Wheely Fortunate...

In all honesty, this watch has not, as yet, presented all that many challenges. This is perfectly typified by these three wheels that, aside from irreversible cosmetic damage (unless I risked sanding or burninshing the surfaces, which, for reasons I will soon explain, I'm not going to)are perfectly functional and remarkably undamaged.

The two brass wheels - the centre and third wheel (large = centre, small = third) - were both slightly out of true (that means that, when spinning in the watch, they are not completely flat) and so needed 'truing'.

For this task I used a BHT Trupoise: a specially designed tool for the truing of bent wheels, the Trupoise is, regrettably, no longer manufactured by BHT or, for that matter, anyone else. I am yet to make one of my own (it's a bloody laborious process) but I might get round to it if I can't get my hands on a proper one before the end of the year.

The escape wheel (that's the silver one at the top there) is made from hardened steel and in pretty amazing condition considering it's job is to withold the stored power of the mainspring back until the balance wheel - kept vibrating by the hairspring (or balance spring) - gives impulse to the pallet, which in turn allows the escape wheel to release the gear train.

In short, for a part charged with so much stress, it has weathered its circa 100 years well.

As promised, I will explain why I don't think refinishing the surfaces of these wheels is worth the hassle. There are wo main reasons: the first is, very simply, a lack of asthetic necessity (both brass wheels are hidden by the 3/4 bridge I have just refinished with a perlage design), and secondly, if I ballsed it up, I would be royally screwed.

Making wheels is a difficult process that requires a 'dividing head' and a super-powerful lathe. I have access to the second, but the dividing head fitted to the available machine is a fiddly, bastard of a thing with no instruction manual.

So I don't want to get into wheel making until I have a competent master to show me the way.

For now, I'm more than happy to let these wheels stay as thay are. As long as they do their job and run the watch onceeverthing else is repaired/refurbished, I cannot ask of them any more.


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