Posts Tagged ‘watch tools’
Maintaining a Family Heirloom
When my father passed away last year, my siblings and I had to go through the arduous process of dividing his assets according to the specifications in his will. Of all the items bequeathed to me, his watch that he wore during his bomber missions in WWII carried the most importance. The watch has been a family heirloom that his father passed on to him, and I am committed to keeping it in the family for years to come.
The watch hasn’t been used for several decades; needless to say, it was in need of some reconditioning. I certainly don’t want to wear the watch on a daily basis, but I would like to keep it functional. To that end, I recently purchased a set of watch repair tools and I have been meticulously making minor adjustments to improve its workings.
The Evolution of Watch Movements
Even if you only have a rudimentary understanding of watch movements, you can’t help but to be amazed with the precision and meticulous nature of the various mechanisms. There are several components that work in harmony to create the movements, including the power source, wheel train, escapement and oscillator. The wheels and other moving elements of the watch are mounted between two plates, designated as front and back.
The front plate is always circular, but there are three different types of back plates that are used. A full plate movement was utilized in the earliest watches and features a circular design. As the watch evolved, part of the back plate was eliminated from the design to make room for balances; this was referred to as the three-quarter plate movement. In modern watches, the back plate is actually a series of bars or smaller plates that allow for more movement, known as a bridge movement.