how to properly unwind mechanical mov't?

[llsteve80]

Ok, I know just waiting would do the trick, but what is the proper way to unwind the movement before taking it apart? The movement in question is the one in the stienhausen that I recently purchased and posted about. 35J date 21600 with a day, month, and 24hr register. the rotor was broken off already when I bought it, no biggie ( except for the stuck screw)

but now it's stopping and starting while fully wound. I believe the stop lever might have something to do with it, mainly because when I pull the crown out, I have to have it perfect for it to hack, when pulled a little farther, it starts again, so something is up there for sure. I shouldnt have to hold it in place to get it to stop. That has to be looked into for sure, but I also suspect there to be something catching in there, metal burr, who knows. I wan to take it apart, but I obviously don't want to remove certain parts while the spring is under tension, and I may want to wind it up and test it, and if it is still messed up, I'll have to take it apart again, but since it's stopping on its own, I can't trust that its unwound just because the movement isn't running. I see a lever that keeps the gear from spinning backwards, but I don't want to move it and unwind it that way unless that is the correct way to do it.

[llsteve80]

Ok bump because I still want to know how to unwind a movment

[RWG Technical]

For all models, you have to find the mainspring click (the small lever that ratchets and holds the mainspring wound up as you wind it).

Once you find the click, turn the crown and watch how the click moves back and ratchets into each gear tooth as you wind the watch.

To unwind the watch, you have to turn the crown until you release the mainspring tension on the click and can move it out of the way. Take your tweezers and push the click out of the way so it can't engage into the mainspring gear teeth, KEEP Holding the crown. While holding the click out of the way, CAREFULLY release your grip on the crown and allow the crown to slip and the mainspring to unwind fully.

The process is the same on all watches, the difference is the type of watch, if it's automatic, manual, chrono etc, depending on the model, some disassembly is required before you can access the click spring. For example, on an automatic watch, the automatic winding bridge and gears have to be removed before you can unwind it.

Good luck.

RG

[freddy333]

I think I should add an important clarification to Ziggy's response so you do not get into more trouble -- when unwinding the mainspring, DO NOT just let the crown spin free as that will likely damage the movement. The trick is to let it slowly slip/spin between your fingers. Or a safer alternative is to use a winding key (available at many watch supply houses) that replaces the stem/crown to 'let down' the mainspring. The winding key is about the size & shape of a screwdriver & makes it alot easier to maintain control of the spring as you unwind it.

[llsteve80]

Thanks guys, that will save me some time. I saw the click and how it held the gear, but I was worried about just experimenting with it and having things flying all over the place. This is good info especially if the rotor is still on and say the keyless works are removed including stop lever on say a 2836.