View Single Post
Old 18 September 2019, 12:50 AM   #1
Cryten
"TRF" Member
 
Cryten's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Terrafirma
Posts: 2,655
I dropped the 422

The title says it all. I was changing some straps and due to some "assistance" from a small child managed to drop the 422. It was in a watch vault and only fell about 3ft onto a hardwood floor. No problem right? Sadly, wrong.

The balance wheel was stopped, so I gave it a wind (perhaps foolishly) and no dice. It looks like the balance isn't centred, but its hard to judge. Did I bend or break the balance shaft? It wasn't a big fall and it was in a case.

Do I send it to Panerai?

I eventually convinced myself the balance shaft is probably just dislodged and not centred on the jewel properly. Not a hard fix, but my first attempt on a Panerai.

So.....off with the back


I think I've killed it

I was thinking of releasing the incabloc spring and allowing the shaft to centre, but have you seen the size of that spring on a Panerai? I have visions of the spring whizzing past my head and never being seen again, so I decided to release the balance bridge instead. That's an easier fix, but now I have 3 days of power reserve wound onto this thing so I have to do it hacked.

So I released the balance bridge and gently manipulated the balance wheel. It's hacked remember, so I can't move it far. It'd be nicer to feel when its floating freely but I don't want it to unload 3 days of spring pressure on me. It took 3 attempts, but the 3rd time I tightened the balance bridge and pushed the crown in, it started up.


It lives!

So with a sense of relief, I tightened everything back up properly and screwed the back on again. Now I'm timing it and have everything I can cross firmly crossed in the hope the shaft wasn't damaged in the fall and it was a simple case of a dislodged balance wheel.

Who'd have thought a small drop while in a case could damage it?
Cryten is offline   Reply With Quote