Restoring a Cartier Tank Francaise Watch
Our fully equipped on-site watch workshop offers a wide range of repairs – from smaller jobs like replacing a battery or glass through to full servicing of the vast majority of brands including Omega, Tag Heuer, Longines, Breitling, and Rolex, as well as vintage watch repairs. In this instance we are working on a Cartier Tank Francaise. Cartier is a name which really needs no introduction – it is synonymous with high quality and luxury. If you’re interested to learn more about Cartier, a previous blog post has covered some of the history of Cartier.
Servicing the movement and replacing an Incabloc shock spring
On arrival with us, this Cartier was working though not keeping good time, with erratic readings on our timegrapher. This is not a problem, as most watches can be repaired back to excellent working order. Even old watches can be restored by expert watchmakers; learn more about our vintage watch repair service.
The movement powering this Tank Francaise is an ETA calibre 2000-1. These are small automatic movements which have been in production since approximately 1992. While not exactly the same, they are almost like a miniaturised version of the ETA 2892 movement. Inspection of the movement found it to be in need of a service – the oils and greases which are needed to ensure everything runs smoothly had dried up. We also noted a broken upper Incabloc shock spring, so this needed to be dealt with. The Incabloc system is crucial to help prevent damage to the movement in the event of a sudden shock – for example if the watch is dropped on the floor.
We disassemble the movement as usual – ensuring we check every component and carry out our usual pre-cleaning of parts. When the movement is completely disassembled we can tackle the Incabloc spring. These springs are extremely small and the procedure to replace them requires a steady hand. It is very easy for these springs to ping across the bench, so great care must be taken.
To replace the spring we need to remove the balance wheel, then carefully push out the Incabloc upper bloc using a Horia Jewelling tool. We can then fit the replacement spring, before putting everything back together.
Cleaning, Reassembly, and Final Testing
With the new Incabloc spring in place, we continue with the service as usual. With the movement fully disassembled and checked, it is cleaned – going through a cycle in our Elma Solvex RM automatic cleaning
machine. Once parts are completely clean and dried, we can commence reassembly of the movement. During reassembly, we followed our typical servicing procedure using the manufacturer’s technical guidelines in terms of oil and grease usage, as well as the use of other treatments such as epilame.
With all works completed, we now move the Cartier Tank Francaise onto test to ensure good timekeeping within tolerance, appropriate power reserve, and correct functioning. Once testing is complete, it is released ready for collection by our client. If you’re interested in the process of watches, or you have any questions about servicing your watch, contact us using our Ask the Watchmaker form.
If your timepiece needs servicing or restoration, contact us today or visit us in store to discuss how our expert team can bring your watch back to its best.
Need Your Vintage Watch Serviced or Repaired?
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