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I was particuarly anxious to repair it instead of simply replacing it because it is probably the 1814 watch's original 9 3/4" chain.
I broke it by being silly.
I had replaced the mainspring with an adapted modern one (it is common practice to replace the mainspring at every service, so the one I replaced probably isn't original), and because the watch stopped well before all of the chain was back on the barrel, I assumed the modern spring was weaker than the original.
So,
I wound the setup until the watch stopped just before the cone was empty, and then wound normally at the spring arbor.
Before I had made a half-turn from tangental chain, the chain broke into three fragments, one at a pin and also at a single link (probably a bent one - the chain was already in bad condition).
The pin disappeared, leaving the cone-end fragment with a single-link, the barrel-end fragment with a double-link containing half a single, and a middle fragment with two doubles: one containing half a single.
I spent just under two months waiting for inspiration, and eventually attempted to push out a pin with half of the last double link poking out from some pliars. It bent, but then I lifted the upper one with a screwdriver (jewelers') and it came up from the lower, leaving the pin and half-single on the bottom.
Retrieved broken single, laid single link of next section over pin and crushed the lot in small pliars, reseating the pin in both double links and straightening slightly.
Because I had lost a pin, I had to abandon the middle fragment, reducing the chain length to 8 1/4". While dissapointing, this is not problamatic, as I cannot fully wind the watch anyway because of the mainspring adaptation.
I say "again": I have previously replaced a chain hook.
This post has been edited by ValvesRule: 10 June 2009 - 06:35 PM
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