Pocketwatch 101 ℠ – Learn about Vintage and Antique Pocket Watches How to Set Your Vintage Pocket Watch As a rule, vintage pocket watches are either key-set, pendant-set (stem-set), lever-set or pin-set. The easiest way to tell which one you have is to look for the setting lever. If your watch is lever-set, there will be a setting-lever visible somewhere around the dial of the watch, though you usually have to remove the bezel and crystal to see it. Just because your case has a notch cut for a lever, doesn't mean that you have a lever-set watch, as many cases could accommodate either a lever-set or pendant-set movement. Look for the actual tip of the setting lever, which should be visible poking out at the edge of the dial. If your watch has a little button or raised bump somewhere near the winding stem, then it's likely a European-made pin-set watch. Key-Set Pocket Watch As the name suggests, a key-set pocket watch is set with a key.

Some watches use the same key to set and wind the watch; others have different keys for setting and winding. If your watch has two keys, then it's important to determine which key best fits each winding arbor. Using a key that is too big will soon round off the square corners of the winding arbor and then you'll have a much bigger repair problem. If you don't have keys for your watch, a watchmaker who specializes in vintage repairs can probably supply one for you. We have full sets of winding keys available on our page. We also stock single keys in select sizes. Setting a watch with a key is accomplished by turning the arbor that carries the hands.

Never attempt to set the watch by moving the hands directly. Rhythm Sophie Rapidshare Downloader. You'll just break the hand. If your center arbor is square in shape, then you have a key-set watch.s When setting, keep the key perpendicular to the dial and make sure you don't disturb the horizontal alignment of the hands. The minute hand and hour hand must remain perfectly flat and parallel after you're finished setting the watch. There's a reason why watches evolved from key-setting to pendant-setting: a pendant-set watch was a lot easier and more convenient for the typical user. Key-set watches can be inconvenient and sometimes challenging.

Often setting a key-set watch requires removing or opening the bezel to access the hands and setting arbor. It is certainly easier for the novice to damage the bezel, crystal, hands or dial with a key-set watch than with a pendant set.

Lot 512 majesti 17j majestron skeleton pocket watch vine swiss made majestron quartz pocket watch majestron men s train stainless water resistant quartz. Majestron pocket watches majestron quartz pocket watch pocket watch anyone know the vaule majestron pocket watch instructions image mag. Most batteries go negative down, but check your manual to be safe. Check to see if the second hand is moving, if so align the back cover up, and press it closed, evenly around the edge. If the second hand is not working as in my pocket watch, you may then need to take it to a repair shop. Posted on Nov 03,.

As such, we usually don't recommend key-wind key-set watches for daily use. Some key-set watches have the setting square for the hands accessible through a hole in the case-back. If there are 2 holes in your inner case-back, then the center hole is for setting the watch, and the outer hole is for winding.

SPONSORED ADVERTISEMENTS Pendant-Set Pocket Watch The part of the watch case that holds the winding crown and stem is called the pendant. The winding crown (or winding knob) is attached to one end of the winding stem and the other end of the stem engages with the winding mechanism in the watch movement.

When the crown is pushed 'in' i.e. Download Mp3 Wiro Sableng Theme Song. Toward the watch movement, then the watch is in winding position and turning the crown will wind the mainspring. When the crown is pulled 'out' i.e. Away from the watch movement, the the watch is in setting position and turning the crown will engage the setting mechanism of the watch.

Illustration of setting a Hamilton pendant-set pocket watch Common Problems with Pendant-Set Watches If your pendant-set watch won't 'hold' in either the winding or setting position i.e. If it won't 'click' from one position to the other, then you likely have a broken sleeve.

The sleeve is a small part which mounts inside the pendant of the watch and grips the stem with 4 small spring 'fingers'. If these small spring fingers become bent or broken, then they will no longer hold the stem in the correct position. The only solution is to replace the broken sleeve. If the watch clicks smoothly between winding and setting positions, but you still can't set the watch, then you either have a lever-set watch (see below) or there is an internal problem with the winding/setting mechanism. Often, old dried up grease can freeze the winding/setting mechanism and it takes a thorough cleaning and re-lubrication to get everything moving again. Lever-Set Pocket Watch Lever-setting was a 'feature' of many higher-grade pocket watches which prevented them from being accidentally set to the incorrect time.

Lever-setting was a requirement for Railroad Timekeeping Service. We've provided photo instructions for how to set your lever-set watch.

Illustration of a lever-set watch with setting lever pulled out Common Problems with Lever-Set Watches Lever-setting mechanisms tend to be quite reliable, as they do not rely on the proper functioning of a stem and sleeve. Pulling out the setting lever usually shifts the winding mechanism so that it engages with the cannon-pinion and hands of the watch to allow setting. Retracting the setting lever allows the winding mechanism to rock back to its 'normal' position in which it is engaged with the mainspring barrel. If pulling the set-lever on your watch doesn't put it in setting mode, or if there is any significant resistance to pulling the lever out, then there's something wrong internally that would require professional service. Pin-Set Pocket Watch Pin-Setting (or nail-setting, as it is sometimes called) is another setting mechanism that is rarely seen on American watches, but occurs more commonly on European timepieces.

On a pin-set watch, there is a little button, usually near the winding stem. You must press and hold this button while turning the crown to set the watch. Pin-setting isn't very common on higher-grade watches.

Pocketwatch 101 ℠ – Learn about Vintage and Antique Pocket Watches How to Open (and Close) a Vintage Pocket Watch Tips and Tricks for Opening and Closing Various Types of Pocket Watch Cases While we can't make you an antique watch expert with just a few web pages, we can share a little of our knowledge with you in order to help you learn more about your vintage or antique watch. We hope we can provide answers to some of the more common questions you may have about your vintage watch, and help you learn more about this fascinating area of American history. Proper Way to Open and Close a Hunter-Cased Pocketwatch A properly functioning hunter case has a latch, usually made of steel, which catches on the rim of the front cover, usually made of gold or gold-plated brass, and keeps the cover closed. To open the watch, you depress the crown (the winding knob) which is connected through a spring to the latch.

Steel latch catches on the rim of the front cover of the case. When closing a hunter-case watch, it's important that you don't 'snap' the case-lid shut. Doing so will quickly wear out the spot on the case-rim where the latch engages, especially if you're lucky enough to have a solid gold case.

The steel latch is much harder than either the soft gold of a karat case, or even the gold-plated brass of a gold-filled case. Once the case rim is worn out, the only real option is to have it repaired by a skilled goldsmith.

No amount of bending and twisting of the case lid and hinges is going to make the latch hold once the case rim is worn out. It's also important that you don't press the cover down into the crystal of the watch. Sometimes the clearance between the case lid and the crystal is VERY small, and we've seen many a broken crystal from someone closing their hunter case with a big ol' thumb pushing down right in the middle of the case-lid.

So to close the cover on a hunter-case watch: first depress the latch button, then close the cover with your fingers on the edge of the cover, then release the latch button. This simple habit will save you from a costly case or crystal repair down the road. Pocketwatch Case Back Types If we want to open the watch case so that we can see the movement (the working parts) of the watch, then we've got to figure out what kind of case it is. It's probably one of four most common types: a screw-off back, a snap-off back, a hinged back, or a swing-out case. Let's look at each of these in more detail: Screw-off Pocketwatch Case Back As the name suggests, the backs of these sorts of pocket watch cases simply unscrew. For a screw-off back, you should be able to see a seam-line that separates the back from the body of the case. If it's a screw-off back there should be no sign of a hinge attaching the back to the body.

I've never seen a case that wasn't a standard right-hand thread, so righty-tighy lefty-loosey applies. Snap-off Pocketwatch Case Back A snap-off case back is fully detachable from the case body, just like a screw-off case back.

The difference is that the snap-off case back isn't threaded; it simply 'snaps' into place on the back of the watch case. This type of pocketwatch case is best opened with a case opening tool, or a watchmaker's case-knife. It's best if the blade is dull; you're asking for trouble if you use a really sharp knife and I won't be responsible when you bleed on the rug. If you carefully examine the rim of the case, where the back meets the body, you'll usually find a small notch, just large enough to allow you to get the edge, not the tip, of your knife in the notch. Just a little side to side wiggle of the blade is usually enough to pop it open. Whatever you do, don't force it. Using excess pressure, or not keeping good control of the blade, could result in a big scratch on your watch and a slice out of your thumb.

SPONSORED ADVERTISEMENTS Hinged Back and Bezel A hinged case back is like a snap-off case back, except the case back is attached to the case body with a hinge. Most of the time, the bezel is hinged as well. The hinge is usually found at the 6:00 position, unless it's a 'side-winder' watch (as in the photo below) in which case the hinge will be at the 9:00 position. As with a snap-off case, a careful examination of the rim of the case back will almost always reveal a little notch or wide-spot in the rim where you can insert a case-knife or very strong thumbnail to open the back. Many times, hinged case backs have both an inner and outer metal cover. The inner cover, called the 'cuvette', has its own separate hinge and opens just like the outer case back.

Except the little groove for your knife is even smaller, and it's even easier to scratch the cuvette if you slip. Crescent Watch Case Company ad for Swinging Ring cases. Reproduced from Jewelers' Circular Weekly and Horological Review, March 13, 1901. Courtesy NAWCC Library. More people damage their watches trying to open swing-ring cases than any other case style. That's because the watch movement is mounted in a ring which is hinged to the inside of the case body. The case body and back are made as one piece, so there is no separation between the case back and the case body.

The swing-ring case was advertised as the most dust-proof and moisture-proof case of its time. To open a swing-out case, you first remove the front bezel and crystal, which is almost always a screw-off front.

Once the bezel is removed, you'll see that the movement mounting ring is hinged, usually at the 12:00 position (sometimes at the 3:00 as in the photos below). Often there's a little notch opposite the hinge where you can insert a thumbnail or case-knife to lift up the movement. But here's where most folks get in trouble. The winding stem, which connects the winding knob (the crown) to the watch mechanism, is still engaged in the movement. If you attempt to swing the movement up and out of the case, you will feel resistance when you start bending the stem sideways.

If you force it, as many people oddly seem to believe is the right way to proceed, you will almost certainly break the stem, and then you will no longer be able to wind or set the watch. To make it worse, when that happens, you'll be so upset that you won't notice the little broken stem part rolling around inside the case, and it will fall out and be lost, making it much more difficult for your watchmaker to reproduce the stem without being able to measure the broken pieces. So the answer is simple: just be sure to pull the crown and stem out into the 'setting position' before trying to swing-out the movement. Even if it's a lever-set watch, you'll be able to snap the crown out a notch if it's a swing-out case. And don't force anything!

If you try to swing the movement out and it catches partway and doesn't want to come out, try wiggling and turning the winding crown a bit to see if it will come free. But if it doesn't open easily, don't force it or you'll break the stem.

American Waltham 18s in Crescent swing-out case Summary of Pocket Watch Case Opening Styles: • Screw-off back: no hinge on the back, visible seam around rim of case back with no visible 'notch' in seam for case-knife. • Snap-off back: no hinge on the back, visible seam with notch for case-knife. • Hinged-back: hinge visible on back. Look for the notch for thumbnail or case-knife. • Swing-out: no seam around the back cover i.e. Back cover and body all one piece. Remove front bezel and look for swing-out movement.

ALWAYS pull out winding stem before lifting the movement out of the case.