Pocket Watch Running Fast-Gains 2 minutes per Hour?

[popeye]

I have a new pocket watch and new to these. Looks like it is running fast. I gather there is a lever on the back of the mechanism. Do you move it up or down and how far? It is 1883 SZ 16 Waltham Pocket Watch. Thanks, as always. http://i20.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/43/3e/ca_12_sb.JPG

[popeye]

I have a new pocket watch and new to these. Looks like it is running fast. I gather there is a lever on the back of the mechanism. Do you move it up or down and how far? It is 1883 SZ 16 Waltham Pocket Watch. Thanks, as always. http://i20.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/43/3e/ca_12_sb.JPG

[doug sinclair]

popeye,

A quick look at your watch tells me that trying to regulate it to a closer rate will likely prove futile. I'll bet it hasn't had a servicing in years. The rate will likely vary all over the yard, the average rate being 1 or 2 minutes (per hour, per day?. You don't really say). If it is within 1 or 2 minutes a day, I'd suggest you leave it and worry about getting it closer once it has been serviced. And I think you have an 1888 model.

[popeye]

It is running 2 minutes fast per hour. I started at 7PM tonight and by 12 AM it was 10 minutes fast. The guy I bought it said it was serviced before he sold it. Does this help getting an answer better? Thanks for the reply,

[Don Dahlberg]

There is service and there is the right service. I can see fingerprints and all kinds of crud in your picture. Some people just take the movement out of the case and put it in an ultrasonic cleaner/oiler solution. It is like dipping your car engine in oil and saying it had an overhaul. A proper service involves taking the watch apart into about 50 pieces, cleaning the watch, then inspecting each part as you put it together and correcting any faults. The fact that it is running so fast indicates that something is inhibiting the motion of the balance. It could be dirty jewels, bent pivot, magnetized hairspring, oil on hairspring or a dozen other problems. You should have 1 1/2 turns of action on the balance at a full wind and there is no reason this watch should not keep good time if properly serviced. Have it done by someone who will do it right and expect to pay for the hours of work that it will require.

Don

[doug sinclair]

popeye,

With full details about the performance of your watch, Don Dahlberg has been able to better detail what will be necessary to make your Waltham keep time. He is absolutely correct! And, in my opinion, your watch has not been thoroughly serviced. Made to run, but NOT serviced. I would add one more thing. There is NOT enough adjustment in the regulator of a watch that is running 1 or 2 minutes out per hour, to permit you to regulate it. So, if you like the watch and plan to keep it and to have it keep time, perhaps you should ask the vendor to pay for a thorough, competent servicing of the watch. If you like it somewhat less, now, maybe see if there is a return priviledge. The vendor MAY believe that a watchmaker had actually serviced the watch, so he may not be at fault for your dilemma. Let us know what you decide to do, and also let us know of the final outcome, please.

[Tom McIntyre]

Popeye,

Your watch is a Waltham 1888 model. They are a little bigger than 16 size and take a special case. I can't read the first digit of the serial number in your picture. Is it a 6?

[popeye]

Thanks for reply-serial-9260083. Spoke with the gentleman, hesaid I could have my money back or exchange it for a comparible watch. I am looking for a Waltham larger size. Is this watch anything special? What should I do? Thanks again.

[doug sinclair]

popeye,

It would appear as though the movement is in an original case. The 1888 model is not a standard 16-size, so it is difficult to re-case. If this original case is in good shape, and if you are not into it for mega-bucks, you may just want to have someone go through it for you. Chances are that any other watch from this vendor may provide you with the same problems. If you like the watch, choose a technician carefully, pay to have a thorough job done, and enjoy it. The plating on your Waltham movement looks okay, and apart from some rust on the winding wheels, it should clean up very well. And if there are no problems with it that might mean chronic bad time keeping (the technician should be able to judge that to a degree), then it could be a fun watch to own.

[Kent]

popeye:

Check out What You Need To Know About Watch Repair at Wayne Schlitt's Elgin Website:
<span class="ev_code_brown">www.midwestcs.com/elgin/help/watch_repair.html</span>
<span class="ev_code_blue">To view, go to the </span><span class="ev_code_brown">Elgin Watch Collectors Site Home Page</span> <span class="ev_code_blue">at</span> <span class="ev_code_brown">elginwatches.com</span>, <span class="ev_code_blue">then copy and paste the address in your browser's address bar and click on </span>'Go'.

[popeye]

Thanks, any idea on what it would cost to repair? Is this watch somewhat collectible? He said he has other Waltham watches. Worth taking a look at? Appreciate the help, by the way