A mechanical watch is a spring trying to unwind all at once, and a train of wheels
arguing it down to one tick at a time. Build one, then make it keep time.
1
Build the train in order. Barrel, centre, third, fourth, escape wheel, pallet fork, balance. Power flows one way; put a wheel in the wrong seat and nothing turns.
2
Read the timegrapher. Two lines of dots. Their slope is how fast the watch runs. The gap between them is beat error — the tick and the tock arriving unevenly.
3
Regulator changes rate. Stud changes beat. They are different screws for different problems, and confusing them is the classic beginner mistake.
4
Then turn the watch over. Gravity pulls on the balance differently in every position. A good regulation is a compromise across all three, not a perfect number in one.
DRAG orbit the bench TAB next part ENTER fit it ← → regulator ↑ ↓ stud P position SPACE run R restart