Part 1 - The Patient's Story:
My mother had this vintage pocket watch in a display globe on the fireplace mantle. This watch was owned by my grandfather John Heisler (1913-1988) of Etna Green, Indiana. He was a hardworking guy, a mason and bricklayer with a wicked dry sense of humor. Here's a pic (left) from Christmas 1962 with my grandmother Fawn Heisler (1915-2012).
Here's a photo (right) of me the same year sitting on Elizabeth Taylor's lap.
Wait... that's not Liz, that's my mother Jo Reprogle, known by all as the most gracious and beloved wife, mother, and grandmother anywhere.
Back to Grandpa's watch. At first glance we can see the label says "Elgin Natl.Watch Co." Also, that it has "issues": the minute and second hands are gone, the hour hand is bent, and the case exterior shows major wear in the finish, whatever it once was, probably rolled gold plate. On the bright side, the crystal is good with a few scratches, and best of all the dial is absolutely pristine, clear white with few small blemishes and intact markings.
While the general design is still visible, the case back is so worn that the engraved patterns are completely smooth to the touch.
Unscrewing the case back we see "PAT.APR.22.1879 Fahys MONTAUK 4940925". Fahys is the mark of the case manufacturer Joseph Fahys and Co. The patent date is a clue as to the age of the piece, but we'll look at the movement serial number to hopefully get the exact date.
Turning to the movement, we can see the two main bridges with some fancy engraving along with a serial number 7024902 at 10 o'clock on the train bridge. Per Pocket Watch Site, this watch was manufactured sometime in 1897!
Besides the watch itself, Mom had a box of parts that once occupied the interior of our patient in such condition to bring tears to a watchmaker's eye, especially that stretched-out hairspring <sniffle...>. So we have balance cock, wheel, the mainspring barrel (lower right), and a winding wheel (upper right).
Dr. Matt has declared this patient unable to restore from this meager supply of parts. Our patient is 119 years old and in need of a multiple-organ transplant.
Part 2 - The Donor
Enter our donor, fresh from an eBay auction for $92. Seller says the movement is complete, but we can see cosmetically it's a mixed bag. The crystal is missing, the dial is cracked and blemished, but it has all three hands. In other words, it has everything GrandpaWatch does not (hands and movement), so with a little luck we can keep the entire case and dial and much of the movement including the main plate, bridges, setting/winding works, and some of the wheels.
Here's the Donor watch with the case back removed. Everybody ooh and aah over the engraved balance cock, the regulator (F/S), and especially the blued steel screws. Donor's serial number 3261642 puts date of manufacture in 1888.
Watchmakers used blue screws not for the aesthetics but because that is the color they turned during heat treatment for hardness. Yet even now high-end watch makers, especially German brands like Lange, like to use blued screws on some intricate movements like this Glashutte Senator Rattrapante, which goes for about $40,000 in gold.
Back to DonorWatch, the hands are good, though the small second hand is a little bent. Hands are removed with a special tool called, you guessed it, a hand remover. This is a prerequisite to taking apart the movement, as well as just being a good idea to protect them from damage. Same is true for the balance assembly, which is exposed and one of the more delicate parts. We can also see that the dial is cracked and blemished.
The hands are also blued and a bit tarnished, but definitely better than nothing. Some cleaning may restore some lustre.
Removing the train bridge exposes the wheels (gears) and shows the mainspring barrel peeking out from the barrel bridge here at top. At this point, I was trying to get the barrel bridge out from between the case and the main plate, and as I wiggled it, the barrel teeth disengaged and disgorged all its springwound energy in about 0.1 seconds, throwing the seconds wheel on the bench and the escape wheel (bottom) onto the floor.
At first I was really afraid I had lost other parts such as the escape thingy (anchor), but after crawling around with my nose in the carpet I went back and looked at the train bridge, and there it was safe on the back side. WHEW.
In retrospect, the next step should have come before dorking with the barrel and spraying parts all over. I removed the screw holding the movement in the case then found how to separate the dial from the movement. Three small set screws in the edge of the movement hold the dial pins.
The dial itself is enamel (see Pocket Watch Dials 101 for all you want to know) made from firing finely ground glass powder (enamel) onto a metal substrate. Only high end watchmakers still use this technique to make dials today. And I thought enamel was just a kind of paint that comes in tiny square bottles.
Under the dial is the winding and setting mechanism. I am not sure if this watch has been serviced in more than a century, and the only reason it is not running today (besides me taking it apart) is the accumulated gunk and spoo throughout the movement. DonorWatch is now disassembled, including the winding and setting mechanism, and it's time for a break.
Next steps:
My mother had this vintage pocket watch in a display globe on the fireplace mantle. This watch was owned by my grandfather John Heisler (1913-1988) of Etna Green, Indiana. He was a hardworking guy, a mason and bricklayer with a wicked dry sense of humor. Here's a pic (left) from Christmas 1962 with my grandmother Fawn Heisler (1915-2012).
Here's a photo (right) of me the same year sitting on Elizabeth Taylor's lap.
Wait... that's not Liz, that's my mother Jo Reprogle, known by all as the most gracious and beloved wife, mother, and grandmother anywhere.
Back to Grandpa's watch. At first glance we can see the label says "Elgin Natl.Watch Co." Also, that it has "issues": the minute and second hands are gone, the hour hand is bent, and the case exterior shows major wear in the finish, whatever it once was, probably rolled gold plate. On the bright side, the crystal is good with a few scratches, and best of all the dial is absolutely pristine, clear white with few small blemishes and intact markings.
While the general design is still visible, the case back is so worn that the engraved patterns are completely smooth to the touch.
Unscrewing the case back we see "PAT.APR.22.1879 Fahys MONTAUK 4940925". Fahys is the mark of the case manufacturer Joseph Fahys and Co. The patent date is a clue as to the age of the piece, but we'll look at the movement serial number to hopefully get the exact date.
Turning to the movement, we can see the two main bridges with some fancy engraving along with a serial number 7024902 at 10 o'clock on the train bridge. Per Pocket Watch Site, this watch was manufactured sometime in 1897!
Besides the watch itself, Mom had a box of parts that once occupied the interior of our patient in such condition to bring tears to a watchmaker's eye, especially that stretched-out hairspring <sniffle...>. So we have balance cock, wheel, the mainspring barrel (lower right), and a winding wheel (upper right).
Dr. Matt has declared this patient unable to restore from this meager supply of parts. Our patient is 119 years old and in need of a multiple-organ transplant.
Part 2 - The Donor
Enter our donor, fresh from an eBay auction for $92. Seller says the movement is complete, but we can see cosmetically it's a mixed bag. The crystal is missing, the dial is cracked and blemished, but it has all three hands. In other words, it has everything GrandpaWatch does not (hands and movement), so with a little luck we can keep the entire case and dial and much of the movement including the main plate, bridges, setting/winding works, and some of the wheels.
Here's the Donor watch with the case back removed. Everybody ooh and aah over the engraved balance cock, the regulator (F/S), and especially the blued steel screws. Donor's serial number 3261642 puts date of manufacture in 1888.
Watchmakers used blue screws not for the aesthetics but because that is the color they turned during heat treatment for hardness. Yet even now high-end watch makers, especially German brands like Lange, like to use blued screws on some intricate movements like this Glashutte Senator Rattrapante, which goes for about $40,000 in gold.
The hands are also blued and a bit tarnished, but definitely better than nothing. Some cleaning may restore some lustre.
Removing the train bridge exposes the wheels (gears) and shows the mainspring barrel peeking out from the barrel bridge here at top. At this point, I was trying to get the barrel bridge out from between the case and the main plate, and as I wiggled it, the barrel teeth disengaged and disgorged all its springwound energy in about 0.1 seconds, throwing the seconds wheel on the bench and the escape wheel (bottom) onto the floor.
At first I was really afraid I had lost other parts such as the escape thingy (anchor), but after crawling around with my nose in the carpet I went back and looked at the train bridge, and there it was safe on the back side. WHEW.
In retrospect, the next step should have come before dorking with the barrel and spraying parts all over. I removed the screw holding the movement in the case then found how to separate the dial from the movement. Three small set screws in the edge of the movement hold the dial pins.
The dial itself is enamel (see Pocket Watch Dials 101 for all you want to know) made from firing finely ground glass powder (enamel) onto a metal substrate. Only high end watchmakers still use this technique to make dials today. And I thought enamel was just a kind of paint that comes in tiny square bottles.
Under the dial is the winding and setting mechanism. I am not sure if this watch has been serviced in more than a century, and the only reason it is not running today (besides me taking it apart) is the accumulated gunk and spoo throughout the movement. DonorWatch is now disassembled, including the winding and setting mechanism, and it's time for a break.
Next steps:
- Disassemble GrandpaWatch and see which parts can be used. Take special care with the dial and crystal.
- Thoroughly clean all parts to be used, including the mainspring. Winding the mainspring into the barrel will be a challenge.
- Reassemble and lubricate GrandpaWatch movement with transplanted parts.
- Get the movement running and regulate timing.
- Clean the case and reassemble.
- ...?
