Week 30 Feb. 14-19, 2011

Holy cow, 30 weeks doing this already. Seems like I could've accomplished a lot more. I suppose I didn't originally have a CAD program or plan to make my own mainplate so maybe it's more like 20-25 weeks realistically. But anyways here's the scoop on last week.

I actually didn't do a hell of a lot. I started the week in hopes of making the balance staffs needed for the W-01 and the AMS1. I finished one for each. I will still need to make another one for the AMS1 but for now it is fine. I will use the first one to rivet to a test balance wheel so I can do all the testing without using the nicely decorated balance wheel I plan to use.

Just to test the staff I made, I glued it to a temporary balance wheel. The staff was just the right length at the extra 0.18mm I had calculated. In these first two pics I was just testing the staff to see if the pivots fit and if it was the right length.

Not the nice balance wheel like the one with the screws...

Next I riveted the balance staff for the W-01 onto the nice balance wheel. The screws are for regulating the watch. This is also the underside of the wheel.

Next I started making the spring clamp. Usually there is a stud that holds the one end of the hairspring with either a pin or shellac. But this design is a little more solid and suits a Breguet overcoil design a little better. Note: a Breguet overcoil is just a different shape of the end of a hairspring to aid the center of gravity of the spring. Normally a hairspring only expands and contracts one way because of its shape. But the overcoil reduces this effect creating a better timing between the 6 different positions (crown up, left, right, down, dial up & down).

Here you can see different shapes of overcoils, depending on the radius of the end point. I chose the one circled in red. We have to bend the spring by hand in the air. I'm sure it won't be easy...

So anyways, the design is pretty simple for the clamp. Just a disc that has a flat face on one side, with a steel piece screwed on creating a clamp. This is the underside....

The spring will go into the spot indicated by the green arrow. Please forgive my horrific attempt to free hand draw a hairspring in photoshop hahahaha. More info on balance springs here.

I had to drill and mill holes in the bridge to fit the screws. These are some of the smallest screws I've had to make. The head is 0.60mm, thread 0.50mm and the length is only 0.80mm. The one for the clamp is really small as well. I think I will be making all the screws blue.

The end of the screws will be polished so you will just see two circles. The top of the clamp will also be flat polished.

Here you can see what it will sorta look like with the pallet fork bridge and balance wheel. Very simple design but nice I think.

I think I will try to leave the arms of the balance in this position. That way it won't block anything from view when the watch isn't running (not like that'll really matter, but still).

As for next week I will be finishing the bridges and hopefully bending the spring to get the watch working! See ya