Issue with my Hamilton Khaki field automatic

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Dr. Arnaud

·Feb 25, 2019

Hello,
I dropped my watch on a hard floor yesterday. The watch is now running slowly. I noticed that when I lay the watch on one side, the seconds hand keeps stopping at the same spot. If I flip the watch on the opposite side then the seconds hand starts to move again.
I know that I need to send the watch to a watchmaker, but I am trying to understand what is going on. Could the issue come from the rotor? Could it be a simple fix? I doubt that, but I am thinking that it might not be cost effective to fix the watch if the fix requires a complete service. The watch is fairly inexpensive.
best,
Arnaud

 

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mblease

·Feb 25, 2019

What a bummer. I did the same to mine but luckily it survived. May as well get a watchmaker to look over it and give you a quote, then you'll know if it's worth it. A lovely little watch, hope you get it sorted.

 

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Dr. Arnaud

·Feb 25, 2019

Yeah, I love it. I am wearing it daily
I really think that the problem is coming from the rotor. My feeling is that it is messing up with the balance wheel. I don't know if it is possible. The watch seems to keep time when it seats on the case back.

 

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Dr. Arnaud

·Apr 9, 2019

UPDATE: I sent the watch for repair. Apparently the reverse wheel was the issue and they replaced it.
This leads to another question. Is manually winding an automatic watch a problem? I used to do it every morning. Movement is an H-10 which is pretty much an ETA 2824-2

 

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dx009

·Apr 9, 2019

A few decades ago some weren't really made to be manually wound but nowadays they're fine.

No problem charging it up. Eventually if you want to play it safe you can just charge it to 1/3 or 2/4 and then let the rotor do the rest of the winding.

 

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vbrad26

·Apr 9, 2019

I have the day/date Khaki Auto with the 2834-2.
I usually will give it a couple of twists to get it going after setting it and then let my wrist do the rest.

 

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Dr. Arnaud

·May 13, 2019

My daily beater is back on my wrist

 

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Canuck

·May 13, 2019

A fall causing a problem with a reverser gear. I am having a problem envisaging how that would happen. The rotor bearing on Eta movement is quite robust. But I have seen the arc-shaped mass of the rotor coming loose from the core where the bearing is located. Were that to happen, the watch could indeed exhibit the stop and start symptoms described.

 

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Dr. Arnaud

·May 13, 2019

Canuck

A fall causing a problem with a reverser gear. I am having a problem envisaging how that would happen. The rotor bearing on Eta movement is quite robust. But I have seen the arc-shaped mass of the rotor coming loose from the core where the bearing is located. Were that to happen, the watch could indeed exhibit the stop and start symptoms described.

Good to know! The power reserve of this watch is supposed to be 80hrs, but it has never been the case for me when fully wound (48h max i would say). Maybe that part of the watch was faulty since day 1, and I kind of aggravated the problem when I dropped the watch. What do you think about my theory?

 

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Canuck

·May 13, 2019

An 80 hour power reserve? Where’d you hear that? If the movement is an Eta 2824, Ranfft lists that movement as having a 40-hour reserve. So if you are getting 48 hours power reserve, I’d say there was no problem with the rotor, before you dropped it.

 

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Dr. Arnaud

·May 13, 2019

Movement is an H10. 80h power reserve!
https://watchbase.com/hamilton/caliber/h-10

 

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Dr. Arnaud

·May 13, 2019

They lowered the beat rate to achieve that performance.

 

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Canuck

·May 13, 2019

If the rotor on your watch is like the rotor on many Eta automatic movements, chances are it had come apart partially, and dropping it finished the job. Interference in a damaged rotor could cause reduced power reserve.