I serviced this mid-1940's Universal Geneve Compax chronograph ref 22465 calibre 285 for a ClockSavant customer. This watch, and another they sent at the same time, were owned by their grandfather. This model is rare and mesmerizing, projecting beauty and seriousness. These otherwise well cared-for watches saw the wrong watchmaker before they were sentenced to the drawer to be re-awakened now. The lubricant used on both watches was some kind of gunk that cemented the parts together. I worked screws loose safely using acetone and other chemicals-- getting the watch out of the case without damage was difficult. In the 1st picture with red arrows shows an “arbor" upon which a part rides. You can see a part protruding into the barrel area and on the other side of the plate an indentation around the arbor. I've seen this before. Either the factory did it or later watchmakers encountering a loose arbor tightened it. This work was acceptable. Next, onto an overtightened "shoulder screw" used to hold-down the chronograph hour counter mechanism. Over-tightening screws results in all kinds of damage to watches. Here the mainplate was damaged by sinking the shoulder into the plate, deforming it. The part secured by this screw no longer moved freely but instead was locked. This damage is serious. I modified the original screw to compensate for the damaged plate. A custom shoulder “riser” was made on the lathe to fit over the existing screw modified. I used a screw milling device to iteratively adjust the screw shoulder to the precise height. Next, the fragile hour conveyer spring was left broken and was replaced. Moving on, the balance cock endshake was incorrect perhaps due to past parts replacement or wear to previous factory adjustments from past servicing. The balance cock was precisely raised to optimal height and angle. The watch hands required work. After servicing, the watch runs beautifully once again ready to guide the next generation into the future.
