Hamilton 917 Banking Pin Bent…or, Adjusted?

I agree with Randy. Get it cleaned, assembled and oiled. See how it runs and if it will run a full winding without stopping. If it does leave it and if it doesn’t make very small adjustments very carefully. Those pins do break easily if you get a little heavy handed with it.

I agree with the former suggestions of leaving them be, if it runs, great.
There’s an old adage that can be applied but, I can’t repeat it here, if you’re interested just e me and ill reveal all

The 917 models (1937-1957) were produced during the transition period where wristwatches were acing out pocket watches. Also in a time of fierce competition with Swiss firms. The friction fit banking pins were a low cost solution to the price wars. No threading nor special tooling required to fit the adjustable offset pins.
It should also be remembered that the 917 was meant for pocket and wrist application.
These were also advertised as using elvinar hairsprings, so check your spring as to which type you have.

I seem to remember seeing an ad about sending this type of watch back to the factory for setting. Maybe this was due to the issue of fixed pins?

I’ve seen a couple of 917s posted that have had material removed rather than bending, but that is a very precise operation and was possibly performed at the factory..

It should be considered that these components are a matched set, escape – pins. This pin was bent , I would say, because of any or all of the following ..

1. The original fork was replaced.

2. Pallet stones had been replaced and were not positioned correctly. The resulting assumed problem was seen as a banking issue so the pins were bent.

3. Any of the other usual culprits of oscillation/timing issues where banking is the first thing, incorrectly looked at or assumed to be responsible.

The damage has been done to the pins, the only correct solution would be to accurately determine the correct diameter of the pins and fabricate new replacements. But then you’d have to completely start from scratch via correct alignment and depthing each component in relation to it’s mate.. That ain’t easy my brother!

Chris, I too love adages and rules of thumb like, if it aint broke, don’t fix it. Bent and broke are different, so my initial reaction is leave it alone until it proves problematic, and I need a solution that will (hopefully) make things right……

Tukat

@maitai11 wrote:

I’m wondering why anyone would do that in the first place – except to say that whomever did it is/was a hack

Well, yes and no. Bending of pins, while not the correct way, was practiced often, as was pig earing. Also known as tweaking. Friction pins are an SOB to set, I’m sure at the factory they had some method, a template or gauge perhaps, with which to acheive a preset condition prior to press in? I would say that material removal would also be an acceptable aesthetic method, bending would be dead last.

We never know the history, nor whose hands these have been in, or the circumstances surrounding them, there could be many reasons, usually economics. One scenario..If you took your 5 yr old $70 watch in for repair and option 1 was $50, option 2 was $250, but both would give you a functioning time piece, which would you choose?

I guess it’s like when the alternator dies on your vehicle, I don’t know many people who choose the $400 brand new one over the $80 reconditioned model. For all we know they could simply spray some contact cleaner in it. We take a chance because we see $$$$ right now, not the future expense if it only lasts 3 months