How to set second hand

[rush308]

I just discovered this site and am new to vintage pocket watches. I just purchased some Hamilton 992B, my favorite being one in a #15 SS case. But funny how there's always another one I like even better.

My question is how to set the second hand. I can remove the front, pull out the set lever and set the hour and minute but the second hand keeps running. How can I sync it with the correct time.

Thanks

Rush

 

[RON in PA]

Welcome to the Message Board.

You've made a basic discovery, almost all pocket watches don't hack (the Hamilton 4992B and 2974B are exceptions, but they where intended for navigation).

Some folks will use a jeweler's screwdriver or pencil point to move the second hand, but I don't recommend this. My opinion, learn to live with the way the pocket watches are, you can actually get them very close by comparing time.gov with your minute hand as it crosses a minute tick when viewing under magnification.

If you are really AC about this get a quartz pocket watch.

 

[crsides]

This used to both me a lot more than it does now, but when I do set the second hand, I use a toothpick which will not scratch the dial. I check to see how easily the second hand can be moved. If it is tight, I just leave it alone. I read a suggestion years ago to use a rubber band against the balance wheel, but I try to stay away from the balance the days.


Charlie

 

[doug sinclair]

Let it run down almost all the way, remove the bezel, pull out the lever, and slowly turn the hands backwards until the watch stops, when your reference timer reaches the full minute, immediately turn the hands ahead and rotate the watch just enough to start it. Set it to the correct minute, and wind it.

 

[Don Dahlberg]

When I want to set a watch to the exact second, I set it ahead of the time. Then I stop the balance with a small, soft paintbrush, such as those used by artists forwater color. I have also used a cat whisker to stop the balance, although the brush works better.

In the railroads, they did not set the second hand. The watch always had to be withing 30 seconds, so they just set it to the closest time within 30 seconds of the real time.

You can do damage by trying to move the second hand. If it is tight on the arbor, you can easily break the arbor. Third wheel arbors are the hardest to find. They were the ones most often broken because of attempts to rotate the minute hand.

Don

 

[Kent]

Without commenting on the validity of doing so, one inspector's narrative of 1940s practice contained the following. "I checked his time to the minute and second against our own master timepiece, setting the seconds hand with the point of my tweezers." (Ted Huguelet, NAWCC Bulletin, No. 334, October 2001, page 633), available online to NAWCC members who are logged in. Apparently, this was common practice at that particular inspector's shop.

 

[Tom Huber]

In the hands of a novice, don't do it.Those little second hands can pop off in a millisecond. Old railroaders tried to do that all the time. That's why you see so many rr watches with replacement second hands.

Tom

 

[mdloggins]

When the watch is completely stopped, watch your reference clock second hand and when it is in the same position as the second hand of your pocket watch, quickly wind the watch while quickly gyrate the pocket watch to get the second hand moving. That should sync the seconds pretty close. After a couple of times it is pretty easy to get it exactly. Then you can set you hour and minute hands.