So I received this PAM 091 for service a while back, and it was in rough shape. The watch was not running, and the dial had an odd colour to it:
Here using a Panerai specific die to open the case back:
As soon as I opened the back, the familiar smell of WD40 came from inside the case – not a good sign:
I started the disassembly, noting that there was a lot of “fluid” on the movement parts, which was the WD40:
Having a closer look at the balance area, some serious issues were noted – not only is the watch full of WD40, but there are fibers all over, one leg of the Incabloc spring is not seated, and the most serious is that the balance spring is broken near the stud:
You can also see that there is wear on the automatic bridge, so the condition of the oscillating weight bearing is suspect:
So on with disassembling the watch:
The WD40 seemed to stop on the back side of the date indicator, so this is a good thing as it did not affect the paint on the indicator or seriously damage the dial:
Now completely disassembled:
Ready for the cleaning machine:
Looking at the reversing wheel, it has some serious wear on it – new one on the left compared to the one from this watch, and you can see that the teeth are nearly gone on the old one:
New mainspring installed:
Pegging all the jewels and bushings:
Now assembling the base movement:
New balance complete:
Installed and running now:
Checking timing in 6 positions:
Result looks very good:
Completing the assembly:
Dial and hands installed:
Case is cleaned, and the movement is installed into the case:
Oscillating weight bearing needed replacement:
Checking and oiling the bearing, using the damping test:
Next timing and power reserve checks:
The watch ran great, and is now back with it’s owner:
I’m not quite sure who sprayed the watch with WD40, or who was poking around inside it and damaged the balance spring, but clearly if your watch needs work, these are not things that will help it’s condition any. Anyway, thanks for looking!
Cheers, Al
Archer Watches Blog 