I recently bought an old Elgin 18 sz. pocket watch. It is a seven ---- six jewel model. The impulse pin is metal, and is home made I suppose. The watch runs quite well, and I wonder if there is any real reason to replace the metal one with a jewel. If so, where would you get the correct part?

Donald, I have seen many of these over my years of watch collecting. If It is running well, I'd just leave it alone. It certainly won't harm the watch.

Tom

Thanks,
Thats just what I will do!

When you consider how many times a day this "impulse" pin hits and rubs on the horns of fork I think there is plenty of opportunity for friction and wear. That is one reason why, even on a low-jeweled watch, this is one of the basic 7 jewels. I would recommend replacement with a proper roller jewel.

Jerry,
How and where do I get the correct Jewel?

I very much agree with Jerry. A proper jewel should be installed. Hey if a jewel was not absolutely neceassary they would have produced 6-jewel movements as their bottom line movements. They made these as cheap as they could and that was 7 jewels.

Again as Jerry says, this is slamming into the pallets horns 18000 time an hour. The friction is reducing the action and wearing out the horns. You have greater time error, especially positional, but not for long. Then you can try to find a replacement pallet. Remember there is no lubrication to help here. Abrasive material will imbed into the steel and then wear the forks.

All the supply houses and other sources of watch parts carry a variety of sizes of roller jewels. You need to know the width and single or double roller. I assume it is single roller and a D shaped jewel. Give us the serial number, and we might even be able to give you the size. Otherwise you measure the distance in mm between the horns with a feeler guage and get a couple of hundreds of a mm smaller.

Don

Donald,

This is an Elgin, 7 jewel, 18 sz. watch, S/N 5106420. It is a single roller with a D shaped roller jewel.