Re: Small regulator adjustment?

I use a piece of peg wood to tap the regulator. Figure with my ham hands and big thumbs it'll do less damage than a screwdriver.

Richard "from the peanut gallery" F

Jack Denver wrote:
Thanks so much for the tip - this is exactly the kind of hint I was hoping for. I had been pushing w/screwdriver in contact w/ regulator & using steady pressure until I saw a little movement, so I was wrong on 2 counts. Would not have occured to me to "tap" instead of "shove" as I assumed that tapping in this way would (not that it would make any difference on a watch of this quality) scratch the regulator. Anyway your tip will have to wait for the next watch as it turns out that this morning's regulation (done before the tip arrived) seems to have done the trick anyway, at least for the time being.

BTW, have any of you Oz fellows dealt with "Watchadoo" of Sydney?

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfrppZ25QQfrtsZ25QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsassZwatchadoo

I recently purchased a stainless bracelet from him and I was pleased for the price ($23 delivered).

Like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5011713992 (solid links held together with split pins)

but I see he also has a lot of watch components for sale as well (NOS crowns, casebacks, etc. for Omega, etc.) I suspect that you could use some of that stuff from time to time.



"Frank Adam" <fajp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1e2ge1lb8ifbki18q2g6mhc4g01lss1orr@xxxxxxxxxx

On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:05:45 -0400, "Jack Denver"
<nunuvyer@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


I have an Invicta with a Miyota movement which was running quite well. When
I first got it a couple of years ago I regulated it to a very good rate
after a few tries (by trial and error - no Vibrograph). Recently I decided
that it was running a little slow so I decide to give it a teeensy shove to
the + side. This set the watch maybe 10 or 15 secs fast/day. I then shoved
it back - now 10 or 15 secs/slow. And back again, now too fast, then back,
now too slow, etc. I'm moving the regulator as little as I can. Is there
some trick to moving the regulator an ultra-tiny amount?


If it's like the modern regulators with no tail on the balance bridge,
it is not easy. "shove" is not encouraging either. :)
One way is to just tap it with one of the larger screwdrivers.
No Jack, put the 2 feet long Stanley square blade down.. the 1.5mm
watch screwdriver will do fine. With that you have enough weight to
simply drop the screwdriver, or rather let it slide between your
fingers onto the regulator at an angle, from about a quarter of an
inch distance. That will shift the regulator ever so slightly.
Aim at the end of the regulator at an angle pointing away from the
balance, for obvious reasons.
You do not necessarily have to see the regulator move. Sometimes you
just have to believe that it must have, since you did push it.


I'm beginning to love the ETA micro-regulator more and more. It also
surprises me that the pocket watches of the 19th century had "patent
regulators" but that watches that were built yesterday don't have this
useful refinement.


With a Vibrograph this is not an issue. At worst, with very sensitive
hairsprings, we may spend 2-3 minutes getting it right instead of 1
minute. Finding a micro regulator in a watch is not going to make me
go and do a thanks giving dance around the fire.

--

Regards, Frank 



.

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