Another pocketwatch for the collection

Congratulation on that find, Tonny.

Hi Archy,
With respect, you are the Pallweber specialist but...
I still doubt your conclusion that the balance has screws.
On page 118 of the Toelke and King book, 2 Pallwebers are depicted with a monometallic flat balance. The oscillation rate in the Pallweber movements was not very high. If there were screws, one should see them in a ticking watch.
So Tony , you have to provide the answer : flat balance or with screws?
Kind regards,
Adrian
(alwaysiwc).

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for your recognize and I really appreciate your thoughts.
If you were writing about the weight screws of the balance wheel, then I can tell you, that all of the Pallweber III movements I have ever seen bear the compensated (cut) balance wheel with screws for adjusting. What's more, in my experience all Pallwebers with ancre escapement have similar solution for the balance. I have seen only one piece in my life with flat balance wheel but that example was a cylinder escapement and extremly rare. So you can be sure that this watch is an excellent piece with a Pallweber IIIA movement whit cut balance and screws at the edge of it. After all if you were talking about other screws and I missunderstood something then please forgive me and I apologize for my comment.

Dear Archy,
You are an "Insider" on this Forum and I am a "Master".
We should ask IWC to reverse that : let me be an "Insider", while you should be a "Master"!
You are perfectly right : the balance has compensation screws, as Tonny has just reported this to me.
I apologise for being stubborn.
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).

Dear Adrian,

You shouldn't apologize for anything since nothing bad or insulting thing has happaned, we had just different opinion about a technical solution that we have finally made clear. This forum is for discussing things connected to vintage timepieces and see other's luck, success, opinion and point of view. This is the main aim of a forum and if we do it fine everyone will be happy to take part in the discussion.
With friendship,

Congrats on this very special PW, Tonny.

The ballance compensation screws discussion generates this question:

The only IWC PW movement - I know - without compensation screws, is the ca. 983.

But, are there others ????

Regards

HEBE

Hallo Heiko,
Among the IWC Seeland pocket watches there were many with a flat monometallic balance. The compensation screws, often made of gold, in a balance made that accuracy could be achieved much better than in a movement with a flat balance.
Take in mind how centrifugal forces change when one or more screws are screwed in or out the balance rim.
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).

Congratulations, Tonny. Another remarkable addition to a remarkable collection.

Here you can see a "digital" jump pocket watch with cylinder escapement movement and a Pallweber patent "jump-discs" device made by IWC. The dial is also a typical Pallweber dial. Unfortunately I'm not authorized to show any other details of the watch, but in case I'm allowed to do it you will have chance to see more of course. Sorry for the inconvenience, I hope this picture is also useful.

[QUOTE="Tonny B"]This week, a new member of the collection arrived. Since some time, I was looking to add a Pallweber to the collection.
It arrived and it is amazing. Runs great for its age ( 1888 ), it looses 1 min a day. I love the condition of the case too, I am Lucky to have found it, or it found me ;)

Hi Tonny,

Watching the close picture of your Pallweber movement's balance and the shape of the hairspring it seems the accuracy of it is a question of some adjusting only. One minute a day is nothing (it was normal that time) but your movement wouldn't need much setting for being in a couple of seconds a day from the accurate time. After all these vintage beauties don't need to be accurate, they are perfect as they are, so let it be as it is.

Heiko Hi,

As the other write, there were/are other IWC movements that had flat balances - especially the Seeland ones.

Here's a photo of one of my Seeland Cal.25 (with no balance screws)

Interesting enough, I am led to believe that the Cal. 24 which preceded the Cal. 25 did have balance screws. So was the Cal. 25 an attempt by Seeland to lower manufacturing costs (at the expense of quality/accuracy)?

Love the Pallweber Tonny - congrats!

And what an interesting discussion in this thread - great gents!

Now, please IWC - make a new Pallweber wristwatch, pleeeaaaase:-)

Skule,

I couldn't agree more... It would be a great decision to create a 21th century Pallweber wrist watch based on the 19th century patent.

Congrats Tonny -

Please bring it with you to the next IWC GTG since many of us have never seen a Pallweber in the flesh.

• Tracy