The Hands Part3- The Minute Hand

In a skeleton watch the hour hand is held in place by the minute hand. In regular watches the dial does this job. This complicates the design of the minute hand a little bit. What is required is a sort of pipe or collar below the hub to keep the hour wheel engaged with the minute wheel. Hands are also made in two pieces, a turned hub & a thin filed hand. But I wanted the hands for No.1 to have a little more 'meat' on the bones. Therefore these hands are one piece.

As with the hour hand, a hole is drilled & the job is mounted on a turning arbour. But in this case, a sort of 'island is turned at the hub.
The material around this island is filed away.....

..... and the hand is shaped a bit.

Now the protruding collar is turned down a bit.....

... and the inside is turned away to accommodate the cannon pinion.

Here is what the collar looks like.

The hole is broached to fit the cannon pinion.

Now, the hour wheel is 'cleaned up' and hour hand broached for a good fit.


And, finally, a test fitting of the rough hands on the movement.

I can finally begin the skeletonisation. Hope this was interesting.

Aditya