Second Year

I have nearly completed the first week of year 2 of the Watch Technology Institute at NSCC.  So far I have serviced 3 cased 6498 movements including work on the escapement with induced errors by the second year instructor, Erik.

Other than working on watches, I have been concerning myself with poising a balance, fixing the mainspring on a Swiss lever model and trying to get the information necessary to service our dry pressure tester.

Differences are apparent between year 1 and 2.  In year 2 there is going to be a lot more theory work.  This is due to the increased demands of the written exams on both the SAWTA and CW21 tests.  We have been focusing on the theory of the escapement and its adjustment in relation to isochronism.

There are also much more high-tech diagnostic equipment available to the second year students.  Pictures follow.

Witschi Chronoscope X1.  Think "If Optimus Prime was a watch-timing machine"

The D figure in this is called 'delta' which is the max difference in the rate between all positions. 8.2 is a good delta for this movement. 

This is a test of waterproofing.  The machine is a Greiner Poseidon LT100.  The chamber both subjects the watch case to a vacuum and a pressure.  The build-in micrometer measures the amount the case expands or compresses.  Using this data the machine can tell if air is permeating the case.

5 bar pressure, my case is at a constant pressure and a constant deformation.  A pass!