For every hateful comment there are 1000s of people like us who enjoy your videos but leave no comment at all. So let me help correct that imbalance by saying keep up the great work. You inspired me to get off the couch and fix things too. You're an inspiration to us all.
Hi Vince, professional watch repairer here. Not an expert on pocket watches but the age sounds about right - late 19th to early 20th century. The watch you've got has a cylinder escapement. It's a frictional rest escapement - high friction, which really needs to be kept regularly serviced over the years. It's especially important with these. They tended not to be maintained though, so every time we see a cylinder these days they're absolutely knackered. That's a swiss movement but the cylinder escapement was actually an English invention. There were thousands of these movements cheaply imported and produced as the Swiss started to become the main player in watchmaking, overtaking Britain.
Would I disassemble a pocket watch with these markings on it? No way. Would I disassemble a pocket watch with these markings on it? No way. If the pieces are probably really old, please have a specialist look at them.
Hi Vince, you may never read this but along with a few other youtubers I gained the confidence to start-up my business repairing electronic devices and I have had some amazing ideas from your videos. People that dog off the videos are completely pointless, The words Trying to FIX are clearly stated on the videos title the first few words you read it doesn't say how to fix, or I am a professional learn from my technique. I think some people just struggle to read mate. Keep up the good work It doesn't bother me what your are repairing. your videos are educational ether way.
Victory!! First of all Vince congratulations you have finally got a mechanical watch going again so we’ll done. You know I’ve never done a pocket watch either so it was a pleasure to watch. Few pointers. Get yourself a half decent pair of tweezers. Dumont 00 hitec will be around £25 but a worthy investment as you will notice the difference immediately. They don’t bend at the tips so will last you well on any project that needs tweezers (it’s what I only use) Secondly chuck it in the ultrasonic. It’s what they are for , id be surprised if a jewel fell out to be honest. You run the risk with the brush of leaving bristles behind plus your brush looks awful mate , perhaps invest in a toothbrush !! Lol Finally always remember that a mechanical watch has a train of wheels on one side and then a smaller train on dial side. The motion has to be converted into hand movement so you will always find a similar setup dial side. Eg hour wheel minute wheel. So pleased for you and glad you’ve not given up on watches. I’d kill for 10k views on any of my watch repair videos!
Cheers Mike, maybe you should try a pocket watch on your channel, a Fusee one would be nice. I just ordered up some tweezers as it would be nice to have ones that line up nicely, used Cousins for that and also got some pegwood while I was there. Leave my poor flux brush alone, we have been through a lot together!!! Anyway I heard flux residue was good to have in the jewels, stops endshake ;-) Loved doing this one. It is running 4 to 5 mins fast over 24 hours and the regulator isn't making much difference to that, it isn't magnetised so not too sure what is causing the fast running. Still well happy with the result and for £27 I think they are a bargain. Thanks so much for watching and commenting :-)
@@Mymatevince My guess is old, tired mainspring. If it can't put enough tension on the escape wheel then the balance wheel has a narrow swing, which makes it run fast. Generally, when fixing up vintage/antique watches, common practice is to replace the mainspring unconditionally. They're essentially consumable. If you have a good set of calipers, you should be able to take the measurements and find a replacement relatively easily. You will need to take out the barrel, though, to get at the mainspring. EDIT: Just realized the regulator pins are out, that would also be significant. The mainspring is still a big factor in stuff like this though.
Hi Vince, I have recxently retired and with covid preventing me getting about I decided to try my hand at watch repaires. I have purchased a number of mechanical wrista dn pocket watches from ebay and must admit that I get alot of satisfaction in spending time just trying to understand the various movements and how they function. I have only had limited success in getting a few to work again but through practise I am learning and I found your video brilliant. You take the same approach to it as me and don't appear to get worked up if something doesn't function as it should but it was great to witness your perseverance and I am so pleased that you had a successful outcome. Continue to enjoy .
Have been watching all your videos for over a year now Vince and enjoy everyone , even the non fixes . I’m just sorry you have to tell people not to leave hateful comments. There’s too much hate in the world at times . Keep up the great entertainment mate
Everyone who became interested in learning to repair watches started with "trying to fix". We only learn by doing, and gradually our mistakes help us to grow in knowledge and confidence. Thank you for sharing part of your journey in learning.
That was a brilliant video, one of your best, it's great you got the watch working again, your close up Macro photography on this is absolutely outstanding!
Just because of the comments you gave at around 9:00 .. I love your watch repair videos, I think I've even already commented on one.. For me they honestly have a special place in my mind now. Short backstory: Little over a year ago I had a serious car accident and broke both my upper legs. During the first couple weeks in rehab I couldn't really walk already, were several hours away from my home town and hated the staff there.. So practically no one to talk and nothing to do really. So one day my parents visited me and brought my old gaming laptop which I put on the side table and watched youtube. The first couple weeks I've been watching mostly your videos and most of the time either while playing Monster Hunter World or just until I fell asleep. In particular I always found the watch/alarm clock repair videos very interesting and they were pretty chill so I mostly stuck with those (and also several from My Retro Watches after you've mentioned his channel in one video).. So ye.. there's that :D I'm playing Monster Hunter again and I'm not feeling very well today so I just had to tune in to one of your watch repair videos ^^ So as long as you like to do them pls don't stop :) In case someone's wondering: My recovery is going really well, it just takes an eternity to fully recover but I can walk almost completely normal again and can do pretty much every sport again. My right leg still hurts most of the time and the injury was pretty bad so the material is also still in my bones, maybe things will get better within the next ~6 months (then the material will be removed too)
Hi Vince, this may not get the views that a console repair might, but there are plenty of us out here who enjoy this sort of video, so thank you for continuing to do them. Great repair by the way!
I actually do enjoy (a lot) your trying to fix watches/clocks videos. I find them both entertaining and relaxing to watch. Also really like those antique sound systems videos. So keep up the good work and hope you get to fix lots of other items.
Nicely done Vince! I collect (very small collection..lol) and repair/restore old pocket watches, mostly American railroad watches. I'm not too knowledgeable on Swiss movements, but they did pretty much mirror US watches as far as technology. Key wind movements pretty much were phased out at the end of the 19th century, so I'd imagine your watch is late 19th or early 20th century. Re the balance hairspring ...it definitely doesn't belong in the notch you tried to put it into. I couldn't see for certain, but that slot is usually used as a screwdriver slot....you'd rotate that little part about 1/4 turn, and if there is a small void on the underside of it, the last outer most coil of the hairspring passes through that space and rotate the regulator lug back over and capture the hairspring to hold in place as you move the regulator arm to adjust timing. In any event, you did a remarkable job not having experience with your service, and it's a testament to the watch (and you!) that is seems to run quite well for a basic low jewel count , unadjusted, "consumer" grade watch. Simply marvelous!! Good luck in your future endeavors, and thanks for the great video!! DT
I'd love to see you do more of these! I think pocket watches are really interesting. Especially the way the inner mechanisms are set up. I'm really impressed at the end result for this one for not being an expert at these types of watches.
Just finishing watching the video! Great watch and lovely to see it ticking. Hope you start doing more watches again! Sure I can find a pocket watch to send you if you like 🙂 A few extra tips on cleaning without spending loads: You can get a product called Pegwood which you can sharpen to a point and use to clean the jewels once everything is disassembled. Sharpen then push gently into a jewel, rotating it. This should remove the stubborn, dried up grease. A little bit of care needed not to leave bits of wood stuck in jewels, but this is how cleaning by hand was initially done for years (and often still is). As you disassemble each part, have a pot of IPA you can drop each part into, this will remove some of the "heavy" loose dirt. After you've done each jewel other than balance jewels (which in this instance would require the balance to be disassembled),to clean on a budget you can use an ultrasonic. Don't put the dial and hands through! Fill a pot with watch cleaning solution (you can find online - suggest Elma Pro cleaner), put parts in there (refit the balance onto the main plate when putting this through) and ultrasonic, then take them out and put in another pot of rinse (suggest elma suprol Pro rinse) within the ultrasonic, ultra again then remove and dry. Vintage pieces like this have balance assemblies which are a bit of a pain. To properly disassemble, clean and oil the balance jewel you have to take the balance apart. These were the days before shock protection, so no spring to easily open it up. This is also why you shouldn't shake the watch loads, subject it to impacts etc - it's quite fragile really. Anyway, I'll stop waffling now. I really enjoy the watch videos - hope you can do more! Cheers!
I’d have to get my book out but by memory in the US key wind and key set stopped around 1880. I’m no expert, just a collector. I have I think three key wind and key set pocket watches. One I know is from 1864, so civil war for me. Well done Vince.
Vince! That was a fantastic fix!! I'm so happy for you! And that is a lovely watch! You should find a spot in there to make your mark with the date! You deserve it as much as any of the others!!
Well done! I loved this! I’m a watch hobbiest and I think you did a great job, there’s a great engineer in you. You have a cylinder escapement there. And the hands are blue and screws often are by heating to that colour and them quenching in oil or water. You were very lucky with the hairspring, you were trying to put it in the screw that holds the spring against the small pin. Also you were lucky that the hands didn’t break. Proper well done! Keep the interesting videos coming!
I really enjoyed this video! I like seeing the careful, thoughtful, way you approach these things and how much you enjoy every little success! I also adored hearing the bird at the end, I imagined a lovely crow looking on, seeing you had a Shiny, and calling out it's compliments! :)
Really enjoyed watching this. I tried fiddling with an antique Railroad watch when I was young and yeah, it didn't turn out well. But, 40 years later, I took it to a watchmaker and he fixed it up right as rain and cleaned my wallet out pretty darn good also. Anyway, glad you got it working. Would like to see an update on how well it's keeping time.
Although I already commented, I thought I would post again. Thank you again for your trying to fix videos. This video in particular helped me in repairing a Waltham watch from 1885. I know they may not be your more popular videos, but I’d love to see more watch repair videos in the future.
Hi Vince, Nice job on the watch! re: the hairspring - There should be two guide pins that the outer coil of the hairspring sit between. The slot in the brass bit is for a screwdriver. The brass bit turns and captures the hairspring between the guide pins.
Further to my comment below, I have now watched the video from begining to end and found it all fascinating. I think your magnified videography brings a new dimension to watch videos. I also got many tips, such as the use of IPA to clean everything, including dial and casing. However, it is still a mystery to me as to how to get the balance of a cylinder watch properly into place. If you do make another video, please show this as I have a few such watches in which everything works except the interaction of the balance with the escape wheel. Congrats on doing a fine job and many thanks.
Your skill set constantly amazing me Vince. I don't know if people realize how complex some of this stuff is to accomplish. Just watching that spring part I would have thrown the thing across the room by then. Well done sir!
Hi Vince, although I watch all your trying to fix videos and although they are all of a very high class, this one really is a great one! I have a few pocket watches myself; so, no expert in any way, but I think they are great. I don't even try to take them apart or repair them because the parts are too small for me to handle, but the look and feel, the ticking, the history of some of those pieces, that is really cool to me. And when I heard your pocket watch ticking, I was almost sure it was indeed a cylinder movement (as is confirmed right here in the comments); they have a very typical ticking sound, don't know how to explain that, but I can recognize them out of other movements. And yes, you are right: the ticking of a watch (and in my opinion also the ticking of a mechanical clock) has something special; I have some clocks here that run all day and the ticking drives some people crazy, but others just like it so much.
Love when you say "look a-it"! I actually cringed at seeing you try to pull the balance spring into the screwdriver slot on the fulcrum post! There is probably a pin missing that would keep the spring from popping out of place. As it is the spring is resting on the side of the post. As howlindan49 mentioned, it's best to remove the movement from the case and remove power before removing any of the plate screws, especially the balance screw. Great to see you got this old girl ticking again!
Thanks Dennis, you are correct it is missing that pin and it running up to 5 mins fast a day probably because of the missing pin. Still happy though :-)
Hey Vince, I'm still on minute 32 but... will you leave your name and date there too? Hope so! This is a time machine, man *edit* this fix was AWESOME, thanks a lot, Vince!!
Randomly came across this enjoyed it. Two things 1) Look up nylon jawed pliers they'll come in handy for avoiding marks and 2) A litmus test for silver is to place foundation (The make up) on your arm and run the object over it a few times after its dried Fine Silver (.999 silver) will produce a prominent black line Sterling silver (.925) will produce a blackish line not as dark as Fine and plated won't show much more than grey. Foundation is basically like a super fine buffing compound finer than Rouge or Tripoli so it won't damage the silver
Hello Vince: I have a ladies pocket/broach watch just like the one you fixed. Mine has a very ornate case. a glass crystal ans two places for the key in the back. I've often wondered about it. My wife gave it to me about 37 years ago. She said it was a gift to her when she lived in Switzerland. It's in wonderful cosmetic condition, but doesn't seem to run. I believe the case may be pure sterling silver? I have the original key and all seems to wind and set, but no go. I believe it's very old, from the same era as the one you have here. Thanks for this video. I really enjoyed your work.
That was a very well presented video, many thanks, and well done for getting it going. I´m a fascinated beginner in the field and buy broken movements to play with. I have an antique cylinder pocket watch whose wheel train runs well and the balance looks good, but when I put the balance on to the escape wheel nothing moves. I suppose the balance has to be placed precisely to so the cylinder properly interacts with the escape wheel, pity I missed how you did it. By the way, Geneve is french for Geneva.
It has a Cylinder balance , that is why it doesn't have an anchor. Don't pull the hands like that ever. There is a special tool for that. You can bent the shaft, or crack a jewel. One more thing. A watch this old screws might look the same but they are different. Different threads and pitch, and its easy to put the wrong one., especially if the manufacturer didn't use a a thread tool (die). Ultrasonic cleaner is used for cleaning watches. So do it but you need a sieve. At 41:17 where you try to put the hairspring, that is a hairspring tensioner has a small slot. That is for screwdriver. You use it to rotate it when you remove and put back the balance back. At 50:00, you can see the coils are touching each other. That is not good. Means that the coils are bent.
Hi Vince, I’m a horologist and vintage timepiece dealer. The timepiece you’re looking at is a vintage Francis Dubois. Only three were ever crafted. Two have been found, and for years fellow experts and collectors have been searching for the missing Dubois timepiece. I’m 100% sure this is it. It’s value at auction is likely to be nine figures. Congratulations.
Love this video! I must be one of the odd ones, but I always prefer a longer video to watch so don't worry there. What a great fix and even if it's not perfect in the purists minds, it's still a working watch that's worth more now and far more enjoyable to see. What I love is the markings inside, it's that history in there that adds even more fun and value to this, (I hope you took lots of photos of them for research :))I think the off set bit at the top was an attempt to replace the missing piece that probably broke off and fouled the hands in the first place, It's not great but your eyes are drawn to the numerals anyway so is much better than a big blank space. Nice one Vince.
Great video, like you I have an old pocket watch that won’t wind,, I am interested to know what you are using for magnification. I have been using a plate magnifier but obviously you can’t focus it. Dean.
Nice fix, Vince 🙂. Loved seeing all of the hand marking inside of the dial. You would have never seen those if you didn't open the watch. On a side note, I really enjoy your longer videos just as much as the shorter videos. Keep up the great work!
nice vid mate this makes me remind my grandmother she had a gold one and she got it from here mother who weard it till here 90`year and gave it to here daughter (my grand mother) and my grandmother took it with here in here grave in our family we dont wear things from deceisd family you put in a draw or hang it on the wall but my grandmother asked that she wants to wear it in here graf and whenever you you upload i watch mate
I should also add - go with taking the movement out of the case first. Make sure no power is in the mainspring. Dial and hands off. Then you can start stripping it down 👍
I think the 4570 would be the production number as in how many were made, rather than anything of significance, hence why you didn't find anything on google search. from what I can see the one name looks to be Liz Beech @32:20 can't make out what the rest of the scribble is though.
Good work. Might the movement have been bought from Geneva by an English firm who then put it in a silver case? The dial looks machine made (guilloché ?) but the roman numerals looked to me as if hand carved out of silver sheet.
For every hateful comment there are 1000s of people like us who enjoy your videos but leave no comment at all. So let me help correct that imbalance by saying keep up the great work. You inspired me to get off the couch and fix things too. You're an inspiration to us all.
Thank you Nathan, I appreciate you commenting :-)
Yep, haters gonna hate! You’re completely honest about it all. Love it. Feel for haters!
I really enjoyed watching your video and was in need of the calming relaxing effects also!! Thank you!
Hi Vince, professional watch repairer here. Not an expert on pocket watches but the age sounds about right - late 19th to early 20th century. The watch you've got has a cylinder escapement. It's a frictional rest escapement - high friction, which really needs to be kept regularly serviced over the years. It's especially important with these. They tended not to be maintained though, so every time we see a cylinder these days they're absolutely knackered. That's a swiss movement but the cylinder escapement was actually an English invention. There were thousands of these movements cheaply imported and produced as the Swiss started to become the main player in watchmaking, overtaking Britain.
Would I disassemble a pocket watch with these markings on it?
No way.
Would I disassemble a pocket watch with these markings on it?
No way.
If the pieces are probably really old, please have a specialist look at them.
Maybe you didn't destroy an old clockwork, but you did destroy an old case.
Wouldn't that be terrible
From looking at it I would agree early 1900s or possibly 1950s
Nerd! Very cool.
@@The_Watcher2k3 If Vince hadn't tried to fix it, that watch would probably be in a landfill I applaud his efforts and determination!
Hi Vince, you may never read this but along with a few other youtubers I gained the confidence to start-up my business repairing electronic devices and I have had some amazing ideas from your videos. People that dog off the videos are completely pointless, The words Trying to FIX are clearly stated on the videos title the first few words you read it doesn't say how to fix, or I am a professional learn from my technique. I think some people just struggle to read mate. Keep up the good work It doesn't bother me what your are repairing. your videos are educational ether way.
Thanks mate :-) Good luck with your repair business.
You are one of my favorite RUclips channels to watch! Never give up doing what you do, you will always have my subscription! You are great!
Victory!! First of all Vince congratulations you have finally got a mechanical watch going again so we’ll done. You know I’ve never done a pocket watch either so it was a pleasure to watch.
Few pointers. Get yourself a half decent pair of tweezers. Dumont 00 hitec will be around £25 but a worthy investment as you will notice the difference immediately. They don’t bend at the tips so will last you well on any project that needs tweezers (it’s what I only use)
Secondly chuck it in the ultrasonic. It’s what they are for , id be surprised if a jewel fell out to be honest. You run the risk with the brush of leaving bristles behind plus your brush looks awful mate , perhaps invest in a toothbrush !! Lol
Finally always remember that a mechanical watch has a train of wheels on one side and then a smaller train on dial side. The motion has to be converted into hand movement so you will always find a similar setup dial side. Eg hour wheel minute wheel.
So pleased for you and glad you’ve not given up on watches. I’d kill for 10k views on any of my watch repair videos!
Cheers Mike, maybe you should try a pocket watch on your channel, a Fusee one would be nice.
I just ordered up some tweezers as it would be nice to have ones that line up nicely, used Cousins for that and also got some pegwood while I was there.
Leave my poor flux brush alone, we have been through a lot together!!! Anyway I heard flux residue was good to have in the jewels, stops endshake ;-)
Loved doing this one. It is running 4 to 5 mins fast over 24 hours and the regulator isn't making much difference to that, it isn't magnetised so not too sure what is causing the fast running. Still well happy with the result and for £27 I think they are a bargain. Thanks so much for watching and commenting :-)
@@Mymatevince
My guess is old, tired mainspring. If it can't put enough tension on the escape wheel then the balance wheel has a narrow swing, which makes it run fast.
Generally, when fixing up vintage/antique watches, common practice is to replace the mainspring unconditionally. They're essentially consumable. If you have a good set of calipers, you should be able to take the measurements and find a replacement relatively easily.
You will need to take out the barrel, though, to get at the mainspring.
EDIT: Just realized the regulator pins are out, that would also be significant. The mainspring is still a big factor in stuff like this though.
@@dashlambda6707 Thanks for the info Dash :-)
Hi Vince, I have recxently retired and with covid preventing me getting about I decided to try my hand at watch repaires. I have purchased a number of mechanical wrista dn pocket watches from ebay and must admit that I get alot of satisfaction in spending time just trying to understand the various movements and how they function. I have only had limited success in getting a few to work again but through practise I am learning and I found your video brilliant. You take the same approach to it as me and don't appear to get worked up if something doesn't function as it should but it was great to witness your perseverance and I am so pleased that you had a successful outcome. Continue to enjoy .
I'm a beginer at watch repair attempts and loved to watch you struggle at times. It gives me hope. Keep up the good work.
Another superb video Vincent. Such a nice looking piece of history right there. Well done.
Thanks Stez :-)
Have been watching all your videos for over a year now Vince and enjoy everyone , even the non fixes . I’m just sorry you have to tell people not to leave hateful comments. There’s too much hate in the world at times . Keep up the great entertainment mate
Long video’s are the best videos, Vince. Loving your videos. Keep them coming!.
Everyone who became interested in learning to repair watches started with "trying to fix". We only learn by doing, and gradually our mistakes help us to grow in knowledge and confidence. Thank you for sharing part of your journey in learning.
That was a brilliant video, one of your best, it's great you got the watch working again, your close up Macro photography on this is absolutely outstanding!
Just because of the comments you gave at around 9:00 ..
I love your watch repair videos, I think I've even already commented on one.. For me they honestly have a special place in my mind now. Short backstory: Little over a year ago I had a serious car accident and broke both my upper legs. During the first couple weeks in rehab I couldn't really walk already, were several hours away from my home town and hated the staff there.. So practically no one to talk and nothing to do really. So one day my parents visited me and brought my old gaming laptop which I put on the side table and watched youtube. The first couple weeks I've been watching mostly your videos and most of the time either while playing Monster Hunter World or just until I fell asleep. In particular I always found the watch/alarm clock repair videos very interesting and they were pretty chill so I mostly stuck with those (and also several from My Retro Watches after you've mentioned his channel in one video)..
So ye.. there's that :D
I'm playing Monster Hunter again and I'm not feeling very well today so I just had to tune in to one of your watch repair videos ^^
So as long as you like to do them pls don't stop :)
In case someone's wondering: My recovery is going really well, it just takes an eternity to fully recover but I can walk almost completely normal again and can do pretty much every sport again. My right leg still hurts most of the time and the injury was pretty bad so the material is also still in my bones, maybe things will get better within the next ~6 months (then the material will be removed too)
Hi Vince, this may not get the views that a console repair might, but there are plenty of us out here who enjoy this sort of video, so thank you for continuing to do them. Great repair by the way!
I actually do enjoy (a lot) your trying to fix watches/clocks videos. I find them both entertaining and relaxing to watch. Also really like those antique sound systems videos. So keep up the good work and hope you get to fix lots of other items.
Nicely done Vince! I collect (very small collection..lol) and repair/restore old pocket watches, mostly American railroad watches. I'm not too knowledgeable on Swiss movements, but they did pretty much mirror US watches as far as technology. Key wind movements pretty much were phased out at the end of the 19th century, so I'd imagine your watch is late 19th or early 20th century. Re the balance hairspring ...it definitely doesn't belong in the notch you tried to put it into. I couldn't see for certain, but that slot is usually used as a screwdriver slot....you'd rotate that little part about 1/4 turn, and if there is a small void on the underside of it, the last outer most coil of the hairspring passes through that space and rotate the regulator lug back over and capture the hairspring to hold in place as you move the regulator arm to adjust timing. In any event, you did a remarkable job not having experience with your service, and it's a testament to the watch (and you!) that is seems to run quite well for a basic low jewel count , unadjusted, "consumer" grade watch.
Simply marvelous!!
Good luck in your future endeavors, and thanks for the great video!!
DT
Thank you danytoob for the kind words and the information :-)
I'd love to see you do more of these! I think pocket watches are really interesting. Especially the way the inner mechanisms are set up. I'm really impressed at the end result for this one for not being an expert at these types of watches.
Just finishing watching the video! Great watch and lovely to see it ticking. Hope you start doing more watches again! Sure I can find a pocket watch to send you if you like 🙂
A few extra tips on cleaning without spending loads:
You can get a product called Pegwood which you can sharpen to a point and use to clean the jewels once everything is disassembled. Sharpen then push gently into a jewel, rotating it. This should remove the stubborn, dried up grease. A little bit of care needed not to leave bits of wood stuck in jewels, but this is how cleaning by hand was initially done for years (and often still is).
As you disassemble each part, have a pot of IPA you can drop each part into, this will remove some of the "heavy" loose dirt.
After you've done each jewel other than balance jewels (which in this instance would require the balance to be disassembled),to clean on a budget you can use an ultrasonic. Don't put the dial and hands through! Fill a pot with watch cleaning solution (you can find online - suggest Elma Pro cleaner), put parts in there (refit the balance onto the main plate when putting this through) and ultrasonic, then take them out and put in another pot of rinse (suggest elma suprol Pro rinse) within the ultrasonic, ultra again then remove and dry.
Vintage pieces like this have balance assemblies which are a bit of a pain. To properly disassemble, clean and oil the balance jewel you have to take the balance apart. These were the days before shock protection, so no spring to easily open it up. This is also why you shouldn't shake the watch loads, subject it to impacts etc - it's quite fragile really.
Anyway, I'll stop waffling now. I really enjoy the watch videos - hope you can do more! Cheers!
Thanks for the tips :-)
Vince I adore your watch videos especially! Such tiny components, such precision required, and you’re doing way better than I would!
Thanks Jonathan :-)
I’d have to get my book out but by memory in the US key wind and key set stopped around 1880. I’m no expert, just a collector. I have I think three key wind and key set pocket watches. One I know is from 1864, so civil war for me. Well done Vince.
You're excellent at this for someone with so little experience. Keep going!
I for one personally really enjoy your watch repair videos Vince
Vince! That was a fantastic fix!! I'm so happy for you! And that is a lovely watch! You should find a spot in there to make your mark with the date! You deserve it as much as any of the others!!
Haha, cheers Jim, I suppose it is part of the history even if it does devalue it ;-)
Nice, I’ve been watching a lot of automatic watch repair videos. Very interesting watching old technology.
Hi Vince...I enjoy these watch repairs best...so relaxing watching you...Cheers, Buzz
Great video!, thanks. These watches are hard to work on as they are super fragile. Good job.
Hi I would just like to say thank you for all the super videos ,I just love when you fix and its YesYes i done it keeps us all smiling
Well done! I loved this! I’m a watch hobbiest and I think you did a great job, there’s a great engineer in you. You have a cylinder escapement there. And the hands are blue and screws often are by heating to that colour and them quenching in oil or water. You were very lucky with the hairspring, you were trying to put it in the screw that holds the spring against the small pin. Also you were lucky that the hands didn’t break. Proper well done! Keep the interesting videos coming!
I really enjoyed watching this! I’m always impressed by your deductive abilities, and that pocket watch is fascinating.
Brilliant, I'm far to nervous to try to take one of mine apart but after watching this video I just might give it a go. Thank you for posting
I really enjoyed this video! I like seeing the careful, thoughtful, way you approach these things and how much you enjoy every little success! I also adored hearing the bird at the end, I imagined a lovely crow looking on, seeing you had a Shiny, and calling out it's compliments! :)
Thank you :-)
I am binge watching all of your videos and this is a Great watch.
Keep up the good work.
👍👍👍👍👍
Really enjoyed watching this. I tried fiddling with an antique Railroad watch when I was young and yeah, it didn't turn out well. But, 40 years later, I took it to a watchmaker and he fixed it up right as rain and cleaned my wallet out pretty darn good also. Anyway, glad you got it working. Would like to see an update on how well it's keeping time.
I'm not into watches at all but i really enjoyed this. Great job and well done Vince!
Hi Vince love your work. Fine Silver is more pure than Sterling Silver therefore more valuable.
Although I already commented, I thought I would post again. Thank you again for your trying to fix videos. This video in particular helped me in repairing a Waltham watch from 1885. I know they may not be your more popular videos, but I’d love to see more watch repair videos in the future.
I love seeing all your videos don't care what it is I love your enthusiasm you never give up
Hi Vince, Nice job on the watch! re: the hairspring - There should be two guide pins that the outer coil of the hairspring sit between. The slot in the brass bit is for a screwdriver. The brass bit turns and captures the hairspring between the guide pins.
Thanks Steve, annoyingly the pins are missing so it is out by 5 mins a day, me bending the hairspring probably hasn't helped!!!!
Further to my comment below, I have now watched the video from begining to end and found it all fascinating. I think your magnified videography brings a new dimension to watch videos. I also got many tips, such as the use of IPA to clean everything, including dial and casing. However, it is still a mystery to me as to how to get the balance of a cylinder watch properly into place. If you do make another video, please show this as I have a few such watches in which everything works except the interaction of the balance with the escape wheel. Congrats on doing a fine job and many thanks.
Love your videos vince. You’re a lot braver than me attempting to work on something so delicate
Well Done Vince. That little watch could tell a story or two. Nice to see it going again. Mick 👍🍻
Cheers Mick :-)
I love watching your videos, especially when you do the try to fix ones on electricals, keep up the amazing work 👍🏻
Your skill set constantly amazing me Vince. I don't know if people realize how complex some of this stuff is to accomplish. Just watching that spring part I would have thrown the thing across the room by then. Well done sir!
Fantastic Vince, absolutely loved it, well done getting it back in working order, nice piece of history you have there.
Thanks Canal Boating :-)
Really love your long videos, Keep up the brilliant work you do for work for your fans and RUclips channel 😊
What a fantastic video to watch. Another one of your videos watched. Love them.
Good job Vince!
Hi Vince, although I watch all your trying to fix videos and although they are all of a very high class, this one really is a great one! I have a few pocket watches myself; so, no expert in any way, but I think they are great. I don't even try to take them apart or repair them because the parts are too small for me to handle, but the look and feel, the ticking, the history of some of those pieces, that is really cool to me. And when I heard your pocket watch ticking, I was almost sure it was indeed a cylinder movement (as is confirmed right here in the comments); they have a very typical ticking sound, don't know how to explain that, but I can recognize them out of other movements. And yes, you are right: the ticking of a watch (and in my opinion also the ticking of a mechanical clock) has something special; I have some clocks here that run all day and the ticking drives some people crazy, but others just like it so much.
Thanks Geert, the ticking is a lovely sound :-)
10 out of 10 on the satisfaction scale, wonderful
Love when you say "look a-it"! I actually cringed at seeing you try to pull the balance spring into the screwdriver slot on the fulcrum post! There is probably a pin missing that would keep the spring from popping out of place. As it is the spring is resting on the side of the post.
As howlindan49 mentioned, it's best to remove the movement from the case and remove power before removing any of the plate screws, especially the balance screw. Great to see you got this old girl ticking again!
Thanks Dennis, you are correct it is missing that pin and it running up to 5 mins fast a day probably because of the missing pin. Still happy though :-)
Great little find and an enjoyable video, it’s great following you along on these little adventures in something slightly different 👍
No interest in watches, but i still love to "watch" your content bud. Keep it up 😁
Thanks Coder :-)
Beautiful job
Well done Vince nice bit of work I enjoyed watching that if u do any more would be nice to have an up date on it every now and then 👍
You can do it Vince, keep up the good work. I really love your Clock videos.
Very lovely watch
Hey Vince, I'm still on minute 32 but... will you leave your name and date there too? Hope so! This is a time machine, man
*edit* this fix was AWESOME, thanks a lot, Vince!!
Hello, you forgot do Watch oil on the part's !
Very good video ! Thank you for sharing your video!
Randomly came across this enjoyed it. Two things 1) Look up nylon jawed pliers they'll come in handy for avoiding marks and 2) A litmus test for silver is to place foundation (The make up) on your arm and run the object over it a few times after its dried Fine Silver (.999 silver) will produce a prominent black line Sterling silver (.925) will produce a blackish line not as dark as Fine and plated won't show much more than grey. Foundation is basically like a super fine buffing compound finer than Rouge or Tripoli so it won't damage the silver
Hello Vince: I have a ladies pocket/broach watch just like the one you fixed. Mine has a very ornate case. a glass crystal ans two places for the key in the back. I've often wondered about it. My wife gave it to me about 37 years ago. She said it was a gift to her when she lived in Switzerland. It's in wonderful cosmetic condition, but doesn't seem to run. I believe the case may be pure sterling silver? I have the original key and all seems to wind and set, but no go. I believe it's very old, from the same era as the one you have here. Thanks for this video. I really enjoyed your work.
I find stuff like this fascinating as well... Thanks for the great videos!
The way you can repair the most Uncanny of items is a marvel
That was a very well presented video, many thanks, and well done for getting it going. I´m a fascinated beginner in the field and buy broken movements to play with. I have an antique cylinder pocket watch whose wheel train runs well and the balance looks good, but when I put the balance on to the escape wheel nothing moves. I suppose the balance has to be placed precisely to so the cylinder properly interacts with the escape wheel, pity I missed how you did it. By the way, Geneve is french for Geneva.
Absolutely mind blowing for me. Amazing.
Hello Vince, your watch is a late 19th cylinder escapement silver cased watch. Great video. Next try, with an English verge/fusee pocket watch.
Thanks for the info :-)
Nice one Vince
Beautiful. Thanks.
Brilliant item and video Vince.
I really enjoyed this video as it helped me with my pocket watch cheers Rie
Love long videos, the work that most have gone into making that is amazing shows how clever they were
Fantastic video Vince. Serling job.
fascinating, great video. thank you
It has a Cylinder balance , that is why it doesn't have an anchor. Don't pull the hands like that ever. There is a special tool for that. You can bent the shaft, or crack a jewel. One more thing. A watch this old screws might look the same but they are different. Different threads and pitch, and its easy to put the wrong one., especially if the manufacturer didn't use a a thread tool (die). Ultrasonic cleaner is used for cleaning watches. So do it but you need a sieve.
At 41:17 where you try to put the hairspring, that is a hairspring tensioner has a small slot. That is for screwdriver. You use it to rotate it when you remove and put back the balance back.
At 50:00, you can see the coils are touching each other. That is not good. Means that the coils are bent.
Hi Vince, I’m a horologist and vintage timepiece dealer. The timepiece you’re looking at is a vintage Francis Dubois. Only three were ever crafted. Two have been found, and for years fellow experts and collectors have been searching for the missing Dubois timepiece. I’m 100% sure this is it. It’s value at auction is likely to be nine figures. Congratulations.
Haha, I must tell my brother Rodney ;-)
This time next year he'll be a millionaire
My Mate VINCE 😁
You can't tell Vince this! He will cash it out and then retire and stop making videos!!!!
Sure enough it is, look up Francis Dubois and there it is! HOW BLESSED
wow, that was very entertaining. watched every minute.
Love this video! I must be one of the odd ones, but I always prefer a longer video to watch so don't worry there. What a great fix and even if it's not perfect in the purists minds, it's still a working watch that's worth more now and far more enjoyable to see. What I love is the markings inside, it's that history in there that adds even more fun and value to this, (I hope you took lots of photos of them for research :))I think the off set bit at the top was an attempt to replace the missing piece that probably broke off and fouled the hands in the first place, It's not great but your eyes are drawn to the numerals anyway so is much better than a big blank space. Nice one Vince.
Thanks Will :-)
Great video, like you I have an old pocket watch that won’t wind,, I am interested to know what you are using for magnification. I have been using a plate magnifier but obviously you can’t focus it.
Dean.
Nice fix, Vince 🙂. Loved seeing all of the hand marking inside of the dial. You would have never seen those if you didn't open the watch. On a side note, I really enjoy your longer videos just as much as the shorter videos. Keep up the great work!
I have been waiting for you to do another watch for so long.
After installing the balance the hairspring should be centered . This showed that Your learning !
Love old watches. It's like a thriller movie.
nice vid mate this makes me remind my grandmother she had a gold one and she got it from here mother who weard it till here 90`year and gave it to here daughter (my grand mother) and my grandmother took it with here in here grave in our family we dont wear things from deceisd family you put in a draw or hang it on the wall but my grandmother asked that she wants to wear it in here graf and whenever you you upload i watch mate
I should also add - go with taking the movement out of the case first. Make sure no power is in the mainspring. Dial and hands off. Then you can start stripping it down 👍
Perfect Lockdown Video..
Beautiful watch. Great video Vince.
That was great, really enjoyed it Vince. Is the watch still going?
My mate Vince your utube videos are awesome
Well done vince I’m pleased with you
Cool pocket watch
i love your channel and videos
Success with a nice looking pocket watch. Great!
You should have scratched in the date you serviced it.
AGREED!
The service marks usually don’t tell the date of service but rather the parts that have been changed
I think the 4570 would be the production number as in how many were made, rather than anything of significance, hence why you didn't find anything on google search. from what I can see the one name looks to be Liz Beech @32:20 can't make out what the rest of the scribble is though.
Good work. Might the movement have been bought from Geneva by an English firm who then put it in a silver case? The dial looks machine made (guilloché ?) but the roman numerals looked to me as if hand carved out of silver sheet.
It is quite lovely. I wouldn’t mind having one like it.
Its nice job i like it
Awsome ,congratulations and thank you!
Thanks Anders :-)
The small pins on the side are there to hold the movement in the case and are opposite the locking piece to lock it in the case.
Nice!