Ok, just a little watchmaking update here...
The cannon pinion was not the issue, the keyless works had been assembled improperly. Basically, on this calibre, the minute wheel is spring loaded and if you just drop it into place it will not contact the cannon pinion properly. The sequence in the transmission is:
The Centre wheel has the cannon pinion friction fit onto it on the dial side. It is tight, but not so tight that it will not slip; this allows the watch to be set when the stem is pulled out. The sliding pinion slides to engage a couple of tiny intermediate pinions which drive the outer rim of the minute wheel, which is in contact with the CP. The CP turns, and the minute hand is mounted on it, so it turns also. The centre of the minute wheel is a pinion, and it engages the outer rim of the hour wheel, which just sits loose on the CP. Thus interlocked, the minute hand turns and the hour wheel turns, which carries the hour hand, albeit at a slower rate: 12:1
What was happening was that the watch was ticking merrily away, and the cannon pinion was indeed turning, but was not in proper contact with the minute wheel. I have included two pics:
