WD40 - The watch's enemy.

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Not for the first time I have had a watch in sprayed with WD40, you can't mistake that smell.

The watch has a 15 jewel Ehrhardt movement - probably a 1906 series but I have yet to take the dial off - it was made for the British Military during WWI  (note the broad arrow property mark below the serial number) but was one of many made by the company that were never delivered and then put into silver cases and sold to the public, this one hallmarked by Ehrhardt in 1921.

It was advertised as "in very good condition and working" and "the watch will run the full length of its wind but does run slow I think it needs a service, the watch sum [sic] time stops I shake it and it starts again".

To get it going someone (possibly not the vendor but I would not bet on that) had sprayed it with the dreaded WD40, it may have run for a short time but on arrival only ran with pressure and it is easy to see why when you look at the hairspring, several coils of which are stuck together. And the stuff will have got all over the place causing other problems.

It should be restorable but will take longer than it should.

WD40 is great stuff - but not on watches!