Repair \ "Pointers For Watchmakers and Repairers"
Click the thumbnails to see the larger images.
NOTE: This small advertising booklet was published very shortly before Waterbury Watch was re-organized as the New England Watch Co. New England also continued distribution of this book, with a few minor revisions.
“Pointers for Watchmakers and Repairers
INTRODUCTION
We commend to the attention of watchmakers and repairers the points herein contained for repairing our watches, believing that with a careful reading and attention to the same, any repairer will soon become proficient in handling the Duplex Escapement, and will substantiate the claim that our watches are the simplest and easiest to repair of any watch made.
The beat set and impulse mover - two small tools that are great aids in adjusting the escapement - will be sent to any one desiring them, as shown on page 15. They are simple tools, but very effective for quick work.
Our material catalogue will be sent to any one in the trade on application.
THE WATERBURY WATCH CO.
Waterbury, Conn.
WATCHMAKERS
Watches is Due:
First, to the simplicity of construction, that lessens the liability to get out of order.
Second, to the use of the Duplex Escapement as improved and made mechanically perfect by our method of perfecting tools. The reasons why the Duplex Escapement was not a success when attempted by the Swiss people do not hold good to-day. When this escapement was made by hand labor, was pronounced a failure and discarded, not on account of the principle, but on account of the expense and the very delicate and high-grade hand work necessary, making it too costly for practical use.
Machinery and improved tool making have altered all this. The escapement is now made perfect. The material is all interchangeable. Quickening the train, changing the weight of the balance, and a careful study of every phase of this escapement have produced low-priced accurate time-keeping watches. There is no longer danger of overbanking, setting or locking of escapement. It is not affected by magnetism. It is the simplest escapement made, and a remarkable thing with the Duplex over any other escapement is the fact that a compensation balance and isochronal balance or hairspring is not essential, for a natural compensation exists between the several functions that cannot be aided by either. It has natural advantages that no other escapement possesses, and made mechanically perfect, it cannot be equaled.
No watch made can be repaired with the ease and facility of our watches. Use only our material. Don’t accept any false material on the plea that it is cheaper. It will give you trouble, and the watch will never show the proper results.
Our material can be found at all first class material houses, or can be purchased direct. The reduced prices on our material allow for single pieces or quantity price. If material is broken or bent don’t waste time trying to repair it. Send series letter of watch - it is on the top plate - and order by number as shown in catalogue. It requires no hand work on your part, it will fit perfectly. Repairs will net you a good profit, and no watch can be repaired with less work than our watches. Our enormous output is increasing each year, and the popularity of our goods makes it incumbent on every watchmaker to be up-to-date and understand the principle of the Duplex Escapement. They are being cased in the finest solid gold cases made in this country, because we make the smallest and thinnest movements. The same mechanical construction and principle you will find embodied in the various sizes.
A Few Hints for Inspecting and Repairing Waterbury Watches:
To repair the watch properly it should be thoroughly examined and adjusted from hair-spring to main-spring, not forgetting the hands and dial train, also winding and working parts of the case.
First, locate defects or cause of stopping by tracing loss of power, beginning at hands, then escapement, and back toward barrel until found.
Never attempt to wind or start a watch running, before trouble is located.
Note that crystal is not so low as to touch cannon pinion.
Try end shake on cannon pinion and hour wheel.
Hair-spring
Next inspect hair-spring. See that it is not bent; is free from rust and oil; is flat, centered and leveled; outer coil vibrates between the regulator pins and does not strike stud.
See that hair-spring collet is not loose on staff.
To separate balance and hair-spring from plate, do not unpin spring from stud, thereby destroying the timing and beat, simply push the stud out from opposite side of plate, or use plyers and lift stud from plate.
Balance-Wheel
See that balance is true; arms and rim do not strike stud; regulator pin or escape bridge.
Balance Staff
See that staff has sufficient, and not too much, end shake, by adjusting lower end stone screw under dial.
See that slot in staff is not badly worn and is free from dirt.
Impulse Finger(or pin)
See that impulse finger is smooth and polished on locking surface.
See that impulse finger (or pin) does not strike long teeth.
Escape Wheel
See that escape wheel is not bent, and that all long teeth run in center of slot in staff.
All short teeth must be alike and strike impulse finger (or pin) the same.
If escape wheel pivot-holes are badly worn, causing too much side shake, either bush or close with hollow punch.
If teeth are badly worn, bent or defective, do not attempt to repair them. A new wheel is invariably the best.
See that escape wheel has enough, and not too much, end shake.
See that escape teeth do not strike the bridge.
See that escape teeth do not strike fourth wheel pinion.
Train Wheels And Pinions
See that train runs free; look for chip or dirt in wheel teeth and pinion leaves.
See that wheels are true and teeth are not bent or broken.
See that pinions are free and have end shake, and pivots are not badly worn or bent.
Bush or close pivot-holes if too large.
See that second wheel does not rub on barrel or top plate.
Barrel and Main-Spring
See that barrel does not rub in the recess of bottom plate.
See that barrel teeth are not bent and are free from chips or dirt.
See that barrel is free on arbor.
See that barrel cap is in place and time wheel fastened on cap has strong and equal friction.
Always take out, clean and oil main-springs.
See that main-spring has good strength and does not bind or rub on barrel cap.
Dial
To remove dial, use screw-driver and lift dial from friction posts. It is not necessary to take off hands, hour wheel or cannon pinion when removing the dial from movement.
Dial-Train
See that dial train is free and that no oil is left on minute or intermediate wheel.
See that setting wheel is free between the plates.
Jewels
Examine hole jewels and balance end stones. (Lower balance end stone is set in screw from opposite side of plate, and used to adjust the end shake of balance staff.) Unscrew, examine, clean and oil.
Most Waterbury jewels are held in the plates by being made in taper settings and friction tight. To remove, use peg wood or jewel extracting tool from small end of setting.
To extract broken end stone from top plate of “Series I”, push screw-driver, tweezers or sharp tool through top of jewel, get instrument under edge of setting and lift same from plate.
Clean, Oil, And Assemble
Clean all parts of watch thoroughly with benzine, alcohol, chalk, or other preparations, and assemble.
Oil main-springs, pivot-holes, balance end stones and slot in balance staff; but do not oil impulse finger or pin.
Use good quality of oil, a small quantity in right place is sufficient.
To easily assemble our single top plate movements where ratchet wheel and click are underneath plate - put ratchet wheel on barrel arbor square, insert pillar screw or pin in hole above click, force same through and allow it to hold click back until wheels, pivots, etc., are in their proper positions.
To Adjust The Escapement Of Waterbury Watches
See that the escapement is in beat, and that the drop or locking of long teeth on staff and short teeth on impulse finger (or pin) are safe.
To Put The Escapement In Beat
Have the slot in balance staff facing in a direct line with escape wheel pinions when the balance is free and at rest.
To Change The Beat
It is not necessary to take the movement apart. Simply insert a small tool (screw-driver shape, Fig 3) into slot of hair-spring collet, and turn collet on staff in either direction until slot in staff is in direct line with escape wheel pinion.
To Adjust The Drop Or Impulse
See that the upright teeth have from four to ten degrees of locking. If more or less drop than required, use tool (fig 4) to move impulse finger on staff in either direction as desired.
When impulse pin takes place of finger, and it is necessary to change angle or locking on drop - take balance out and turn same on staff as required.
See that impulse pin or finger does not strike long escape tooth.
The short or impulse tooth imparts the great lift.
The long or rest tooth imparts the small lift.
To Test the Depthing and Proper Action of Escapement
Turn balance backward and forward, looking at points described, as follows -
Viz: When upright tooth escapes from impulse finger, the next long tooth should jump to side of staff where it rests until the balance returns and allows long tooth to drop in slot.
The balance next returns, allowing the long tooth to escape from slot, and the following upright tooth should jump to locking face of impulse finger. Continue this operation until all teeth have passed their respective points of contact.
See that impulse finger, after having allowed short tooth to escape, does not strike same on its return. If impulse is found too long, and strikes, use oil stone and shorten.
If the long escape teeth are found to be either shallow or deep (short or long), do not attempt to lengthen or shorten. This is a rare occurrence, and should be replaced with a new wheel.
Caution
Never use imitation or other than genuine Waterbury material, particularly jewels, hair-springs, and main-springs, which are most vital points in our watches. Substitution means failure on the part of repairer to get proper results.
Prices on Waterbury Material
Waterbury material has been reduced in price, and is now so low that it does not profit any watchmaker to experiment or substitute improper material.
See that your material jobber supplies you with genuine Waterbury Material put up in our trade-marked wrappers, or write us direct.
By following the above suggestions, you will not only be successful but will find the Waterbury watches the most simple, easy and profitable to repair.
The Waterbury Watch Co.