Reply To: Jewel dimensions…

Tom, would i happen to be hearing a Monty Python influenced phrase in your last post somewhere 😆

I feel your pain my brother, because I was in the same boat, lots of explanations about performing rubbed-in jewel replacement but a complete lack of photographic, step by step instructions.
I’m also guilty of forgetting to take pics, most of the time I’m concentrating on NOT messing up, so I forget. I’m still finding my way around these and formulating my own method.
But the next time I change a rubbed-in, which will be very soon as I have a few broken plate jewels, I will take pics..

I think, jewel/pivot sizing wise, that I have a good eye, which is true, I have one good eye and one not so good 😆
Seriously, the +/_ .01 is the rule of thumb/spec but you can easily determine the correct fit by eye and 12x loupe. it’s like a GO, NO-GO gauge, you can just feel it.
All things being fair, these guidelines apply to the new installation, and if I had all of the correct jewels, a numbered kit with matching numbered replacement staffs, then I could follow these rules, no problem. But I don’t.
I, like most, have had to piece together over time my stock of parts which are not in order and far from organized. I have bags of jewels, some friction most not. So with this in mind, I find the quickest, most accurate way that works for me, because I used to spend hours, days, going through jewels.

It’s like seasoned machinist who just know the angle of their tool bits, so they don’t have to keep pulling out the protractor for every single sharpening procedure.

My goal, get the OD first, then worry about the hole size, so I can zip through 200 hundred jewels with my mic in no time, I put them aside, then I look at the pivot hole size, for me it works.
I really don’t like to change the design of a watch, although in desperation, I have, replacing RI with Seitz, but those RI jewels were a crux for me and I really wanted to get it learned 😆

Do you have a set of the hole opening/closing tools Tom?