Pocket Watch Movement Holder
April 13, 2005
I took a small break from my clock project to make this pocket watch movement holder.
You can click any of the pictures to see a larger version. For those of you uninvolved
with the watch repair scene, the mechanical innards of a clock or watch are called the
"movement". They often have a variety of delicate pieces, and so a movement holder is
used to hold them safely while they're being worked on. The pictures above show top and
bottom views of the completed movement holder, and one view of it holding an old Waltham pocket watch
movement. I've been learning about repairing antique pocket watches, and ran across some
pictures of this style of movement holder, where the arms adjust towards the center to fit the movement.
I loved the symmetry and shapes in the design,
so I decided to make one. I indulged my love of the design throughout the project.
It could have been made far more simply and easily. The standoff slots could have been
straight, the main plate could have been solid, and the swinging arms could have been straight.
In fact, since the knurled locking nuts are under the standoffs, I could have removed the swinging
arms altogether, and the need for the small bushings that they pivot around. But I liked the
extra moving parts and the shapes they made. A truly great tool is not just functional, but
also a joy to use. However silly they might be, I have no doubt that the frills in my movement
holder will delight me endlessly.
Until I made this tool, I'd been using plain aluminum "ring" style movement holders. But I noticed that if I left one under a jar with a watch movement for a week or so, the holder would be covered with aluminum oxide when I returned. High grade watch movements use ruby or sapphire jewels to reduce friction because they are very hard. In fact, ruby is second only to diamond in hardness. They are brittle, but there's not a lot that can scratch them. But - rubies and sapphires are simply aluminum oxide crystals! So, I decided it would probably be wise to keep powdery aluminum oxide away from the jewels in my watch movements, and that provided a little additional motivation to make this tool.