Question on Lubricants

[Clint Geller]

Does someone know when mineral lubricants replaced animal based oils in watchmaking, and what immediate consequences (if any) in watch design and/or performance resulted from this transition?

[John Nagle]

In 1972 the Marine Protection Act was passed outlawing any importation of marine products for oils. The Nye Lubricants Company became the last American company to legally sell fish based oil in 1978. They had been allowed to sell their on hand stock until final depletion so some watchmakers were buying 6 year or older oil!
Hamilton Watch had their own watch oil production area in at least the beginning of the 1950s but I think they had been involved longer. I know they did a lot of research in the use of mineral oil. One of the main problems was spreading.
So, I have not answered your question with the exception of the whale/porpoise oils but I tried.

[John Nagle]

mid to late 1950's, initial problems - oils did not hold up well. In my answers I was thinking more modern and as a whole industry. There were other times besides the excellent one provided by Dr. Jon. I have read occasional things over the years concerning the varying effects of mineral, vegetable, and animal oils in different situations involving clocks and watches that were the result of experimenting in the pre 1900's.
In the late seventies and early eighties I experimented with low density polyethylene and mineral oil at home and came up with a pretty good mixture that worked well in watches and clocks. By increasing the density it was even great with clock mainsprings. Even when apparently dry there was still a molecular lubricating film.

[Dr. Jon]

Paul Ditisheim and Paul Woog started on this in 1925. Paul Ditisheim Chronometerier by Osterhausen discusses this. The book is in German and French so i have not completely comprehended it but the story is there. These oils were near the perfection Breguet postulated. The result was the modern faster beat watch and better time keeping, both in contest and production watches. Ditisheim set records at Kew with lever chronometers partly due to these oils.