In the modern world, it is not necessary to wear a watch on your hand, you can find out the time by looking at a mobile phone. However, to maintain a certain image and status, watches are worn as an indispensable accessory by both men and women. Someone prefers modern electronic gadgets, others adhere to the classic version. Sooner or later, there is a need to clean the mechanism. To do this, you need to know how to disassemble a watch yourself if you do not want to go to the master.
Where to start disassembling a mechanical watch?
First you need to prepare the tool: tweezers, a special screwdriver, a thin knife, a small stick, grease and a cotton swab. The initial stage in the question of how to disassemble a mechanical wristwatch is as follows:
- Dismantling the rear housing cover. It is done by prying it with a sharp knife, turning it until it comes out of the fixing grooves with tweezers or by unscrewing it by carving (depending on the design).
- Before you get the mechanism, you must lower the crown by pulling the locking dog with the crank to the extreme position. The mechanism is held with tweezers.
- Then the crown is disconnected. To do this, it is set to the arrow translation mode, after which the screw of the translation lever is loosened.
- Now you can get the mechanism.
- Having inserted a shaft into it, they check the degree of freedom of rotation of the wheel, the reliability of fastening the spiral and the drum.
The final stage
Now you need to start dismantling the dial and hands. Using tweezers, disconnect the second and minute hands. The dial is removed along with the clock, after which the dial mechanism, the gears are locked and the levers are locked correctly.
We learned how to disassemble a watch. It must be remembered that an important point is the disconnection of the bridge and the balance node. It is necessary to carefully unscrew the screw of the spiral column by a couple of turns, to separate the balance unit from the bridge base, making sure that it does not hang on the edge of the spiral.
Next, the anchor is removed, and all its wheels are disconnected. Inspection is carried out for clutch and the position of the teeth, gears, wheels. The drum also detaches and the condition of the winding spring mechanism is examined.
Dismantling a quartz watch
To know how to disassemble a quartz wristwatch, you need to remember that they are divided into several types:
- Analog models that have a switch mechanism, but receive power from the battery.
- Electronic variations with digital readings, powered by a small battery.
- A self-winding combination version that combines quartz and mechanics.
In any case, the initial actions are the same. First you need to remove the cover. It can be of three types:
- On the thread. Unscrewed counterclockwise with tweezers or a special device used by watchmakers.
- Slamming option. It has a special groove and protrusion, prying off with a sharp object, you can open it.
- Screw mount. Disassembled with a suitable screwdriver.
Having dealt with the cover, carefully replace the battery and close the case in the reverse order.
What do you need to know?
In order to know how to disassemble a watch, it is necessary to study the layout of all elements and parts. This is especially true for mechanical devices. A schematic representation of the inner filling is shown in the following photo.
Decoding scheme
Below the positions is the decoding of the numbers indicated on the diagram.
1 - balance | 9 - fork anchor mechanism | 17 - anchor wheel | 23 - intermediate wheel | 29 - drum roller | 35 - crown | 41 - its spring | 47 - hour hand |
2 - twin roller | 10 - axis of the fork anchor | 18 - through stone | 24 - his tribe | 30 - sword-shaped pad | 36 - his tribe | 42 - gear wheels | 48 minute pointer |
3 - balance axis | 11/12 - input / output flight | 19 - tribe | 25 - center wheel | 31 - drum wheel | 37 - watch roller | 43 - similarly | 49 - trib of the minute hand |
4, 5, 6 - invoice, through and impulse stone | 13 - spiral | 20 second wheel | 26 - his tribe | 32 - locking dog | 38 - translation lever | 44 - bill wheel | |
7 - spear | 14 - spiral block | 21 - his tribe | 27 - drum | 33 - retainer spring | 39 - its spring | 45 - his tribe | |
8 - restriction pins | 15, 16 - pins of the control thermometer | 22 - second hand | 28 - winding spring scroll | 34 - cam clutch | 40 - crank | 46 - hour wheel | |
Features
Disassembling watches of any type has three stages:
- Preparation of tools.
- Opening the lid.
- Work on the internal mechanism.
How to disassemble a watch with a battery? This issue is relevant for most consumers. This type of work is one of the most elementary. The determining factor here is the determination of the type of lid fixation. Then you just need to carefully replace the power element and repeat the procedure in the reverse order. Naturally, it is necessary to use a typical or suitable battery.
The most difficult thing is to cope with a mechanical device, since there are many different cogs, springs and miniature parts. Inside the electronic mechanism, one should not introduce oneself at all if there is no corresponding knowledge and experience.
Conclusion
If you know how to disassemble a self-winding watch, and the operation is successful, you should properly clean and lubricate the elements (applies to mechanics). To do this, the parts are washed in clean gasoline poured into a small container. The octane number in it should not exceed 20. First, parts that are larger are cleaned, then miniature elements.
After that, they should be blown out with a gentle stream of air, holding on weight with tweezers. The clock is assembled in the reverse order. It can be noted that the dismantling of such a complex mechanism will require attention and painstaking. Nevertheless, to carry out the procedure yourself is absolutely real.
Of course, you should not risk it if the watch is very expensive, and you have no experience in servicing it. In this case, you must entrust the accessory to an experienced watchmaker. A simple cleaning will not cost much. And if you need to replace a specific part, it will be even better to consult a specialist.