Elgin grades 286 balance wheel infomation and replace

[ketansat5011]

I buy a Elgin movement pocket watch, 6size, 7j, and when open watch I see the balance had broken, it make my watch run faster (5 minute after 3~4 hours). Can anyone recommend an alternative source/manufacturer for this balance wheel or know about the info of this balance.

Thanks everyone .

 

[Chris Radek]

Hi and welcome to the forum! The balance in your watch is badly bent. It can be returned to its original shape, an operation called "truing". The balance assembly is removed from the watch and held in special calipers and manipulated until it runs straight and true. This will probably get your timekeeping back to normal, unless there is other overt damage.

 

[ketansat5011]

Hi and welcome to the forum! The balance in your watch is badly bent. It can be returned to its original shape, an operation called "truing". The balance assembly is removed from the watch and held in special calipers and manipulated until it runs straight and true. This will probably get your timekeeping back to normal, unless there is other overt damage.

Thanks you very much, I'll ask the watchmakers can fix or not, if not can it be replaced by any alternative source/manufacturer?

 

[Chris Radek]

The balance is paired to the movement, hairspring, and other parts, and sometimes they are even marked with the serial number of the watch so everything stays together. Truing the balance you have is really the only correct repair. Of course parts of several watches can be combined instead, and many times amateurs try this, but often it causes as many problems as it fixes.

 

[Skutt50]

That balance seems to have ben subject to severe abuse.......

You could remove the balance wheel and shape it. Sometimes if handed badly the tip of the balance wheel rim gets stuck under the next half. This usually can be fixed, but your seems to actually be bent.....

Anyway, removing the balance wheel and bending it back to round should at least get the watch back to somewhat of a time keeper. It may be hard to get it perfect but should not be that hard to significantly improve timekeeping.....

EDIT: Did not notise that you had two posts and have respone from other members in the second post. Sorry!

 

[John Runciman]

if not can it be replaced by any alternative source/manufacturer?

The problem with a watch like this is its old. You'll notice at the link below it tells you when it was made which was about 117 years ago. That means nobody as manufacturing parts for this watch. The most you can hope for is to find another watch the steel balance wheel out of bots usually on vintage pocket watches it's best to try to keep what you have. Because it tends to be variations between even batches of making the watches and things are usually adjusted the parts that are in the watch and introducing new parts tends to introduce problems.

It's interesting here balance wheel is in the condition it's in as it's in the case and typically to do that someone would be playing with the balance wheel out of the watch? I'm not saying you can't do it in the watch but if they did it in the watch that probably broke the balance staff. So somebody's not to take the watch movement out take the balance out and look at and see if the pivots are still there. Then for anyone that's used to work on pocket watches chewing up the balance wheel is going to be that big of a thing to do.

Elgin Pocket Watch: Serial Number 11082404 (Grade 286)