This Roamer dress watch didn’t run and the crystal was in pretty bad shape. The movement is an MST 424, hand winder with 17 jewels. I suspected there was a problem with the endshake of the pallets or the balance staff. Just in case I needed parts, the owner managed to secure a donor movement and sent it to me. I’d date this Roamer to the 1950s.
Disassembly
I remove the power from the mainspring to protect the escapement from damage later on. Then I remove the balance and the pallets and store them safely. It’s a good idea to flip the movement and remove the cannon pinion at this point. Otherwise, you’ll get into trouble later when you want the lift the center wheel.
After that, I remove the ratchet wheel, the crown wheel with its shim, and the barrel bridge.
Then it’s time to remove the wheel train bridge, the wheels, and the main barrel. That leaves this side of the movement completely empty.
I flip the movement and start to strip the dial side. First, the motion works and then the keyless works. It’s always a good plan to pre-clean the movement. You use a peg wood to clean the bearing jewels on both sides of the movement. You can also use the peg wood to clean the pallet stones and the horn of the pallets. This will loosen any hardened lubrication and it will get much cleaner in the watch cleaning machine. That will improve the amplitude and therefore the accuracy.
Assembly
I start with the main barrel. The mainspring is lubricated with Moebius 8200. The arbors are lubricated with A tiny bit of Moebius hp1300. Then I put the wheels back where they belong and fit the wheel train bridge. The bearing jewels are lubricated with Moebius 9010 except for the center wheel. I use hp1300 for that.
After that, I put back the barrel bridge, the crown wheel, and the ratchet wheel. Then, it’s time to flip the movement again and reassemble the motion works and the keyless works.
I lubricate the exit stone of the pallets and put it back. Finally, I replace the balance and enjoy seeing the watch coming back to life. I lift the Incabloc jewel holes and capstones and clean them in One dip. Afterward, I lubricate the capstones with Moebius 9010 and put everything back where it belongs.
Did you enjoy the article? Share it all you want with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Google +
