Elgin pocket watch problems

[Holt]

With just your description to go by, if I had the watch in my hands, the first thing I would check for, would be a loose "cannon pinion".

The cannon pinion is like a clutch between the movement and the hour/minute hands, the "seconds" hand is "direct-drive".

A loose cannon pinion is a very simple fix for a watch repairman. However this assumtion is based on a very vague description.

Tommy
NAWCC #156317

[Wes]

If the balance swing looks decent and it runs the same on its back or on its face, it could just need to be cleaned.

Watchmakers charge probably from $50-$75 for this.

Good Luck!

NAWCC# 156994

[Max Schaefer]

What then would cause a watch to run too fast? I have an old Swiss watch of unknown make that happily ticks away but gains about an hour or so a day.

Max

[Greg Crockett]

Max:

Your watch also could be in need of cleaning. Hairsprings will make a watch go faster if sticky from extra oil on them. To test for this, the balance unit, hairspring and all, is placed in hairspring cleaner, permitted to try and then tested in the watch. Another cause of running too fast is an extra coil being caught by the index. There are plenty of other problems which could be causing this, but the above are two of the most common.

[Brian C.]

Max,
If after you try Greg's sugestions, you still have the same problem, try demagnetizing the movement.
Brian C.