Sometimes on a hand-wound Vostok 2409/2414 the main-spring breaks. This can be due to metal fatigue or, which seems to be a Vostok 2409/2414 weak-spot, the end of the spring (the bridle) breaks off. The indication are often that you can wind the watch only a few turns before you hear the spring "slipping". The power-reserve is down, or you don't have any power-reserve at all.
The proper way of replacing a main-spring barrel by a Vostok consist of stripping nearly the whole movement; the hands, dial, canon-pinion, balance-assembly, pallet-fork, train-wheel bridge, wheel-train and finally the barrel-bridge have to come off. This also means cleaning and oiling while assembling.
However, with the Vostok 2409 / 2414 we are in "luck". That's to say that there is a short-cut and the cut is so short that the movement can even stay in its housing.
But as with all short-cuts, there are risk !
Below I will describe in great detail how I do this short-cut. It may not be perfectly done and written, but this method works for me and I hope that you do understand.
Also, if you decide to attempt this short-cut,
you will do it on your own risk ! Don't knock on my door if things do go down south .....
Last but not least, use your own common-sense !
Now that the CYA-part is out of the way, let's start without further ado .....
Tools needed;
- Finger cots
- Case opener
- Tweezers
- Pointed Pegwood (3mm) or wooden toothpicks
- Watch screwdriver with 1.2mm blade
- Small container to store / safe-keeping parts
- magnification to suite your needs.
- A new complete mainspring barrel (containing a lubricated main-spring) for a Vostok hand-wound 2409 or 2414
- Oiler and some thick watch-oil.
- optional; Silicon grease.
The 2409/2414 short-cut method;
Our appointed volunteer is a rather handsome CCCP Komandirski with a Vostok 2414 movement. The procedure below is identical for a Vostok 2409 movement.
Undo the back-lid and remove the rubber-ring;
Best is to start this procedure when the power-reserve is exhausted. In case that there is still some power on the main-spring, proceed as follows;
When the watch is wound, the crown rotating clockwise, the ratchet-wheel turns clockwise and the click, pushed by the ratchet-wheel teeth, turns anti-clockwise, allowing the ratchet-wheel teeth "free passage". As soon as the crown is released, the ratchet-wheel starts turning anti-clockwise, the click pushed by a spring (click-spring) turns clockwise and thereby locking the ratchet-wheel. For releasing the power stored in the main-spring we have to prevent the click from locking the ratchet-wheel. To do so proceed as follows;
Wind the watch a little and push the click with the tweezers slightly further anti-clockwise, hold it there. Carefully allow the crown to slip through your fingers, slowly releasing the tension in the main-spring. Continue until all the power is released and the ratchet-wheel stops rotating anti-clockwise. Release the crown & the click.
Now it's save to remove the ratchet-wheel screw.
Remove ratchet-wheel & screw and store them for safe-keeping in a small container.
Undo all three (3x) barrel-bridge screws and store them for safe-keeping in the small container.
Now we come to the tricky part !
The barrel-bridge has only a
limited amount of free movement. Since we are taking a short-cut delicate wheels are in the way and if the barrel-bridge is lifted beyond its free movement, you will start to do "irreversible" damage to the wheels and the movement !! So, take great care !!
Lift the barrel-bridge so that it's free of the main-plate and free to move; no more! You can now see the old spring-barrel exposed.
Hold the movement on its side as shown in the picture. You may have to lift the barrel-bridge with a pointed pegwood / toothpick slightly more, poke a little against the old spring-barrel, you may have to tilt the movement a bit further, shake or tap it very gently until the old spring-barrel drops out. Let it all be under its own weight, let gravity do its work, never over-extend or use any force. Above all, take your time, the old spring-barrel will drop-out, eventually .......
When the old spring-barrel comes out, remove it carefully and place it far away, not to be mixed-up with the new spring-barrel.
Since proper oiling can not be done, wet both arbor ends with a tiny drop of thick oil, I'm using Dr.Tillwich 3-5 oil;
Put the movement flat and very carefully lift the barrel-bridge, just enough to slip the new spring-barrel in (check barrel for correct orientation before inserting ! ).
Again; do not go beyond the point were you feel any resistance. Take your time; as far as I'm aware, nobody has ever won a price for a Vostok main-spring change-out ! ?
With the new spring-barrel in, very gently push the barrel in until it drops down and until you feel that it is "home".
Gently start closing the barrel-bridge. It should close without using any force. If it doesn't, lift the bridge slightly and check the correct seating of the new spring-barrel. The barrel-bridge should close easily and make sure that along the full bridge-length that the edges are flush & fully closed onto the main-plate; as shown in the picture;
Once happy, insert the three (3x) barrel-bridge screws and screw them down
not beyond the point that you feel the slightest resistance. Again check that the barrel-bridge sits flush onto the main-plate.
Replace the ratchet wheel. Make sure that the square hole in the middle of the ratchet-wheel lines up with the arbor-square and that the teeth of the click locks in the middle / between two ratchet-wheel teeth. You can wind the watch a few clicks to see if everything engages as it should.
Insert the ratchet-wheel screw. Once done, you can wind the watch some more and the balance-wheel should start ticking.
If all looks fine and the watch winds as it should, you can tighten the three (3x) barrel-bridge screws.
To tighten the ratchet-wheel screw, I stick a pointed peg-wood between the crown-wheel and the ratchet-wheel and tighten the ratchet-wheel screw a bit more. Don't over-do it, these screws can break / twist-off !
Replace the sealing rubber. For additional water resistance you can put some silicon-grease on the rubber.
Replace and tighten the back-lid ......
Job done ! ?
If I missed some crucial steps or if steps can / need clarification, please let me know so I can edit.
Suc6;
EndeavourDK.
www.watchuseek.com
