Sewills was a Liverpool-based maker of watches, chronometers, and nautical instruments, established by Joseph Sewill. The business, which continued until the late 1990s, was later associated with Time Factors International Limited. Sewills is particularly known for its ship’s chronometers, one of which is now housed in the National Maritime Museum
Fault finding: Why this Watch Needed a Service
Our client’s watch arrived working but not keeping good time. Inspection of the movement revealed the watch to be in need of a service. We identified wear to the reversing wheel and found many pivots to be running dry. Ideally, an automatic watch like this should be serviced every 3-5 years. This helps to prevent wear by ensuring oils and greases are fresh.
“Regular servicing is essential for preserving both the performance and longevity of an automatic watch.”
The movement powering this watch is an ETA calibre 2892. This is a very popular, good quality automatic movement found in many top brands including Omega, Corum, Longines, Baume & Mercier, and Tag Heuer. These top brands often use higher grade versions of the movement which are decorated and customised, though the base architecture remains the same.
The Service Process: Disassembly, Cleaning, and Reassembly
To service and repair this watch, it is first fully disassembled and each part inspected. As previously mentioned, wear was found to the reversing wheel. This is often a point for significant wear, as it is a key component in the automatic winding mechanism. We also noted significant wear to the barrel, a damaged mainspring, and a worn intermediate train wheel – sure signs this watch has not seen a watchmakers in many, many years.
The disassembled movement is pre-cleaned and checked by hand before it is run through our Elma Solvex watch movement cleaning machine, while the case is cleaned in a separate ultrasonic cleaner. After cleaning, the movement is carefully reassembled and oiled with replacement parts fitted. We follow the movement manufacturer’s technical specifications for this calibre, ensuring all correct oils and greases are used.
Regulating the Movement & Testing the Timekeeping
Once cased up, we adjust and fine-tune the timekeeping to make sure the watch is as accurate as it can be. We always endeavour to get timekeeping as accurate as we can, and various factors can affect this, including the calibre of the movement, age, and condition of the watch.
“Regulation – fine adjustments to the effective length of the hairspring – can make all the difference in a watch’s accuracy.”
To regulate this watch we make fine adjustments to the regulator, which involves careful, incremental movement of an arm which alters the effective length of the hairspring. By reducing the effective length we speed the watch up, and conversely by increasing the effective length we slow the watch down. This adjustment can only be carried out if the rest of the ETACHRON system is set up correctly.
After the movement is adjusted we can refit the dial and hands, then case up this excellent Sewills watch ready to go on test.
Summary
This Sewills Automatic watch arrived working but was not keeping good time. Upon inspection, we found wear to the reversing wheel, dry pivots, and additional wear throughout the movement including a damaged mainspring and worn barrel. This indicated it was due for a service. The watch houses an ETA 2892 automatic movement, a high-quality calibre used in slightly different guises by brands such as Omega and Longines.
The service involved fully disassembling the movement, cleaning each component, and replacing worn parts. After careful reassembly and lubrication following manufacturer specifications, we fine-tuned the timekeeping for optimal accuracy.
Regular servicing every 3-5 years is crucial to maintaining an automatic watch’s longevity and precision, ensuring it continues to perform as intended.
It’s a pleasure to repair and conduct a Sewills Automatic watch service – do get in touch if you have a Sewills watch in need of restoration.
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