This timepiece is not only aesthetically pleasing and of historical importance but also scarce. It boasts a Unitas 431 movement, remanufactured to the exacting standards of Unitas using solely Unitas components. The watch is a substantial 18.5 ligne (41mm) open face (Lépine) pocket watch, crafted entirely in Switzerland during the 1960s, though the inception of the 431 Caliber dates back to the 1940s. This specific model is a featured Arnex watch promoted in their 1972-73 catalog.

Cortebert employed an identical main plate in its 726/736 caliber railroad watch, which was designated for use by the Italian and Turkish railway services. In Italy, the watch was marketed under the Perseo brand, whereas in Turkey, it retained the Cortebert name. Hamilton integrated the Cortebert 669 and 670 movements into their Traffic Special models up until 1969.

Collectors have long speculated whether Ebauches SA facilitated a collaboration between two of its subsidiaries, Unitas, founded by Auguste Reymond, and Cortebert, established by Abraham-Louis Juilliard, through Rolex in the development of the Panerai Radiomir 3646, used by the Italian Navy.

We remanufacture all of our watch movements to like new condition for sale on eBay.

You can find this watch, if still available, at Swiss Arnex Fired Porcelain Enamel Dial Cartouche Numerals Rare 431 Movement | eBay

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Stubs to Inch to MM conversion chart  [click to enlarge]

This article exists to provide you with the various reference numbers of staking set punches and stumps for their respective frames.

Over their 98-year history, the company made only a few models. You can use the information here to make purchase decisions.

I use preowned watch tools. Hopefully, this information will help watchmakers and collectors identify their holdings.

Kendrick & Davis referred to their first staking set as No. 5. It came with 32 punches and 8 stumps, and they wrote in their catalog that the 5 and 5B were the same as the Hall Staking Tool. It did not have a die binding mechanism or the sustaining friction sleeve.

This organization produced a second model known as the “New Design”. The new design staking frame came in five configurations.

No. 12  100 punches, 24 stumps
No. 13    76    ”           20     “
No. 14    60   ”            18     “
No. 15    50  ”             14     “

They bundled the Models 12 -15 with a revolving base or a box and also offered a revolving base with a handle, known as an AH.  The Model 16 came later with 120 punches and 30 stumps.

When the changed their Inverto Models 17 and 18, the frames looked the same as later models having a knurled punch sustainer or knob at the top of the sleeve to secure a punch from moving.

You can find models included the 17, 18B and 18R plus the 600 series still in existence. The box can confuse since most of they have the model 18 on the name plate regardless of what’s inside.

Punches and Stumps

If you buy a staking set, more likely than not, you will find punches of different sizes with different numbering systems. For example, a round face hollow punch with a .045 mm hole might be stamped 83 K&D, A 56 K&D or simply 7. Also, those punches can differ in length to fit the frame model from which they came. For example, the Inverto punches have the shorter length.

Another twist in numbering comes with the New Design model frame. Models 12, 13 and 16 use the letter number format (A xx), while 14 and 15 use the Inverto number format (xx K&D).

The company does not make staking sets as of 1998, so anything you buy will be used. More likely than not, you will find a mixture of punches with different numbering schemes in your sets. That’s not always the case, but you might want to examine the charts listed below. Focus on the Stubs Chart above. The older punches use the Stubs steel wire measure and later ones use millimeters.

K&D used Stubs Steel Wire gauge to identify the size of the hole in early punches and millimeters in later models. In a some cases, K&D used the same number on different punches.

The stumps also differed according to era. When pocket watches prevailed, the stumps had different shapes and sizes than when bracelets (strap or wrist watches) came into vogue. Inverto sets used different punches than “Specials” and “New Designs”.

In my pile of punches and stumps, I have found other branded ones, especially Moseley, Boley, GF and Swiss Standard. It took a couple of years, but I found some conversion charts for punches and cobbled several charts together.

Back to the company. You find size and type charts for K&D punches and stubs.

[Click on an image to enlarge]

Punches for Inverto No. 17, 17 A, 18, 18A	Punches for Inverto No. 17, 17 A, 18, 18A
Punches for 16A & B	Punches and Stumps for 16 A & B
Punches and Stumps for 12, 12A and 12B	Punches and Stumps for 13, 13A and 13B	Punches and Stumps for 13, 13A and 13B
Punches and Stumps for 14, 14A and 14B	Punches and Stumps for 15, 15A and 15B	Punches and Stumps for 15, 15A and 15B

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In 2011, I moved to Paris, TX to attend watch school at the Texas Institute of Jewelry and Horology. Unfortunately, Department regulations prohibited any variance from existing curriculum, and Hamilton movements did not exist in the syllabus.

The post Hamilton Watch Company Technical Data (How-to Service Bulletins) 1930-1948 DOWNLOAD appeared first on Adelstein-Workshop.

I could have saved hours of sorting through stakes, if I had a conversion chart. I had Boley, Marshall, Bergeon and others. I had a feeling I could match the numbers up if I found catalogs with sizes and shapes.

It took weeks to find the catalogs (especially the ones from Europe) but I did it. Then I had to match the various punches and I did.

I used Microsoft Excel and created a table and filled it cell by cell. I don’t horde and I know that many of my friends and customers would like this chart. I’m making it available to you.

Here it is:

Complete Staking Punch Conversion Table – Free PDF download.

And, here is a link to search staking tools on eBay.

Staking Tools Search on eBay

I hope this helps you in your endeavors to use tools successfully.

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Why is this book so scarce? 

Collectors have bought them up, people have not returned them to libraries, they deteriorated in watchmaker shops or people threw them away. If you don’t recall, K&D printed this book as a catalog. They added the “how to” as a bonus to bring in orders for their products. I don’t believe the people at K&D expected it to become the definitive book on staking tools.

Right click link to download:

Staking Tools and How to Use Them 1910 – 163p BW – S.pdf (adelstein-workshop.com)

 

Why hasn’t someone reprinted it?

People have printed several versions of this book over the years without permission. K&D reprinted parts of the second half – known as “the last 50 pages” – in other catalogs. The last purported owner of the company implied that he only reprinted the second half because the original products were extinct.

What exactly does this book contain that’s so important?

When I think about this question, I remember how little watchmakers tools have changed since the Gilded Age. K&D already had the Inverto when the book became available. You have the opportunity to see their entire line of staking tools. That’s an extensive amount of information. At the time, the company already had the models 17 and 18 – (though very different than the ones we see today).

K&D explained the various punches and why the Inverto convention changed the length of the punches and the necessity for every stump.

It helped one identify the different numbering schemes. For example, the original scheme used a number, such as 10. Next, the “New Design” or 500 series used a letter – number scheme such as A14. After the Inverto, the scheme had sequential numbers with a “K&D” imprint, such as 40 K&D. The book provides information about each type of punch and the size or diameter of the hole or punch end.

They also explain the use of each punch and stump. That’s important information. Then they explain the different jobs that the watchmaker can accomplish with the different tools. They also explain how to do each job.

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Do you ever venture over to the section known as watch tools on eBay? If you have, you’ll notice it’s a busy market. You can find it by navigating from All categories to Jewelry and Watches, then select work your way through all the sponsored headings and hopefully, you will find a listing of vintage tools. To save you the trouble, here’s a link:

Vintage tools on eBay

I used to just check the preowned section under “Condition” and suddenly all the used watch tools appeared. Then I select the gallery view up in the right corner.

Once you get there, you mind find it mind-boggling.

If you don’t know what you are doing, you face a huge disadvantage if you want to shop in the watch tools and repair kit area. Who knows if the prices are fair? Which tools go together? What if it’s broken?

For the reasons mentioned above, I put kits together to accomplish specific tasks. Aside from my own knowledge, I look at books from Fried, De Carle, the Chicao Watch School, Joseph Bulova’s  Watch School manual and Technical Guides from Hamilton, Elgin and so forth. I want to know what you’re reading. Are my kits perfect? Probably not, but they are complete and the prices are fair.You won’t buy a $10 screw cutter for $55 because someone found a watchmaker’s estate when cruising flea markets and garage sales and thought they struck it rich.

This kit is designed to let you work on watch balances. The tools help you remove the hairspring, the roller table and a broken staff. When you replace a broken staff, you’ll need staking tools, which I’m not offering in this kit. After replacing the staff, you will use tools in this kit to true and poise the the balance wheel before re-installing it.

Here’s what I included:

• K&D Collet Remover Fork to remove Hairspring
• Hammel, Riglander V-Shape Table Remover for Large to Medium Size Roller Tables
• Large K&D Table Remover with Handle Lever for Pocket Watches and Large Caliber Straps
• Staking Block for Positioning and Holding Balance 
• Adjustable K&D Roller Remover for Staking Frame for Small to Medium Size Bracelet, Strap and Smaller Pendants 
• Screw Undercutters for Poising Balance Wheels
• K&D Calipers For Truing the Balance 
• Caliper Brush used with Truing Calipers
• Hammel Riglander Poising Tool  with Jeweled Jaws-  no chips 
• Air blower – Light Stream Control for Poising Tool
• Balance Adjusting Wrench to Straight Wheels with Truing

Normally,you would have to assemble a balance tool set by purchasing them separately. In many cases, some of these tools do not show up for as long as one year. I understand since I assembled it.

Why these tools? As I wrote above, these provide you with the items you need to accomplish that task.

If you want to use this list as a guide, be my guest. Any of the books you read about repairing watches, will have you use tools like these or similar – the things you need to get the job done. If you want to see this offering at eBay, click here.

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The Model 18B staking frame is the sturdiest frame made by K&D. It’s the successor to the Model 17.  The Company manufactured these for  watchmakers wanting a large die plate and a strong anvil.

This frame shipped without jeweling tools, however, K&D made a jeweling attachment if a watchmaker wanted that functionality. Before K&D added jeweling capabilities to their frames, many watchmakers bought a K&D Inverto and coupled it with a Seitz Jewel Staking Set.

K&D made the 18B for watchmakers who wanted a large die plate and a heavy base.

Note the difference between the 18B and the Model 600. The 18B frame has a 50mm diameter and the 600 has a 35mm diameter die plate.The model 600 is smaller overall and made for hobbyists.

Also note the difference between the model 18B and the 18R Deluxe. It’s difficult to tell, but the 18R has a 45mm die plate versus the the 18B’s 50mm.

View One on Ebay

[Click on image for large view]

Warning: You may find a model 600 advertised as an 18R. K&D shipped the smaller frame in an 18R box. People that do not know the difference will claim the kit is an 18R. Also, K&D only made one knob for the 18 series and they all say 18R.

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