So...I recently picked up a new but gray market Speedmaster Numbered Edition. I observed something today that I wasn't expecting from a mechanical watch so thought I'd ask the experts here for advice.

Here's the scenario:

I put the watch on this past Friday morning at which time I gave it a full wind. I had also been wearing it daily for two weeks and also wound it about the same time every morning.

Friday around 11AM or so, I put it in the safe. It's been sitting in the safe until today around 1PM when I put it on. I did not wind it at this point. So, in effect, the watch has been sitting for 72 hours not having been wound. I ended up having to scrub something and used the arm with the watch on. A few minutes later I looked down and the watch was running with the chrono function enabled.

Question - I'm told by the seller that sometimes by activating the chrono function after the watch winds down that this can sometimes cause it to start running and that there could be a bit of reserve actually left. Is this legit?

 

The added load of the (horizontally coupled) chrono should not have kicked the watch into operation. However, moving the watch might briefly restart a watch that is stopped due to insufficient spring force.

 

No, that's total bullshit. It's totally the reverse.

 

Just curious, which model Speedmaster is it?
As @GrouchoM said, my regular Speedy Pro, when it has not been wound and stops running, if I pick it up and don't wind it at all but move it around as if it were an automatic watch, the small running seconds hand will start running again for a brief time.
But ... you're saying the chrono large seconds hand was running? How did you accidentally engage the chrono function in the first place? Did you bang the chrono start button hard enough against something to depress it fully? Otherwise I'm confused.

 

Theoretically with stiction (static friction) it could happen... either way I would not be alarmed.

 

It's a well known fact that if a manual wind speedmaster runs down while the chrono is running, resetting the chrono will result in a couple of hours extra running. That's exactly the opposite of what the seller told the OP

 

Well pulling the load of giving more torque available I agree. Static friction can cause odd behavior that seems counter intuitive in a situation like this.

 

That's why I wrote "However, moving the watch might briefly restart a watch that is stopped due to insufficient spring force." Still, the added chrono load should limit how much additional time the watch runs.

 

I still don't get how the chrono was even started in the first place. Unless the OP meant the chrono had been running when the watch ran down originally. His post makes it sound as if he picked up the watch--which had run out of power with the chrono not running--put it on, and the next thing he knew, the chrono was magically running.

 

I don’t believe the Chrono started magically. I either left it on when I stowed the watch OR I started it unknowingly.

That said, both the Chrono hand and seconds hands were running after the watch had been shaken a bit and not having wound it for nearly 72 hours.

I might stow the watch again for a few days then attempt the same scenario again and see what happens.

 

Look up static friction.

 

I’ve had something similar happen. Bought a Speedy from Germany. Took a month to receive it. When I opened the package, the chrono was running...after a month in the package! In short, the watch runs perfectly today with no issues. I could never explain the situation though.

 

So his scrubbing something while wearing the watch could have momentarily broken the static friction and got some parts moving again for a little while. I've seen this before myself, where I shook a manual wind watch and it started up for a few minutes, but not for long.

 

they shipped the watch with the chronograph on and when you moved it, the balance wheel used the momentum to start the escapement

 

This also happens with my speedmaster. My dad wears it sometimes and he likes to leave the Chrono hand running. Sometimes when I pick it up after it’s been unwound, it starts to run again for less than a minute (Chrono hand included). I don’t think it’s anything out of the ordinary

 

If you stop the chrono, it may start running a bit longer.

 

Thanks, all. I think it’s safe to say that this was a normal behavior given the circumstances and the way these work.

I’m still going to try again...