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Re: Allowing a chronometer to 'run out'
From: Alexandre Eremenko
Date: 2012 Apr 18, 18:16 -0400
From: Alexandre Eremenko
Date: 2012 Apr 18, 18:16 -0400
Zvi, > I have just read somewhere that: > a. If one cannot be there to wind the chronometer regularly > and therefore it would ?run out? of spring power and stop, it is better > to stop it before leaving, when there is still some power left in the > spring. This is what Bill says in his book. And he also advised me not to leave it unwound. I am not sure that I fully understand the reasons, probably to leave some parts under tension, "locked", so that they will not move accidentally. My chronometer lives in a closet, and it is unlikely to move, wound or not, unless I start it or an earthquake happens. > b. Once stopped, the balance wheel should be locked, > either with cork or with the provided mechanism, > even if the chronometer is not going to be moved. As I understand if you leave it wound, it must be locked to exclude that it starts when you accidentally move it. After it starts it will certainly run down. In one way or another you want the balance fixed. > Is this true? or just Grandma?s tales? Bill's tales:-) I also checked my Hamilton manual (I have a Hamilton manual and Polet chronometer, but no Polet manual and no Hamilton chronometer:-) Let me cite: "...they are allowed to run down, then stopped, corked or locked, placed in the shipping container, sealed and stored. While in storage, they should be inverted every 30 days in order to redistribute the oil on the lubricated surfaces." So they recommend fixing the balance by corking rather than winding. Alex.