Component record · Power
Click Spring
VerifiedA small flat or curved spring that presses the click into engagement with the ratchet wheel's teeth.
What it does
Keeps the click seated against the ratchet wheel so it reliably locks the wheel against reverse rotation.
How it works
The click spring is a simple leaf spring, one end fixed and the other bearing on the click, biasing it toward the ratchet wheel. Its tension must be enough to keep the click seated against the substantial reverse torque of a wound mainspring, but not so stiff that winding becomes needlessly stiff or noisy.
Because it is small, thin and highly stressed at its fixed end, the click spring is a common point of metal fatigue failure in older watches, especially if it has been over-tensioned during a previous repair.
Evolution
Materials and fixing methods refined over time, but the basic leaf-spring principle is unchanged.
Known variations
- Blued steel click spring (decorative, common in pocket watches)
- Plain steel click spring
- Wire click springs: a formed length of steel wire, found in many older and inexpensive movements and in clocks
Identification for collectors
- A watch that winds with a loud, weak ratcheting sound and does not hold power often has a broken or fatigued click spring
Common failure modes
- Fatigue fracture at the fixing point
- Loss of tension (setting)
- Corrosion
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- de Carle, D., Practical Watch Repairing
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.