I have a few swiss watches and my cannon pinion trmover does not pull them off , it just slips off.They are very tight and i do not think prying is best.
Any other ideas in getting them off ?

IHC Member 261
Chapter 111,Ottawa
NAWCC Member 158976,
Nepean, Canada

Veritas,

What type of remover are you using?

John D. Duvall
Vice President, Education

A lot of Swiss watches, both keyset and pendant (or pin or lever) set use a hollow center wheel arbor. Normally, you can see these by looking at the center arbor on the top plate. If you look from the side, you will see the small cylindrical (or square, if key set) tip of the center shaft, about the same diameter as the end of the center wheel arbor, and directly above it. To remove the cannon pinion from these movements requires a staking set. Support the top plate on a stump with a center hole large enough to let the end of the center shaft through. Then use a flat or slightly concave stake to gently drive the center shaft out until it is about even with the top of the cannon pinion. Remove the movement from the staking set and pull the loosened center shaft out from the top plate side. Remember when you do this, the cannon pinion will fall off, so be ready to catch it so it doesn't get lost. Reassembly is done by supporting the partially inserted center shaft in a concave stump and gently driving the cannon pinion onto the shaft with a round flat faced punch with a hole just large enough to pass the shaft of the cannon pinion through, so it will drive on the pinion gear on the base. This will friction fit both the center shaft to the inside of the hollow center wheel arbor and to the cannon pinion.

Ed Ueberall
NAWCC 49688
IHC Member 34
The Escapement

Hi Ed And John,
This is the cannon pinion removal tool i have,
I have a staking set which i can use to remove the pinion.
I have not used my staking set since i bought it, so this would be a good time to try it out and practice this job.
Thanks again guys.

IHC Member 261
Chapter 111,Ottawa
NAWCC Member 158976,
Nepean, Canada

Ed,

My thanks also for providing Kevin with an excellent reply!

John D. Duvall
Vice President, Education

Larry,
Take a hair from your head and thread it through the cannon pinion and install it back on the watch. Put the minute hand back on and see if it now moves. If it does, the cannon pinion needs to be tightened. Note, this hair thing is not a fix, only a test.
Brian C.

pwpartsetc@webtv.net