Thread: Lady Elgin Pocket Watch Restoration

Hello all

I'm relatively new to the world of watches, though I have always been interested in them thanks to my Dad. Recently I started reading about vintage pocket watches and information regarding them. I decided to take the plunge and attempt to restore one. I didn't want to start with a $100 Hamilton or Elgin so I was keeping my eyes out for something a little less expensive. I came across this old "Lady Elgin" for a good price and decided to pick it up. It was advertised as not working, which I was perfectly fine with. I figured if I couldn't fix it my first try (I didn't really expect to) I would at least learn more about how they operate and eventually get it working in the future.

Upon inspection when I got it home I gave it a few turns on the crown to wind the spring in the barrel to see if it would work, it didn't. Then I opened the case back to inspect a little more, as I was fidgeting with it I could see the balance wheel acting like it wanted to turn. So I gave it a slight "push" with a screwdriver and I saw that it wanted to turn. It would spring to the other side then stop again, after a few rounds of this it would go for a couple rotations then stop again. I tried adding a touch of oil to the jewel that the balance staff was resting in and gave the wheel another push, it ticked for even longer this time and came to a halt. So I wound it a little more, sat and kept pushing the balance wheel when it would stop, each time running a little longer. Just another touch of oil and I watched it turn for 5 minutes.

After this I fully wound it and let her go. After leaving it tick away for a couple hours I saw that it was still going so I set the time and walked away and would periodically check whenever I would walk past it on my desk. It ran for 24 hours and was ahead 4 minutes. I don't know about all you watch experts, but I was and still am happy about this only being +/- 4 minutes per day. For it being my attempt at a restore I was happy at how it all came together. It wasn't a difficult job and I didn't have to take it apart but I got my toes wet in the world of pocket watch restorations. I fully intend to disassemble it in the future and try my hand at cleaning the insides. I gave the case a light polish and and going to still keep track of how well it keeps time.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and attached are a few pictures. They aren't the best quality due to lighting not being the best and not having a magnifying glass at my apartment at school.

Regards,
Zac

That is pretty neat, Muskieman. Are you keeping it or is it going to be a Christmas gift? Also, I am curious about the name. It looks like a masculine watch.

Mechanical watches need periodic service. Usually with pocketwatches if you want them to run at peak efficiency and if they are used under average conditions 5-10 years is the magic time frame. You really didn't do a restoration. That would entail new face, hands case work. Fixing a non working watch is simply a repair. It's not like a straight razor.

Watches are made to be totally disassembled and that is what you should do to really learn how they work. For a device that is really a transmission and is pretty straight forward they can be very difficult to fix often times. usually the repair is simple, the diagnosis is the hard part. You should get a non working 16 or 18 sized watch with big parts and practice with that. The one you have is a quality piece but not much larger than a wrist watch.

Historically, many famous inventors started out fixing pocket watches as a kids. Henry Ford is a famous example.

Leatherstockiings, Thank you for the kind words! I didn't get it as a gift because I wasn't sure if I would be able to get it running or not. It was relatively cheap so if I couldn't fix it, I wasn't out that much money and I'd be learning in the process. Right now I plan on just keeping it for myself until I get the chance to really clean it well. I believe it is a ladies watch (of course because of the name which can be seen in the images) due to the small size of the piece.

thebigspendur, I know it technically wasn't a restoration, how about I call it a polish and oil? haha. I fully intend to restore it when I have all the necessary tools. I have access to a small set of screw drivers but the screws in this watch are even smaller than the screw drivers I have. Eventually I'd like to get it all disassembled and cleaned up in as close to "new" condition as I can. The reason I chose this watch is because as I mentioned it was very cheap and I thought my screw drivers would fit it. I plan on getting more watches in the future (bigger) but am tight on money at the moment and thought groceries for finals week is a little more important than getting a nice sized watch. Most of the larger Elgin, Hamilton, and Illinois are upwards of $50 and $100, the ones I see around town at least. Hopefully I'll be able to post more real restorations/cleanings in the future.

Thank you both for taking the time to reply!
Regards,
Zac

I don't know what part I played in you being interested in watches. Yes I like them and have a few but never crossed my mind to take one apart.
With the size of my hands and fingers I felt it would be a little difficult to concentrate on parts that are a thousand times smaller than what I work on now. Plus you throw in the fact that my vision isn't like it used to be would hamper me even more. Then throw in the fact that I couldn't hear it running might be an issue also.
I am sure getting it apart would be the easy part. Putting it back together, well that may be a little difficult!!
I admire you for taking an interest and taking the steps to take them apart.
Looks good!!

Ray

Thats a cheap common movement,any watchmaker can clean it and make run like new for cheap.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Thats a cheap common movement,any watchmaker can clean it and make run like new for cheap.

That's true if you have the tools. Some things you can improvise and some if you don't have can make life very difficult. usually you would change the seals and probably the mainspring which means you should have a mainspring winder which isn't required if you have the skill, it could be tricky. Then there are the supports once you disassemble the escapement into it's parts. Then there are the specialized lubricants. it all starts to get involved as you progress. There are places that sell used parts on the cheap and tools too. Every watchmaker who does vintage has literally hundreds of parts watches or more.

Pixel, I'm not just concerned about getting it running. I'm also interested in learning about repairs, how they operate, how to disassemble/reassemble, and its just something else for me to do when I have some free time. I've always enjoyed the ride in learning how to do things myself rather than paying someone else to do it. I also didn't want to start with an expensive movement to learn on either. Similarly, nobody would recommend restoring a Wade & Butcher FBU or a Dubl Duck on a first restoration attempt.

BigSpendur, Watches for parts will eventually come as needed. This is just a stepping stone to learning all the intricacies of watches.

Thanks for the comments and input gentlemen.

Originally Posted by MuskieMan33

Pixel, I'm not just concerned about getting it running. I'm also interested in learning about repairs, how they operate, how to disassemble/reassemble, and its just something else for me to do when I have some free time. I've always enjoyed the ride in learning how to do things myself rather than paying someone else to do it. I also didn't want to start with an expensive movement to learn on either. Similarly, nobody would recommend restoring a Wade & Butcher FBU or a Dubl Duck on a first restoration attempt.

BigSpendur, Watches for parts will eventually come as needed. This is just a stepping stone to learning all the intricacies of watches.

Thanks for the comments and input gentlemen.

Than Join the NAWCC,all you will ever need to know is there.