Jump to content

Wittnauer 10S - Big delta between horizontal and vertical

Simeon
 Share

Recommended Posts

Simeon WRT Addict

Simeon

Posted
Posted

I have just (re)finished a service on an old Wittnauer 10S that I had previously had problems with knocking due to an over-powered replacement mainspring.  I replaced that with the correct Dennison sized mainspring (shipped from from Boston MA to Australia in 2 weeks!).  Solved the problem with knocking and brought the amplitude up a decent amount compared to the old set mainspring which was delivering about 200 degrees.

Testing it on the timegrapher, I find the following:

Witt10S.PNG.5bc4e180a41371c4dc2e6b6844898dd1.PNG 

Dial Up and Dial Down have a minimal delta rate of 7 secs/ day, all of the vertical positions have a delta rate of 13 secs/ day - not bad for an 70-80 year old movement but the total delta rate is 62 secs per day with a big difference in performance between the horizontal positions and the vertical.

What could be causing this difference between horizontal and vertical and what can I reasonably do to reduce it?

Simeon WRT Addict

Simeon

Posted
  • Author
Posted
6 minutes ago, Nucejoe said:

BE is high.  

 Did you adjust the  hairspring-boot?  when regulating ? 

 

I haven't touched any regulation yet, I wanted to see if I could bring the vertical positions closer to the horizontal before playing around with the regulator. It has a fixed stud carrier, so I will have to rotate the collet to get the beat error right.

I did adjust the hairspring boot when I removed the balance from the cock.  I think I returned it back to its centre position when I reinstalled the balance.  I can see the hairspring vibrating between the pin and the boot with what looks like a minimal gap.  The regulator pin looks upright as well.

nevenbekriev Distinguished Member

nevenbekriev

Posted
Posted

Now You need to close the distance (boot) between the regulator pins as much as possible. This means the spring to be constantly touching the pin and boot, with no free play, but still the regulator to be able to move without grabbing the spring

Simeon WRT Addict

Simeon

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, nevenbekriev said:

Now You need to close the distance (boot) between the regulator pins as much as possible. This means the spring to be constantly touching the pin and boot, with no free play, but still the regulator to be able to move without grabbing the spring

I will take a look at it and see it can be closed up slightly by turning the boot more. Should I tweak the regulator pin closer to the boot (or will this have an impact on the dial up / dial down positions if the pin gets out of parallel?)

nevenbekriev Distinguished Member

nevenbekriev

Posted
Posted

Turning the boot will not help. You need to bend the pin towards the boot. This doesn't mean that the pin will not be parallel to the boot any more - You can bend the pin more where it gets out of the regulator and bend it back little bit further, so it will be closer and the same time parallel. But being 'parallel' or not doesn't matter any more if there will be no free play of the hairspring. Closing the gap will make slight change in rate - the movement will start working a little faster. It will affect the vertical positions more than horizontal positions, so this is the effect needed.

  • Like 2
Neverenoughwatches Distinguished Member

Neverenoughwatches

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Simeon said:

I have just (re)finished a service on an old Wittnauer 10S that I had previously had problems with knocking due to an over-powered replacement mainspring.  I replaced that with the correct Dennison sized mainspring (shipped from from Boston MA to Australia in 2 weeks!).  Solved the problem with knocking and brought the amplitude up a decent amount compared to the old set mainspring which was delivering about 200 degrees.

Testing it on the timegrapher, I find the following:

Witt10S.PNG.5bc4e180a41371c4dc2e6b6844898dd1.PNG 

Dial Up and Dial Down have a minimal delta rate of 7 secs/ day, all of the vertical positions have a delta rate of 13 secs/ day - not bad for an 70-80 year old movement but the total delta rate is 62 secs per day with a big difference in performance between the horizontal positions and the vertical.

What could be causing this difference between horizontal and vertical and what can I reasonably do to reduce it?

I would get the horizonal positions regulated to their best time rate and then test again.

6 hours ago, Simeon said:

I haven't touched any regulation yet, I wanted to see if I could bring the vertical positions closer to the horizontal before playing around with the regulator. It has a fixed stud carrier, so I will have to rotate the collet to get the beat error right.

I did adjust the hairspring boot when I removed the balance from the cock.  I think I returned it back to its centre position when I reinstalled the balance.  I can see the hairspring vibrating between the pin and the boot with what looks like a minimal gap.  The regulator pin looks upright as well.

A gap of half a hairspring width either side of it is generally considered as good with non overcoil springs. But as Nev says as close as possible without trapping the spring so you can regulate without damaging the hairspring.  With old watches that have blued steel springs that are affected by temperature change, having the regulation pins too tight may not allow them to vary their length.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Mercurial
      Phinney Walker Mickey Mouse Watch HELP

      By Mercurial · Posted

      I have no experience with this watch, but looking at the pictures from the ebay listing linked above, it looks like the outer metal bezel at the back of the watch may not be part of the case proper.  It looks like the watch and strap are sandwiched together, and an inner case may push out of the rear bezel towards the front of the watch.  A case style similar to the Roamer watches where the crystal, movement and caseback pushed out through the back of an outer bezel, only in reverse - this one may push out towards the front.  To test this, you would need to hold the watch, dial down, supporting the dial side of the watch around the edge of the bezel without touching the bezel itself. Then push down carefully on the inner metal ring you can see at the back of the watch. I’m speculating here, proceed at your own risk. Hopefully someone with hands on experience of these watches can chime in! Best Regards, Mark
    • VWatchie
      Ad Free WRT

      By VWatchie · Posted

      Thanks, Mark. That's the kind of reassurance many of us wanted to hear! Yes, life is unfortunately unpredictable, and it would be a shame if the many dedicated WRT: ers became stranded if, god forbid, something happened to you and WRT stopped working.
    • Kalanag
      Tissot case back removal

      By Kalanag · Posted

      The case back is perfectly aligned to the case and has no provisions for a screwing tool. The T-Sport series has snap on backs.
    • AndyGSi
      Tissot case back removal

      By AndyGSi · Posted

      For me the text looks too aligned and with no obvious way to grip as a screw back.
    • bosstaki
      Tissot case back removal

      By bosstaki · Posted

      There’s no indents & there’s no little groove to pry it off anywhere! So I don’t know if it’s screw down or pry off 👍
×
×
  • Create New...