ST19 Seagull 1963 sticky reset button, reset lever not engaging

[bonapardo]

I have the above problem with my 1963. The effect is the chronograph resets itself when I press stop. I think the actual problem may be the button itself is a bit stiff and putting up too much resistance for the puny spring which pushes back on the reset lever - the button needs a firm press to engage then returns slowly after pressing). I can manually engage the lever directly on the movement, making the chronograph reliable. But when I reset, the lever just returns maybe half the distance it should. Does anyone know how I can loosen or grease the reset button before I start looking at the spring?

 

Thanks!
 

 

[bonapardo]

UPDATE: I have now successfully found a way to make the chrono work for me. The start/stop button doesn't just need a firm press, but a firm, quick one. Takes a bit of practice but now works every time. As it still fails when not using this technique, I still consider it a fault - when clicked, the lever should engage properly regardless of the nature of how it was pressed - but it's a fault I can live with until a service. If I get round to taking the movement out, I'll try to reseat the chrono hand as I'm getting the classic 'does not reset to 0' problem. I figure this one is due to a loose hand as where it ends up seems completely random each time (anywhere within +/-1.5 secs) and it easily falls out of alignment with a gentle knock on the side of the watch case.