Does any-one regulate their own watches

[mercurio]

After catching the bug here I find myself with quite a number of mechanical watches. (aka more than any person with only two wrists will ever need). I try to wear them in rotation but I have a couple where the accuracy is just not good enough. I have a timegrapher and for me the difference between acceptable and not acceptable is about plus or minus 30 seconds. I appreciate the correct course is to send for cleaning and service but wonder if there is any point trying to regulate them myself as a quick fix.
I wouldn’t do it on an expensive watch but wonder if others have tried. There are loads of YouTube videos and the concept appears clear.
Currently my experience is limited to changing straps and replacing a damaged stem.


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[walkerwek1958]

The performance of a watch in need of service can be improved by regulating, but it's a bit hit and miss. You'll never get a watch to run consistently if it's in need of service, but it depends how badly it's running too. A couple of mine need servicing, they're only used very occasionally so I`ve regulated them to give reasonable performance till I get around to working on them.

A Timegrapher's a really useful piece of kit, trying to regulate a watch without one is difficult to say the least.

Paul

[Carl.1]

Luckily i am happy with my watches so have not tinkered there.

I do have an old Ingersoll pocket watch though that was very stop start. Being the clever chap that i am i did the decent thing and sprayed it with WD40 which made a marked difference as it then kept running and over two weeks i regulated it and it now runs at +20 seconds a day. Fantastic, i am considering becoming a watchmaker.

[alfat33]

Luckily i am happy with my watches so have not tinkered there.

I do have an old Ingersoll pocket watch though that was very stop start. Being the clever chap that i am i did the decent thing and sprayed it with WD40 which made a marked difference as it then kept running and over two weeks i regulated it and it now runs at +20 seconds a day. Fantastic, i am considering becoming a watchmaker.

Using WD40 on a watch - brave...

Posting that insight where Paul can see it - braver... ;).

It must have been pretty bad before. Just watch out for it seeping around the watch over the next few weeks, maybe onto parts that are currently clean, maybe onto the dial. WD40 is bad for that as it is designed to use capillary action to penetrate tight joints etc.

Sorry if I’m teaching you to suck eggs. I confess, I did use WD40 on a worthless clock movement that was rusted once. And it does now run+/- 10 minutes per day

[Seiko7A38]

Using WD40 on a watch - brave...

WD40's great for freeing up seized pushers (on an empty watch case) ....
Did it only the other day, as it happens.

[walkerwek1958]

I use penetrating oil to get stuff apart, but spraying WD40 or similar into the back of a watch is an act of folly. It's likely to get onto the dial and hands and that won`t be pretty, really isn`t a clever thing to do. If it gets inside the spring barrel it'll rinse the grease out and make a mess, I`ve had watches sent to me with enough oil swimming around to fry chips in and it's probably a result of tricks like this.

[alfat33]

WD40's great for freeing up seized pushers (on an empty watch case) ....
Did it only the other day, as it happens.

We can agree on that - nicely done. Quite good for cleaning up an old case as well (movement removed first!).

I have also used tiny amounts to clean a dial that had a bit of oily corrosion ok it, just a hint on 000 paintbrush and regularly dabbing with Rodico.

[murkeywaters]

I love to regulate my watches but they have to run consistently to make it worth it, my 2254 was a constant -6 sec a day it’s now -0.6 consistently everyday, if it starts to waver a lot from this then it’s time for a service...


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[Carl.1]

Well the WD40'd pocket watch is still running well with no issues so for that use i say a total success.

Mind you, the Ingersoll pocket watch is a 1950's cheapie special much like the cheap Smiths ones out there so i was not concerned about it overly. If it were a watch i cared about then i wouldn't have done it.
However i am now intrigued to see how it does over time.

I originally WD40'd it about 4 or 5 months ago and today have had it ticking away in my pocket. Still running well and no bleed out of the stuff so for an old pocket watch that i was not going to spend any money on it was a good idea. Especially as i was clearing a blockage in my drains to the cess and i was not even going to wear a watch on my wrist in case of an errant splash. The pocket watch is now back in the game.

[alfat33]

Well the WD40'd pocket watch is still running well with no issues so for that use i say a total success...The pocket watch is now back in the game.

Good to hear that, long may it run

[walkerwek1958]

I love to regulate my watches but they have to run consistently to make it worth it, my 2254 was a constant -6 sec a day it’s now -0.6 consistently everyday, if it starts to waver a lot from this then it’s time for a service...

Ahh................regulating an ETA 2892 (aka Omega 1120) is relatively easy.......one division on the regulator scale = 6 seconds( ish)..........not a lot of people know that!

[murkeywaters]

Ahh................regulating an ETA 2892 (aka Omega 1120) is relatively easy.......one division on the regulator scale = 6 seconds( ish)..........not a lot of people know that!

Thats right Paul, although the only thing that concerns me a little is the adjustment screw is about two notches to the left + side, is this normal?

This leads me onto a question I was going to ask, if your watch was 15/20sec consistently slow everyday and the adjustment screw was in the centre position or slightly to the + side, what effect would it have on the watch if you pushed it to 0.0 sec a day?

[walkerwek1958]

Position of the regulator screw is somewhat irrelevent, when setting up a 2892 after service I set the screw to the central position and adjust the regulator itself. This needs a timegrapher and a steady hand. I set the watch this way to give a very slight gain around +3, then let it run for 4-5 days to settle down. The fine regulator screw should only need moving by around half a division to fine- tune the rate.

I would NOT recommend messing with the regulator itself without a timegrapher, confine your efforts to moving the screw.

Ideally, the watch should be set up with the regulator screw central ( or v. close) but if the watch needs servicing someone may have messed with it to compensate for a change in rate. I don’t like to see the screw anywhere near the extremes, that always suggests that someone’s messed with it.

Paul

[Bannon]

Are gasket replacement(s) and WR pressure testing also involved when performing DIY regulation?

[Carl.1]

Are gasket replacement(s) and WR pressure testing also involved when performing DIY regulation?

Well they are if you do them!

[trott3r]

Regulated two watches 1 success another damaged spring.

[wild84]

I did try to regulate (cheap) watches with a microphone and the app "kello". However this was very unsuccessful, probably owed to the mic, I built from parts. I never tried on a more expensive watch. I think there is some android app and a clip-on mic set out there. No idea though if it is any good.

[khumzi]

Yes, I fine-tune some of my watches - the cheaper ones I can’t justify sending to my watchmaker. The changes are usually very small and anything beyond the range of the regulator means it needs a service or proper adjustment. I plan to develop some skills so that I can do at least a disassembly, clean and rebuild. Messing with the curve and attitude of the hairspring, etc, are way beyond me at the moment. There’s a clock group near to where I live and hopefully come autumn I’ll do a course with them, if not at Epping too.

[huytonman]

I have only regulated recently serviced or new watches which whilst "in spec" dont meet my particular needs especially if they are losing time which really annoys me. This applies to watches with the capability to adjust the main spring length and only using a Timegrapher (dont bother with apps for this its a waste of time and can lead you to a worse than dead end..I know thats how I learned the hard way). The exception to the self regulator situations are watches such as Rolex that have free sprung balances and are way outside of my feeble skills. If Steven Burridge hadnt retired I wouldnt bother, he was very good and charged pennies for his work.
Keith