously increase it to do so
to delay.
The movements will be of the order of a few hundredths of a millimeter at a time.

However, in modern watches we find a complication: while in old ones

watches the spiral is fixed directly to the balance bridge (fixed python),

15
in the most recent watches, the python is movable: this allows for synchronization
exhaust, an operation that does not concern us for now, because it requires
detailed and lengthy explanations. If someone wanted to undertake the task of
move the mobile python, it should feel, if the python is not in the right
position, the 'limping' heartbeat of the clock.
Returning to our time regulation, in the case of watches with python
mobile, we will have to act on the racket (1) without moving the python (8), always
with very small movements.

There are also other systems for time regulation: in spiral balance wheels
free, that is, without a regulation racket, to adjust the time one acts

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directly on the barbell:
this can be done by operating on small adjustment screws that are located on the
flyer of the barbell, by tightening or loosening it by a few fractions of a turn to the
turn to increase or decrease the distance of such screws from the center of the balance beam: the
The variation in the distance of such masses causes changes in the clock's movement.
Another system used in free spiral balance bars is the Gyromax, patented
from Patek, where instead of screws, action is taken on small eccentrics placed, in case
of the photo below, on the weights of the barbell.
However, these systems are only found on high-quality watches and the interventions of
regulation on them certainly does not fall within the scope of operations to
to perform in an amateurish way.

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CHAPTER 4 – From the spring to the beam
We have seen in general terms how a clock works. Let's now try to
to go into detail, to understand how the energy that passes from the spring to
a barbell can be transformed into a timer.
Let's start by analyzing the beam-spiral group: let's imagine a
barbell that can move freely, having fixed the end of the
spiral to the bridge (it is enough to lift the anchor) and we give a small push to its
flyer: the first thing we will notice is that, thanks to the spiral and its
expand and contract, it will move back and forth with ever smaller amplitudes
until it comes to a complete stop: let's define this movement right away.

We define "oscillation" as the path that a point P takes in the flyer.

barbell starting from A to arrive at B and return to A. The exact halfway point of this
travel, namely the route A-B (or the return B-A) is called 'alternation'.
We have clarified what it means to have a watch that ticks at 18,000.
alternances/hour: it means that it completes the A-B route 9000 times and for others
9000 the return B-A.
If we were lacking friction, we would have immediately solved the first of our
problems, because the barbell would continue to march infinitely. But in the
in reality, these oscillations will progressively decrease in amplitude for
then stop completely.
What interests us, however, is to see that the fluctuations will always be of the
same duration, yet decreasing in amplitude: this is because it decreases the
distance traveled, but the speed of point P also decreases. We find ourselves in
in front of a periodic and isochronous phenomenon.

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We must ensure that this movement remains constant over time, and
it should not stop after a few oscillations: to do this we need to renew
periodically the push we gave at the beginning.
This is possible by giving small impulses to the barbell through the anchor, which
in turn receives the impulse from the escape wheel.

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The anchor acts on the balance beam with its terminal part called "fork" which
work on the weight plate button.
On the other side, the anchor has two levers that, receiving the impulse from the wheel of
exhaust
they convert the rotational motion of the wheel itself into alternating motion of the
barbell.
Barbell
2. Spiral
3. Spiral collar
Large disco
5. Small disco
6. Limitation spindles
7. Still
8. Anchor lever
9. Anchor tree
10. Anchor lever
11. Escape wheel
Anchor fork
Limitation spine
14. Disk button

Now we have to make sure that these alternations can be counted and
therefore comes into play the wheel train that from
Molla transmits motion to the lever.
To simplify the discussion, we need to refer to the central wheel,
that we can identify in the drawings of chapter 2 of the course.

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It is indeed on the center pivot of the wheel that the minute hand is mounted and
da questo prende il moto anche la lancetta delle ore.
In the case of our watch, we need to ensure that at 18.000
alternating/barbell hour corresponds to one complete turn of the wheel center and
consequently of the minute hand.
Let's first see how a watch wheel is made: it usually consists of a
a true gear, generally made of brass, fixed to an axis called
pinion, also toothed: the teeth of the pinion are traditionally
called wings.
As can be seen in the drawings from previous episodes, each wheel engages with
sprocket of the next wheel, until reaching the escape wheel that
works with the anchor.
To calculate the number of teeth of the various wheels, the ratio of
transmission: without going into details, it is necessary to calculate the number of turns that
each wheel must be made to perform a number proportionally.
suitable for the next one, all the way to the famous wheel spin center in a
now.
Let's take an example: if the center wheel has 80 teeth, the intermediate wheel has 75.
teeth and its 10-tooth pinion, the second wheel has 80 teeth and its 10-tooth pinion.
the escape wheel has 15 teeth and its pinion 8 leaves, the ratio of
transmission will be given by the product of the teeth of the wheels divided by the product
of the wings of the pinions: we will therefore have:

80x75x80x15x2
10x10x8
which will result in 18,000
(the number of teeth on the escape wheel is multiplied by 2 because
each tooth acts on both levers of the anchor
We will not go further into details, there are many variations that concern the
construction, the sizing, the shape of the teeth, the number of wheels, in
gear train, but this is a matter of very detailed studies and calculations and
that don't interest us.

We now come to the source of all the energy that the barbell and the train of
gears are responsible for transforming into a readable data: the spring.
The spring is a strip of steel that is coiled onto itself and inserted into a
metal container called a barrel.
The free spring must approximately have the shape of an S, when
Let's see that the springs outside the barrel are almost all coiled up.
Indeed, we are facing a worn-out spring that needs to be replaced.

21
The function of the barrel is multiple: the spring is inserted into the barrel because
è più riparata dagli agenti atmosferici: la polvere che si deposita tra le spire della
Molla contributes significantly to increasing the friction and consequently the energy.
released by the spring is smaller and less constant; moreover, the lubricant applied for
the spring stays in position longer and in good condition; in case of breakage
of the spring, a break that often occurs in the phase of its maximum load,
the wheels and gears of the movement are sheltered from the "crazy" spring,
even though it must be said that this problem arises anyway because
the energy released to the spring during the break is discharged onto the barrel and on the
the first wheel in contact with it, causing it to break. The damages in this case
They are however limited to the teeth of the barrel and the wheel.
The spring is attached to the wall of the barrel with a hook, as can be seen in the
design.

Over the years, the attacks of the springs have undergone evolutions: it has
passed through the actual hole on the spring that was fixed to a hook on the
small barrel, to modern attachments, consisting of a small flange welded to the part
spring terminal and which gets locked in a notch made on the wall of
barrel
In automatic watches, the flange is used to allow the spring to slide, once
reached the maximum charge, to avoid damaging the charging device
automatic.
In practice, as long as the spring is not fully charged, the pressure of the outer coils
the flange is firmly against the wall of the barrel when the spring is loaded
subsequently, this pressure decreases, causing the spring to slip,
downloading it just enough for the outer coils to press back onto the collar.

22
One of the problems that troubled watchmakers was the lack of uniformity.
in the discharge of energy by the spring.
In the graph below, we see how the force exerted is very high when the spring is
Fully charged, it maintains a fairly constant performance during the phase.
central to his work, then suddenly decrease the energy supplied in the
final charging cycles.

To make the spring work only in the central phase of its charge, a used
of the devices, the most famous is the Maltese cross.*
With the materials available today, these devices do not have, in practice,
reason for being used.
Functioning of the Maltese Cross:
The right wheel, the one with a single finger and a square section in the center, (AB) is the one that goes
fixed to the barrel tree, (the frame in the center). When you wind the clock, and in the direction
on the contrary, when it discharges, the wheel fixed to the barrel's shaft also rotates and causes the movement of the
left wheel, fixed to the barrel with a screw (V), every time the finger (D) finds a notch (I).
This is until the concave section of the left wheel (C) is found, which no longer allows
the advancement of the wheel driven by the barrel shaft.

All this, as Luciano used to say, by correctly positioning the two wheels, allows you not to
load and not completely unload the spring, making it work in its central part, and
having a more stable and constant energy supply.

23
Let's take one last look at the formula that, in theory, determines energy.
developed by the spring:

Where M is the elastic moment (The force of the spring)

E: modulus of elasticity of the material
thickness of the spring
h: height of the spring
n: number of winding turns
l: length of the spring

The formula is theoretical and refers to coils that do not touch each other, but has
however, it has a validity and it is only put to highlight how important they are
certain parameters for the determination of a spring or for its replacement.
If we vary its thickness, in fact, such variation will have an impact in a way
heavy because the thickness is calculated cubically, so variations of such
parameters that do not seem significant at first glance will have quite an impact
important to the functioning of the clock.
It is clear that a theoretical graph of this formula would be unpresentable from
apply to a watch: by increasing the number of winding turns, in fact, the power
increases proportionally and consistently, while in practice, from the measurements
made using dynamometers, the graph is the one shown above which was referred to
reference for the use of the spring in its central part.

We have thus completed the process that leads to transforming the energy of the spring.
in a movement that allows us to read the time.
I hope I haven't been too boring, especially in the last part. The formulas do not
they have no claim to be studied in depth, just I believe sometimes
it is easier to understand certain parts with some numbers, rather than with discussions
complicated.

24
CHAPTER 5 – The Automatic
A bit of history.
The birth of the automatic can be traced back to the first half of the 18th century due to the work of
Abraham-Louis Perrelet.
Perrelet was born in Le Locle in 1729 and took an interest in watchmaking from a young age.
first by doing an apprenticeship with a local craftsman, and,
subsequently dedicating himself to the construction of various types of watches.
His automatic charging device was very simple and ingenious in the
its construction. It was nothing more than a heavy brass crescent that could
rotate 360° pivoted on the plate of a pocket watch with escapement
a dick.

Under the oscillating mass, as seen in the figure, there was a fixed carved disc.
that served to stop the oscillating mass when the clock reached the
maximum load, to prevent breakage of the spring or gears.

The disk was locked by a lever (L) pushed up by the chain of the conoid.
he, with all the power, had the lever inserted into one of the notches of the disk.

25
A Perrelet si deve anche l’invenzione degli “invertitori”: ruote concepite in
particular ways that allow the charging of the watch in both directions of
rotation of the oscillating mass.

A wheel (r) with a pinion (p) is fixed to the oscillating mass (m o).
coaxial, free to rotate in one direction, but locked in the opposite direction by the action of
cricco © solidary to the wheel ®.
The wheel r moves the charging wheel (rc) which charges the barrel through the
cone
To allow charging in both directions of rotation of the oscillating mass
Perrelet added another wheel, similar to the ® wheel, also with a pinion.
overlying and a crank that allowed independent motion only in
a sense. As can be understood from the drawing, if the oscillating mass rotated in the direction
the wheel (rc) was rotated by the pinion (p) while the pinion (p2) turns
empty, together with the wheel (r2). The opposite occurs if the oscillating mass rotates in
Counterclockwise where the wheel ® is limited to transmitting motion to the wheel (r2)
giving the pinion (p2) blocked by the ratchet (c2) the task of turning the wheel of
load (rc), while the pinion (p) spins idle.

26
It is very interesting to note how this principle is still applied today to
modern inverters, despite the obvious improvements and multiple variations.
This watch, however, did not have much luck and its traces were lost until
as far back as 1949 when it was found (along with a lot of documentation) by
Leon Leroy, descendant of the famous family to which the events are linked.
of watchmaking.
Perhaps the poor success was due to the fact that the oscillating mass, as it had
intesa Perrelet was very efficient in a wristwatch, but not as much in
a pocket watch that, being kept in a waistcoat, did not perform those
movements necessary for a recharge sufficient to make the clock run.

Subsequently, Breguet also took care of (and it could not have been otherwise)
automatic watches. He was aware of the Perrelet watch, but he used a
different system for charging its watches. He actually applied a kind of
"hammer" that best utilized the jolting movement of the clock when
this was placed in the waistcoat of the suit.

From then on, however, there was a kind of oblivion and no one or almost no one proposed watches anymore.
with automatic winding, until the time when, even with the advent of wristwatches, no

27
a certain Harwood arrived in the early 1920s, to whom is attributed
the invention of the first automatic wristwatch, a patent that was registered in
Switzerland in 1924.

The figure below is a sketch of the charging system of the automatic watch of
Harwood, as it appears when the bottom of the case is removed. The support of
Oscillating mass A is pivoted at the center of the movement. Fixed with friction at A
there is an F1 plate with a crack on its underside. This crack engages on
teeth of the W wheel, which is the first wheel of the winding gear train and
performs the dual role of a ratchet wheel and a drive wheel. The mass
The oscillating device is equipped with a spring buffer at each end. Two stops.
they limit its movement to an arc of about 60°. It charges in one go
the direction and the movement made in the direction of the arrow is transmitted,
through a friction, to the wheel W and from this, through two wheel groups-
pinion P1 and P2, to the winding wheel of the barrel.
The friction-fixed plate F1 normally moves together with the mass
oscillating and is held by means of an adjustable spring F, which ensures that
the plate rotates together with the oscillating mass until the charging spring is almost
completely charged (less than ¼ or half a turn). Harwood is convinced that the
normale sistema svizzero della molla che slitta all'interno del bariletto quando è
completely wrapped is a mistake. He claims that a great deal can be avoided.
part of the wear of the charging system if the friction on the gear train is set
from the side of the oscillating mass.

28
Even in this case, however, the watch did not have great success, so much
that in the following years Harwood was forced to close the factory he had
launched for the production of such watches.

A few years later, there was another important milestone in the history of the automatic.
Hans Wilsdorf, (that is Mr. Rolex), applied an automatic winding device to
its already famous waterproof watch, risen to the heights of news also for
having been at the wrist of the swimmer who first crossed the English Channel.
This is how the Oyster Perpetual was born.
The Rolex movement featured several innovations compared to that of Harwood.
The oscillating mass was free, meaning it could rotate 360°: the result was a
greater effectiveness in recharging.
The movement could also be wound manually, through the crown, which
not provided by Harwood, who believed this would better preserve
the infiltration clock.
The problem of infiltrations, however, was overcome in the Rolex movement with
the adoption of the screw crown.

29
Now let's examine the automatic device in detail.
Here we can observe the movement after the oscillating mass has been lifted.

In this photo, where the upper plate of the charging device has been removed
automatically, we can see the multiplier train, which allows for the charge
of the spring even with small movements of the rotor.
The oscillating mass is screwed to its shaft (AM).
The gear ® that meshes with the first wheel of the train
the demultiplexer has, at the bottom, a crown of saw teeth, on which
it engages a clip with small wings that work precisely on such teeth. The
the clamp has a square hole, which practically makes it integral with the shaft of the
oscillating mass.
The cricco © working on the first wheel of the reduction gear train allows the

30
rotation of the entire thing only in one direction, preventing the spring from unloading
when the oscillating mass rotates in the opposite direction to that of the charge.
The same principle is repeated in the wheel (B) fixed to the shaft of the barrel.
Here too, a clip is placed that, although larger, has the same
function of the clip under the oscillating mass.
The clamp works on the spool of the barrel that has an upper crown.
sawtooth like the wheel ®.
In this way, manual winding is also possible, since when the watch
It is loaded through the crown, the clips of the clip slide on the teeth.
upper parts of the spool, avoiding breakages to the automatic charging device.
In the movement used for the photos, the goal is achieved with a series of
gears and toothed wheels that are literally stacked on the shaft of the
barrel. Even in this case, however, the goal is to allow the
charge via the crown avoiding any damage.

31
Let's take a closer look at the details of the dismantled oscillating mass tree and
separated from the motion transmission wheel.

One can notice the spring clip working on the teeth of the wheel, visible because
the wheel has been turned.
Depending on the direction of rotation of the oscillating mass, the clip engages the
tooth and moves the wheel forward, or slides on them and makes the mass go empty
oscillating.
It can therefore be inferred that the automatic mechanism of the Rolex only winds in one direction.
rotation of the oscillating mass.

Another novelty we find in Wilsdorf's automatic watch is the spring with the system
of safety, a flange attached to the end of the spring that allowed
the slipping of it when the load reached the maximum value.
The underlying problem with this watch, however, was its size.
Wilsdorf applied his charging system to relatively small movements, and
this, especially at the time, led to not having high-level performances for
as far as accuracy was concerned.
Subsequently, several other systems for winding the watch also appeared,
mainly based on the transmission of compressive motion and
tension of the watch strap or the back of the case resting on the wrist,
but they had no success, due to their poor reliability.
These alternative systems were mainly devised because Wilsdorf patented.
its system and other similar devices, in fact preventing, as long as such patents
they did not expire, to develop in any way its automatic charging systems
from competitors.

32
Another step forward was made when Felsa, in 1942, created the Bidinator,
automatic cousin that allowed charging in both directions of rotation of
rotor.
The system was simple.
The oscillating mass disassembled here, and pivoted to the shaft (A), was connected to
a wheel that interlocked with another wheel ® pivoted on an arm
tilting (B).
This wheel could in turn engage with one of the two 'inverting' wheels.
(I1) or (I2) depending on the direction of rotation and always ensure to load in a
sense the spring through the wheel (G)

33
The wheel (G), which in the drawing is inverted, had a
clamp (M) supportive of the pinion that engaged the reel of the drum. The
the shape of the clip (red) allowed it to slide.
to the wheel (green) when the clock was manually wound, while
engaging in the holes of the wheel itself allowed for its advancement, and therefore
the charge of the spring, when the oscillating mass was rotating.

Another one of the systems to remember was the one with a 'hammer' oscillating mass.
which is still on old automatic movements of various brands, Omega for
example.
The soft bump stops at the end of the stroke of the oscillating mass were intended to
increase the number of oscillations of the mass itself, loading
mostly the spring, but the disadvantage of lesser travel and
consequently, due to the lesser load that these springs carried, it was not
compensated by the greater number of oscillations.

34
A particular mention deserves the dual pinion system, let's see an example.
in the Omega movement in the photo, where the motion of the oscillating mass was
transmitted to the gears by a pair of small wheels, indicated by the arrow, placed
in turn on a bridge hinged on the plates that allowed for the transmission of the
regardless of the direction of rotation of the oscillating mass.
But we will see this system in detail later when we analyze it in
one of those high-end movements that is still in use today.

35
Another system was patented by IWC, the Pellaton: the system provided for a
heart-shaped cam, attached to the oscillating mass, that caused two to move
pulleys which in turn loaded the spring through other wheels.

The detail of the device:

36
In summary, after examining these automatic charging systems we can
come to some conclusions:
The first automatic winding system, by Perrelet, has been completely
forgotten and subsequently reinvented.
Its principle in practice is the same that makes many of the movements work.
automatics that are in production.
Other brands, or manufacturers of movements, have oriented themselves towards the system of
double pinion.
Very few have continued the path of alternative solutions. (IWC with)
Pellaton).
Everyone has adopted the rotor with 360° rotation.
But as mentioned, we will look into these systems individually later.
and in detail.

Link to in-depth information on the chapter:

[Link] (photo of an automatic charger, a tool that

it is used to simulate wrist movement and control the efficiency of the device
charges in an automatic watch. A table can also be read with the ratio between duration of
charging and movement autonomy.)

37
CHAPTER 6 - The screw crown
A small comeback, taking inspiration from a topic regarding a problem with
a crown. (Hoping to be able to continue with additions and updates more
frequent.)

We are not describing a specific crown, we are trying to understand the

general principle of operation of the sub crown. There are other methods of
sawing of the crown and its construction, but this is what
we find in most watches.

Below are two sketches of a screw crown.

(The sketches are copied from an old table of a Rolex crown).
In the first sketch, we can see the section of the crown:

38
we have the body of the crown, the part that is visible and that is handled to adjust
the time to wind the watch, (usually has the brand's logo on top), and has a
internal threading that will screw into the tube of the case.
At the top of the crown, there is a hollow tube (T2) that contains a
a mole that pushes on another tube (T1) on which the shaft is screwed
charge (AC).

The two tubes are basically hollow cylinders that slide into one another.

The T1 tube is internally threaded to allow the attachment of the charging shaft.
AC.

What is the purpose of this structure?

The first sketch shows the crown when it is open, that is, when it is unscrewed from
tube fixed to the case (not shown here) to allow operations of
winding, time setting or quick date change, where this feature is available,
of the clock.

The second sketch, on the other hand, shows the crown when it has been screwed onto the tube.
fixed to the case (not drawn here) and thus performs the function of
waterproofing of the watch. (There are also seals inside)
of the crown, and of the tube itself but here they have not been drawn to avoid creating
confusion).

39
The crown sub has a system whereby when you press to screw the crown into
tube fixed to the case, the direct connection between crown and is interrupted
charging tree, and the crown itself spins freely to be screwed onto the tube
without continuing to act on the tree.
This is particularly important for manual winding watches that would have
the problems when the crown of the watch needs to be screwed in while fully loaded and
the connection to the charging tree remained.
This would create a strain, as the spring is fully charged, and there would be a risk.
to break something.

All this happens very simply, thanks to the particular shape

of the terminal parts of the two tubes of the crown that come into contact, marked
as GT (Tube Junction) in the first sketch, and as ST (Tube Separation)
in the second.

These two parts are not cylindrical, like the rest of the tubes, but hexagonal.

This shape allows them to couple and thus transmit movement

printed rotor to the crown towards the charging shaft, when the crown is open.

When the crown is pressed to screw it back in, the two tubes interrupt the
their connection, as seen in the second sketch, allowing the crown to
to move freely without affecting the charging shaft.

The main problems that can arise with this type of crowns are:
charging cable too short: the charging crown continues to charge even
when it is being screwed onto the tube;
Charging cable too long: the charging crown does not screw in completely.
not ensuring waterproofing or it screws in but the charging shaft forces
on the crown by breaking off some part, or breaking itself, or causing
problems with the accommodation of its terminal part in the plate;
-non-screwed corona at the bottom: causes infiltrations leading to the formation of
condense, worse, presence of water;
-screw too deeply threaded: risk of compromising the seals, or
of issues with the tube, or difficulties in the subsequent unscrewing.

I hope it is clear enough.

40
The seals

Now let's take a look at the gaskets of the crown and the tube.
In this drawing, we have the crown in the charging position, therefore unscrewed from
tube.

The gaskets are positioned in three different places:

we have a seal called O-ring (in round section) housed inside

of the body of the crown (or-c).

Inside the tube, we find two more o-ring seals (or-t) that
they ensure a minimum of hold even when the crown is not screwed onto the
tube (although it is highly discouraged to immerse the watch if the crown is
svitata).

Finally, there is another seal, with a rectangular section, that is placed during
the assembly of the tube to the case (tube/case gasket) and that contributes
to ensure the seal in the tube-body coupling of the casing.

41
In the following drawing, however, we have the closed, operational crown.

We can notice that the seals of the tube are in the same condition as
they were at open crown, while the gasket inside the crown (or-c) is being
press the edge of the tube, and it is this that ensures the seal.

Lastly, it should be noted that this is a crown found in Rolex watches.

professional athletes. In other models and in other brands, there are crowns
slightly different, almost always with a lower number of gaskets in the
tube, of smaller dimensions and therefore with proportionally more seals
small, with all the issues that this can bring: greater ease of
breaks, lower resistance to repeated screwing and unscrewing, lower capacity of
to maintain a certain integrity in the presence of small scratches in the
gaskets.
And these differences lead to having different degrees of sealing and different depths.
or pressures
maximums to which the watches can be subjected.

42
CHAPTER 7 – Lubrication
In watchmaking, the lubricants used can usually be divided into three categories.
main types: oil, grease, graphite grease. (We do not consider for the moment
special lubricants that have a limited use, such as those based on disulfide of
molybdenum used by Zenith.

Let’s start by giving some definitions of the materials in question.

Oil: a lubricating mixture usually made up of a base that can be

mineral (extraction from petroleum) or synthetic (synthesis of other chemical elements), and
from additives, (chemical compounds) that improve performance.
A typical molecule of petroleum-derived lubricant consists of a long
chain of hydrogen and carbon atoms, called alkane.
An oil usually has between 15 and 20 carbon atoms.
Lubricants with longer carbon chains are thicker than lubricants
with the shorter carbon chains.
A lubricant with a longer carbon chain is less volatile.
The main and most evident characteristics of a lubricant are its density.
(mass/volume) and viscosity (resistance to flow: decreases)
with the increase in temperature).

Grease: high viscosity lubricant suitable for lubricating surfaces where they act
very strong pressures. It is made with an oil base to which are kneaded
Other elements. A fat has between 20 and 25 carbon atoms.

Graphite grease: it is a lubricating grease suitable for use under pressure and
temperature elevate.
In this grease, graphite crystals are dispersed. These are used to reduce
the friction when the grease film should reduce or disappear due to the
elevate pressures.
Since graphite does not form bonds with the surfaces of the metal, it wears away.
easily: the mixing of graphite in oil allows to lower the level of
friction beyond the level achievable by oils alone, and oils act as binding elements,
as a means to retain graphite.

The properties of the materials that interest us are:

Adhesive property: the ability of a material to adhere to the surfaces of another
material.
Cohesive property: the ability of a material to hold its own components together.
particles.

In order to correctly choose the lubricants to use in a motion, it is necessary to

It is essential to understand how these lubricants work.

All surfaces have irregularities, even those that are finely crafted.
with polishing or grinding.
These irregularities are visible only through a microscope, but they exist.
The microscope view will indeed reveal surfaces with many roughnesses and
roughness, more or less pronounced depending on the type and degree of finishing of the

43
the same surface.

If two surfaces come into contact with each other with minimal forces, there will be few
points that will come into contact with each other, but increasing the pressure
the number of points that will come into contact will also increase.

One purpose of the lubricant is to keep the two surfaces separated.

placing a film between them.

This film should have specific capabilities: it should be able to

adhere to the surfaces of the two parts that it must separate, and have, in its
the external surface has a good adhesion capacity, to prevent the lubricant
slides away as soon as applied.
At the same time, the internal particles of this lubricant must be able to
flow among each other to carry out the assigned work.

In summary, we can say that the forces that attract the surfaces of the lubricant
All surfaces of the parts to be separated must be greater than the forces that
they attract the lubricant molecules to each other.
This way we will have the lubricant molecules adhering to the molecules of the
surfaces to be lubricated, while the same lubricant molecules will glide between
they, having a lower friction than they would have by sliding against the
surfaces to keep separate.

A problem with lubricants, also present in watchmaking, is evaporation.

We said that a lubricant with a longer carbon chain is less
volatile, but lubricants with longer carbon chains are thicker
of lubricants with shorter chains.
Thicker lubricants can interfere with the action of the mechanism.
voltages applied to the surfaces of the support that are subjected to torque
very low torsion and at high speeds.
It is therefore preferable to use a thinner lubricant, even if lubricants
the thinner they are, the easier they are to volatilize.

The behavior of lubricants at different temperatures is also an aspect of

what to take into account.
We all know that water boils at 100° Celsius: at 99° it is a liquid; at 101°, it is
a gas.
Water freezes at 0°C, within a similarly narrow range of
temperature.
The oils, on the other hand, gradually solidify as the temperature becomes higher.
cold, gradually becoming thicker until the oil solidifies: the oils
they solidify within much wider temperature ranges because oils are
products like mixtures of many different molecules mixed together for
modify the density and lubrication properties of the mixture itself.

Another important aspect of lubricants is their tendency to alter over time.

and to lose their characteristics, taking on others that are sometimes very harmful for
the parties that should be protected.

44
Before the advent of the automobile, oil was primarily used for
kerosene for lamps.
Most of the lubricating products were of animal origin or extracted from
plants and fish oils and fats.
These oils oxidize more easily into fatty acids and become more unstable once
undergoing heat.
Moreover, they are not hostile to the bacteria that accelerate its deterioration, while the
Mineral and synthetic oils have a longer lifespan.
Fatty acids tend to corrode metal parts and also cause the
formation of mud.
The new oils have additives that protect them from bacteria and oxidation, so
considerably extending their useful phase.

This leads us to the topic that, in practice, interests us the most: the
degradation of lubricants and wear.

Lubricants reduce friction in the bushings by adhering to the surfaces of the metal.
to form a film that separates metals and protects metals from
corrosion with the protective film.

Lubricants run out for many reasons, the most common of which is
evaporation in the watch case.
Each bushing of the watch has, approximately, from a quarter to half a drop of oil.
If the oil volatilizes, nothing remains.
The oil, as we have already said, deteriorates due to the presence of
batteries, resulting in the formation of corrosive acids (the oil becomes
"gummy".

If lubricants were used correctly, wear would be minimal.

Mainly, wear occurs after the lubricants have come to
food.

Understanding how and why wear occurs in the watch bushes provides the
understanding how to best use the watch bushings and how
to ensure maximum durability after the repair.
We primarily refer to the bushings, meaning the standard bushings in
Tin, but the discussion, in general terms, can also be extended to rubies.

In the repair of a watch, one must pay attention to clean it perfectly.

all the pins, to remove any imperfection and any part of oxide.

The same applies to the bushings and all the pivot seats.

In the brass bushings of the pendulums, for example, the bushing is perfectly
cleaned view with a lens, presents a bright yellow appearance, while the
the presence of oxide makes it much darker and opaque, with a color tending to
brown.

45
To understand why wear occurs, we must consider the physical properties of
metals and oxides, as well as their chemical properties.
The first physical property to consider is hardness.
Let's take a look at this table:

Many of the hardness values in the table are only approximate, but they are
useful for determining several things:
Metal alloys are usually harder than metals.
Brass is harder than copper and zinc. Steel is harder than iron.

Metal oxides are usually harder than metals.

The best example is aluminum oxide, which is extremely hard.
From the absolute hardness column in the table, however, we can see that the
Diamond is four times harder than aluminum oxide.

3. Copper oxide, zinc oxide, and iron have similar hardness.

This means that these oxides could scratch the surface of a pin of

46
sweet iron.
High carbon content steel pins, however, are considerably more
hardness of these oxides.
One would expect that steel pins would be extremely difficult to scratch from
these oxides.
Nevertheless, even an oxide with less hardness, such as zinc oxide, can
to cause wear and tear.
The most important point to remember is that the main cause of wear in a
The presence of metal oxides is the watch's bushing.
If the formation of oxides could be avoided, the bushings and pins
they would last much longer.

A steel pin, not protected by lubricant, can form a layer of

oxide when exposed to oxygen and humidity in the air.
The iron oxide can be embedded in the surface of the brass bushing, and
scratch the steel pin.
When the surface of the pin is scratched, it produces dust, which in turn
it oxidizes and does so much faster, since the granules are, proportionally, more
exposed to external agents such as oxygen and humidity and thus a quantity is produced
even greater oxide that will continue to affect the pin, and so on.
Iron oxide is much harder than iron, and wear occurs at a rate
accelerated.

Another physical property to consider is structure.

Hard crystalline structures have fractures with sharp points and edges.
The hardest minerals, such as diamonds, aluminum oxide, and silicon carbide,
With their sharp points and edges, they are often used as abrasives.
Aluminum oxide is often used to make sandpaper and emery paper.
Let's think about what would happen if we introduced some grains of sand into
a watch bushing.
Sand is silicon dioxide (SiO2), another hard and crystalline mineral.

Aluminum oxide plays an important role in watchmaking because

Virtually all watch rubies have synthetic red rubies made of oxide.
made of aluminum.
The surfaces of rubies are polished with diamond powder compounds.
When a ruby is chipped, the corresponding steel pin wears out very quickly.
quickly.
Thus, the physical properties of the mineral are of paramount importance: as
highly polished surface, has very low friction, but like a broken or
like dust, it has very high friction and is extremely abrasive.

The explanations on this page are simplified, we do not mention the presence.
of other elements in metals, intentional (in the case of alloys), or unintentional (in the
case of impurities.

The knowledge of the causes of wear thus highlights the importance of polishing.
meticulousness of the pins and the removal of the oxide layer from the surface
internal of each bushing.

47
It also suggests what properties lubricants should have: to separate the
metal surfaces and protect metal surfaces from corrosion
(caused by air and humidity).

Considerations
Many watchmakers and repairers make the mistake of using the same thin lubricant.
For the first and second wheels, how do they work for the escapement.
When lubricating a wristwatch or a larger watch, it is advisable, in principle
In general, try to use the following rule of thumb:
1) use a heavy lubricant, for low-speed applications and for high
torque pair (pins for the first and second wheels and spring).
2) use a lighter lubricant for high-speed and low applications
twist pair (pins third, fourth wheels, of the escapement wheel, pins
of the lever, pins of the stabilizing butterfly of the bellows of the regulators,
ecc.).

Moreover, consider the climate: Swiss watch oils are formulated in the Alps.
Swiss and most watch oils are fluids almost as thin as water,
in warm climates.
While oils certainly have thickness in colder climatic conditions, they are
very thin and less effective in warmer climates.
Lubricants used in the Swiss Alps will probably have behaviors
various if employed in the midst of African deserts.
It should be said that most watch owners live in environments
that today have air-conditioned environments, and that in fact are not very affected by
variation of external climatic conditions.
Watches that are not intended for extreme use, in outdoor environments and in
prohibitive weather conditions should be lubricated with more lubricants
thicker than those used for a watch that works in extreme conditions.
Watches used under normal circumstances and worn on the wrist should not
to be lubricated with ultra-thin lubricants that could be used for
lubricate a wristwatch for use in extremely cold environments,
while climbing in high mountains or diving into cold waters.
In considering how often a lubricant should be used, it is necessary to
determine the density of that lubricant at the coldest temperature that
the watch must endure.

But why use a thicker lubricant if the watch were used in

circumstances that would not require a thinner lubricant?
Why thick lubricants have higher boiling points and evaporate
less easily.
Thin lubricants evaporate easily: there have been issues with thin oils
that have dried prematurely.
Some oils disappear after only three years: there are experiences of an oil
very expensive synthetic that dried out after only two years.
A lubricant that wears out after just two years is unable to
only to lubricate (reduce friction), but it can't even protect
from oxidation.

48
Thicker lubricants also have better cohesive and adhesive properties.
this means that a thicker lubricant stays better in its respective place
Once applied to a bushing without spreading or dripping.
If we consider the primary purpose of lubricants, the benefit of a lubricant
more often it becomes evident: to reduce friction by providing a film between the two
friction surfaces of the metal that keep the metals apart.

A good lubricant adheres to every metal surface to generate this

film and it is more difficult to push away under pressure.

A good lubricant is cohesive so that it provides good capillary action.

that will keep it in its place.
A thicker lubricant has larger molecules (a longer chain than
carbon in the case of petroleum-based lubricants) and therefore provides a
thicker film that further keeps the metals separated and resists to
higher pressures.

As the molecules of the lubricant slide against each other, a certain amount is generated.
resistance to motion, which we call 'drag' and which increases with the
thickness of the lubricant.

However, we must consider that in low torque applications, the resistance

It can alter the performance of the watch if the lubricant is too thick.

As a general rule, we can consider using a lubricant.

heavier for high torque pairs, and low speed applications and more
thin for low torque pairs, and high-speed applications.

The practice
First of all, let's consider the environment.

We must work in clean environments, as free from dust as possible, which is dangerous.
for the reasons described above.

The oil containers should always be full, but not overflowing, with
fresh oil, changed often. The oil that stays in containers for too long
it fatally mixes with the dust that is still suspended in the atmosphere.

The price of a bottle of oil, and the quantities used, in the economy of a
the repair allows for very frequent changes of the lubricants in
portfolio without this significantly affecting costs.

It is better to reserve the same oil in the same container always, even in
positions in the case of multiple tray portfolios: this allows for
avoid using the wrong lubricant, as with habit certain
actions become automatic and the possibility of using a type of lubricant where
For a long time there was another one, it increases if the oils are added carelessly.

49
The oilers can be stored poked into the classic marrow discs of
elderberry, so as to keep them always clean.

Elderberry disks can be placed inside an old barrel to

pendants, or fixed with double-sided adhesive on a metal disc for
avoid the annoying inconvenience of everything falling when two or more are pierced
three floaters randomly.

Let's avoid cleaning the oilers with our fingers: fingers have grease particles.
sweat and various impurities that should not end up in lubricants.

It is good to be focused when proceeding with lubrication: in some cases

The error in the lubrication of a part can lead to significant time losses.
to be remedied.
Always check the condition of the pin hole seats; for cleaning, a can be used.
the classic pointed stick.

The same applies to the pins and all the parts that need to be lubricated. It is
important that they be clean and shiny, free of any traces of oxidation, of
impurities or old lubricant not completely removed during washing.

It would be better to lubricate the discharge movement to allow for a layout.

more homogeneous than the oil in the pins.
The oil settles between the ruby and the pin:

The amount of oil must be such as to cover the pin and only a minimal part.
of the ruby (or synthetic stone or however one wants to call it). It is useless to fill

50
completely the ruby tank, this facilitates the dispersion of the oil that
will tend to 'escape' spreading over the entire surface.
The oil should also cover the underside of the pin, without
slip into the wheel tree.
The ideal would be to have the pin with an additional notch, which would allow the oil
to stay on site more easily.

This is found in some marine chronometers, while it is easily understandable that the
The difficulties of such a system are considerable in movements for wristwatches.

The barrel: in automatic watches, the internal wall of the barrel is lubricated, for
allow the sliding of the flange, beyond the bottom of the barrel itself. Spring
little lubricant remounted between the turns.
The barrel shaft should also be lubricated, of course.

Lubrication of the anchor levers: a drop of oil on the release lever

then making the escape wheel run, repeating the operation three times for
a full turn of the wheel. This is enough to distribute the oil on all the teeth.
of the escapement wheel.
In this operation, great care must be taken to ensure that the oil does not overflow from the
impulse plan to avoid finding it later in the anchor's pin or above
the anchor itself, or anyway where it shouldn't be. (drawing on the right)

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In wristwatches, the anchor pins are not lubricated, as they must turn freely.
dry.
This is because in this case the lubricant, given the small size of the parts
in which he would find work again, and why in the case of the anchor pin it does not
it concerns a constant and unidirectional rotational motion, but of a continuous series
of advancements and arrests in two directions, the properties of the lubricants themselves,
described before, would lead to an absolutely non-functional operation
homogeneous.

Lubrication of the lever arm.

In modern watches, with shockproof devices, the stone is removed and the
on the gemstone, a drop of oil is placed in the ruby, creating a circle that
occupy about two thirds of the stone, the stone and the counterstone are put back together and
It is inserted into the shockproof device, closing the clip.
In older movements, a drop of oil can be applied directly.
inside the stone, then allowing the tip of the pin or a thin tip
used for the occasion, distribute the oil by capillarity effect.
It's important, however, that everything is perfectly clean in this case as well.

As for the charging and setting device, grease is applied.

between charge tree and torque charge, (sliding pinion and angle wheel) and between

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the contact denture of the load pair. The same is done for the contact points
scale, scale cover and pull tab.

Being many the types and forms of these parts of the movement and being
it is impossible to describe them all, one can only say that where there are points of
contact and rubbing between the parts, there are points to lubricate. Remains to
expertise and the observation of the one performing the operation to decide where to apply the
lubricants.

As for the types of lubricants to use, there are no rules.

precise and codified: this is one of the situations in which experience, the
custom, the choices made by use determine which are the most lubricants
responding to the needs of individual repairers.

However, the consultation of the tables provided by lubricant manufacturers, (or the...
lubrication charts of the movements) many of which can be found online, it is
Certainly a good starting point to avoid making gross errors
that they would probably rely on chance.

For all those parts that may seem uncertain, we remind you that now online
there are many technical data sheets for lubrication of many movements, with
detailed and specific descriptions of the parts to be lubricated and of the
lubricants to use.

This has greatly simplified and further reduced the time to learn.
that practice, which in the past years was entrusted only to the experience of the individual, to
possibility of receiving teachings from predecessors and to understanding and the
re-execution of previously wrong lubrication.

These sheets can be consulted and used to proceed with

lubrication of the described movements or those that have characteristics and measurements
they can be likened to those movements for which there is no documentation
specifications.

The table and part of the information are from Mark Headrick's site -[Link]

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Another sheet with indications of the types of lubricants to be used in various
movement zones, in addition to those already mentioned previously.
One can also notice the groups of lubricants divided between mineral and synthetic:

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CHAPTER 8 – The Dubois Depraz Chronograph Module – Dismantling
It often happens to deal with modular chronographs.
First, let's define a modular crown.
By modular chronograph, I mean a watch that has a movement, originally designed to be a single time.
which is placed over a 'module' that contains only the chronograph part.
Let's now take a look at what we find inside this module.
I used an old module from a three-counter 'exercise', like the one you can find.
in the Omega Speedmaster reduced.

The module as it appears from the side that must be coupled to the actual movement.

Now let's turn it and start disassembling.

Before proceeding, it is advisable to say that, to have fewer problems during the various stages, it is preferable
put the module in the inserted chronograph position.

Here are indicated the holes where the three screws that hold the two plates together have already been removed.

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Once the plate is removed, taking care to lift it without moving the rest of the module too much.
(also to prevent throwing away everything else that will end up being free), we
we will find ourselves facing the form as we see it in this photo.

Let's proceed to remove the lever (indicated by the blue arrow) that controls the release of the hammers of
resetting of the counters. The lever is removed by pulling it vertically and gently.

Taking the lever, we have this situation:

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Let's now remove the cam that, by lowering the underlying spring, controls the transmission of motion to the
chronograph. We will do it by pulling it out in the direction of the arrow.

Once the cam has been removed, we have this image:

Now we pull out the first part of the group that controls the start and stop vertically.
chrono. (blue arrow).

Having done this, we have this situation:

We now need to remove the two levers that operate the underlying finger (which we will see better later)
forward).
Let's start by removing the one above, indicated by the blue arrow, being careful of the clip that holds it.
in position and helping ourselves with a pair of pliers by relieving the pressure of the clip (red arrow) while
let's remove the piece in question.

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Now we can also remove the other lever (blue arrow)

We have this condition:

Now let's remove the clip that allows the reset button to be pressed. (blue arrow)
This clip is obviously under tension, so care must be taken during the operation to
avoid making it squirt where it shouldn't.

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Once that lever is raised, we will have this image:

Now we can proceed with removing the underlying lever. (blue arrow)

Removed the lever, we proceed to remove the lever above, for starting and stopping the chrono.
Let's start by lifting and removing the retaining pin that prevents the lever from being removed. (blue arrow)

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Next, we remove the lever where the button (blue arrow) operates, being careful with the spring.
that is located below it (red arrow).

Now we can also remove the finger which will be completely free. (blue arrow).

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Let's also remove the idler wheel (blue arrow)

Now we can remove the clip that controls the engagement of the chrono wheel.
We will do this by unscrewing the screw indicated by the blue arrow. Be careful as there is a thin washer underneath.
keep an eye on it to avoid losing it.

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Remove the clip (blue arrow) by lifting it vertically until it slips off the two pins.
they hold in position (red arrows).

Now let's move to the 'lower' part of the module.

First, let's unscrew the screw (VL) that holds the lever (L) in place, and remove the push spring (M) of the
we take and we raise the lever itself.
Subsequently, unscrew the screws (V) indicated by the green arrows and remove the entire bridge, dedicating
particular attention to the seconds chronograph pinion below (P) to avoid dragging it into
turn.

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After removing the bridge, we can take off the underlying wheels.

Now let's move on to the removal of the central bridge.

We need to remove the screws (V) and lift the bridge. Along with the bridge, the lever mechanism will also be removed.
(LV)

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Let's continue by removing the cam (blue arrow) to completely free the underlying part.

Let's move on to the removal of the second gear bridge (blue arrow).
We must first remove the clutch spring from the secondary sprocket (M) and then unscrew the
quickly (V), remove the bridge and the underlying wheels.

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So we will also remove the other bridge, held in place by the screw. (blue arrow) and the wheels (R).

Finally, we need to remove the spring (M) that controls the snap of the cam (C) by pulling it out as well.
to not be freed from the guide pins and wash the cam.

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We finally have the completely free platinum. (After removing the last two clips)

The central bridge, which we removed earlier, has a forced wheel coupling.

To free the two wheels, we can use different methods.

One possibility is the use of a lever plateaus appropriately modified to allow for insertion.
easy in the space between the two wheels.

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An alternative is the use of the punch with a modified insert as needed.

That's all.
To close, a necessary clarification. What has been described is not "THE" procedure, it is just a procedure.
for disassembly. Everyone has different sequences and procedures and clearly uses those that suit them best.
satisfy.

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