Don't start with Graddpa's watch is what the repair manuals tell me. I hope this is a suitable patient to learn on. Will start by looking at what I have and so comes the first couple of questions. The watch appears to be a stem wind lever set but it has a square end on on the cannon pinion. Why? The plates appear to be brass with a silver coating. This has worn off in places. Should I just clean it as it is or polish the rest off to even up the color or is there a way to replace the silver. Face looks OK and is held on by 2 posts with taper pins. Hands look rusty. Suspect main spring is broken but all pivots look OK. Balance swings. Next step is to take it apart. Will post progress pictures if anyone is interested.

Pictures of the patient

Definately Swiss but a worthy practice watch for sure. You may have a very hard time finding parts if you break anything but what the heck. Have fun and please post photos.

Had a bit of time today so I have taken it apart. A couple of the screws were hard to shift but I got there without busting anything. Had to sharpen the screwdriver a couple of times. There is a knack here I have not mastered yet. No doubt more practice required.

Since this is a learning exercise I will take everything to pieces. There is a lot of black which appears to be more than dirt so cleaning could be interesting. I suspect more than a soak in cleaning solution will be required. If I learn nothing else at least I have improved my photographic skills. Amazing the difference a small tripod and a remote shutter button makes.

The other half has her new Grand child so I was given leave to go and amuse myself. Decided to clean the pillar plate. The cleaning solution did not do much so I tried a soft brush and some gentle toothpaste. Took a while but I think it is reasonable. You can now see all the origional machining marks and even som chatter marks from the turning. I suspect that if there had been any demaskeening it would have survived the process.
I like the little steel ring added where the winding train is supported. The winding gears have left some small groves in the plate so I think this watch has seen some service over the years.

Have cleaned and replaced all the winding and setting parts. Won't bore you with another picture of that. Did discover that these cheap watches were hand made to a great extent. No 2 screws were exactly the same and I had to put each back where it came from else things did not fit or work properly. Managed to clean the other plates and have decided not to polish them. The silver coating is not perfect but acceptable so I will leave it as part of the history of the piece. The underside of the plates is raw brass so the coating could be some kind of paint. I know not.
I have departed a bit from the book and decided to do the balance assy next. This allowed me to test it by rocking the plate and get it running nice and free. It was out of tru and touching on one side. Was also able to centre the roller which was off to one side and check the hair spring allignment. Will now put it carefully aside till it is needed and all should work.

All back together again and it runs. Still have to do a bit to the hands and face but the rest looks OK. Only lost 1 part and that was the little tapered pin that holds the hair spring anchored to the cock. Got a replacement from the junk box. Found another mainspring in the junk as well. Got 2 boxes of stuff from a friend a little while ago and only starting to appreciate what is in there. Have found a case that I think is suitable. Will ask the experts before I mess with it. Hope I haven't committed any Horological sins but I have enjoyed the project so far. Will post a picture of the finished item when it is cased. I wonder if it keeps time?

The finished product. I am happy with the result. It isn't perfect but tidy enough to sit in my collection. Doesn't matter the value but more that I did it myself. To be honest I am not even sure how old it is but I will list it as circa 1890. Please tell me if you know a more exact date. The case is Americian but since the watch is pretending to be Americian anyway I suppose that is OK as well. As for time it was within 5 mins in 24 hours which is not to bad. I was happy just to get it going again. Time to find a new project.

Hello...I have the same watch only a few hundred numbers apart from yours. I recently bought it because it looked clean and had a nice case and an unbelievably thick crystal. After taking it apart, I found it to be one of the most gummed up watches I have ever seen. I thought it was reasonably well made for a Swiss Fake. Note that it says New-York on the movement. (Dash between the New York). I don't think it ever saw much use since there was virtually no wear on anything. After cleaning and reassembly I now have a nice working Swiss Fake.