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The days are getting longer, we're now in the month when it won't get dark outside.

"Fake watches are for Fake People." Maybe Yes. Maybe No. I sorta doubt it myself...unless the fake watch is on a politician. Steven Wright: The other day somebody stole everything in my apartment and replaced it with an exact replica... When my roommate came home I said, "Roommate, someone stole everything in our apartment and replaced it with an exact replica." He looked at me and said, "Do I know you?"

Whenever I put something up for sale I get deluged with messages from children that can't find their butt with both hands. I just ignore them. Consider putting artificial limits on your sales. I only sell to people I know, or who have been around 5+ years, or who have consistently been donating or participating in the forum. Look at their profile here, it shows how much they participate and how long they've been around. Don't be in a hurry to sell. You get to do it exactly one time and you want it to be pleasant for everyone. I've been approached by dipsticks from VRF with high 5-figure offers to buy my pieces, and I ignore them too. God knows they have more money than sense and doubtless, a horde of lawyers on retainer. That means I'd lose my watch and never see a dime for it. Forget that, I'd rather GIVE it away than tolerate that crap. This is supposed to be fun, right? So make it fun. I once gave away a watch here to the first person who could tell me the name of my grandmother's pet. There's one public place on the Internet with that detail, and by God, someone found it. I was pleased as punch to give him that watch. Make it fun!

Gentlemen, I am not sure how to say it, but thank you are too little words in comparison to the gift of attention you have given me to help solve my problem! Took all of your advice on board, by checking the pallet fork balance etc. upon shaking to add power from rotor swing, hair spring swings perfectly for almost a minute until it stops. Upon removing balance the pallets flick from one banking pin to another without a problem,but noticed the end of pallet fork that engages into the rotor jewel seems odd with a bent piece which I cannot photograph as my camera resolution is not powerful enough. It even looks like it has a bent jewel on the end which explains why the hairspring rotates freely for almost a minute. The seconds hand does not move nor does the pallet fork while the balance swings nicely. Will buy a new pallet fork and see how it goes! It must be a clone as it was running perfectly before all this happened

mmm nailed it. 'Lazy runners'... I have seen a few movements that would run but with 'lazy' balance motion after a thorough c/o and this can sometimes be traced to a worn/bent balance staff and/or a dirty/damaged balance cap jewel. Example...I have a high mileage rlx 1570 that had lazy balance motion with dial up after c/o (good balance pivots) and it had a tiny divot in the center of the cap jewel where the back side pivot runs. The spot can not be removed and is almost impossible to see or feel with a needle but it is bad enough to bog the balance down. My guess is whoever owned the watch laid it down dial up every night for 20 or 30 years and this is what happened. The fix is a new cap jewel. Basically fool proof balance jewels c/o... Soak the cap and hole jewels in fast evaporating/low residue cleaner for 10 or 15 minutes or buzz them in an ultrasonic machine. After cleaning, rub the flat side of the cap jewel on a clean business card or something similar to remove any residue, then oil the flat side of the jewel with a drop about half as big as the jewel in the center. Next, place the hole jewel down over the cap jewel taking care to get it level and centered (capillary action will move oil to the hole jewel). If you miss the cap jewel and smear the oil drop, clean the jewels and try again. Note...sometimes rubbing the cap jewel on a card can remove some 'paper fuzz' from the paper to the cap jewel and it needs to be rinsed off and reoiled. I have used blue Rodico to remove the fuzz and this is Ok as long as the Rodico is clean and does not leave any trace on the jewel. Quickie Outlaw fixes: 'Old Timer' trick number one... Remove the balance assembly and pallet fork, then wind the watch a little bit and let it 'spin down' to sling trash, fly specks etc off the wheels and away from pivots. This is quick and dirty but probably Ok on an Asian '21 jewel' trader/beater movement. It can also sling oil away from pivots and overheat them if allowed to spin too fast or too long. 'Old Timer' trick number two... Apply a little Ronsonol lighter fluid to the pivots on old dirty movements, then crank 'em up and watch 'em go. Your choice on the lighter fluid brand but I always liked Ronsonol. 'Old Timer' trick number three...Heat the watch in the sun or put it close to a light bulb etc. This warms the dirty/gummy oil up and frees the wheel train...for a little while. Sell it in a hurry while it is still running. This is a favorite flea market trick...if you see a guy set up outside in the sun with a glass top show case full of watches, buyer beware. "It's a crazy crazy world when it comes to hairsprings. They can drive you insane! LOL" Imho hairsprings are the bane of the mechanical watch. That and $500 to $3000 'tune ups' every few years. Oh yeah, I forgot...no parts being sold by the swiss biggies. That alone should put them out of business as far as I am concerned. It's no wonder quartz watches rule the market by volume. My crystal ball shows many swiss watch companies going broke trying to keep their overpriced baubles relevant to buyers who do not really care. It happened to them once already and by a fluke of nature (gullibility?) and advertising they flushed their obsolete miniature mechanical malfunctions back out on the market again with greatly inflated prices during the 'look at me!' 1990s...with much success I might add. Times are mostly good again but the new inhabitants of the watch buying world do not give much of a %#(+ about mechanical watches.

I too have had this happened. I take my finger nail and put it on the mainspring tub gears and then rock the the tub back and forth. If the balance is in the pallet fork, it may start. Make sure the the balance hasn't popped out of the pallet fork. I"ve done that on a dozen eta's in the last year. Something binds up and I cannot figure out why. Try that first . Horologist is correct. Remove the pallet fork and make sure the drive train spin"s freely. Good luck. The balance wheels are very tricky. With the balance assy on your bench, and the hairspring up, lightly flick the balance wheel. It should run freely for around 15 seconds. The 15 seconds is my rule of thumb, not a rule applied by industry horologist. If it doesn't it could be the hairspring is bad. Look at the coils on the hairspring and see if they are evenly spaced. If you have another balance assy to try, do that. I got some advice from my rolex dealer friend years ago about hairsprings. He told that sometimes the ones that look the best won't run at all, and sometimes the ones that look the worst perform perfectly. It's a crazy crazy world when it comes to hairsprings. They can drive you insane! LOL