Hi folks. I have a loose movement!!.
Is there a special washer available to compensate for the wear on the body which would be placed underneath the two movement mounting screws?. I have recently purchased a Elgin 571 pocket watch ( 380445555820 )and although the screws are firm they are not securing on the body, it just needs a little shim or something?.
Kind regards, Steve from the UK.

Your screws might be bit too long and bottoming
out but I might be wrong lets hear it form others.
Also pictures will tale 1000 words.

My Elgin 571 housed in a Star 3057 stainless steel case had the same problem.

My watchmaker put a thin washer under the head of each case screw which solved the losseness problem.

After reading Lin's post, that may not have been the ideal solution. However, no harm done and easily reversable.

Stephen,

There are special spacer washers made for this problem. I have misplaced your address in the UK. If you need them I can send you a couple.

Roger

Hi Steven,

I would have to agree with Lindell and try smoothing out the case frame. Just look at where the case screws are holding the movement and there is probably a small indent under the screw heads.

Just take them out, remove the movement, and look from the bezel side, and you can see where to smooth them out. I use a round flat punch. Fit it right over the indent and just give it a VERY lite tap. It should do the trick for you.

If you hit it to hard and go a little to far it is not a problem, just very gently tap it back. I have also just turned the case screw a little tighter to put it back also. the only problem with that is that you can put a mark on it, the frame I mean.

If you have to put a washer under the screws, then you have the wrong screws.

Regards,
Larry

Stephen,

Put me down as agreeing with Lindell and Larry, reforming the divots in the case frame is the right way to go. I had two cases with that problem and Lindell fixed them for me, you can't even tell they were ever damaged. On the other hand using spacers can cause the heads of your case screws to be up too high and deeply scratch the inside of your case back.

Don

I guess I should clarify my earlier post. Yes, Lindell's suggestion is the right approach, BUT there are times where there there is little or no metal left on the edge of the case (almost always from those half-screws) and this is what the special washers are ideal for. This one obviously needs to be cleaned up.

I have had that problem before, and most often on those 571 elgins. Those cases (the back rims in particular) were very prone to this...VERY weak back rims.

The watchmakers tightened them down, but on this one the rim is so weak it just bends in to the point where the screw diameter is surpassed, you literally bottom the screw out with the rim now being below THAT. On these tightening the screws tighter is the WORST thing you can do, eventually the rim just breaks off. I've seen em where there's NO case edge left, literally a hole there! I'd do what LIN and Larry suggest, IF there's enough of a case side left to even do that. Take the screws out and have a look. Send a pic of the case to this post if you have time, so we can see the damage. If it's repairable, do so and when tightening the case screws do so VERY litely, just enough to where you have no movement shake. Otherwise you'll just bend the heck out of the already weakened rim and have to start all over again.

If case rims are too far gone, you'll have to go the route Roger mentioned. Those "keepers" he has are the ones you want.

As you may have guessed, I'm NOT a big fan of these streamline 571 cases due to their weak rims. If I see one at a show the first thing I do is shake em. If it's loose I put it down and move on. I only buy like new or litely used examples anymore that have not had that movement out very much, every time you do that on these you're weakening the integrity of this case, I've had my share of headaches with this one, thank you.

My watchmaker used a thin round washer under the head of each case screw on my Elgin 571 housed in a Star 3057 stainless steel case, not a washer shaped as the one Roger shows. The washers used on my watch appear to be thinner, also.

Joe, that is something that I have done a few times and it worked quite well. I have even kept old worn out minute hands for this and like I said I have been happy with the outcome of not being able to see the washer.

I have also had to use the ones that Roger is showing on the cases that have the hole Tom was talking about.

Bottom line it sounds like something that can be fixed, but as Tom said, pictures would help a lot.

Regards,
Larry

Thank you all so much for your invalueable information. You really are the best bunch of jolly good fellows.
I have today put a tiny washer under the screw head and gently tightened it satisfactorily. It will be some time before I take the movement out as it is running within 10 seconds in any position over a 24 hour period.
TO ROGER NOLFE: Hi Roger!. If you could send me a couple of these washers it would be much appreciated. Upon receipt, I will send you some money either cash of PayPal? please include your address.
My address is:
STEVE WARD
34 WYVILL CLOSE
RAINHAM
GILLINGHAM
KENT
ME8 9NE
UNITED KINGDOM.
Thanks again one and all and i will inwardly digest all this information.
Steve.

Stephen,

They will go in the mail with my compliments.

Roger

Absolutely agreed that the proper repair is to re-form the case as described, BUT if you have no alternative these spacers are better than just a thin round washer since they spread the load over a greater area of the edge of the case. I have never had a problem with the screws sitting up too high and hitting the case back but I can see how it could happen. The spacer washer I show is the proper fix for a case with little or no material left. They can also be thinned if necessary. These little spacer washers have saved a LOT of cases for me that have been damaged beyond repair.

Thank you once again Roger for sending me the washers, they arrived very quickly and should certainly do the trick.
Once again, anything I can do please do not hesitate.
Kind regards, Steve.