I have a waltham ball that looses time (one hour in a day). I have checked this watch against several of my others and found that on a 30 second and 1 minute timing the watch is right on. The balance wheel and staff were recently replaced.. Could this problem be due to a slipping cannon pinion? Bruce

Bruce,

You can check to see if you have a slipping cannon pinion by setting the hands. If you turn the crown and feel absolutely no resistance, you would have a loose cannon pinion. If it feels normal, the cannon pinion is okay.

You need to time your watch for at least an hour. Also, do a one-hour test with face up, face down, pendant up and pendant down. If the timing changes radically in the pendant up and down positions, you may need to poise the balance. If there is a large difference between face up and face down, you could have a problem with the balance jewels, hairspring or lever.

If the timing is consistent in all positions, it may be out of "beat" or need weight reduced to the balance to speed it up. It could also be a mainspring issue.

There are many other problems that could cause your watch to run slow but the above causes are most likely to be your problem.

John D. Duvall
Rosamond, CA

John,

I took the dial off and low and behold the cannon pinion had no resistance what so ever.. I squeezed it a abit with a set of pliers and also put a small piece of hair between the pinion and shaft... I have timed it for 4 hours in each position and it is off by about 15 seconds over a 12 hour span. I dont think my fix will work for ever.. Any idea if a Waltham Ball takes the same type of canon pinion as a regualar 16s Waltham? Thanks for the other advise also.. Bruce

Bruce,

You need a cannon pinion tightener. There are several different stand alone versions plus stakes and stumps which come with some staking sets. Never try and close the pinion barrel unless you have something inside of it such as the center wheel arbor or pin of equivalent diameter. Otherwise, you could destroy it.

John D. Duvall
Rosamond, CA.