Smiths W10

rehajm · August 22, 2023

I wanted to share this one I've asked about here quite a bit. Hat tip to all who contributed assistance- Thank you!

A Smiths W10 non-runner I acquired as an add-on at auction- I thought the price was great so I went for it.

I hope the bloke recovered from the spill...

The movement was dirty but otherwise in fine condition. It had been serviced by a considerate repairer given the conservative use and placement of...Molykote DX perhaps? The pivots still had some lubricant as well...

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...of course, the obligatory broken detent on the set lever bridge. There really is very little room to remove the stem. Thank you oldhippie to sort a replacement...

...with the exception of a new bridge it only needed a crystal but it was certainly worthy of a new mainspring, so added to the Cousins basket!

It really was enjoyable to work on especially since I haven't seen a moveable stud in a while. The only problem came in the last step- how to secure the movement in the case? No ring or gasket, only the floating dial back and the inner anti-mag case back. Tightening the case back yielding no improvement- the movement shakes inside like broken glass. You got me- playing a joke on the yank...ha ha, very funny...

...after much 'navel gazing' protrusion improvement seemed the only logical step. A couple raps with a round punch and ready to try again- Success! Mr. Merrens at smithswatches warns they are prone to snap off dial feet if the movement is not 100 percent secure in the case. I'm not certain I've reached his certainly but I'm hoping for the best...