Watch Adjustment

←
← Hide all sections
← Show all sections

Watch adjustment is the process of correcting those errors in the watch that cause variation in time keeping. These include
temperature influences, variation in driving power and position of the watch with respect to mechanism such as pendant up or
dial up.

Contents
← 1Unadjusted
← 2Adjustment
← 3Temperature Compensated Balance (wheel)
← 4Adjustment to Temperature
← 5Adjustment to Position
← 6Adjustment to Isochronism
← 7Adjusted Extra or Special Adjusted
← 8Private Label Adjustment
← 9Adjusted By Retailer
← 10References and Footnotes

Unadjusted
Unadjusted movements are those for which no effort has been made to adjust the watch to temperature or position. Or, no
provision has been made to allow for these adjustments. Whatever variation in the timekeeping rate results from a change in
temperature, or the position in which the watch is carried, exists as a result of the way that the particular watch was built. This
has to be accepted as the best that watch the can do. Fortunately, just about all of the mass-produced, jeweled, American,
unadjusted watches could keep time within a few minutes a day.

A lack of the marking "Adjusted" is significant. Although the term is vague and may mean anything from adjustment only to
temperature, to adjustment to temperature, isochronism and six positions, and although some companies avoided higher duties
on imported movements by not marking a movement "Adjusted," the lack of the marking generally indicates a lower grade
movement.
Adjustment
Movements that are marked to be "Adjusted" may have a variety, or combination, of features. One has to read the catalog
description for any given movement grade to discover just what level of adjustment is being claimed. High grade watches built
after 1905-1908 may be marked with specific adjustments. This is especially true for watches intended for use in railroad time
service. The balance (wheel), the wheel that spins back and forth rapidly is the device that sets the timekeeping rate of the
watch. The purpose of all of the features for an adjusted watch is to keep the balance (wheel), as nearly as possible, oscillating
at a consistent rate. The consistency of the rate of oscillation of the balance (wheel) thus determines the timekeeping quality of
the watch.
Temperature Compensated Balance (wheel)
A balance (wheel) that is temperature compensated has the rim made of two dissimilar metals. There are usually two arms
(spokes) from the hub supporting the rim and there is a slot cut in the rim just past each arm. This forms two rim segments
having one end supported by the arm and the far end free to move. These slots, and the two colors of metal in the rim, are
identifying characteristics. As the temperature increases, lessening the power of the hairspring - the spring coiled inside of the
balance (wheel) - the far ends of the rim segments deflect inward. As temperature decreases, the segment ends relax, moving
outward, as the hairspring strength increases. The action is much like an inexpensive thermostat in the home. This movement
of the rim segments changes the moment of inertia of the balance (wheel), compensating for the alteration in the hairspring
strength.
Adjustment to Temperature
This is sometimes referred to as adjustment to heat and cold. It requires a temperature compensated balance. The balance has
pairs of screws (180 degrees apart) set into the rim. These give the balance mass, which sets the basic rate at which it
oscillates. One pair may be the meantime screws (which can be identified - if present - by being longer than the other screws),
used to bring the rate deviation to minimum (with the regulator in its center position) after all of the other adjustments have
been made. The locations of most of the pairs of screws (each pair is 180 degrees apart) on the balance (wheel) rim are chosen
to provide the best match of change in moment of inertia to change in hairspring strength (there are extra pairs of holes so that
the screws may be moved to the best possible positions). The object is to keep the balance (wheel) oscillating at the same rate
over the specified temperature range.
Adjustment to Position
The next level is adjustment to position. This is adjustment to maintain the same rate of balance (wheel) oscillation, regardless
of which of the specified positions the watch is in. There are a total of six positions. Unfortunately, the number or the positions
to which the watch is adjusted isn't specified for most watches built prior to 1905-1908. Typically, unspecified adjustment to
position means adjustment to three positions, but there are a number of instances in which it means five, or sometimes 6,
positions. Adjustment to three positions most likely means stem up, stem at the 3 o'clock position and stem at the 9 o'clock
position.

In discussing adjustment to positions (on the NAWCC Pocket Watch Message Board, 26-Aug-06), John Runciman, quoting from
the book Watch and Clock Information Please W. H. Samelius” by O. R. Hagans, posted a definition of adjustment to four
positions as dial up, stem up, stem at the 3 o'clock position and stem at the 9 o'clock position. [1] It was also stated in O. R.
Hagans' book that adjustment to two positions was defined as dial up and stem up, while adjustment to one position was stem
up with watch inclined 45 degrees to the rear The marking "Adjusted 2 Positions" is only occasionally seen, seemingly only on
low grade Swiss watches. An indication of adjustment to one position is almost never seen.

Watches adjusted to five positions include the three positions of stem up, stem at the 3 o'clock position and stem at the 9
o'clock position, plus the dial up and dial down positions. Robert Sweet once posted several pages from the 1914 edition of the
Hamilton Timekeeper which lists the five positions in order as (1) dial up, (2) dial down, (3) stem up, (4) stem at 9 o'clock
and (5) stem at 3 o'clock. The 6th position is stem down at the 6 o'clock position. These positions are illustrated in a 1924
Illinois ad'. Since temperature variation is usually greater than positional variation, watches marked to be adjusted to position
include adjustment to temperature. A high grade Swiss watch marked to be adjusted usually implies adjustment to all positions,
wherein "all" may be 5 or 6 positions. Nevertheless, it takes a bit of experience to distinguish those movements to which this
applies.

Some watches are marked “8 Adjustments.” Depending upon the manufacturer’s specification at the moment that the watch
was made, this can mean adjustment to temperature, isochronism (see below) and 6 positions. Or, it may mean adjustment to
heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions. To clear up the ambiguity, in the early 1950’s, Elgin marked its top (and only) railroad
pocket watch “9 Adjustments.”

Dave Chaplain reported the following Tariff Act of 1930 Discussion of Adjustment, on the NAWCC American Pocket Watch
Message Board on September 18, 2008, 09:59 PM.

"The Tariff Act of 1930 has fees associated with watches of varying adjustments with a possibility of 9 total adjustments as
follows:

"6 adjustments to position: stem up, stem left, stem right, dial up, dial down, stem down - another government publication of
1946 refers to these 6 positions and states that most "high quality watches" are adjusted to 5 positions and omitting the stem
down adjustment, and "good quality watches" with 3 position adjustments most often are the stem up, dial up and dial down
postions

"2 adjustments to temperature: hot and cold - the 1946 paper describes "modern monometallic solid balances" ... "with
hairspring made of Elinvar or some similar nickel steel alloy" as making these temperature adjustments moot

"1 adjustment to isochronism"

Another point on the subject of adjusting was posted by Don Dahlberg, pointing out that the rate to which watches were
adjusted varied from grade to grade.

The marking "Adjusted" on a movement means whatever the manufacturer said it meant at the time that the watch was built.
Lacking descriptive factory literature, we have no way of knowing what that means today. Unless a watch is specifically marked
as to the number of positions to which it is adjusted, such as a watch that is only marked "Adjusted," the only way to know that
number (if it is adjusted to positions at all) would be to identify the grade and find the manufacturer's description of the position
adjustment for that grade. For example, the U.S. Watch Co. of Waltham's "The President" grade is only marked "Adjusted" (in
the 9 o'clock position - right at the junction of the two damaskeened circles), yet U.S. at Waltham's description states that it is
"adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and all positions, ... " Another example is Waltham's grade No. 35, which is only
marked "Adjusted." The description of that grade is "Adjusted to Heat and Cold, and in all Six Positions. " A lesser
example is the model 92 Appleton, Tracy & Co., which simply marked "Adjusted." A February 1902 Waltham ad describes it to
be only adjusted to three positions. When the Appleton, Tracy & Co. Premier grade was introduced a few months later, it too
was only marked "Adjusted," but an October 1902 Waltham ad states that it was adjusted to five positions.
Adjustment to Isochronism
Then, there is adjustment to isochronism. This is accomplished by the design and adjustment of the hairspring - the spring
coiled inside of the balance (wheel). The power output of the mainspring (the spring that is wound when winding a watch)
tends to decrease as it unwinds over the course of the day. This causes the balance (wheel) to rotate through a greater
rotational angle when the mainspring is just wound and a lesser angle when the mainspring needs winding. A watch adjusted to
isochronism oscillates the balance (wheel) at the same rate throughout the specified length of run between windings of the
mainspring, regardless of how far in each direction the balance (wheel) rotates. This length of run is typically 30 hours for
earlier watches and 42 hours for post World War I watches of better quality. However, mainsprings whose power output were
nearly constant over the first 20 hours after a full winding were supplied in higher grade watches starting in the late 1920's. The
need for adjustment to isochronism lessened with the application of these mainsprings.
Adjusted Extra or Special Adjusted
Extra and special, as in "Adjusted Extra" or "Special Adjusted" or some similar marking, means whatever the manufacturer said
it meant at the time that the watch was built. Its only infrequently that we know (as opposed to making an "educated guess")
what that means today.
Private Label Adjustment
It seems that once a watch is recognized as a special order, or private label, watch, it doesn't really matter from which
run/grade it was drawn. The only thing that matters is what was contracted for by the buyer. It was only for convenience (i.e.,
production efficiency) that private label movements for higher grade watches were taken from runs of high grade watches, thus
minimizing the task of meeting special order requirements. Although, in general, the finish and adjustment of a private label
watch may be the same as that of the grade of the run from which it was taken (in some cases the finish is visually different),
until one sees the retailer's description of the watch, it is frequently indeterminate whether its adjustment matches that of the
factory run from which it was drawn. Sometimes the adjustment level marked on the watch is different from that of the grade
of the run from which it was taken, as exemplified by the John C. Pierik & Co. movement shown and discussed in a NAWCC
Message Board thread. It is from a run of Sangamo grade movements, but its adjustment marking isn't as high as that on a
Sangamo grade and its jewel settings aren't as high of a quality.

Lack of actual grade identification and indeterminate adjustment are probably the key reasons why private label watches were
eventually prohibited in railroad time service. A classic example of differences from the factory grade are the earlier model 1883
Waltham's Canadian Railway movements. They were pulled from runs of 15-jewel No. 25, No. 35 and Appleton, Tracy & Co.
grades, but all of the Canadian Pacific Railway model 1883s are 17-jewel watches, the exact adjustment of which is
indeterminate. Although the adjustment was probably as good as, or better then, that of the grade No. 25 or AT&Co. runs from
which they were drawn, the No. 35 was described in the late 1880s as being adjusted to six positions. In 1906, the Canadian
Railway movements, by then, clearly factory grades, were described as being adjusted to three positions. But the description of
10 or more years earlier for the Canadian grades, when the No. 35 and No. 25 grade movements were still being made, has yet
to come to light.
Adjusted By Retailer
A factor that confuses the issue of the level of adjustment of private label watches simply marked "Adjusted," is that the final
finish (polishing of pivots, adjustment to temperature and position, etc.) may have been done by the company who had
specially ordered the watches. A late nineteenth century example of this possibility is the "Wathier's Railway Watch" shown in
that firm's May 1892 ad. Although the watch shown, Illinois Watch Co. serial number 1051479, a grade 65-S, is only described
by the Illinois factory as being adjusted to an unspecified number of positions (probably three), the Joseph P. Wathier & Co.
privately labeled movement is described as being adjusted to six positions. Adjustment to six positions was very unusual at that
date. The ad mentions "... our own factory ..." While one shouldn't believe everything in company ads, this does give rise to
the possibility that the watch was finished by Wathier. By the way, that specific movement still exists and may be seen as
Illustration No. 26 in the book “Railroad Timekeeping,” James L. Hernick, NAWCC Chicagoland Chapter #3 and the Midwest
Regional Convention, 1996.

The Ball Watch Co. serves as another, more specific example. Under an earlier name, the Webb C. Ball Co. had watches made
by the E. Howard Watch and Clock Co. These N-size (close to 18-size), 17-jewel watches were privately labeled "O.R.C
Standard" and "B. of L.E. Standard." Ball literature and ads of the mid-1890s noted that the Webb C. Ball Co. did the adjusting.
Later, in 1905, Ball contracted with Elgin for 18-size, open-face, Official RR Standard watches in both 17-jewel (grade No. 333)
and 21-jewel (grade No. 334) configurations. Elgin factory records show that these watches left the Elgin factory with only the
most basic adjustment. The No. 334 Specification Sheet for the 21-jewel Official RR Standard notes an adjustment number of
30, which allows for +/-30 seconds error in 24 hours. At the time, railroad standard watches (which these were) were only
allowed to vary +/-30 seconds in a week. The inescapable conclusion supports the oft-time repeated assertion that Ball finished
the watches, to their fineness of adjustment, in their own facility.