Good Watch Repair Lengthens The Life Of Your Watch

Today in our disposable world, it is hard to imagine that there are actually people who repair watches. You see their shops primarily in larger shopping malls and they sell watches, clocks, batteries and sometimes jewelry. How do you know when you should have a watch repaired rather than replace it?

There are a few simple things to consider. Starting with, 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 repair person-just a few tweaks, and your watch may be as good as new. However, if your watch is more complicated, it may require being sent back to the factory.

A watch works in a very similar fashion as a clock. It can be powered by electricity or mechanically by winding them up once a day. Whether your watch is powered by electricity or mechanically, both types use the same system to turn the hands and to tell the time.

A watch has many different moving parts inside including the:

* Crown-which is used to change the time shown on the hands (also known as the stem).


* Anchor-a 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-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-is the part that keeps the time by rocking back and forth. It is 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 parts inside the watch that you can not see. You need to have experience in working in the watch repair area to be able to know which wheel does what and how to fix it.

Whether or not you have your watch fixed 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 truly treasures worth keeping and having repaired. 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 should depend on what the watch means to you. Personally, my great grandmother's watch is priceless to me and will be passed on for generations as a beautiful piece of antique jewelry/watch that will be worn for decades to come-it will also be taken to the watch repair shop.