Project Watch version 2.0

So, I recently began the process of going through the TZ Watch School's 2nd and final level (there was supposed to be a level 3 but it never happened).



This time the movement is an auto-wind with day and date functions, both quick change. So, definitely step up from the manual wind time only watches I have worked on so far.

Here is a view of the ETA 2836-2 from the day/date side:



And here is a view while I was preparing to take the auto-wind rotor and gears off:



One thing we did here that we didn't in the last course was take the mainspring out of the barrel. I followed the instructions (including those that warned you should wear eye protection) and managed to get the mainspring out of the barrel, but in a rather "rapid" fashion......it basically flew apart.

So, after cleaning all the movment parts, it was time today to sit down and start the reassembly of the movement. The first item to tackle was putting the mainspring back in the barrel. Since I had such difficulties controlling things when I took it apart, I was not looking forward to trying to fit this spring back in the rather small barrel (not small by watch standards, but just generally a lot to fit into a small space).

Here is the barrel with the cap removed, the spring out and lying on the bench, and the arbour removed:



The spring is obvious, and the barrel and cover are on either side of the spring, and the arbour is the small dot in the upper portion of the photo. Note the tail on the end of the spring - it gets wound under the first coil to provide force to the barrel for the braking/ratcheting function.

After adding some grease to the barrel inside diameter for braking, I started inserting the spring back in.....since I don't have a mainspring winder (a crank mechanism that winds it up) I fed in in by hand. It was more difficult than I imagined!

First I had to get that tail in, and bend the spring back against in natural curve, and keep it in the barrel. After a couple of attempts I managed to get a couple of coils in, and the snapped this picture:



Shortly after that, I let up on the pressure just a smidge, and the spring let loose again, and the barrel went flying! Arrrrgh!

So, back to get it started again (after I found it - it flew across the room, went through a fern, hit a chair, and then bounced back - total travel was at least 30 feet!). This time I held on a bit more tightly, and when I had a bit more spring in, I snapped another shot:



So, kept winding, all the time putting pressure on it to keep the spring inside the barrel - getting close now:



And finally, success!



Then to put the arbour in, and rotate it carefully so it "catches" a notch in the spring, and it's ready for some oil:



After oiling the inside of the spring, I placed the cap on, and it's complete!



All this took me close to an hour! My hands were cramping from holding that little bugger in the barrel. Soon I will be putting the whole movement back together, so I'll update you as I get closer to the end.

Thanks for reading.

[dman]

Thanks for sharing Al, this is really neat to see you going through this process.

[Rockrolex]

Great pics and great story, Al. Thanks for the watch making lesson. I look forward to seeing the rest of the story.

[C.J.]

Al, that's awesome It looks like it takes a lot of patience and perseverance to to that, my hats off to you Getting to see the intricate inner-workings of a mechanical watch the way we can in your photos really substantiates my fascination with them. It's a part of watches a lot of don't get to see. Thanks for sharing it with us

[dman]

Originally Posted by C.J.

It's a part of watches a lot of don't get to see. Thanks for sharing it with us

You could see it if you got a watch with an exhibition back Craig, I know of a few brands that make them.

[C.J.]

Originally Posted by dman

You could see it if you got a watch with an exhibition back Craig, I know of a few brands that make them.

Go ahead, throw a drowning man a glass of water

[dman]

Originally Posted by C.J.

Go ahead, throw a drowning man a glass of water

ROTFLMHAWAIIANAO!! Dude that was a great line.

[JJ Irani]

Good one, Al....quite the patience and skill you have there! Well done!!

[padi56]

Excellent pictures Al that 2836 is a great all round movement.

Hey Al, great work. Thanks for the tutorial. I look forward to taking this in the near future. BTW, it kinda reminds me of the time I took apart my Campagnolo Record 'freehub' off my bike. Eight cogs and hundreds of bearings and springs... Man-o-man... I thought it would take about an hour to remove, repack and preplace everything. It ended up taking me almost six hours. BTW, having the proper tools makes a world of difference.

[C.J.]

Originally Posted by Atomic

Hey Al, great work. Thanks for the tutorial. I look forward to taking this in the near future. BTW, it kinda reminds me of the time I took apart my Campagnolo Record 'freehub' off my bike. Eight cogs and hundreds of bearings and springs... Man-o-man... I thought it would take about an hour to remove, repack and preplace everything. It ended up taking me almost six hours. BTW, having the proper tools makes a world of difference.

Or directions to the bike shop

Originally Posted by C.J.

Or directions to the bike shop

I'm actually a cracker-jack bicycle mechanic and honestly didn't think it would be as difficult as it turned out. Taking it to a shop would be admitting defeat. Besides, it was the saturday night before a big sunday ride. While I have another bike waiting in the wings, this one is my preference, so it HAD to get done. Most of the time was wasted holding little springs in place (this is where having the proper tools comes in handy).

One thing is sure, I don't want to do that repair again. I'd rather pay a 'professional' to waste his time with it. LOL

[C.J.]

Originally Posted by Atomic

I'm actually a cracker-jack bicycle mechanic and honestly didn't think it would be as difficult as it turned out. Taking it to a shop would be admitting defeat. Besides, it was the saturday night before a big sunday ride. While I have another bike waiting in the wings, this one is my preference, so it HAD to get done. Most of the time was wasted holding little springs in place (this is where having the proper tools comes in handy).

One thing is sure, I don't want to do that repair again. I'd rather pay a 'professional' to waste his time with it. LOL

Outside of changing a tire, I'm well out of my league I can turn a quality road bike into a Huffy in no time

Originally Posted by C.J.

Outside of changing a tire, I'm well out of my league I can turn a quality road bike into a Huffy in no time

I can do a wheel change in under 10 seconds (was unofficial tech support to the Canadian Olympic team in '96 at Atlanta) and can do anything but build wheels - which I don't have the patience for).

But I remember Greg Lemond rode at least one professional season on rebadged Huffy bikes (I'm sure they were all custom made and megabux), but that really told me Lemond was a sellout.

[C.J.]

Originally Posted by Atomic

I can do a wheel change in under 10 seconds (was unofficial tech support to the Canadian Olympic team in '96 at Atlanta) and can do anything but build wheels - which I don't have the patience for).

But I remember Greg Lemond rode at least one professional season on rebadged Huffy bikes (I'm sure they were all custom made and megabux), but that really told me Lemond was a sellout.

No, I'm sure he chose them for their long standing quality and performance in professional level races

Originally Posted by C.J.

No, I'm sure he chose them for their long standing quality and performance in professional level races

You're right... what was I thinking?

[C.J.]

Originally Posted by Atomic

You're right... what was I thinking?

Lance Armstrong rode a huffy in one of the tours, or was that the Schwinn Rolling Rock Cruiser fitted with the new coaster brake technology