A quartz watch is a type of electronic timepiece that uses a quartz crystal to keep time. These watches are highly accurate, reliable, and are a popular choice for both everyday wear and special occasions. In this blog post, we’ll look at the servicing and repair of a quartz Georg Jensen watch.
Diagnosing the Faults
First of all we need to diagnose what’s wrong with the watch. For this, in the first instance we test the watch on our Elma Watch Master – a piece of diagnostic and testing equipment specific for quartz watches. We carry a wide range of quality watch repair equipment in our workshop.
On testing the watch we find the consumption is extremely high but there is a “pulse”, a sign that the watch effectively “wants” to work. This usually means there is an issue with the train of wheels – perhaps some debris has entered the watch and is blocking their rotation. We also find hand setting is impossible. This is often a sign of broken teeth on the clutch wheel, so we’ll need to strip the watch down to confirm our suspected diagnosis on this. Needless to say, a full service is very much in order.
Fully Servicing a Georg Jensen Quartz Watch
Quartz watches are interesting pieces of technology. But how exactly does the quartz crystal keep time? Well, Quartz is a crystalline mineral that is piezoelectric, meaning that when it is bent or pressed it generates an electrical charge. This property also works the opposite way round, so by applying an electrical current to the quartz crystal it will vibrate at a specific frequency. The frequency of the quartz crystal is incredibly stable, and it will oscillate at the same frequency regardless of external conditions such as temperature or humidity.
The oscillations of the quartz crystal are then sent to the integrated circuit, which acts as the brain of the watch. The integrated circuit processes the electrical signals and sends a series of pulses to the stepping motor. The stepping motor then converts the pulses into rotational energy, which drives the wheel train and ultimately moves the hands of the watch.
If something is blocking the free movement of the wheel train, even though electronically the watch is in good condition, the hands will not move. Once we get the movement completely disassembled, we discover the two faults we identified are in fact linked.
With the dial and hands removed, it’s immediately obvious that the minute wheel post has sheared off, so the minute wheel is floating around doing absolutely nothing. This is an unusual fault, likely caused by hand setting becoming tougher and tougher (perhaps due to needing a service and dried up oils), so increased force has been put through all the parts involved. This has broken and damaged teeth on the clutch wheel, and completely broken off the minute wheel post.
Multiple parts around these are also in need of replacement, as they show signs of wear.
Fitting a new Minute Wheel Post and Reassembling the Movement
With the movement completely stripped down, we need to replace the broken minute wheel post. This is a little challenging, because the diameter of the post is very small – even smaller than all of the pushers and stumps in my jewelling tool. Luckily in a spare staking tool we have a very small diameter punch. While I would prefer to have pushed this out with a jewelling tool, careful use of the staking tool worked just as well. With the old post removed a replacement can be fitted.
Now we can proceed with the service as normal, fitting various replacement parts as we go, including a replacement clutch wheel and minute wheel. This watch uses an ETA 255.111 movement – a high quality Swiss quartz movement. We service the movement as per the manufacturers technical guidelines, including the use of the appropriate oils and greases. We then conduct a series of electrical tests to confirm it is now operating within specification. All that’s left to do is to refit the dial and hands, case up the watch, then carry out a final electrical test before we put this Georg Jensen watch “on test”, confirming over a number of days that performance is as expected before it is returned to our client.
Looking to Have Your Georg Jensen Watch Serviced and Repaired?
At W.E. Watch Repairs, we specialise in servicing both modern and vintage timepieces, including Georg Jensen watches. We offer expert repairs, precision tuning, and full servicing, ensuring your watch receives the highest level of care. Our skilled watchmakers are here to help restore your timepiece to peak performance.
Take advantage of our Royal Mail Special Delivery FREEPOST service—your watch is fully insured for up to £20,000 throughout its journey, ensuring peace of mind from the moment it leaves your hands until it is safely returned.
Book your Georg Jensen watch for a service today and trust us to restore it to excellent working order!