Railroad Pocket watch

The Gold Pocket Watch Blog presents instructions on how to set the time on a Railroad Pocket Watch by Brian Gabriel.

How to Set the Time on a Railroad Watch

By

 Brian Gabriel, eHow Contributor

updated: November 12, 2010

Change a railroad watch on a flat surface.

The railroad watch is one that was accepted for railroad time service. The industry referred to the devices as "standard watches." It was very important for these watches to be accurate, because the safety of the trains depended on them. Pocket watch collectors tend to love railroad watches, but one of the major issues collectors have with them is that the time they show is inaccurate. It is not always obvious how to set the time on a railroad watch, but you can learn how to do it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 1.Figure out what type of railroad watch you have. The most common type is the lever-set watch. The other types include key-set, stem-set and pin-set watches.
2. 2.On a lever-set watch, remove the front of the case so you can move the watch's dial. Use a small screwdriver to take off the bevel and open the case.
3. 3.Find the lever. This may be located on the left or right side of the dial. Take the lever with your thumb. It is easiest to remove the lever when the watch is lying on a flat surface like a table. Carefully pull the lever out as far it will go, usually around a half-inch. Once it is pulled out, the clutch will be activated and the time can be changed.
4. 4.Move the stem manually and wind the watch to the correct time. Be delicate when winding the watch, as the stem can easily break off.
5. 5.Put the lever back into its resting place to disengage the clutch. Failure to do so before closing the case will break the lever, making it impossible to change the time on the watch in the future. Be very light and delicate when handling the lever.
6. 6.Close the case and screw it back into place. Make sure to close it tightly, as you do not want the case to swing open and break off. Do not close the case until the lever is all the way back into place.
7. 7.For the other types of railroad watches, follow similar instruction, but with a few changes. The key-set watch will need a key to open the case. Locate the square-shaped key box and open up the case. The pin set will have a button to open the case on either side of the pedant. Engage the pedant set by pulling out the crown until you hear a click. This will engage the clutch and allow you to wind the watch.

Read more: How to Set the Time on a Railroad Watch | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7490954_set-time-railroad-watch.html#ixzz17BwJ2fKp