Help me understand this. I bought a timegrapher 1000 thinking it would help me with diagnostics. So I put my Elgin 390 and my Hamilton 992 on it. Both these watches keep time within seconds per week. They're both showing beat errors between 3.5 and 4.5. So I stared down the impulse jewel and they're dead center between the banking pins. So I thought ok let me put my 50's omega automatic on it. It shows .02 beat error but loses 2 min.s per day. Whats goin on here?
Posts: 7 | Location: Maryland in the USA | Registered: July 09, 2017
In my opinion, 3.5-4.5 milliseconds is not a significant beat error for a pocket watch. This is evidenced by the fact that both are keeping accurate time. If you wanted to get this closer to zero ms you would need to remove the balance and turn the hairspring collet a small fraction of a degree one way or the other, reinstall the balance and re check. This could take a long time and you'd probably never get as close as 0.5ms .....let alone zero. When I was repairing RR pocket watches, I mostly set equal beat visually.
Robert's 992 and the 390 are two of the best "workhorse" Railroad Pocket Watches ever made.
Think about the fact that a hundred years ago when lives depended on their accuracy "staring down the impulse jewel" did the trick. When Robert says... "Both these watches keep time within seconds per week." ...at that point I smile and say... "Wow, that is just great."
I learned from tuning high-performance engines you reach a point that going any further could be a waste of time. All we can do is the best we can with what we have available.
On the Omega, perhaps begin at Square A, careful cleaning and close inspection. If you are patient you will find it, skin follicle, a tiny piece of hair, that is a precision instrument and it takes very little to throw it off.
Great to have you on board Robert, keep up the interesting topics and thanks a million to everyone who responds. Just keep on keepin' on guys, you are greatly apprecited.
If I could just find some more time and energy...
Be well my friends,
Lindell
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
time and energy...
