How To Set The Time On A Elgin Pocket Watch

Pocketwatch 101^℠ – Learn about Vintage and Antiquarian Pocket Watches

How to Fix Your Vintage Pocket Watch

Every bit a rule, vintage pocket watches are either cardinal-set, pendant-set (stem-set), lever-gear up or pin-set. The easiest way to tell which one you have is to look for the setting lever. If your sentry is lever-set, at that place will be a setting-lever visible somewhere effectually the dial of the scout, though you lot usually have to remove the bezel and crystal to run into it. Just considering your instance has a notch cut for a lever, doesn't mean that y'all have a lever-set up watch, as many cases could accommodate either a lever-fix or pendant-set movement. Look for the actual tip of the setting lever, which should be visible poking out at the edge of the punch. If your watch has a little button or raised bump somewhere nearly the winding stem, then it'southward likely a European-made pin-set watch.

Key-Set Pocket Watch

Every bit the proper noun suggests, a fundamental-set pocket lookout is set with a key. Some watches use the same central to set and wind the watch; others have different keys for setting and winding. If your picket has ii keys, then it's important to determine which primal best fits each winding arbor. Using a key that is too big will before long round off the square corners of the winding arbor then you'll have a much bigger repair trouble. If you don't take keys for your watch, a watchmaker who specializes in vintage repairs tin can probably supply i for yous. We have full sets of winding keys available on our Watch Accessories page. Nosotros as well stock single keys in select sizes.

Setting a lookout man with a key is accomplished past turning the arbor that carries the easily. Never attempt to fix the watch by moving the hands straight... y'all'll merely break the paw. If your center arbor is square in shape, and so you accept a key-gear up watch.southward When setting, proceed the key perpendicular to the dial and brand certain yous don't disturb the horizontal alignment of the hands. The minute hand and 60 minutes hand must remain perfectly flat and parallel after you're finished setting the lookout man.

There's a reason why watches evolved from key-setting to pendant-setting: a pendant-set watch was a lot easier and more than convenient for the typical user. Central-fix watches tin can be inconvenient and sometimes challenging. Often setting a key-set up lookout requires removing or opening the bezel to access the hands and setting arbor. It is certainly easier for the novice to damage the bezel, crystal, hands or punch with a primal-set sentinel than with a pendant prepare. As such, we commonly don't recommend primal-wind fundamental-set watches for daily use.

Some key-set watches have the setting square for the hands accessible through a hole in the example-dorsum. If there are ii holes in your inner case-dorsum, then the center pigsty is for setting the lookout, and the outer pigsty is for winding.

Illustration of setting a Waltham P. Southward. Bartlett primal-prepare spotter in coin-silverish case. Annotation that on this picket, the setting square is accessed from the front of the scout. Some central-prepare watches are accessed from the dorsum.

Pendant-Set Pocket Watch

The part of the picket case that holds the winding crown and stem is chosen the pendant. The winding crown (or winding knob) is attached to one stop of the winding stem and the other stop of the stalk engages with the winding mechanism in the spotter movement. When the crown is pushed "in" i.e. toward the picket motion, then the spotter is in winding position and turning the crown will air current the mainspring. When the crown is pulled "out" i.e. away from the lookout movement, the the watch is in setting position and turning the crown volition engage the setting machinery of the sentry.

Illustration of setting a Hamilton pendant-set pocket lookout

Mutual Bug with Pendant-Ready Watches

If your pendant-set lookout won't "hold" in either the winding or setting position i.e. if it won't "click" from 1 position to the other, so you likely have a cleaved sleeve. The sleeve is a small part which mounts inside the pendant of the watch and grips the stem with 4 pocket-sized spring "fingers". If these pocket-sized spring fingers become bent or broken, then they will no longer hold the stem in the correct position. The only solution is to replace the broken sleeve.

If the picket clicks smoothly betwixt winding and setting positions, merely you still can't fix the watch, and so you either have a lever-set picket (see below) or there is an internal trouble with the winding/setting machinery. Oft, former dried upwards grease can freeze the winding/setting machinery and information technology takes a thorough cleaning and re-lubrication to go everything moving again.

Lever-Ready Pocket Spotter

Lever-setting was a "feature" of many higher-form pocket watches which prevented them from being accidentally set to the wrong time. Lever-setting was a requirement for Railroad Timekeeping Service. Nosotros've provided photograph instructions for how to set your lever-set watch hither.

Illustration of a lever-prepare scout with setting lever pulled out

Common Problems with Lever-Gear up Watches

Lever-setting mechanisms tend to be quite reliable, as they do not rely on the proper performance of a stalk and sleeve. Pulling out the setting lever usually shifts the winding mechanism so that information technology engages with the cannon-pinion and easily of the watch to allow setting. Retracting the setting lever allows the winding mechanism to rock back to its "normal" position in which it is engaged with the mainspring barrel. If pulling the set up-lever on your sentinel doesn't put it in setting fashion, or if there is any significant resistance to pulling the lever out, then there's something wrong internally that would crave professional service.

Pin-Set Pocket Scout

Pin-Setting (or nail-setting, equally it is sometimes called) is another setting mechanism that is rarely seen on American watches, but occurs more normally on European timepieces. On a pin-gear up watch, there is a little button, usually nigh the winding stalk. Y'all must press and hold this button while turning the crown to prepare the watch. Pin-setting isn't very common on college-course watches.

Analogy of a pin-set or nail-set pocket lookout

Source: http://www.pocketwatchrepair.com/how-to/setting.php

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