marc_wl
February 26th, 2006, 20:26
In the past weeks I accumulated a dozen of vintage French simple watches found a the regular flea market in Lyon , France (3 to 10 Euros). It was more as a stock for practise of watchmaking. Most of the watches are in wreck condition and the balance wheel pivots are usually broken, in particular on non-protected one.
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/8024/epaves5yn.jpg
They are popular watches from the 50's and early 60's I guess. I acquired also some lots of parts clearly of the same period.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/792/pieces1vd.jpg
Yesterday, I choose one of these watches for a restoration project : Erosa, Ancre 17 rubis, Antichoc...May be one of these obscure French brands of that time. The case is round (34 mm diameter, 36.7 including the crown, 41 mm to the lugs) and quite slim (8.5 mm), with a stainless screwed case back without any indications or numbers.
Let's see what is inside : Apparently a 23.3 mm caliber, a standard size of that time. On the main plate I recognized the "MHS" mark and a "P62" under the balance wheel. MHS (Maison Horlogère de Savoie) if I am not wrong, located in Annemasse, France next to Geneva. P62...let's check our parts, would be funny to have something related to...and that's the case!! A nice little boxe with some parts, screws, balance wheels, springs, clicks, etc...:-p
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/5263/erosa002r1ka.jpg
OK, this is the first time I can service a watch with parts available at home!
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/3954/erosa004r0eo.jpg
I could change the ratchet screw which a bit damaged and I should find a stem bar that broke upon dismount.
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/2103/erosa003r6oi.jpg
Once dismounted, straight to the bath of benzine :
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/985/erosa005r9vy.jpg
After carefully wach and drying, I made a detailled inspection :
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/3301/erosa006r6qe.jpg
The train wheels
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/302/erosa007r7qb.jpg
A nicely equilibrated balance wheel.
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/4952/erosa008r0pa.jpg
The mainspring.
After a small inventory of my parts, I found a compatible stem :
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/9979/erosa009r3ix.jpg
That fit properly to the caliber. I could re-use the original crown that I could unscrew from the broken stem.
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/4076/erosa010r2nc.jpg
After remounting the stem mecanism, the antichoc jewels are reassembled, their spring armed, and properly oiled (the oild drop should be injected to the lower stone by capillarity and a thin pin)
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/4681/erosa014r6ta.jpg
The cannon pinion is installed after the remount of the central wheel :
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/9642/erosa015r4mk.jpg
Then the complete train wheel is remounted :
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/4300/erosa011r7eg.jpg
and the caliber completed starts spontaneously after 1 turn and half :-p
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1888/erosa012r0rj.jpg
A nice little caliber with a good finish. I leave it overnight functionning to set the oils.
The last step is to returm the caliber to the case and the dial. In my part stock, I noticed some hands that would fit to the MHS P62 :
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/4430/erosa0226mu.jpg
"Golden yellow with red arrow cental second hand"...Humm... would be a nice little adaptation instead of the straight golden original one :-p. The slim case will not leave this hand without touching the acrylic crystal (which I change for a new 297 mm one from my local retailer)
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6871/erosa019r0ud.jpg
I should curve it a bit before the final casing.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7908/erosa020r4sb.jpg
Now the final result :
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/4062/erosa017r8jp.jpg
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/650/erosa018r9am.jpg
And with my 3 other restorations of the same kind :
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/7481/erosa016r9ig.jpg
The Relliac is fitted with a French Cupillard (Villers-le-Lac, Haut-Doubt, France) 233 calibre and the Golday with an Alfred Schild (Gruen, Switzerland) 1187/94.
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/8024/epaves5yn.jpg
They are popular watches from the 50's and early 60's I guess. I acquired also some lots of parts clearly of the same period.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/792/pieces1vd.jpg
Yesterday, I choose one of these watches for a restoration project : Erosa, Ancre 17 rubis, Antichoc...May be one of these obscure French brands of that time. The case is round (34 mm diameter, 36.7 including the crown, 41 mm to the lugs) and quite slim (8.5 mm), with a stainless screwed case back without any indications or numbers.
Let's see what is inside : Apparently a 23.3 mm caliber, a standard size of that time. On the main plate I recognized the "MHS" mark and a "P62" under the balance wheel. MHS (Maison Horlogère de Savoie) if I am not wrong, located in Annemasse, France next to Geneva. P62...let's check our parts, would be funny to have something related to...and that's the case!! A nice little boxe with some parts, screws, balance wheels, springs, clicks, etc...:-p
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/5263/erosa002r1ka.jpg
OK, this is the first time I can service a watch with parts available at home!
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/3954/erosa004r0eo.jpg
I could change the ratchet screw which a bit damaged and I should find a stem bar that broke upon dismount.
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/2103/erosa003r6oi.jpg
Once dismounted, straight to the bath of benzine :
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/985/erosa005r9vy.jpg
After carefully wach and drying, I made a detailled inspection :
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/3301/erosa006r6qe.jpg
The train wheels
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/302/erosa007r7qb.jpg
A nicely equilibrated balance wheel.
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/4952/erosa008r0pa.jpg
The mainspring.
After a small inventory of my parts, I found a compatible stem :
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/9979/erosa009r3ix.jpg
That fit properly to the caliber. I could re-use the original crown that I could unscrew from the broken stem.
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/4076/erosa010r2nc.jpg
After remounting the stem mecanism, the antichoc jewels are reassembled, their spring armed, and properly oiled (the oild drop should be injected to the lower stone by capillarity and a thin pin)
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/4681/erosa014r6ta.jpg
The cannon pinion is installed after the remount of the central wheel :
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/9642/erosa015r4mk.jpg
Then the complete train wheel is remounted :
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/4300/erosa011r7eg.jpg
and the caliber completed starts spontaneously after 1 turn and half :-p
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1888/erosa012r0rj.jpg
A nice little caliber with a good finish. I leave it overnight functionning to set the oils.
The last step is to returm the caliber to the case and the dial. In my part stock, I noticed some hands that would fit to the MHS P62 :
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/4430/erosa0226mu.jpg
"Golden yellow with red arrow cental second hand"...Humm... would be a nice little adaptation instead of the straight golden original one :-p. The slim case will not leave this hand without touching the acrylic crystal (which I change for a new 297 mm one from my local retailer)
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6871/erosa019r0ud.jpg
I should curve it a bit before the final casing.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7908/erosa020r4sb.jpg
Now the final result :
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/4062/erosa017r8jp.jpg
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/650/erosa018r9am.jpg
And with my 3 other restorations of the same kind :
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/7481/erosa016r9ig.jpg
The Relliac is fitted with a French Cupillard (Villers-le-Lac, Haut-Doubt, France) 233 calibre and the Golday with an Alfred Schild (Gruen, Switzerland) 1187/94.