Having never serviced an Accutron watch before I was keen to do my research before getting in too deep. Dial off (improper dial screw on the right) Looking very tidy The work of a previous watchmaker was apparent as one screw was an ill fit and must have been a replacement. The dial is held in place by two small screws on the side of the movement. The dial and hands are in pretty good condition Next the movement was removed from the case. The battery cell is held in place with a ground strap and two retaining screws. Loosening the screws, I lifted the battery out and revealed a bit of corrosion from a previously failed cell. With the retaining ring removed, the case back came away from the case revealing the movement inside. It is due to the delicate nature of the Accutron movement that I didn’t even attempt this repair until several months after my father gave me the watch.ĭisassembly began by removing the threaded retaining ring from the case back. The finger, pawl, and index wheel in an Accutron are amazingly small. A mechanical watch’s timekeeping ability is regulated via the escapement (balance wheel, pallet fork, and escape wheel) while an Accutron’s timekeeping ability is derived from a vibrating tuning fork, a jeweled finger and pawl, and index wheel which converts the lateral motion of the fork into the rotary motion needed to drive the gear train. While a mechanical watch is powered by a mainspring, the Accutron is powered by a battery. The Accutron movement is completely different from a typical mechanical watch. A replacement battery confirmed my suspicion but soon after patting myself on the back for a job well done I noticed the minute and hour hands seemed to be stuck in place.Ī bit of research on the web brought to my attention a well known problem with Accutrons- the center wheel assembly is susceptible to oxidation (rust) which will cause it to seize the symptom of such a seizure is movement of only the sweep second hand. The watch no longer ran but being an electrically driven mechanical movement I figured on the battery having been long dead. The funny thing is that none of those tool watches have held up as well as the Accutron has over the years.Ī few months ago he gifted me the Accutron on account of my keen interest in horology. He wore it religiously but at some point in the 1990’s switched to wearing more robust tool watches. My father received this Accutron as a wedding gift from his parents about forty-five years ago.
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