Watch Repair. Then and Now

As I stood at the doorway into the sunroom, I paused. In the stillness of the room, I could hear the sunroom’s battery operated clock ticking. I thought, “I wonder if I oiled it, the ticking would lessen.”

That caused another memory to arise, it involved a battery operated Timex wristwatch I once owned. The story begins decades ago when I worked the 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift in the preparatory department of Spartan Printing Co., Inc.
I wore one of the first battery operated wristwatches made back then; it was a Timex. It did not have digital read outs and computerized thingies in it. It was, basically, a regular wind-up wristwatch, only battery powered.

One night, at the beginning of my shift, I noticed my watch was slow. I reset the time and went about my tasks for that shift. Sometime later, I looked to see the time and noticed my watch was slow, again.

A flash of brilliancy struck me. “Why not put a drop of oil in the back of the watch? Maybe it needs some lubricant.”

And, so, I popped the back casing off and placed a very small drop of oil; on some part or parts of the watch’s movements. I the resealed everything and went back to work.

Sometime later, I looked at my watch and noticed it was 3:00 a.m.; our normal lunchtime, or whatever meal it is at that hour of the day. I then stopped my work and went to a table where I customarily ate with my friends.

I thought it was strange that no one else was eating. All were quietly and busily going about their work. I looked at my wristwatch and it was, by now, ten minutes past three.

I then arose from my chair and looked at the clock on the wall. It said it was about 1:00 a.m.
I knew then the oil I had placed in my watch was causing it to run fast.

This is where I had my second flash of brilliancy. I would take the hose from the air compressor and blow the oil off the parts of the watch. I would lightly squeeze the trigger so as not blast the air inside of it and ruin my watch.

Thus, I carried out my plan.

I do not know if you know this or not, but there are many little and tiny springs and gears in those watches. And, I instantly discovered that no matter how much you try to control the airflow from an air compressor, it comes out very, very fast with great gusto.

After sweeping the parts of my watch from the floor and putting them into some kind of container, I came to realize that my oil removal plan was flawed.

The next morning, after work, I purchased another new, battery operated, Timex wristwatch. I also vowed never to try watch repair, again.

So, as I stood at the entry way to the sunroom this morning and heard the ticking of the clock, I had this story return to my thoughts. Upon recalling of the great Timex oiling fiasco, I elected to let the clock tick.