IN modern world it is not necessary to wear the watch on your wrist, you can find out the time by looking at mobile phone... However, to maintain a certain image and status, wristwatches are worn as an indispensable accessory by both men and women. Someone prefers modern electronic gadgets, others adhere to the classic version. Sooner or later, there is a need to clean the mechanism. To do this, you need to know how to disassemble a watch yourself, if you don't want to go to the master.
How to start disassembling a mechanical watch?
First you need to prepare a tool: tweezers, a special screwdriver, a thin knife, a small stick, lubricant and a cotton swab. The initial stage in the question of how to disassemble a mechanical wristwatch is as follows:
- Removing the rear housing cover. It is made by prying it with a sharp knife, turning it until it comes out of the fixing grooves using tweezers or by simple unscrewing along the thread (depending on the design).
- Before getting the mechanism, you should lower the mainspring by pulling the locking pawl with the crank handle to the extreme position. The mechanism is held with tweezers.
- Then the winding shaft is disconnected. To do this, it is set in the mode of switching the arrows, after which the screw of the switching lever is loosened.
- Now you can get the mechanism.
- Having inserted a shaft into it, they check the degree of freedom of rotation of the wheel, the reliability of fastening the spiral and the drum.
The final stage
Now you need to start dismantling the dial and hands. Using tweezers, detach the second and minute hands. The dial is removed together with the hour indicator, after which the pointer mechanism, gear engagement and the correct fixation of the levers are checked.
We learned how to disassemble a wristwatch. It must be remembered that important point is to disconnect the bridge and balance assembly. It is necessary to carefully unscrew the screw of the spiral column a couple of turns, separate the balance assembly from the bridge base, making sure that it does not hang at the edge of the spiral.
Next, the anchor is removed, and all its wheels are disconnected. Inspection is carried out for adhesion and position of teeth, gears, wheels. The barrel is also disconnected and the state of the winding spring mechanism is examined.
Disassembling a quartz watch
To know how to disassemble a quartz wristwatch, you need to remember that they are divided into several types:
- Analog models that have a pointer mechanism but are powered by a battery.
- Electronic variations with display of readings in digital form, powered by a small battery.
- Automatic self-winding combination version, combining quartz and mechanical movement.
In any case, the initial steps are the same. The cover must be removed first. It can be of three types:
- On the thread. It is unscrewed counterclockwise with tweezers or a special device used by watchmakers.
- Flap option. It has a special groove and protrusion, which can be opened by prying it with a sharp object.
- Screw fastening. Removable with a suitable screwdriver.
Having dealt with the cover, you should carefully replace the battery and close the case in the reverse order.
What do you need to know?
In order to know how to disassemble a wristwatch, it is necessary to study the layout of all elements and parts. This is especially true for mechanical devices. Schematic representation the inner filling is shown in the following photo.
Decoding the scheme
Below, according to the positions, the decoding of the numbers indicated in the diagram is given.
1 - balance | 9 - fork anchor mechanism | 17 - anchor wheel | 23 - intermediate wheel | 29 - drum roller | 35 - clockwork circle | 41 - its spring | 47 - hour hand |
2 - double roller | 10 - anchor fork axis | 18 - through stone | 24 - his tribe | 30 - sword-like pad | 36 - his tribe | 42 - transfer wheels | 48 - minute pointer |
3 - balance axis | 11/12 - entry / exit flight | 25 - central wheel | 31 - drum wheel | 37 - roller for watch winding | 43 - similar | 49 - minute hand tribe |
|
4, 5, 6 - overhead, through and impulse stone | 13 - spiral | 20 - second wheel | 26 - his tribe | 32 - fixing pawl | 38 - translation lever | 44 - bill wheel | |
14 - spiral shoe | 21 - his tribe | 27 - drum | 33 - retainer spring | 39 - its spring | 45 - his tribe | ||
8 - restriction pins | 15, 16 - pins of the control thermometer | 22 - second hand | 28 - winding up spring scroll | 34 - cam-type clutch | 40 - winding lever | 46 - hour wheel |
Features:
Disassembly of any type of wristwatch has three stages:
- Preparation of tools.
- Opening the cover.
- Work on the internal mechanism.
How to disassemble a wristwatch with a battery? This question is relevant for most consumers. This type of work is one of the most basic. The determining factor here is the definition of the type of cover fixation. Then you just need to carefully replace the feeding element and repeat the procedure in reverse order. Naturally, it is necessary to use a typical or suitable battery.
The most difficult thing to deal with is a mechanical device, as there are many different screws, springs and miniature parts. Inside the electronic mechanism, one should not at all be introduced independently, if there is no corresponding knowledge and experience.
Conclusion
If you know how to disassemble a self-winding wristwatch, and the operation was successful, you should properly clean and lubricate the elements (applies to mechanics). For this, the parts are washed in clean gasoline poured into a small container. The octane number in it should not exceed 20. First, parts that are larger are cleaned, then miniature elements.
After that, they should be blown out with a weak stream of air, holding them in weight with tweezers. The watch is assembled in reverse order. It can be noted that disassembling such a complicated mechanism will require attention and painstaking attention. Nevertheless, it is absolutely possible to carry out the procedure yourself.
Of course, you shouldn't risk it if the watch is very expensive and you have no experience in servicing it. In this case, you must entrust the accessory to an experienced watchmaker. Simple cleaning will not be expensive. And if you need to replace a certain part, the more it will be better to contact a specialist.
Often the reason for the stop of a mechanical wristwatch is the contamination of the mechanism, the penetration of moisture into the case. It is enough to disassemble the watch, clean and lubricate it. But you just need to know exactly how this is done in practice.
You will need
- Tweezers, small screwdriver, sharpened stick
Instructions
Among possible reasons stoppages of wristwatches can be of various kinds of pollution, ingress of moisture or mechanical damage. Our advice on how to disassemble a wristwatch will help you get your watches running again.
First, you need special watch tools. They are sold in specialized stores, it should be borne in mind that they will be useful to you more than once. If there are none, we take what is at hand - sharp knife, a few screwdrivers different sizes, sewing needle, tweezers. All parts are stored only on white saucers or Petri dishes. After cleaning, you will reassemble them in reverse order. If you want to disassemble a wristwatch for the first time, we recommend that you first practice several times on cheap copies or old non-working watches.
How to disassemble a wrist mechanical watch :
1. First, open the back cover of the watch case, for this we use a sharp knife. In more expensive models, the cap is threaded and must be twisted. Tweezers come in handy here.
2. Next, release the winding spring while the mechanism is still in the case. To do this, pull the dog back with the crown to the extreme position using tweezers, hold it slightly, and rotate the crown with your fingers.
3. Disconnect the winding shaft. To begin with, we set the arrows to the translation mode, do not forget to loosen the screw of the switching lever. We take out the clockwork and insert the winding shaft back.
4. Using a screwdriver, remove the hands and the watch dial. And if it’s easy to remove the minute hand, then we will have to tinker with the hour and second hands, here we will need tweezers.
5. In order to properly disconnect the balance bridge and the balance itself, it is better to familiarize yourself with your watch manual or additional literature. Do not forget that the size of the screwdriver must match the size of the screw. After detaching the balance assembly, you need to lower the mainspring and remove the anchor and anchor bridge. These are very fragile and delicate parts. They must be handled very carefully.
6. The next step is to detach the wheels from the clockwork. Remember to pay attention to the teeth, position and grip of the wheels and the corresponding gears. Then we disconnect the drum, open it and check the condition of the mainspring.
7. After you have completely disassembled the watch, you need to wipe and lubricate the parts with special grease or, in extreme cases, gasoline. If there is a lot of dirt, remove it with a sewing needle.
How to disassemble mechanical and quartz watches?
Disassembling a watch is an inevitable step during carrying out or cleaning. Disassembly of watches is carried out with the help of special devices: screwdrivers (including watches), tweezers, clamps and a microscope (disassembly of wristwatches, which differ in comparison with wall and floor small sizes).
If you don't have necessary equipment and tools, then you can use homemade devices, such as surgical clamps, sewing needles and an improvised table to fix the disassembled case. Of course, this method of disassembling a watch is applicable only once or several times.
If you plan to disassemble, clean, repair and adjust your watch regularly, you need to purchase a complete watch set. An accurate tool is only needed for disassembling a wristwatch. Wall-mounted and floor-standing devices are much easier to disassemble. the elements in it are not much larger.
How to disassemble the watch?
To disassemble a wristwatch, you need to pry the flat with a knife. Instead of a flat, there may be a protrusion, or the lid will be screwed, or even a bayonet, which is retracted to small angle, after which it opens.
Therefore, there can be a great variety of answers to the question of how to disassemble a wristwatch, depending on the type of construction. In the open mechanism, while it is still in the case, the mainspring is lowered. The factory head is pulled out.
To store the removed parts, two flat saucers or Petri dishes are required. All manipulations are performed with the help of tools (it simply won't work with your hands), so you need to ask not so much the question of how to disassemble a mechanical watch, but how to do it.
Before disassembling, be sure to read the instructions, the diagram of your clockwork. If it is, of course. For many antique and antique clock those have not survived anymore - this will seriously complicate matters.
If you are planning to disassemble the watch for the first time in your life, choose a simpler and cheaper device. You can even use an old clock that doesn't work, which belongs to the landfill. They will become an ideal device for experiments, a kind of testing ground.
Removing the cover reveals a movement, the main parts of which are balance, wheel system, mainspring and ratchet. First, the mainspring is lowered, then the mechanism is removed. It can be removed backward or forward. In the second case, it is necessary to remove the glass and remove the arrows.
Then comes the turn of the balance and the factory spring block, the arrow transfer unit is disassembled. You need to be especially careful here, because the spring easily flies away in an unknown direction. It will be extremely difficult to detect it later.
How to disassemble a quartz watch?
Quartz watches are disassembled in the same way as mechanical ones, with the only difference that their design is not at all similar, and the analogy disappears exactly the moment the lid is unscrewed.
Therefore, many amateurs face the problem when, in theory, they know well how to disassemble a quartz watch, but in practice everything turns out to be too unusual. When disassembling a quartz watch, it is necessary to take into account the presence of a battery, generator and microchip in it.
When disassembling a mechanical watch, you need to be prepared to see dust, dirt, rust. The grease may also dry out even if the watch is completely sealed. Moisture gets here. IN quartz watch the generator fails (with a strong blow), the microchip (overheating).
So, we went through the first part. A little bit of tools. The places where the instrument grows was explored. They prepared a workplace for themselves. And in general - while they were doing all this - they walked well in the air and got to know the hot spots and surroundings better. The first part involved quite a lot of movement and attentiveness when hiking - it was necessary to SEARCH. What to look for - FSE! Everything interesting and, in our not yet trained view, is something that might be useful to us and unusual. Something like plushie. What is the result:
Tool. Which one? First, screwdrivers, then tweezers. To them - a binocular loupe, brushes, Petri dishes and needles. We got some oil. Yes, even for sewing machines... Well, there is no other. We believe that we have nothing else. NOT. Everything. We get by with this primitive set. But you shouldn't start without it.
We collected carcasses of hours.
Different. The old ones. Wrist. They just recruited mechanisms - for parts.
They took indiscriminately, everything that is cheaper than the cost of half a pack of cheap cigarettes. This is their price. Half a pack of Belomor or Prima. Trolleybus fare. They shouldn't cost more. Regardless of the state - whole-broken. There are only two criteria. The first is mandatory - not rusty. The second - desirable - to be assembled (all parts are in place) - regardless of the intactness. Trash. We will sort. What do we have?
Women's wrist.
- Star. The old ones. Barrel-shaped mechanism caliber 18 mm. Allegedly in prehistoric times, the French brought to us and assembled the LIP plant. So they are all French.
- Zarya - Penza Watch Factory
- Gull - standard small mechanisms, old enough, but tenacious
- Glory - newer mechanisms
Many other names. All Soviet. THE USSR. Looks like the state cared about the working class - it produced watches. So that they are not late for work. Probably.
Men's wrist watch.
- Victory... Moscow. Lighthouse. Many watches were produced under these names. We're not talking about watches. About mechanisms.
There are basically two types of mechanisms.
- "high" mechanism - for example 1MCHZ - "Moscow". Central second hand. Most of the watches were assembled on its base - up to the famous "Sport". They stopped when the crown was pulled. Ersatz stopwatch. Older type of mechanism. We do not name the technical caliber - it makes no sense. It is still impossible to order parts for the caliber.
- “low” mechanism is more modern. Side second hand.
Both in the first and in the second case, different factories produced a bunch of modifications of mechanisms - with improvements, simplifications, ras. Suggestions. There were also a bunch of exterior finishes. Satisfied the discerning consumer.
In addition, there is a complete rainbow of other watch movements:
Slava - 2 types of mechanisms, self-winding and non-self-winding. On the Internet somewhere it was indicated - the prototype of LIP-T-15. Again the French.
Complicated watch
With alarm clock
Chronometer
For the blind
Our task is to learn how to disassemble and assemble. Then everyone will go their own way. One will only disassemble. Another will collect 50% and then - as annoying or peacefully throw it into the trash (usually habits - vodka-dancing will overpower), others - out of anger that it does not work - beat on the anvil with a hammer. Still others will calmly disassemble it again, put it off for a couple of days and try again. This is a normal form of behavior for such an unusual hobby - fine mechanics.
Let's start with a simpler direction - men's wristwatches. They are bigger than women. They can be seen better without a microscope. An example is a "low" Victory. It is the simplest for us. “High” is harder for the first time. The clock circuit is basically identical for all single platinum watches. Therefore, you just need to understand once and remember a few is enough simple schemes... For the first trainings - just sketch what we are analyzing.
Housing:
Back cover.
There are several types of back covers. The whole difference is in the manner of closing.
Slamming. A distinctive feature - usually upon close examination, you can find a flat, into which a knife is driven in order to open it with a strong pressure. In modern electronic consumer goods, such a cover is very often practiced, but with grooves, as it were, for unscrewing - a good joke. If you don't know - then at least shoot yourself - you can't unscrew it.
Flat in the ring of glass. This is not a cover.
More modern solution - a ledge in the lid.
And a knife just drives in here
Screw, with a screw ring or with a thread on the cover itself.
Or so - the edges are visible along the edge of the lid.
We unscrew the first option either with the largest tailor's scissors (they are more rigid) or with the sharpened jaws of an old caliper. At flea markets, keys of this kind can often lie in ruins.
The corporate key (bought in the most ordinary store for modelers - models of steam locomotives, cars, etc. in Germany) looks like this.
A rather rare option in Soviet watches is the bayonet. Turns at a small angle and opens.
Bayonet lock on the lid
So the clock was opened. What we see is dirt.
A lot of dirt. We immediately say that we will not deal with a rusty watch. There is no chance. Nothing can be done - everything must be changed. Putting a new one or sharpening a new one. It's too early for us.
Main parts of the mechanism
I - balance.
II - Wheel system
III - mainspring (maybe two - in Glory)
IV - ratchet - they can also be of several types.
What we do first - while the mechanism is in the case - we lower the mainspring. If the head is preserved in the carcass and it can be turned (it is worn to the ground), we try to turn it slightly towards the plant and look at the ratchet. It should turn slightly and slip a couple of teeth. This is what we need - with a needle we support it in the retracted state and without jerking we let the crown turn and dissolve the spring by slightly releasing the crown between the fingers.
Immediately place at least 2 Petri dishes in front of us. Or white plates or flat-bottomed dishes. Diameter 15-20 cm. I use Petri dishes. They are easier to cover during breaks.
We take out the crown. To do this, press the lock with the needle.
We take out the mechanism from the case. Sometimes this is done towards the back cover. In our case, the opposite is true. The ring with glass is removed and the mechanism is removed to the side of the dial.
Shooting arrows
Minute is generally simple - yes even with a screwdriver
Hour and second are a bit of an adventure. Tool - a piece of the relay was torn out (there was some kind of electric relay - there the material on the contact groups is exactly what we need - hard and thin. Bent - and there is the tool we need)
We turn off the balance. The size (caliber) of the screwdriver must match the size of the screw.
The screw was unscrewed and how can this whole assembly be lifted? - and it usually has special grooves into which you can stick a screwdriver and separate the balance plate from the base.
We take the balance like this.
We put everything gradually into Petri dishes.
Unscrew the screws of the mainspring block. There is one trick in the watch - if the screw has many grooves, then it has a left-hand thread.
Under the dial there is a wheel assembly for the hands (I) and the assembly for winding and moving the head from the winding position to the position of moving the hands (II) (scientifically called remontuar). We disassemble.
We remove the minute tribe. This is the only node in a watch where effort is required. We pull hard enough. If you jumped off - we will repeat. It always comes off with effort. The main thing is not to be afraid.
When disassembling the unit for converting the arrows (remontuar) - special attention to the spring.
She has the opposite property - to click and fly away in an undefined direction. Against this, a simple technique - cover (press) all of it slightly just with your finger and carefully with a needle from under your finger, "snap out"
We put everything in a Petri dish
Now the longest and most accurate. Washing.
We take a shallow bowl. We pour gasoline there. And mine. Brush and toothpicks. To shine. So that no dirt remains.
For small mechanisms - a squirrel brush. Harder. For large mechanisms - alarm clocks, pocket watch - You can try soft art brushes for oil paints.
Dry: first put on a paper towel after the gasoline. Usually I take a heavy cardboard and put a piece on it. paper towel... To avoid jumping and jumping. Choose napkins and towels according to the criterion - the fewer lint, the better.
Let the gasoline soak in. Let's just put it. Then we take the parts with tweezers and blow air from a rubber bulb (enema) to blow gasoline out of the holes. And so consistently all the elements of the clock that lie in a Petri dish or on an impromptu "dryer". Node by node. This is what I mean: if you unscrew the platinum and with it - 3 screws - put them together. We consider - "this is our node". In order not to confuse screws and parts. We put them in the same places in the Petri dish. Or better in a clean cup. Old - then wash and wipe. This is if we do not expect to collect quickly. Or we collect "from the sheet" - from a napkin. But this is with a certain experience, skill and speed of work. Balance. While there is no great experience, we do not understand. So we shove the platinum-spiral-balance block into a bath with gasoline and just rinse it for a long time in gasoline. This is clearly wrong. It is necessary to disassemble everything, etc. - WE HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YET. We'll gut for 5-10 hours, and then we'll look at the balance. How he understands. Read books. And do it according to wise books (if it is described in detail there).
Some note about the mainspring. We do nothing. Just wipe the outside with a napkin. We brush the teeth with a brush. We don't do anything else yet. With disassembly, lubrication, assembly and replacement of the spring we will have fun next time. No experience yet. This is difficult.
And now for more intellectual work - to collect the resulting puzzle
Everything is done in the following order:
Mainspring
Wheel system. Let's have some fun too. We placed the gears in the lower stones. They covered it with platinum, and then we need to move the upper plate with tweezers in all directions until the upper axles of the gears hit the stones. A bit dreary but doable. Sometimes you can try to help the process with a thin needle move the gears that you can reach. The basic rule is NO VIOLENCE. Everything should be done without any effort. Over time, everything by itself "clicks" into place and the plate noticeably "falls" down. The clockwork is a rather delicate thing, the efforts are very small, the losses of efforts during operation are also very small, respectively - it cannot be assembled on tight landings - BY DEFINITION, THERE CANNOT BE. If the top plate does not sit in place, the pinion has not sat in the stones. Or while we were all stirring it, I jumped out of the bottom stone. We repeat once again - EFFORT CANNOT BE! The criterion for correct assembly can be the following: slightly turn the barrel of the mainspring. LIGHTLY ONLY - All gears should begin to turn. This is all - almost effortlessly on the barrel.
We put in place the anchor fork
We put the balance in place.
Lubricate the stones from above - from the side of the back cover. For this we use homemade butter dosing.
We turn the mechanism over, grease all the stones from the side of the dial. Assembling the crown mechanism.
Spring. Another adventure. We press it all over with a wide screwdriver. We put the needle in place. Springs are probably the nastiest thing in all this work. They are jumping. And we will suffer with them a) until we train our hands and b) until we pick up the carcasses of the watches from which we will carry spare parts without a twinge of conscience.
They put it in place. We don't breathe. And suddenly it pops up.
We collect the wheels of arrows. We strongly push the minute tribbe onto the gear axis. Than? Yes, that will come to hand approximately suitable. How we shot and set. We are resting. You will have to firmly press the tribe until it clicks.
Lubricate. What is there to lubricate - if you have assembled this puzzle - figured out - then you will also have to think about lubrication and lubricate yourself. The basic rule is to lubricate only with oil dosage and to a minimum. All rubbing parts are lubricated. Platinum must be dry. That's why it is a notch in the stones - so that the oil does not spread beyond its limits. Do not grease the stones of the anchor fork. It's early. A microscope is needed.
We put the dial.
We put the mechanism in the case.
Pressing the crown lock, put it in place. We start. Enjoy. MADE!!! YOURSELF !!!
Bogdan Yasinetskiy