Oiling and cleaing a movement

[ljrusso]

This may sound a bit too general but is it possible to oil and clean up a watch without taking it completely apart? I have now taken apart (not totally and with success) and put back together 2 watches and now am considering trying to "oil and clean up" a Zenith as it does not like to run all then time. When it does run then it runs like a champ. There must be a thread or a web-site that goes over the do's and don'ts as well as gives information as to what type of lubricant one should use etc. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Louis

[ljrusso]

This may sound a bit too general but is it possible to oil and clean up a watch without taking it completely apart? I have now taken apart (not totally and with success) and put back together 2 watches and now am considering trying to "oil and clean up" a Zenith as it does not like to run all then time. When it does run then it runs like a champ. There must be a thread or a web-site that goes over the do's and don'ts as well as gives information as to what type of lubricant one should use etc. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Louis

[Harvey Mintz]

While it's "possible" to clean and oil a watch without taking it apart, the watch will NOT have really been cleaned, and the oiling will just allow whatever dirt was left in the pivot/jewel areas to mix with the oil to become a really good abrasive sludge. This is pretty much guaranteed to to ruin the movement.

Once you get used to taking them apart and re-assembling thme, it's really not a big deal to clean a watch properly, so invest the time to practise the right way to do it it instead of looking fopr short cuts. It'll make you feel better, and it's better for the watches.

Get some cheap movements (without cases) about 16 size (43 mm) to practise on so you don;t have to worry about breaking them.

Good luck!

Harvey J. Mintz