Hand clearance problem

[Lc130]

Hi All

I'm a beginner.  The second hand is just hitting the crystal in this AS 1916. The hands are straight.  I believe I'm using a high dome crystal.  That's what the label says, though I could have mixed it up with others.  The crystal in question is on the right and the dome appears higher than that of the Omega on the right.  The Omega has a second hand.  

 

Below you can see that the second hand is ridding high on the post.  Should it??

Though, clearance over the minute hand is minimal.  So, it appears the second hand would impact the minute hand if it were any lower.  

 

Do I need a higher high dome or is something else wrong?

Thank you

Charlie

Edited April 18, 2020 by Lc130

[rodabod]

What is the hour hand clearance from the dial like? And did you press it all the way down so that it was flush with the top of the hour wheel?

[Lc130]

1 hour ago, rodabod said:

What is the hour hand clearance from the dial like? And did you press it all the way down so that it was flush with the top of the hour wheel?

I reseated all the hands.  Same problem. 

The hour and minute hands are flush with the top of their posts.  The second had still sits very high.  The crystal was off the watch when I got it.  Could the second hand be wrong?

[yankeedog]

Very  often  second hands are bent down  towards  the end in order  to clear the crystal. Do you think you could  put a slight bend on the end of your second  hand that would allow it to clear  the minute hand and crystal? If not..you might want to think about s higher dome or shorter second  hand.

Edited April 18, 2020 by yankeedog

[rodabod]

If it were mine, judging by what you’ve described, I’d press the seconds hand down a little further. If the tip-end of the seconds hand starts to touch the minute hand then adjust it gently in situ. 
 

It looks like a high-dome crystal and I wouldn’t expect you to need a taller one. 

[Lc130]

There's very little clearance between the minute and second hand for a down bend. 

Should the second hand be this high on the pinion?  I could press it down harder but I'm afraid to break something.  And, if it did go down it would hit the minute hand requiring a bend upward at the end for the second hand.  

I suspect this is some basic error on my part that I'm not seeing.  Plz take a look at the pics.  I'll take care of that fiber:)

Thank you

Charlie

 

[rodabod]

Minute hand is perfectly seated. I’d lower the seconds hand. 

[Lc130]

As I assumed.  This beginner doesn't have a trained eye yet.  The dial is resting on the crystal with a space between it and the case.  I didn't pick up on this.  

The case doesn't have a ledge for the dial to rest on.

My case and dial are the same as shown here.  Though, mine doesn't say "Galaxie"  https://shop.watchsteez.com/products/elgin-galaxie-day-date-automatic

This is what I've got:

I'm missing something or I got parts from two watches??

Edited April 19, 2020 by Lc130

[rodabod]

It’s quite common for the dial to rest directly on the crystal. 
 

Does it rub at the centre or at the perimeter?

[Lc130]

Perimeter.  I did push the second hand down so that the gap is almost gone.  The second hand now barely clears the minute hand.  

And the hands are all flat.  All very strange.

Thank you for your help.

Charlie

[rodabod]

What is the clearance like between the minute hand tip and the dial? 
 

Sometimes when hand collets get worn, the hands will be able to seat at a slightly different angle which you may be able to vary when pressing the hands down.  But also, previous watchmakers may have adjusted the hands by pulling them upwards or pushing downwards to produce a slight bend. 
 

It comes down to judgement, but sometimes you do need to make the decision to correct the straightness of the hands themselves. It’s very common to see centre seconds hands which have been modified in this way. 

[Lc130]

The clearance between minute hand and index markers is almost nil.  Same for second and minute hands.  There's no room for any more downward adjustment.  Could the crystal be wrong?

[rodabod]

Your photo of the crystal does look like a high-dome to me. But those profiles do vary. Some curve more steeply at the edges which gives more clearance to the hand tips. 
 

Is it a tension ring crystal? The photo in your link looked like an ATC crystal to me. I thought I could see a ring. 

[Lc130]

There isn't a tension ring.  I don't know much about crystals.  I have a handful and just happened to find one that fit.

[rodabod]

Could you possibly take a photo of the dial while the crystal is installed?

One thing you could do is measure the internal height of the crystal if you have a micrometer. I can offer measurements to compare to if that helps, though Sternkreuz probably publish theirs already. 

[Lc130]

I removed the crystal and height looks to be 5MM.  

[rodabod]

I’m of the opinion that you need a crystal with greater internal clearance. I just compared a 31mm Sternkreuz high dome to a Sternkreuz ATC (with tension ring). The high dome was 4.2mm total height, and the ATC was 4.7mm. That does not necessarily apply to other brands though. 
 

Looking at your photo, I’m not sure that an ATC crystal would be correct or not, as the dial is printed right to the edge. If the case has a large step where the crystal sits (say 1mm or so), then a tension ring would maybe not obscure the dial edge. 

[Lc130]

Any chance this would work https://www.esslinger.com/gs-watch-crystal-at-angle-tite-seiko-style/

[rodabod]

I'm not convinced that would be tall enough. Possibly....

What make is the type you have just now? Stella?

[Lc130]

14 hours ago, rodabod said:

I'm not convinced that would be tall enough. Possibly....

What make is the type you have just now? Stella?

Yes, Stella hi dome
 

I thought of sanding the second hand tip down.  Too drastic?  

Edited April 24, 2020 by Lc130

[rodabod]

Yeah, that’s a bit drastic!

I would try a different crystal. Is it worth trying a tension ring crystal? You’d really only want to try it if they are indeed taller at the outer perimeter. 

[Bauertime]

That's what fingernail clippers are for.