The thing that holds the hands on

[Heckler]

I recently bought a 1950's Smith pocket watch as an everyday watch as I am terrified when carrying either of the two antiques I own in the bag on my bike that some buffoon will take me out and break them.

The watch keeps excellent time, the trouble is the minute hand is loose, when I received the watch the hand was floating around in the front case.  I carefully put the hand back on but obviously whenever the watch isn't vertical the hand is working loose again, so my question is, what is missing, is there a tiny nut or clamp that holds the hands in place and would one be easy purchased?

[Drew P]

I'm pretty sure that the hands are held on by pressure only. Some watches have a dress cap on the end of the canon pinion(the stem that the minutehand in attached to - I'm pretty sure that's what's it called), but that doesn't 'hold' the hand onto the stem. The hand could have been taken off wrong or too many times and, now, the hole in it has been enlarged.

You could try very carefully and ever so slightly to squeeze the holes' shaft(whatever that would be called ) with tweezers to make it smaller then press the hand back on. You may need a new hand all together and in the least hopefully the cannon pinion isn't damaged.

Good luck.

[Heckler]

Thanks Drew, I'll very carefully give that a go .

[Prof. Convict Archfiend]

this happened to my wrist watch.
now, mine was only a $50 Ebay special(so wasn't too worried if it didn't work), and I put the smallest of small drops of Zap glue(really fast drying super glue), and placed the minute hand pack on.
that was a month ago, and hasn't lost time yet.

granted, not the best or smartest way around it, but worked for me!

[Drew P]

Just reread what I typed and....
the part about squeezing the holes'(?) shaft is about the hole in the hand and not the cannon pin shaft hole.

Incase that was interpreted wrong.

[Heckler]

Yes don't worry I got what you meant.

I realised after I looked at it again that I had the minute hand in the wrong place compared to the hour hand, after I sorted that out it seems to sit better (slightly confused as to why) but it's stayed in place in pocket and on the bike in my bag, so hopefully that's it.