Hey Guys, I have an Seamaster with a 342 that was not running when I bought it. I sent it off for an overhaul and got it back yesterday. It is now running and keeping accurate time. I have read that it should be given about 40 winds before wearing. I wound it about that many times and placed it on my dresser as I do not have a band on it. It ran for about 16 hours and stopped. The main spring was not changed. How do I test it for proper operation/run time? I noticed that when winding, it doesn't seem to offer much resistance. I do not know if there is a safety feature to insure I do not over wind it. My LeCoultre and Longines (non-automatic) stop when they are fully wound. Thanks in advance for your input!
You cannot over-wind an Omega automatic, the mainspring just slips in the barrel when it is fully wound. Forty to fifty winds should fully charge any Omega bumper, and it should then run for (according to an original Omega advert) at least 36 hours. A freshly serviced one with a new mainspring should really do a bit better than this (38 hours, perhaps). So your 16 hours is rather off the pace.
Cal. 341 has a power reserve of 38 hours according to Omega. Although I advocate always replacing the mainspring in watches that get serviced, the spring for this particular movement is discontinued. They can be found on the open market, or one with an equivalent size and strength can usually be found. 16 hours on a full wind indicates that the watch has problems - I would take it back to whoever did the service and ask them to get it running properly. Cheers, Al
I have tested it several more times with 40-50 full winds and the reserve power seems to have increased to about 25-26 hours. I am not sure if the mainspring grease has dispersed and giving the clutch more friction or what. Maybe I wasn't winding it fully. It will be one I wear occasionally (not daily) and the auto-wind seems to be working good. I will leave it as it is now and next overhaul have the spring replaced if the reserve is still short. This is a great forum and I appreciate the help you guys provide. Merci beaucoup!