How to change a date-wheel on a Vostok 24xx

4313 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Odessa200, 1 mo ago

EndeavourDK

Discussion Starter · May 30, 2021 (Edited)

This is an extension of part 1) How to change hands & dial on a Vostok 24xx (How to change hands & dial on a Vostok 24xx) and you need to read that tutorial in order to perform the date-wheel change.

Obviously, one has to remove the hands and dial, as described in part 1) in order to change the date-wheel.

Warnings:

The date-jumper spring is one of the Vostok 24xx movement most notorious springs. One little mistake or a wrong move and it flies away. Make sure that your desk and floors are clean, because once the spring has flown, you have a very small chance of finding it back. Also these spring aren't easy available. Prevention is the key !!
Use the proper size screw-drivers, tweezers and sharpened peg-wood. Clean fingers or use finger-cots.

Picture #1;
With the movement secured, start undoing the 3x date-indicator guard screws in sequence 1, 2 and 3. By doing it this way, the date-jumper spring is allowed to release its tension underneath the guard, without flying away.
Best is the remove & store safely each tiny screw directly after unscrewing.

Picture #2;

Lift the date-indicator guard, keeping an eye on the whereabouts of the date-jumper spring. Remove the date-jumper spring (in the picture wrongly called the click-spring) with great respect and place it somewhere save. Note that the spring has a longer and a shorter leg.

Picture #3;

Turn the date-jumper (in the picture wrongly called "the click") slightly up, so it is out of the way when handling the date-wheel.

Picture #4;

Remove the old date-wheel.

Picture #5;

Place the new date wheel, concentric so the date-wheel outer-edge sits nicely flush with the outer-edge of the movement.

Picture #6;

Replace the date-indicator guard. This time the screw-sequence doesn't matter. What does matter is that the date-wheel is free to rotate when placing the guard and tightening the screws. Once the guard is back on, check free rotation of the date-wheel and push the date-jumper, through the hole, back down again.

Picture #7;

Now comes the most tricky part of the whole operation. Carefully place the date-jumper spring on top of the guard, long leg on the bottom, short leg on top.
Very carefully (take your time) push the spring in the direction of the arrow and make sure that the long end f the spring drops in the hole of the guard.

Slowly continue until the bend of the spring slides over the edge of the guard hole, as shown in Picture #8 with the arrow.

Picture #9;

Place your right hand index-finger over the edge of the hole, preventing the spring from jumping out. Manipulate with a piece of peg-wood the short leg of the spring down until it drops in the hole and underneath the guard. Make 100% sure that the short leg of the spring is well secured underneath the guard before you release your right hand index finger. Failure to do so and the spring will orbit ....

Picture #10
Everything is back in place. Check the date-wheel for rotation and observe the working of the date-jumper by changing the date via the time-setting mechanism (i.e. the crown)

Now you can install the dial and hands as described in part 1).

Lots of Suc6 !

EndeavourDK.

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KOwatch

· #2 · May 30, 2021 (Edited)

Nice work on your tutorial, excellent photos and very clear instructions!

Your labelling is a bit confusing, a click and a click spring are connected to the ratchet wheel for winding the mainspring. Every part in a watch movement has it's own name.
If I'm not mistaken, what you've labeled here I think would be called the date jumper and the date jumper spring.
Procedure in photo #9 is bad practice, a finger shouldn't be used, or if it is, using a finger cot is preferable.

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979greenwich

· #3 · May 30, 2021

In my opinion, the calendar is the strongest point of this movement. Easy to install and works properly without dragging the date change like 2214. Click spring is no problem, the slightly longer part of the U spring goes underneath the outer side of the calendar, and then the shorther one goes in on the inner side, using a tweezer while supporting the bottom of the U with a toothpick or another tweezer.

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SuffolkGerryW

· #4 · May 31, 2021

Great tutorial, I might have a go at this in the future, please pin it!

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JasonKong

· #5 · 1 mo ago

Thank you for the info. I changed the date wheel on my Vostok a few weeks ago following this instruction.

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JGam

· #6 · 1 mo ago

EndeavourDK said:
This is an extension of part 1) How to change hands & dial on a Vostok 24xx (How to change hands & dial on a Vostok 24xx) and you need to read that tutorial in order to perform the date-wheel change.

Obviously, one has to remove the hands and dial, as described in part 1) in order to change the date-wheel.

Warnings:

The date-jumper spring is one of the Vostok 24xx movement most notorious springs. One little mistake or a wrong move and it flies away. Make sure that your desk and floors are clean, because once the spring has flown, you have a very small chance of finding it back. Also these spring aren't easy available. Prevention is the key !!

Use the proper size screw-drivers, tweezers and sharpened peg-wood. Clean fingers or use finger-cots.

Picture #1;
With the movement secured, start undoing the 3x date-indicator guard screws in sequence 1, 2 and 3. By doing it this way, the date-jumper spring is allowed to release its tension underneath the guard, without flying away.
Best is the remove & store safely each tiny screw directly after unscrewing.

View attachment 15911653

Picture #2;

Lift the date-indicator guard, keeping an eye on the whereabouts of the date-jumper spring. Remove the date-jumper spring (in the picture wrongly called the click-spring) with great respect and place it somewhere save. Note that the spring has a longer and a shorter leg.

View attachment 15911655

Picture #3;

Turn the date-jumper (in the picture wrongly called "the click") slightly up, so it is out of the way when handling the date-wheel.

View attachment 15911657

Picture #4;

Remove the old date-wheel.

View attachment 15911660

Picture #5;

Place the new date wheel, concentric so the date-wheel outer-edge sits nicely flush with the outer-edge of the movement.

View attachment 15911670

Picture #6;

Replace the date-indicator guard. This time the screw-sequence doesn't matter. What does matter is that the date-wheel is free to rotate when placing the guard and tightening the screws. Once the guard is back on, check free rotation of the date-wheel and push the date-jumper, through the hole, back down again.

View attachment 15911673

Picture #7;

Now comes the most tricky part of the whole operation. Carefully place the date-jumper spring on top of the guard, long leg on the bottom, short leg on top.
Very carefully (take your time) push the spring in the direction of the arrow and make sure that the long end f the spring drops in the hole of the guard.

View attachment 15911676

Slowly continue until the bend of the spring slides over the edge of the guard hole, as shown in Picture #8 with the arrow.

View attachment 15911678

Picture #9;

Place your right hand index-finger over the edge of the hole, preventing the spring from jumping out. Manipulate with a piece of peg-wood the short leg of the spring down until it drops in the hole and underneath the guard. Make 100% sure that the short leg of the spring is well secured underneath the guard before you release your right hand index finger. Failure to do so and the spring will orbit ....

View attachment 15911681

Picture #10
Everything is back in place. Check the date-wheel for rotation and observe the working of the date-jumper by changing the date via the time-setting mechanism (i.e. the crown)

View attachment 15911686

Now you can install the dial and hands as described in part 1).

Lots of Suc6 !

EndeavourDK.

Loved the article and uses it but still managed to fire the date jumper spring into the unknown. Any thoughts on where I can source a replacement?

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Odessa200

· #7 · 1 mo ago

JGam said:
Loved the article and uses it but still managed to fire the date jumper spring into the unknown. Any thoughts on where I can source a replacement?

Use a magnet and keep searching. Given you are prone to such incidents, even if you get the spring you have 50/50 chances of repeating your mistake. So I would say: find the one that you already have!

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JGam

· #8 · 1 mo ago

Odessa200 said:
Use a magnet and keep searching. Given you are prone to such incidents, even if you get the spring you have 50/50 chances of repeating your mistake. So I would say: find the one that you already have!

Good advice, I have blacksmith hands not watchsmith hands! Have done as you advised but no joy. Amazingly what I hoped to fix on the watch now works!! I just won’t be able to mark the date till I source a replacement 😂

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Odessa200

· #9 · 1 mo ago

My 1st inclination would be to get a beater Vostok for parts and source the spring from it.

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JGam

· #10 · 1 mo ago

Odessa200 said:
My 1st inclination would be to get a beater Vostok for parts and source the spring from it.

Any words from the wiser on how to avoid the springs disappearing as I am working on them? My go to would be super glue but maybe excessive here. Do you work in an enclosure on these things?

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Odessa200

· #11 · 1 mo ago

JGam said:
Any words from the wiser on how to avoid the springs disappearing as I am working on them? My go to would be super glue but maybe excessive here. Do you work in an enclosure on these things?

I am not that wise

I use rodico to hold it in place. You can use gum… I heard about using a scotch tape. Anything sticky will do. But no matter what, occasionally they fly. Not grabbing them super strongly with tweezers also helps.