I bought this Roamer on eBay to restore. I don’t do that as much as I used to but I still like to have a project watch to work on every now and then.
Like most Roamer watches, it has an in-house movement. This particular watch is powered by the MST 414 movement which has a micro regulator so it can be regulated very accurately.
The movement, the ‘R-logo’, and the fact that the case back has the Swiss cross and 4 patent numbers indicate that the watch is from 1966.
If you look closely, you’ll also see “Pm” just right of the number 6 on the chapter ring. That stands for Promethium, a lume that they used in the 1960s after they stopped using Radium and before they started using Tritium.
The winding of the crown was difficult and the crystal was damaged. The watch did run, but it needed to be serviced and regulated.
Disassembly
Make sure to remove all the power from the mainspring before you start working on a movement. This is to prevent damaging the escapement while working on the wheel train.
Move the click away from the ratchet wheel while slowly letting the crown slip between your thumb and index finger. Don’t let it snap because that might damage the mainspring.
Lift the balance and the pallets and store them somewhere safe.
Turn the movement around and remove the cannon pinion. You can’t lift the center wheel later if you don’t remove the cannon pinion at this stage.
Remove the ratchet wheel and the crown wheel (reverse-fretted screw) and lift the barrel bridge.
Lift the wheel-train bridge and remove the escape wheel, the third wheel, the center seconds wheel, and the mainspring barrel.
Remove the center wheel cock and lift the center wheel.
Flip the movement around and start with the bottom plate.
As you can see, there’s a lot of old grease in the keyless works, especially on the set lever spring and the return bar. I cleaned as much as possible with peg wood.
Remove the motion works and the keyless works.
Don’t forget the KIF Duofix of the escape wheel. It’s technically not a shock protection system, just a cap jewel with a spring to hold it in place. Gently hold down the spring with a peg wood when you remove it because it will fly across the room if you don’t.
Pre-clean the pivot holes and bearing jewels with peg wood.
Clean all the parts in the watch cleaning machine.
Assembly
First of all, lubricate the cap jewel of the KIF Duofix and reinstall it with the spring.
Fit the center wheel, the center-wheel cock, and the mainspring barrel.
Place the third wheel, the center seconds wheel, and the escape wheel in position. Install the wheel train bridge.
Install the barrel bridge, the crown wheel, and the ratchet wheel. Don’t forget the bushing for the crown wheel.
Turn the movement around and fit the motion works and the keyless works.
Flip the movement to the top plate and reinstall the pallets (give the watch a few winds so you can check the working of the pallets). When you place the balance, the movement should come alive.
Now it’s time to remove the Incabloc chatons and capstones. Use peg wood to clean the capstone before you clean it with One Dip or something similar. Lubricate the capstones and reassemble the shock protection system on both sides of the movement.
Place the hour wheel and washer in position, fit the dial and continue with casing the movement. I fitted a new top glass because the old crystal was too damaged.
There was a lot of dirt and grease around the tube and inside the crown. I used peg wood and an old toothbrush to remove most of it and then I cleaned them in the ultrasonic cleaner.
I slightly lubricated the tube with KT-22 grease and the crown works very smoothly again.
What do you think of this Roamer? Do you have a similar one? Let me know in the comments below.
hi hav a roamer ladies/small gents not sure it is 17 jewells it has rw above the name on face having a haed job dating it
Hi, please send some pictures of the movement inside to info@wahawatches.com
Buenas, me gustaría mandar una foto de un roamer ( de mi abuelo) el cual por más que busco por Internet no encuentro pistas de él. Agradecería a alguien que se ponga en contacto con migo : rafaelvaldesestudillo@live.com y le mando fotos, por si puede ayudarme. Gracias
Hi, I’ve sent you an email.
what a nice article! Recently I am the happy owner of a brand new New Old Stock Roamer MST 414 ref18048 (1960 ??) and I like it 🙂
Thanks, Marco. Wear it in good health. Feel free to send some pics to info@wahawatches.com
I have a roamer watch 17 jewel MST 414 when was anfibio made it is waterproof does not say Brevete’ though what price range for them?
I’m sorry, but we don’t value watches. You’ll get a good idea of the price range if you try and find some similar sold watches on eBay.
It’s fascinating to see this process of disassembly. Thanks a lot, Melvin. I have a 414 that’s quite similar to your example, except for the logo, which is a golden metal applied piece with RW printed above in black. I suspect the hours and seconds hands in my example are aftermarket.
I’ll follow your site for more information. Love the attention to detail!
I don’t have a similar one, but I wouldn’t hesitate to add one to the collection. Alas, I am afraid I am not as talented as you and could not purchase and restore. 🙂
Great job by the way…. what is the width of this watch? Always love the wrist shot too…
Thanks for the kind words, Bob. Though I’m not extraordinarily talented and I’m sure you could do it too.
This Roamer is 33 mm without the crown.
Interesting. i am going to look for a similat one here in Switzerland. What price range are these watches?
Hi, I bought it for $35 but it needed some work. The case, dial, and hands are in excellent condition and the movement is running very well after the service. The plating on the side of the top left lug is a bit worn though.