Dismounting a watch for the first time, without an external help or a teacher, could be very risky for the watch. No way to train on a rare one, even if it was not expensive. I should find somewhere a sort of "designed victim", ugly enough to be sacrified!!
Funny hunting mission indeed to find a simple mechanical watch, as ugly as possible - but functional - without any complications even not a dato would be preferable.
Since the outcome of this story was very happy (I want reassure you), this watch legitimately included my little personnal collection and is likely even one of my preferred watch now!!!
In the "Quartier Auguste Comte" of Lyon (a place devoted to antics) by a cold saturday end of afternoon, I spotted a small shop specialized in vintage military medails, emblems, watches and knife (it closed a few weeks after). Let's have a look. Humm.. not so cheap My Dear. I inspected a series of vintage watches, not very well presented...60 Euros on average. My attention was retained by a really ugly Raketa, wearing a "25 Euros" label. It's a Russian (USSR) watch of the seventies, likely imported to France from USSR during the pre-quartz period.
"Well, I admitted that this watch is horrible, but I can garantee that it is functionnal", said the owner. I negociated the "thing" to 20 Euros. Still a lot...
On the way back, I got 3 other watches "to be restored" for 30 Euros : 2 Frenches and one Swiss, on another shop. There is also a fantastic specialist of antic clocks and watches located rue des remparts d'Ainay. I discussed later, on another occasion, with the owner. He sold to me two pocket watches for training too. He has incredible specimens, well restored (1 year garantee), Jaeger, Lip, Yema, Omega... The price are according their very nice condition.
Once returned home, I had a look to the interior of this Raketa victim.
The vendor was right, the Raketa 2309HA caliber is preserved and clean! What a contrast with the external condition full a painting, even trace of concrete! Its a rough finish but these movement are amazingly resistant. It has a shock protection of the balance pivots that are the firts to brake in case of shocks. This the most common problem on shipwrecked watches you could find at flea-markets.
The atch disassembly
OK. We known how to uncase the movement, but let's now go a bit further and remove the hands. This step required a specific tools to properly lift the hands. It sould be done for all hands and the same time not to damage the lower one. set the watch with the hands superimposed, protect teh dial with a paper or a palstic film before lifting t he hand set.
The dial can be now removed from the main plate by unscrewing 2 small radial screws.
Before proceeding further, the best is to take notes or picture of the assembled movement. This will helpfull for remounting the complicated parts, especially the stem mechanism.
Not difficulties here. I just followed what is indicated on the "horlogerie suisse" web site which is my reference.
May just the most important thing absolutely mandatory before any dismount :
DISCHARGE THE MAIN SPRING by rewind a bit the stem, block the click with a wood pick or so, accompagny the main back to zero force.
Once done this are more risks? We can remove the balance wheel+ cock + spiral at once.
Remove the palett bridge and the pallet (the "anchor"), the main bridge, the train wheel, etc...
Here is the naked main plate with the balance remounted temporally for the cleaning in benzine ("essence F" , may be the "C" would be better...).
And the fully set of parts in a tray :
ready for washing.
The main plate, wheel, the shock protecting stones, the bridges were washed in addition in a aqueous detergent overnight after the "essence F" degreasing. The mainspring, the palet lever, the balance wheel + cock + spiral hairspring were only cleaned with "essence F". They would not resist to the detergent. I choose "Oxydrine" detergent diluted to 1/8 in water. It's very efficient for preparing old paintings before the new one. Old solidified oils and sticky rest of grease are incredibly well dissolved. The parts were rinced with water 3 times, finishing by distillated water, before drying individually using a Bergeon baloon.
Independently the crystal is removed, the case and the case back were washed overnight with Oxydrine and rinced. Ultra-sonication could help for this aqueous treatment. The case was then polished using microfiber clothes. I bought a new acrylic cristal from my neighbor watchmaker (he just needs the eaxct diameter, precise to the 1/10 mm). The diaaaaashould never be touched at all, worse washed! They are cosidered as very fragile. We never known the resistance of the inprinted marks.
During that stage, I became more familiar with the part manipulation with the brucelle, anticipated the remount by taking pictures, inspected all parts after drying with the controlling loupe. I lost the pallet lever by accident (it just flied like a living insect at the tip of the brucelle!!!), and spent more than 1 hours to recover it on the floor... idem for two screws. Recovered too.
After this training, I known better how to take a screw, a small spring, with the brucelle and I have a complete clean dismounted movement.
The next step is the complete reassembly and oiling...
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