elgin

[watchthis55]

can some one help me with a 18 sz elgin pocket watch , i cleaned and rinsed the watch all apart dried put a new main spring in and two new jewells upper and lower balance , i olided and its runs good but it is 3 mins slow , the regulater is over as far as it will go to fast and i cant get that 3 mins is it the barrle it was a little wore looking but it runs good al but that 3 min i cant get, help. 😯

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Watchthis55,

There are actually quite a few situations that can cause a watch to run slow. We may be able to figure out the problem but would need a little more information first.
Is the watch running about 3 min. slow in dial up, dial down and pendant up positions or in just one of these positions? Knowing this should give us a good starting point. If you haven’t checked this yet and you have a timing machine then it will just take a minute to find out…if you’re timing the watch manually. then it may take a couple of days before you have an answer.
Thanks,
Bob

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Watchthis55,

I should have included this in last nights post. A few quick things you can check would be to make sure the hairspring is running between the index pins and not outside. Also the spring should be moving between both pins and making contact with both pins when the balance wheel is ocillating. Also check that the amplitude of the balance is adequate (around 270 degrees of rotation for that Elgin) and does not change much when moving the watch to the different positions that I mentioned in last nights post.

Please let us know what you come up with,
Bob

[watchthis55]

it runs 3min slow in all positions, the hair spring is perfect between the reg pins has great kik ? but regulater arm is set to as fast as it goes when put to slow it does run slower? i think it could have somthin to do with the rachett because the winding was a bit grindy? old abused watch,put main spring in and just oiled the spring in 3 places? barrle well not the cleanest? slightly scrached? generally old, had a set blue spring in it i put a white one in,help

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Watchthis55,

Smart move on replacing the blue mainspring with a white alloy. Much, much better spring. If you’ve located a good source for these please let the rest of us know about it! They’re getting expensive. If some of what I’m about to write seems obvious or redundant to you please understand that it’s for the benefit of others that may be starting out and want to follow this thread.
I would certainly get the winding problem straightened out before anything else. My feeling though is that this wouldn’t be your problem or at least the only problem with the watch running 3 mins. slow a day. The balance in your Elgin should remain fairly consistent whether it’s swinging larger arcs when fully wound or shorter arcs as the mainspring power drops off. Although if you are getting some slipping action of the mainspring and the spring you replaced is a bit too strong then periodic overbanking (balance rotating too far resulting in the roller jewel hitting the back of the pallet horn) is possible. That can really cause timing problems. So yes I would definitely fix the mainspring-barrel problem.
The fact that the rate is consistent in different positions helps narrow things down a lot. It pretty much eliminates the possibility that there is a problem with the hole jewels that you replaced or balance pivot problems. If the balance displays good motion from about 270 degrees when fully wound to around 230 degrees when power is low then I would check out the following things.

First: Too much space between the regulator pins. This is very often the problem. There should be very little clearance between the hairspring and pins when the balance is ocillating. The further apart the pins the longer the effective length of the hairspring…which means the watch will run slower. This can also affect the isochronism.

Second: Loose index pin or pins.

Third: Check under high magnification for a rust spot or spots on the hairspring. Also look at the hairspring up around stud to see if it has a blemish (on a blue spring). This could indicate a weak point where the spring has been bent too often. A weaker spring means a slower balance. The rust is a more common problem though.

Forth: Balance wheel out of true. Check that the outer end of the balance arms line up with the other end at the slit. If they are bent out at all then the diameter of the balance has been increased which will cause the watch to run slower.

Fifth: Loose roller jewel.

Sixth: Timing screws…we will get to this one if the others are ok or if we need to make an adjustment.

Anxiously awaiting your response!
Bob

[watchthis55]

Good Day good Watch crafts man i seen to have addressed the 3 min slow problem?, i replaced it with another balance spring i had and it seems to be running fine , so thanx to every one for there in put , and bob was pretty close considering he hadnt seen the watch ,have a great day and hurrray for the forum lets keep it happening.

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