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In
today's disposable world, it's hard to imagine that there are actually
people who perform watch repair. You can find their shops or kiosks
primarily in larger shopping malls, and in addition to repairing watches
they also sell watches, clocks, batteries and sometimes jewelry. How do
you know when you should have a watch repaired, instead of replacing
it with a new one? There
are a few simple matters to consider. First, what is wrong with the
watch? Is it simply running too fast or too slow? That might just
be a simple adjustment for a watch repairer-just a few tweaks, and
your watch should be good as new. However, if yours is a more complicated
mechanical watch, it may require being sent back to the factory for
repair. A watch
functions in a very similar manner as a clock. It can be powered by
electricity or mechanically by winding them up once a day. Whether
powered by electrically or mechanically, both versions use the same
system to turn the hands and tell the time. Watches
have several internal moving parts, including: •
Crown - used to change the time shown on the hands (also known
as the stem). •
Anchor - tiny arm that attaches the escape wheel to the hairspring
inside the balance wheel. •
Escape wheel - has special teeth that are held and then released
by the anchor-this makes all the wheels move and relaxes the coil
in the barrel wheel very slightly each time. •
Third wheel - the center wheel and fourth wheel are connected
by this wheel. •
Fourth wheel - connects the escape wheel to the third wheel. •
Barrel wheel - holds a coil that is tightened when the crown
is wound. •
Balance wheel - this wheel does not have teeth - it holds the
hairspring. •
Hairspring - the part that keeps the time by rocking back and
forth. It's kept moving by being pulled on the coil in the barrel
wheel. •
Center wheel - connects the clock mechanism to the hands. •
Winder - connects the crown to the barrel wheel. •
Finger wheels - gears that are moved by the center wheel-they
slow that movement down so that the hour hand moves twelve times slower
than the minute hand. It is
any wonder you do not see watch repair shops everywhere! And these
are only the watches internal parts that you cannot see. You need
to have extensive experience working as a watch repair specialist
to be able to know which wheel does what and how to repair it when
necessary. Whether
or not you have your malfunctioning watch repaired depends upon your
attachment to it. An antique hand-wound watch that belonged to your
grandmother or a pocket watch that belonged to your grandfather are
valuable personal treasures worth keeping and having repaired. While
the inexpensive watch you purchased at a local retail store might
cost more to repair than to replace. The bottom
line is that whether or not you have a watch repaired depends on what
that watch means to you. |
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