I broke a jewel today in my cheap fixer, upper watch.I was tightening down the part that holds the pallet in place and the pivot was not in the hole in the jewel and i heard it go snap.
I was wondering if i should wait till i am more experienced in repair.or is it something i might be able to tackle now?
The watch,s name is The Bank Watch and under this it says,Best London Make.
It is maybe a 7 jewel and all brass plates.I will post a picture later.

I dont know if you can handle it or not, only you do. But I say there is no time to learn better than right now. I am not fimilar to that watch but if it can be replaced, do it. What is that watch worth in its present condition? Are replacement parts available?

What do you have to loose vs. what you have to gain.
Give it a try.

Aaron

Kevin,

Don't let a minor setback get you down. This is part of the learning experience. I would recommend working on a 7 jewel American watch. Especially Waltham or Elgin. Parts are easy to come by if you break something.

To prevent damaging components, the only advice I could give would be never torque anything down until you're 100% satisfied that nothing is binding. Always start your screw and immediately check for binding. Gently turn the screw a little more and again check again for binding. Keep doing this until the screw is all the way home.

After awhile, you will sense that something isn't right. When I first started, I was popping screws from my tweezers all over the room. Now, my tweezers are just an extension of my fingers.

Just keep plugging away!

John D. Duvall
NAWCC Member 144772
NAWCC IHC Happy Camper 192
Chapter 185 Watch Repair Moderator

Definately give it a try if you feel that you are ready. If the jewel is in a setting, such as a balance hole jewel, you might try out a method that I learned. It was discussed in an earlier thread in the tech info library:

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=3206049661&...6009181&m=5316000702

Of course you could always look for a replacement jewel in a setting from a supply house. Uncle Larry's (not my Uncle) is a good Canadian source.

Uncle Larry's Homepage

Good luck

Mike Miller